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{{POV|date=January 2009}}
⚫ {{Infobox Celebrity
| image =
| image_size = 150px |
⚫ | name = M. Fethullah Gülen
| imagesize = 250px
⚫ | caption =
| birth_date = 1941
⚫ | birth_place = ], ]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Islamic scholar
| website = http://en.fgulen.com
| footnotes = who voted the top intellectual in ] online poll.<ref name=autogenerated4/>
⚫ }}


⚫ {{Infobox ReligiousBio
'''Fethullah Gülen''' (born ],]) is a Turkish ],<ref name=autogenerated4></ref><ref name=carroll>{{cite book
| background = #00AA00
| author =
⚫ | name = M. Fethullah Gülen
| year = 2007
| image = ] <!-- Only freely-licensed images may be used to depict living people. See ]. -->
| title = A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gülen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse
| religion = ]
| publisher = The Light, Inc.
| alias = ''hocaefendi''
| isbn =
| location = ]
}}</ref><ref name=zaman145137/> modernist Islamic ]<ref name=autogenerated4></ref><ref name=zaman145137/><ref>, Foreign Policy</ref>, writer, and leader of the ''Gülen movement''. He is the author of over 60 books.<ref name=enbooks></ref><ref name=trbooks></ref>
⚫ | Title =
| Period =
| Predecessor =
| Successor =
| ordination =
| post =
| previous_post =
| present_post =
| date of birth = {{birth date|1941|04|27}}
⚫ | place of birth = ], ]
| date of death =
| place of death =
⚫ }}


'''Fethullah Gülen''' (born ],]) is an Islamic preacher from Turkey, and leader of the ''Gülen movement''.
Gülen's proclaimed ideal is to promote ], and dialog of civilizations<ref name=zaman144511 >, Zaman</ref> at the international scale,<ref name=zaman144646>, Today's Zaman</ref><ref name=zaman146073></ref><ref name=prospect>, Prospect, Issue 148, July 2008</ref> and to see a renaissance of the modern Muslim world with ] at the forefront in the local scale.<ref name=reuters></ref> Fethullah Gülen has started a movement. In many countries schools are opened according to his philosophy. These schools are intended to promote peace and dialog in general<ref name=munley>Munley, Ann. "Contributions of the Gülen Community to Muslim Dynamism and Education" conference held on March 3rd, 2008 at Marywood University.</ref><ref name=autogenerated2></ref><ref name=forbes0118/> and offer a moderate vision of Islam in Muslim countries.<ref name=nyt080504/><ref name=cuttingedge></ref> He has invested in ] by meeting ] and ] leaders, including the ].<ref name=gulendialog></ref>


His critics accuse him of undermining the ] roots of the ] by advocating Islamization, while his supporters hail him as an open-minded ] who has been subject to a long-lasting hate campaign.
Gülen is characterized in the media as one of the world's most important Muslim figures,<ref name=economist10808408></ref> with the Gülen movement as one of the world's leading Muslim movements.<ref name=economist10808408 /><ref name=forbes0118></ref> Gülen has been the subject of several academic studies.<ref></ref><ref name=scholar></ref><ref></ref><ref name=autogenerated3></ref><ref></ref>


He is the author of over 60 books.<ref>http://tr.fgulen.com/content/section/30/3/</ref>
Gülen and his movement have been praised by Islamic and non-Muslim organisations.<ref name=zaman145137></ref><ref name=zaman144646 /><ref name=zaman146073/><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=135316
|accessdate=2008-07-06
|date=2008-03-01
|first=Idris
|last=Gursoy
|title=Feb. 21 declared ‘Gülen Institute Day’ in Houston
|work=Today's Zaman
}}</ref> These supporters tend to view the movement as a modernist and moderate form of the Islam; a potential counterbalance to extremism.<ref name=nyt080504>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/world/asia/04islam.html?ex=1367640000&en=625b88103a702f94&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink| first=Sabrina|last=Tavernise|authorlink=Sabrina Tavernise|title=Turkish Schools Offer Pakistan a Gentler Vision of Islam|date=2008-05-04|work=New York Times}}</ref><ref name=tavernise></ref> His movement has its base in ] and forms a significant factor in Turkish society.<ref name=prospect/><ref></ref><ref></ref> There are also some controversies around Gülen. Some ] claim that his objective is to abolish Turkey's secular state; although court rulings have not supported this.<ref name=autogenerated1></ref> On the other hand, some radical groups criticize his interfaith dialog efforts.


==Biography== ==Biography==

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M. Fethullah Gülen
Personal life
Other nameshocaefendi
Religious life
ReligionIslam
Muslim leader
Based inTurkey

Fethullah Gülen (born 27 April,1941) is an Islamic preacher from Turkey, and leader of the Gülen movement.

His critics accuse him of undermining the secular roots of the Republic of Turkey by advocating Islamization, while his supporters hail him as an open-minded Islamic scholar who has been subject to a long-lasting hate campaign.

He is the author of over 60 books.

Biography

M. Fethullah Gülen was born in Erzurum, Turkey in 1941. He started primary education at his home village, but did not continue after his family moved, and instead focused on informal Islamic education. He gave his first sermon when he was 14. He became a follower of Said Nursi, an Islamic leader, before he was 18. In 1959 he was awarded a state preacher's license in Edirne. In 1966 he was transferred to a post in İzmir. It was here that Gülen's recurring themes began to crystallize and his audience base began to expand. He also traveled around the provinces in Anatolia and gave sermons in mosques, town meetings and coffee houses among other places. From İzmir on, he placed a special emphasis on promulgating his ideas to high school and college students and recruiting them for his movement.

The range of topics in his speeches was more diverse than that of other Islamic preachers; he talked about education, science, Darwinism, the economy and social justice. As such, he gained a large following in society . More broadly, adopting a theme that was previous explored by Said-i Nursi, he envisioned a society of devout Muslims who nevertheless would adopt methods and technical knowledge that led to West's superiority over the Muslim world . . His popularity was aided by the emotional intensity of his sermons; at the climax he would display great emotion, often burst into tears. All his sermons have been taped and published regularly.

In spite of the accusations, there have not been any court decisions against Gülen.. A recent decision based on the accusations by the Appeals Court unanimously upheld Fethullah Gülen acquittal. The court’s decision emphasized that the claims against Gülen were “unreal and inconclusive.”

By the end of the 1970s he broke ranks with the mainstream Nur (light) movement which was governed by a council of elders and instituted his own where he was the sole leader. Gülen retired from formal preaching duties in 1981. From 1988 to 1991 he gave a series of sermons in popular mosques of major cities. His long career had made him a well-known figure in Islamic circles, and in particular, within the Nurcu movement, however, it was the Islamic political activism and his courtship with the center-right political parties in the 1990s that made him a public figure. In 1994, he helped in the founding of "Journalists and Writers Foundation". and was given the title "Honorary Leader" by the foundation.

Philosophy and activities

Gülen's published works in the 1990s advocated dialogue among communities and faiths, tolerance, and acceptance of others. He personally met with religious leaders, including Pope John Paul II, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos, and Israeli Sephardic Head Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron.

According to Gülen his theological views lie solidly within the Turkish Sunni mainstream while being more responsive to modern world than other Islamic movements . He has also adopted the views and tradition of founder of the Nur (light) movement, Said Nursi.

Gülen claims the modern world is plagued by individuals' lack of faith, and in particular, the failure to adopt scientific methods while in the same time preserving moral values and belief in God. Gülen argues that faith can be scientifically proven, and that science can benefit from or requires a moral foundation from religion.

He has guided his supporters to open about 500 educational institutions in more than 90 countries in Eurasia, Africa and North America.

The Gülen movement

The Gülen movement consists of volunteer organizations that are ideologically connected under the leadership of Gülen. The predominantly Turkish volunteers, who are educated or have received support from the institutions founded by the movement, run more than a thousand schools all over the world. It has founded universities of its own, an employers' association, unions, and hundreds of sub-organizations, lobby groups, and student bodies. The movement as a whole counts several hundred thousand of members, making it one of the largest Islamic movements in Turkey.

One of the main characteristic of the movement is that it is faith-based but not faith-limited. There are many Christians, even at the community leadership level, in several countries feel themselves close to or inspired by the movement.

In an article in The Economist, the Gülen movement is reported as a Turkish-based movement, which sounds more reasonable than most of its rivals, is vying to be recognized as the world's leading Muslim network . It is also stated that Gülen has also won praise from many non-Muslim quarters, with his stated belief in science, inter-faith dialog and multi-party democracy. He is an intensely emotional preacher, whose tearful sermons seem to strike a deep chord in his listeners; but the movement he heads is remarkably pragmatic and businesslike. As a global force, the Gülenists are especially active in education. They claim to have founded more than 500 places of learning in 90 countries. A conference staged in London, October 2007 was co-hosted by four British universities, plus the House of Lords, yielded a slick, 750-page report of the proceedings.

Ann Munley, president of Pennsylvania's Marywood University, has stated that "Turkish people establish schools all across the world and show great self-sacrifice in educating people of all races and religions. The Gülen movement considerably contributes to the establishment of these schools." In a recent article titled 'Turkish Schools Offer Pakistan a Gentler Vision of Islam', in New York Times, it is stated that the Turkish schools, which have expanded to seven cities in Pakistan since the first one opened a decade ago, offer an alternative approach that could help reduce the influence of extremism .

Professor Thomas Michel from Georgetown University expressed belief that the Gülen movement is not political in nature.

Doctor B. Jill Carroll of Rice University in Houston, has noted in an Interfaith Voices program, an independent public radio show that promotes interfaith understanding through dialoge, that the Gülen movement has become a global and transnational one:'Gülen has greatly impacted three generations in Turkey. He also influences considerable masses all across the world with his speeches and deeds. He leads a very modest life. Thousands of institutions have been established all around the globe by the Gülen movement, but he doesn’t undertake the administration of even one of them. When people see such aspects of this movement, they say ‘these are not Muslims in words, they are real Muslims' . She also praised Turkish schools, established around the globe with Gülen’s pioneering. 'These schools invest in the future and aim at creating a community that offers equal opportunities for everyone.'

A world-famous Turkish sociologist Nilüfer Göle, known for her studies on modernization and conservatism, classified the Gülen movement and the schools governed by the movement as the world's most global movement. She stated that Turkish schools bring people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds together in peace .

A recent article titled 'A modern Ottoman' says: 'Fethullah Gülen leads a global movement inspired by Sufi ideas. He promotes an open brand of Islamic thought and he is preoccupied with modern science.' It also states, 'He and his movement are at home with technology, markets and multinational business and especially with modern communications and public relations.' .

Gülen Thoughts on Terrorism

'A Real Muslim cannot be a Terrorist'

Gülen does not approve use of Islam and terrorism together . That is, he agrees that such terrorism exists but argues that it is not Islamic or Muslim. He has written an article in response to the September 11 attacks saying:

We condemn in the strongest of terms the latest terrorist attack on the United States of America, and feel the pain of the American people at the bottom of our hearts.

A question asked by Nuriye Akman: It appears that al-Qaeda network has a cell in Turkey. You explained about the religious side of the matter. Does it have different meanings as well? And he said: "One of the people in the world I hate the most is Bin Laden, because he spoiled the bright appearance of Islam. He created a dirty image. Even if we try to fix that terrible damage with all our best, it would take years.We will tell about it everywhere in different platforms. We will write books about it. We will say, 'this is not Islam.' Bin Laden replaced Islamic logic with his feelings and desires. He is a monster, as are the men around him. If there is any one similar to them, they too are nothing more than monsters."

Works

Gülen has authored over 60 books and many articles on a variety of topics: social, political and religious issues, art, science and sports, and recorded thousands of audio and video cassettes. He contributes to a number of journals and magazines owned by his followers. He writes the lead article for the Fountain, Yeni Ümit, Sızıntı, and Yağmur, Islamic and philosophical magazines in Turkey. Some of his books are available in English, German, Russian, Albanian, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean and Spanish.

Bibliography in English

Pearls of Wisdom, Emerald Hills of the Heart, Prophet Muhammed as Commander, Questions and Answers, Essentials of the Islamic Faith, The Infinite Light vol 1–2, Towards the Lost Paradise, Truth Through Colors, Muhammad: The Messenger of God, Questions and Answers about Faith, Towarda Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism (3 vols), The Statues of Our Souls, etc. His Books

Controversies

Gülen is a controversial figure for some secularists in Turkey. While his followers and some part of Turkish society respects him as a humanistic figure at the service of Islam, another portion of society perceives him as a significant threat who aims to transform the country's secular system.

Despite his large number of followers and significant influence in Turkish society and politics, he has been living in the United States since 1998. Several months after Gülen had moved to the United States to receive better treatment for his health problems (he suffers from diabetes and a range of its side effects) a scandal developed. Gülen was claimed to have urged his followers in the judiciary and public service to "work patiently for the sake of the (Islamic) state." In 2000 Gülen was prosecuted for inciting his followers to plot the overthrow of Turkey's secular government. He was acquitted in 2006. The Supreme Court of Appeals has rejected the Chief Prosecutor's Office's objection to the acquittal of Fethullah Gülen . This is the final decision for his long trial process started in 2000.

The authenticity of the tapes used in the scandal is debated. Gülen himself explained that the footage in question was completely taken out of context (he was giving advice to a group of official employees who felt marginalized by other groups within the state system that wanted them gone), and that he cannot be judged for intent, only deeds. Accordingly, he advised them that they should not relinquish their careers out of religious fervor but that they should remain in order to do good for the people, even if this meant not practicing their religion in the open.

Gülen's appeal to various ideological strands in Turkey differs. His supporters probably constitute the most influential Islamic and political movements in Turkey both for its human and financial capital. Various other shades of the Islamic movement and conservative segments of society are generally sympathetic to him. His detractors are mostly in the nationalistic wing of the secularists, critical of his alleged affinity for a theocratic society and his strategic support from the US. For the elites, the ranks are broken by certain liberals, who point out that Gülen's group, at least in its public representation, has proven to be most willing to evolve and most open to international influence.

Due to its spearheading westernization and secularization since the late Ottoman era, and later founding the secular republic under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the military has always viewed Islamic movements with suspicion and since the 1980s has identified Gülen's group as a threat to the republic. In 1986, a military court has determined the existence of Gülen's supporters in the military academy and the group was purged. From then on, the Turkish military has repeatedly alleged that Gülen tries to infiltrate its ranks and pressured politicians to take action against Gülen.

Gülen was widely criticized in 2004 when he, in contrast with his public calls for tolerance, commented that he considered terrorism to be equally despicable as atheism. In a follow-up interview he declared he did not intent to equate atheists and murderers; rather, he wanted to highlight the fact that according to Islam both were destined to suffer eternal punishment.

See also

References

  1. http://tr.fgulen.com/content/section/30/3/
  2. An interview with Fethullah Gülen's primary school teacher
  3. http://tr.fgulen.com/a.page/hayati/hayat.kronolojisi/a4443.html
  4. Gülen's answers to various claims made against him. See Claim 9.
  5. http://www.gyv.org.tr/changelang.asp?lang=2&page2go=http://www.gyv.org.tr/
  6. The Journalists and Writers Foundation Official Web Site
  7. Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance
  8. Advocate of Dialogue: Fethullah Gülen
  9. Yeni Aktüel Weekly Magazine, 11–17 October 2005, No:13.
  10. M. Hakan Yavuz and John L. Esposito, eds. Turkish Islam and the Secular State: The Gülen Movement (Syracuse University Press, 2003)
  11. Qantara.de - Porträt Fethullah Gülen - Ein moderner türkisch-islamischer Reformdenker?
  12. Guardian Unlimited | Archive Search
  13. "Contributions of the Gülen Community to Muslim Dynamism and Education" conference. March 3rd, 2008. Marywood University.
  14. "This movement has never been engaged in politics. It has reached millions of children all across the world and helped with their education regardless of their races, languages, religions and nationalities. This is a great self-sacrifice and success."
  15. Fethullah Gülen: A life dedicated to peace and humanity - True Muslims Cannot Be Terrorists
  16. Fethullah Gülen: A life dedicated to peace and humanity - Fethullah Gulen's Response to the Sep 11 Terrorist Attack on US
  17. Fethullah Gülen: A life dedicated to peace and humanity - Islam Abhors Acts of Terror
  18. http://www.fethullahgulen.org/content/view/1727/24/
  19. http://tr.fgulen.com/content/section/30/3/
  20. BBC News | Europe | Turkish investigation into Islamic sect expanded
  21. WorldWide Religious News-Gulen acquitted of trying to overthrow secular government
  22. Gülen's answers to claims made based on the video tapes taken from some of his recorded speeches
  23. ,,BBC News: Army chief demands Islamist purge
  24. Fethullah Gülen and Atheist-Terrorist Comparison

External links

The Gülen movement

Other sources

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