Fethullah Gülen

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Fethullah Gülen (born in April 1941) is a former Islamic preacher, writer, and leader of the eponymous group alternatively called Gülen's movement, or Fethullahçı movement in Turkey. His critics accuse him of undermining secular nature of Turkish Republic and advocating Islamization of the society, while his supporters hail him as an open-minded Islamic scholar and claim he been subject to a long-lasting hate campaign.

Gulen also speaks Arabic and Persian,[1] has written over 60 books,[2], and received numerous prizes.[3] Gulen has also been the subject of numerous studies, with widely diverging opinions on him.[4].

Gulen lives in Pennsylvania, United States.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Gulen 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.[5] He gave his first sermon when he was 14.[6] He became a follower of Said-i Nursi, an Islamic leader, before he was 18.[7] 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 travelled 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 his speeches was more versatile than that of other Islamic preachers; he talked about education, science, Darwinism, the economy and social justice. 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[citation needed]. As such, he succeeded in recruiting large sections of the society[citation needed] who felt alienated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's reforms at the founding of the Turkish Republic[citation needed]. His popularity was aided by the emotional intensity of his sermons; at the climax he would display great emotion, often burst into tears. His sermons were taped and distributed by a network of followers at a time when Islamic activities were viewed with suspicion and proved instrumental in raising money for the movement[8].

In 1971 he was convicted to 3 years for his pro-Islamic activities.[7] By the end of the 1970s he broke ranks with the mainstream Nurcu movement which was governed by a council of elders and instituted his own where he was the sole leader. He leveraged the support of Necmettin Erbakan, the leader of the first party, with an overtly Islamic agenda in Turkey.[9] 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 know 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 90s that made him a public figure. In 1994, he helped in the founding of "Journalists and Writers Foundation".[8] and was given the title "Honorary Leader" by the foundation.[9]

In 1998 a scandal developed in which Gülen was believed to have urged his followers in the judiciary and public service to "work patiently to take control of the state."[10] At this time, Gülen moved to the United States, allegedly due to health problems and/or to avoid standing trial in person. In 2000 Gülen was prosecuted for inciting his followers to plot the overthrow of Turkey's secular government. He was acquitted in 2006.[11]

[edit] Philosophy and activities

Gülen's published works in the 1990s advocated dialogue among communities and faiths, tolerance, and acceptance of others.[12] He personally met with religious leaders, including Pope John Paul II, the Panahriot Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos, and Israeli Sephardic Head Rabbi Eliyahu B. Doron.[13]

According to Gülen his theological views lie solidly within the Turkish Sunni mainstream while being more responsive to modern world than other Islamic movements[citation needed]. It should be noted, however, he has also adopted the views and mystical tradition of founder of the Nur (light) movement, Said Nursi, as evident in his highly emotional sermons.

Gülen claims the modern world is plagued by individual's lack of faith, and in particular, the failure adopt sceintific methods while preserving moral values and belief in God.[citation needed] Gülen argues that faith can be scientifically proven, and science benefits from or requires a moral foundation from religion.[citation needed]

He has guided his supporters to open about 500 educational institutions in more than 90 countries in Eurasia, Africa and North America.[14][15]

[edit] Gülen's movement

Gülen's movement consists of legally autonomous units, personally and ideologically connected into a network by the leadership of Gülen.[16] Most parts of the movement are run by volunteers, who were in turn educated or received support from previous members of the group.[17] The movement runs several hundred schools, mostly in Turkey and Central Asia. In these schools children from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds are educated by mainly Turkish educators. The financially very strong (estimated at 25 billion USD in 1999)[18] movement owns - apart from their focus on schools - radio and TV stations, a news agency, a bank, several publishing houses, and newspapers (among them the very successfull Zaman). It has founded universities of its own (among them the Virginia International University (USA), an employers' association[citation needed], unions[citation needed], 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 - maybe the largest - islamic movement in Turkey.[19]

[edit] Interfaith Dialogue

Gülen supports "Dialogue and Tolerance"[10]. He has met with several religious leaders, such as Pope John Paul II,[20] Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos,[21] Chief Rabbi David Aseo,[22] the Armenian Patriarch[11] and the New York Cardinal John O'Connor[12]. Under his article "Dialogue is a must," he describes how to reach world peace and interfaith dialogue:[23]

Interfaith dialogue is a must today, and the first step in establishing it is forgetting the past, ignoring polemical arguments, and giving precedence to common points, which far outnumber polemical ones.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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, Towards the Lost Paradise, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, etc. His Books

[edit] Controversies

In 1999, a number of videocassetes with Gulen's sermons were broadcast on TV. While he was always viewed with suspicion among certain secular groups, it was the accessible nature of the tapes that made the controversy reach the general public. In them, he allegedly urged his supporters in the state bureaucracy to lie low and continue to undermine the government from within:[24]

Posts in the home and justice ministries that we managed to capture, have to be expanded. These entities are a safeguard of our future. Our members should not be content with being county judges or mayors, but aim for the highest offices. You must proceed without being detected and find the system's decisive positions. To a certain degree you must not enter into open dialogue with our political opponents, but you must not fight them openly either. If our friends came out prematurely the world would crush our heads and Muslims will suffer the same fate as in Algeria. The world is very frightened of Islamic development. We must tread carefully. Those among us who are involved in this mission must still behave like diplomats, like they were caretakers of the whole world - until you have collected enough power, and fill all those positions in the framework of the constitutional Turkish apparatus with our own. Any other step would be premature.[25]

Shortly before the tapes surfaced, Gülen left Turkey and settled in the U.S., allegedly for health reasons. Within weeks a judicial investigation against him was launched. A year later he was charged with conspiring against the republic.[26] He did not attend the trials but his testimony was taken by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, New Jersey in 2001.[27] In 2003 the trial was postponed, subject to reprocessing if he is indicted with a similar crime in the following five years. On May 5, 2006 the AKP government modified the criminal code against acts of terror, based on which Gulen was promptly acquitted on the charges.[28]. Gülen has since lived in the U.S., but his popularity has not waned.

The authenticity of the tapes are 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 can't be judged for intents, only deeds.[29] Accordingly, he advised them that they should not relinquish their careers out of religious fervour but that they should remain in order to do good for the people, even if this meant not practicing their religion in the open. However, critics of Gülen argue, Gülen's own writings, some of which is quoted below, are in accordance with the ideas mentioned in the tapes; he pushes to make Islam the guiding principle in society while at the same time advising his followers caution and an embracing attitude until the conditions are ripe[13].

Gülen's appeal to various ideological strands in Turkey differs. His supporters probably constitute the most influential Islamic movement 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 ties to 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.

Specifically worthy of mention is the ongoing tension between the Turkish army and Gülen's supporters. 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 army 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 revealed Gülen's supporters had infiltrated the military academy and the group was purged[14]. From then on, the Turkish army has repeatedly alleged that Gülen tries to infitrate its ranks and pressured politicians to take action against Gülen[15][16]. In response, Gülen has praised the army publicly various times and attempted to allay its fears about the group's intentions, but the tension remained [17]. Recently, in the controversy surrounding the promotion of Yaşar Büyükanıt to army's chief of staff, a hawk on preservation of the secular nature of the state, Gülen's group was listed as a possible participant in the campaign against him[18][19]. Similar accusations followed after military's internal memos were leaked to the press immediately preceding the presedential elections [20],[21],[22],[23].

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.[30] In a follow-up interview he declared he did not intent to equate athesists and murderers; rather, he wanted to highlight the fact that according Islam both were destined to suffer eternal punishment in hell.[24] Gülen denies the idea that there is Islamist terrorism,[31] and has written an article in response to the September 11 attacks[32] 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.[33]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.radikal.com.tr/1999/06/20/turkiye/02kat.html
  2. ^ http://tr.fgulen.com/a.page/eserleri/kitap.baski.tablosu/a4729.html
  3. ^ http://www.kimkimdir.gen.tr/kimkimdir.php?id=2659
  4. ^ http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=fethullah+gulen&hl=en&lr=
  5. ^ An interview with Fethullah Gülen's primary school teacher
  6. ^ http://tr.fgulen.com/a.page/hayati/hayat.kronolojisi/a4443.html
  7. ^ Gülen's answers to various claims made against him
  8. ^ http://www.gyv.org.tr/changelang.asp?lang=2&page2go=http://www.gyv.org.tr/
  9. ^ http://www.gyv.org.tr/bpi.asp?caid=157&cid=226
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ wwrn.org
  12. ^ Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance
  13. ^ Advocate of Dialogue: Fethullah Gulen
  14. ^ Yeni Aktüel Weekly Magazine, 11-17 October 2005, No:13.
  15. ^ M. Hakan Yavuz and John L. Esposito, eds. Turkish Islam and the Secular State: The Gülen Movement (Syracuse University Press, 2003)
  16. ^ [2]
  17. ^ [3]
  18. ^ [4]
  19. ^ [5]
  20. ^ Move for improving cooperation among religions
  21. ^ Vartholomeos meets with leading Moslem cleric
  22. ^ With David Aseo, the late Chief Rabbi of Jewish Community in Turkey in 1996
  23. ^ Dialogue Is a Must
  24. ^ news.bbc.co.uk
  25. ^ www.ceyhun.de Translated from www.ceyhun.de/download/politik_im_namen_allahs.pdf, p.69ff
  26. ^ www.guardian.co.uk
  27. ^ Fethullah Gulen's Testimony
  28. ^ Gülen acquitted of trying to overthrow secular government
  29. ^ Gülen's answers to claims made based on the video tapes taken from some of his recorded speeches
  30. ^ Fethullah Gülen and Atheist-Terrorist Comparison
  31. ^ [6]
  32. ^ http://en.fgulen.com/content/view/968/14/
  33. ^ http://en.fgulen.com/content/view/971/14/

[edit] External links

[edit] Gülen's movement

[edit] Other sources

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