Kimse Yok Mu continues its aid for Bosnian flood victims

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation has been continuing its aid efforts in the aftermath of the devastating flood in Bosnia.

Kimse Yok Mu restoring eyesight to the needy blind in Pakistan

Having earlier reached out too for help for the Pakistani people, Kimse Yok Mu Foundation now heals the cataract patients in need. The foundation rolled up the sleeves to offer cataract surgeries to five thousand in Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Gülen's lawyer denies any link with bugging probe suspect

Fethullah Gülen's lawyer has denied that the Turkish Islamic scholar has any links with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's former chief bodyguard, who was detained in an investigation into covert listening devices found in the prime minister's office in 2012.

AK Party cancels construction licenses for religious groups in Antalya

The Antalya Metropolitan Municipality has cancelled the construction licenses of a Hizmet-affiliated school and a dormitory belonging to another religious community following a recent speech of the Turkish prime minister telling his party's mayors to take property back that they might have allocated to the Hizmet movement, a social and religious grassroots movement in Turkey.

Yes, Religion Can Still Be A Force For Good In The World

Antonia Blumberg, Yasmine Hafiz

Bringing people together over a meal to celebrate diversity

Last Man Standing

The annual International Science Olympiad has been dominated by Nigeria since it started in 2009. But the 2014 edition of the competition for science students worldwide took a different turn for the country as South Africa became a dominant figure. But for the 15-year-old Akanimoh Udombeh, Nigeria's flag may not have been hoisted on the winners' podium this year.

Interior minister fails to impress audience in Washington address

Turkey's Interior Minister Efkan Ala, a bureaucrat believed to be the leading figure in containing a recent corruption scandal and in implementing a number of the government's anti-democratic practices, delivered a speech on Turkish domestic politics in Washington, D.C., on Monday, eliciting laughter among the largely American audience.

The real wretch

Begüm Burak

The Romanian capital of Bucharest was the host of the 12th edition of the International Language and the Culture Festival, which is organized by the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER).

Moral Theology of Hizmet – Positive action, service, piety, sincerity and interreligious dialogue

Jeremy F. Walton*

In Turkey and across the globe, Hizmet (Gülen Movement) institutions defy simple categorization. As other contributors to this special issue show, they include a variety of NGOs and charities, private businesses, primary, secondary and post-secondary schools, publishing houses and mass media outlets. Clearly, a key unifying aspect of these distinct institutions is their shared dedication to Fethullah Gülen’s theology and moral philosophy. A fitting approach to the distinctive institutional and religious culture of the Hizmet Movement, therefore, is to examine the principles of ethical action that orient Gülen’s theology and that animate actors in Hizmet institutions. In this section, I take up an ensemble of interrelated concepts and practices—“positive action” (müspet hareket), “service” (hizmet), “piety” (Arabic: taqwa; Turkish: takva), and “sincerity” (samimiyet, ihlas), as well as the cardinal Hizmet activity of interreligious dialogue (dinler arası diyalog)—that together form the moral theology of the Hizmet Movement. (1) Above all, this moral theology—presented gradually over Gülen’s oeuvre and expressed through the actions and aspirations of Hizmet institutions—represents a commensuration of Islamic piety and liberal values of religious tolerance and the flourishing of socio-religious diversity.

CCBT Teaches Turkish in Public School in Rio de Janeiro

The Turkish-Brazilian Cultural Center (CCBT) has been teaching Turkish classes at the State School Infante Don Henrique in the Copacabana neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, since July 2013.

Int'l language festival singing finale ends with great show in Romania

The finals of the singing competition at the International Language and Culture Festival, which brought together about 100 students from 27 countries under the motto “Hearts United” this year, was held in the Romanian capital of Bucharest on Sunday.

TUSKON-led trade volume reaches $30 billion

The Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), a broad business initiative with 55,000 members, provides extensive support to businessmen who seek to make a contribution to the national economy. In addition to its many other activities, TUSKON held 19 world trade summits between 2006 and 2013 and hosted 40,000 domestic and 30,000 foreign businessmen and industrialists. The trade bridges created at these meetings have led TUSKON to generate a trade volume of $30 billion so far. Unlike some similar initiatives, TUSKON doesn't neglect small and medium-sized enterprises. The most recent summit was held in November 2013 at the Istanbul Convention Center and saw the participation of more than 2,000 guests who concluded deals worth $500 million. The number of deals reached increases at every meeting.

Romania hosts song contest of Language and Culture Festival

The song contest final of the 12th International Language and Culture Festival was held in Bucharest on June 15.

Kimse Yok Mu provides vocational training for Palestinian orphans

Esref, a 14-year-old at Kimse Yok Mu’s vocational school for the orphan in the Western Bank, has been learning Turkish language at the country’s first ever language and culture center. “You’ve brought hope for the Palestinian orphans. You changed the mood here,” Esref said and expressed his thanks. “We are now more hopeful about our future. We love Turks.”

Private high school declared green space

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) recently declared a piece of land on which a private high school had been being built to be a green space, according to representatives from the school who spoke to Today's Zaman on Sunday.

Romania hosts 12th International Language and Culture Festival finals

The final leg of the 12th International Language and Culture Festival will be held in the Romanian capital of Bucharest on June 15-16.

Political fundamentalism in Turkey

Abdullah Bozkurt

With increasingly aggressive and intolerant posturing, Turkey's controversial prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been rapidly transforming what used to be a successful progressive party, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), into an organization that mainly features the characteristics of political fundamentalism in this predominantly Muslim nation.

Failed policy!

Ali Bulaç

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has not adopted Islam as a reference or source of identity in its policies.

Hate Speech and Beyond: Targeting the Gülen Movement in Turkey

On December 17, 2013, a graft probe alleging corruption among some members of the cabinet became public. Immediately thereafter, the Gülen movement (a.k.a. Hizmet), one of the largest faith-based communities in Turkey, became the target of offensive statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The paper argues that from the standpoint of human rights law, there is little doubt that some of the prime minister’s statements are fundamentally incompatible with the principles underlying the concept of human rights. Some of these expressions, indeed, amount to prima facie hate speech as understood by the European Court of Human Rights, the jurisdiction of which is already accepted by Turkey.

Erdoğan's witch hunt turns key state institutions upside down

Since a sweeping graft scandal broke on Dec. 17, ongoing purges in state and semi-autonomous institutions have reached a level where these bodies face a serious risk of being unable to function properly, as indicated by a recent controversial report in which the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) said that leaked voiced recordings implicating government officials in corruption were fabricated.

Losing direction

Orhan Oğuz Gürbüz

How much progress can be made by undermining such notions as justice and law in Turkey? This is the fundamental question. A state where legal mechanisms are not properly operated cannot possibly offer something to its people or to the international community.

Former AK Party official: Corruption allegations cannot be buried

Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat, who was once very close to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, says on the allegations raised during the Dec. 17 process, “A trial is not something to be condemned; but remaining under suspicion is bad.” He notes that the government is politically responsible for the illegal wiretapping.

'Hizmet is the attempt to celebrate all of humanity'

Fikir Atlasi*, Episode 2 (Full text)

Assoc. Prof. Sophia Pandya

The Hizmet Movement is a humanitarian civil society movement that’s been around for several decades now.

It has got more than a thousand schools, maybe almost two thousand by now, all over the world.

Yes, Love Is a Verb!

Arzu Kaya-Uranlı

"This is the story of a man... a Turkish Muslim... a scholar... a preacher... and the global movement of social activists he inspires... In 2013, Time Magazine named him one of the most influential leaders in the world... Because of his influence... at risk children are now being educated in hundreds of countries... The sick are being treated... and the starving are fed... often at great personal risk... It's also because of his influence... and the collective power of the movement... that Fethullah Gülen is feared and even reviled in his native Turkey... And as a Muslim leader of a powerful global movement, he is scrutinized in the United States... where he lives in self-imposed exile."

Tamsil: The inadvertent overspill of internalization

Özcan Keleş

I was once the warden of a student hostel at which my younger brother was also a resident. One evening he asked my permission to go out for a while. I asked him where he intended to go. He said, “Home.” I asked him if he intended to change his intention along the way. Looking down, slightly embarrassed but mainly annoyed that I had caught him out, he replied in the affirmative. By “planting” the intention of going home “on top” of his intention to later revise that intention, he thought he would escape both lying and getting caught; he was mistaken on both counts. Intention is not everything, but it is something and something that matters at that. In Islam, “actions are judged according to their intentions” (hadith). In law, actus reus (guilty action) and mens rea (guilty mind/intent) must, bar some exceptions, co-exist in the same time and space for the crime to occur.

Turkish, Russian businessmen convene at forum

Turkish and Russian businessmen convened at the Tula Regional Investment Forum, in the city of Tula on Friday, according to the Cihan news agency.

25 Bangladesh firms to join trade fair in Turkey

Twenty-five Bangladeshi companies from construction and furniture sectors will take part in the “Turkey World Trade Bridge” in Istanbul from June 16-22.

Teaching as a Holy Vocation: Teachers as “Guides” in Hizmet

Caroline Teea* and David Shankland**

The commitment and hard work of teachers in Hizmet schools is a significant factor behind their academic success. Teachers are willing to work harder and for longer hours than their counterparts in other schools, and are not paid any more to do so. This willingness is referred to internally in the movement as fedakarlık (self-sacrifice), and is highly prized and encouraged. Sociologically, the Weberian notion of “inner worldly asceticism” provides a framework for understanding how pious religious convictions might motivate Hizmet (Gülen Movement) followers to exert themselves in pursuit of apparently “worldly” activities for little personal gain (Agai 2002, Özdalga 2000, Yavuz 2013).

Kimse Yok Mu school for Afghanistan

A new imam-hatip (vocational religious) school by Kimse Yok Mu has been launched in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul. In attendance of the inauguration of the schools were the chief adviser to president and the former vice-president of Afghanistan Prof. Nematullah Shahrani, deputy minister of education Dr. Sefik Samim, deputy minister of pilgrimage and foundations Mevlevi Abdul Hakim Munip, Kabul governor Abdul Cebbar Takva along with prominent statesmen, religious figures, Turkish businessmen and parents.

PM calls on municipalities to support his war on ‘parallel structure'

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday hinted the start of his presidential campaign, addressing his Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) mayors, and asked party municipalities to support his fight against what he calls a “parallel structure,” which he said will continue in the run-up to the presidential election.

Bank Asya mandates Goldman for strategic partnership

Bank Asya said on Wednesday it has mandated Goldman Sachs as its financial adviser for a strategic partnership, without providing further details.

Turkey’s efforts in Somalia

Samanyolu Haber TV’s editor for international news Adnan Topkapi, columned his testimonial following his trip to Somalia, during which he witnessed, as he puts it, the selfless people serving the country. Here is his full piece:

Analysts: Erdogan’s Ruling Party Has “Full Control” over Turkish Courts

Omri Ceren

Zaman on Friday rounded up a series of recent exposés and incidents, published by Turkish media organs, describing moves made by Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) to establish what the outlet bluntly assessed as “full control” over Turkey’s judiciary.

Joint mosque-cemevi project launched in Tokat

A mosque and a cemevi -- an Alevi house of worship -- will be built in the same complex in the Reşadiye district in the northern province of Tokat as a bridge-building initiative between the town's Sunni and Alevi communities.

'Gülen movement has a specific mission'

Taha Akyol

… If the [Fethullah] Gülen movement were a small, ineffective community, the AKP would never have disturbed it. Or if the Gülen movement had acted in full cooperation with the government, such a conflict wouldn't have occurred. But the Gülen movement has a specific mission. What is that mission?

Prep school owners write to Constitutional Court

The Constitutional Court will review a law that seeks to shut down preparatory schools that assist students in studying for the national high school and university admission exams after organizations representing private prep schools wrote to the court, asking to make statements about the problems that might arise due to the closure of these institutions.

Witch hunt now being carried out in the US

Ali Halit Aslan

Ambassador James H. Holmes (Ret.) is one of the most competent names in Washington, D.C., with regard to Turkish politics. He served as president of the American-Turkish Council (ATC), a high-profile civil society organization that has enjoyed support from the Turkish and American governments as well as business circles.

Film “Love is a Verb” portraying Hizmet Movement met with audience in NY

A documentary film titled “Love is a Verb” which represent Hizmet Movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen met with the audience in New York.

‘Nigeria, Turkey trade volume hits N250bn in 4 years’

The volume of trade between Nigeria and Turkey increased by 95 percent within four years, a Turkish industrialist has said.

The two leaders' debate over dictatorship

A leader who receives the support of one out of every two voters in free and transparent elections is respected anywhere in the world. It is unlikely that this leader would face claims that he has established a dictatorship in the country shortly after this great success.

‘Islamism is a poor imitation of Che Guevara in Turkey'

Islamism in Turkey is a poor emulation of what Che Guevara did in his time, according to columnist Ali Ünal, who has recently come under the spotlight for his analyses following a major graft investigation involving Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's inner circle.

Hizmet’s political stance: Speak the truth to power, no matter what the cost is

Whether you adhere to a specific ethical or moral code or follow a traditional religion, the fundamental principles are similar, and can be summarized around the golden rule; that is, treating others as you would like them to treat you or in the negative form, not treating others in ways that you would not like to be treated. You can think of examples like not hurting others or not stealing from them, not lying to them, but this negative from misses to cover the contradictions we have in our personal or professional lives. Because not stealing or not lying is not good enough. Even if you are not lying you might be giving false impressions, whether deliberate or not, or you might be silently ignoring the wrongdoing revolving around you. What is required is to stand up and speak the truth: fully inform the public with the facts.

Turkey pledges to help rebuild Bosnia after floods

Turkey has announced that it will continue to offer assistance to help its longtime Balkan ally Bosnia recover from a disastrous flood, in recognition of the fact that, as Bosnian President Bakir Izetbegovic said when speaking to a CNN reporter in May, “This is the worst thing we've faced since the war.”

Cameroon delegation meets with Kimse Yok Mu

A delegation from Cameroon, including Prime Minister Philemong Yang’s wife, were in the Turkish province Bursa, in order to share experiences of Kimse Yok Mu (KYM) for their future projects. The delegation had meetings with KYM officials, as a part of a newly founded charitable foundation in Cameroon. They seek benefiting from KYM’s experiences and using them in their charity work. They were pleased with the warm reception and KYM Bursa director Sadullah Hizan’s presentation on the foundation’s work.

Colors of world meeting at Turkish Language Olympics in exile

Unal Tanik

The Turkish schools abroad should top the list of the global brands Turkey has produced. It’s not easy for a brand to make a name for itself. Sustainability matters as much as other qualifications do. There have been so many enterprises that started to fade from the very beginning.

Journalists and Writers Foundation holds media forum in Moscow

A two-day forum co-organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) and the Turkish-Russian Cultural Center kicked off in Moscow on Friday to discuss media ties between Turkey and Russia.

Purges at Turkish Airlines continue after PM's 'witch hunt' remarks

Mehmet Yılmaz, head of Turkish Airlines' (THY) line maintenance department, was demoted to a lower position, according to Turkish news outlets on Friday.

MHP submits question over allegation of FBI file

Özcan Yeniçeri, a deputy from Turkey's opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has submitted a parliamentary question to Interior Minister Efkan Ala asking whether it is true that the Interior Ministry gave a file about the activities of the Hizmet movement, led by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, to an FBI delegation that visited Turkey.

Turkey’s intra-Islamic witch hunt

Mustafa Akyol

“If this is called a witch hunt, then yes, we perform a witch hunt,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a May 10 “consultation and assessment meeting” of his Justice and Development Party (AKP). He was referring to the purge and reshuffling within the Turkish judiciary and police with the clear aim of dismantling the “parallel state” allegedly formed by the Fethullah Gulen movement. “In order to sterilize this dirty water that contaminated the milk, we will either boil or molecularize it,” Erdogan added, using a biological reference to justify an operation on state and society.

Court wants up to 11 years for Samanyolu TV director

A prosecutor has filed charges against a director of Samanyolu TV accusing him of “insulting” and “slandering” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and fomenting “grudges and hostility among the public,” demanding up to 11 years and two months in prison.Chief Public Prosecutor Sıddık İlgar demands between two years and 10 months to 11 years and two months in prison for Abdullah Bağ, who is the director responsible for the content of the broadcasts of Samanyolu TV, which has currently been under attack from government agencies.

The [Gulen] movement was a curtain

Yonca Kaya Şahin

When the AK Party came in power in 2002, it lacked the qualified staff it needed to rule.

The movement stepped in at this point and served the party`s need.

Hizmet and March 30 elections: What happened? (2)

Haluk A. Savaş*

The people who were unable to acquire representation in the state because of the domination and influence of the pro-Western or pro-Republican People's Party (CHP) bureaucrats and officers within the state apparatus who consolidated their domination during the CHP's single-party rule of 27 years, which restricted the sphere of public activity and religious displays and practice, see Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a leader who has opened up the state and its sphere of influence to the people.

Turkey's never-healing illness

Sadık Çınar

… By late 2010 the AKP became very open to Modernist ideology contamination in order to secure its power in the long term. The ruling people of the AKP and especially Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are of the people who believe that the new Turkey project targeting 2023 (even 2071 in some discourses) can only be achieved by extremely strong governments in which all the other institutions, identities and groups are submissive to their power. The AKP and Prime Minister Erdoğan started to acquire possible future opponents. In this process the HAS Party's (Voice of the People Party) and DP's (Democrat Party) charismatic leaders Numan Kurtulmuş and Süleyman Soylu joined the AKP with some powerful assignments within party management.

Hizmet and March 30 elections: What happened? (1)

Haluk A. Savaş*

This piece reviews the political and social position of a community referred to as the Hizmet movement -- which has been involved in social service since the 1970s as a social movement, both before and after the local elections on March 30, 2014 -- the processes it was involved in, as well as the outcomes of all this.

Nigeria: Post-2015 Agenda - Addressing the Inadequacies in Women's Rights

Women rights activists and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) recently gathered in Istanbul, Turkey to address the failures of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on the rights of women, and proffer solutions for inclusion in the post-2015 agenda, at an event organised by the Journalists and Writers Foundation of Turkey. Damilola Oyedele was there...