May 3, 2014

NY Times: Let Mr. Erdogan Fight His Own Battles

The New York Times, Editorial

Not long ago, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish preacher in Pennsylvania, were the best of allies. Mr. Erdogan heads an Islamist government, and Mr. Gulen promotes a moderate, pro-Western brand of Sunni Islam that appeals to many well-educated and professional Turks. The two men had a common purpose in confronting and weakening the country’s once-dominant secular military and political leadership.

NYT on Erdoğan's extradition request for Gülen: Crass, cynical attempt

The New York Times editorial board published an article titled 'Let Mr. Erdogan Fight His Own Battles' on Friday in which it defined Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's attempt to get the US to extradite Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen as “nothing more than a crass and cynical attempt to exploit the law, and Turkey’s alliance with the United States, for political payback.”

Desmond Tutu commends Gulen inspired organization

Award recipient of the Fethullah Gulen Peace Award at the 7th Annual Ubuntu Lecture, Peace and Dialogue Awards Ceremony, Desmond Tutu, praised the work done by Turquoise Harmony Institute.

Kimse Yok Mu and Tuna Foundation lifting up Romanian orphans’ spirit

Kimse Yok Mu, Romania
Kimse Yok Mu Foundation in cooperation with the local Tuna Foundation gave away donations of clothing and food to the children of an orphanage in the Romanian capital Bucharest. The two foundations joined together to reach out to a total of 270 orphans including those with mental disorders.

Fethullah Gulen's Dialogue

M. Hakan Yavuz*

Gulen’s interfaith dialogue is based on his understanding of human beings and human identity. What it means to be human (insan) and live a human life is determined in large part by our religious identities. These identities are formed and expanded as a result of encounters with other traditions and in relation to God. The latter relationship unifies us with other traditions. The former relationship involves encounters with other traditions and this encounter helps us to mold our self-identity. There is always a spiritual “home” (ie, an internalized tradition) that helps us to go out and interact with others and return having been enriched. We are not the same when we come back home.” In other words, through reading a text and conversing with others, we transform our understanding and enrich our own tradition. In fact, Gulen insists on the authenticity of each tradition and calls upon his followers to respect each tradition as it is and invite people to study theirs in order to appreciate the difference and to realize their human potential. Dialogue, for Gulen, becomes essential for identity formation and self-enrichment. Dialogue should focus on our particular understandings and situated stories of God. Gulen has a dynamic sense of transcendence: it is simultaneously particular and universal.