Preventing Violence and Achieving World Peace: The Contributions of the Gulen Movement

How can we address the seemingly endless conflicts in the world, particularly those arising from misunderstandings of Islam by both Muslims and non-Muslims?

The book, "Preventing Violence and Achieving World Peace: The Contributions of the Gulen Movement", presents the essays of eight scholars who consider the diverse ways in which the Gulen Movement or hizmet (service to others) - inspired by contemporary Turkish social philosopher Fethullah Gülen - has worked to answer this question. Drawing from various intellectual and theological sources, particularly Sufism, these essays indicate multiple instances of positive interfaith and/or multicultural dialogue. In addition, they consider how the writings of Gülen and the works of the Gulen Movement, through an extensive program of education and communication, have contributed significantly to efforts that oppose violence and shape universal peace.

Review

At a time of utter urgency in Muslim/non-Muslim relations, this book on the Gulen Movement appears as a beacon of hope, offering multifaceted insight into Gulen's thought and practice - touching upon themes of philosophy, education, interfaith mysticism, universalism, and the cosmos. It offers significant support to the Charter for Compassion movement, another grassroots effort, also grounded in the need for self-improvement, humility, education toward tolerance and away from violence, and, above all, in the compatible notion of hizmet - outward action of kindness and service toward the other. Taking these insights to heart may help to awaken humanity to embrace 'our diversity as a species. and - insha'Allah - to achieve 'fullness of peace' in our time. (Helen McConnell, CAN (Compassionate Action Network) International Fellow; Co-Founder of the Compassionate Washington, D.C. Campaign)

Authors

Ori Z. Soltes teaches theology and art history at Georgetown University. He received his BA from Haverford College, his MA from Princeton University, and his PhD from Union University. He is the author of over 215 books, articles, and essays including Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Searching for Oneness and Embracing the World: The Relationship between Fethullah Gulen, Jelaladdin Rumi and Others.

Margaret A. Johnson, a sociologist and business owner, is Senior Research Associate for the Institute for Islamic and Turkish Studies in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Her current research is on peace building and Islam in the United States. She is President and CEO of Transfirex Translation Services. Recently ranked 5th in the D.C. Metro Area by the Washington Business Journal, Transfirex, Inc. is in its eleventh year of providing scientific, technical, and educational translations in over 40 languages.

Fethullah Gulen's contributions to peace were discussed at the conference, Preventing Violence and Achieving World Peace: The Contributions of the Gulen Movement, on October 29, 2009 at the University of Maryland, College Park held by the Rumi Forum of Maryland.

The conference was co-sponsored by Dept. of Anthropology, The Rumi Club, Graduate Student Government at the University of Maryland, College Park. Several distinguished speakers including former ambassador, US State Department official Peter Kovach, academicians talked about the contributions of the Gulen Movement to the World Peace.

Source: Amazon.com