Emphasizing “We” in Gulen’s Thought

Stuart William
While reading an article about Robert Putnam’s ‘hunkering down’ theory, I was struck by how close Putnam comes to one of the most vital points at the core of Gulen’s teachings on dialogue.

‘Hunkering down’ is the phrase Putnam used to describe how people can react when they are exposed to others of different cultural heritage and ethnicity. He developed this idea after extensive observation of what was really happening in urban areas where large numbers of immigrants had settled among the ‘host’ community.

The dominant explanations of what happens in this situation were the contact theory and the conflict theory. The contact theory suggested that the more interactions you have with cultural/ethnic diversity, the more sympathetic you become to those unlike yourself and, therefore, the less obsessive you are about your own cultural identity. According to this theory, with increased exposure to ‘others’, in-group solidarity diminishes, out-group solidarity grows.

On the other hand, the conflict theory suggested that increased exposure to ‘others’ results in stronger identification with your own group, leading to retreat from and suspicion of those who are not from that group. According to this theory, with increased exposure to ‘others’, out-group solidarity weakens while in-group solidarity heightens to the point of turning into ethnocentrism.

Putnam’s observations suggested that what really happens is that both in-group and out-group solidarity suffer when we are surrounded by increased ethnic and cultural diversity. In other words: not only do we become more wary of people who are different from us, we also pull away from people of our own group. Putnam drew a correlation between increased exposure to ethnic diversity and an increase in individual isolation — a ‘hunkering down’: ‘Trust (even of one’s own race) is lower, altruism and community cooperation rarer, friends fewer.’

This ‘hunkering down’ constitutes a failure in community and solidarity which greatly diminishes the scope of individual and collective life. He says: ‘my hunch is that at the end we shall see that the challenge is best met not by making “them” like “us”, but rather by creating a new, more capacious sense of “we”, a reconstruction of diversity that does not bleach out ethnic specificities, but creates overarching identities that ensure that those specificities do not trigger the allergic, “hunker down” reaction.’

Gulen’s teachings and the practice that those teachings have inspired over the past thirty years – first within Turkey, then in the neighbouring Turkic countries, and now worldwide – have consistently aimed to build precisely this more capacious sense of ‘we’ that Putnam envisages.

Gulen teaches us, first of all, to respect the differences between ‘us’ and ‘others’, meaning that we must begin from the idea that what everybody stands for is good. Then, on the foundation of that respect, we will discover and recognize the commonalities between ‘us’ and ‘them’. That in turn helps us to build genuinely pluralistic societies, which relish a stronger and wider identity of ‘we’.

In Gulen’s teachings the human person is the primary and most valued identity. In his famous phrase, he said: ‘We are human first and Muslim, Christian, Jew afterward.’ He condemns dehumanizing anybody on any ground, be it community, nationality or ethnicity. He fully embraces the saying of the famous Turkish Sufi poet Yunus Emre: ‘We love the creature because of the Creator.’

Gulen re-conceives attitudes towards human differences from within the perspective of Muslim faith and history. He sees the religion as uniting people, not separating or segregating them. Referring to the Qur’anic commands to seek peace and unity, Gulen noted that the Qur’an refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah as a conquest. Because with that treaty, the ‘door of conflict closed but the door to the hearts opened’. In an interview he explained that he weeps for Israeli children just as he weeps for Palestinian children. It is in this sense that we affirm that the Gulen Movement is strongly faith inspired but this faith serves it as a tool for uniting society and strengthening the resources for peace.

Gulen conceives of good society as one in which one’s main identity is being a fellow human being among others. But the vital spring of that fellowship identity is disabling selfish, self-centred impulses and enabling the impulses to altruism and co-operativeness. It is on that basis that he inspired this ‘movement of volunteers’. Then he encouraged the ‘we’ mentality in those volunteers so that they look for and find commonalities rather than differences. He said: ‘All of us are from Adam and Adam was made out of mud. We are different living sculptures made from the same soil, the same mud.’

He first started the constructing this ‘we’ mentality within Turkey itself. He condemned the separateness and discrimination against different groups living in Turkey. He said: ‘It would be hard to find anybody within Turkey who hates separation, discrimination itself, and words that lead to separation, as much as me.’ In another piece, he wrote: ‘Within the concept of dialogue and tolerance, being a part of social stratum which has good intentions, respects others, accepts the manners that everybody stands for, we should be searching for the ways to sustainable peaceful futures.’

When discussing the conflicts with Armenia he pointed out that we are all people of the same region, we are all connected to the civilizations of Mesopotamia. According to sociologists, behind the various expressions of the Hellenic civilization were people from Mesopotamia. He argued that the history of past problems and conflicts should not become the excuse for conflicts now; that it is not permissible to judge people by the mistakes of their ancestors.

Gulen considers good politics as the kind that strives to unite the society, to broaden the sense of belonging and citizenship awareness. He mentioned that both the right-wing and left-wing groups who were in conflict in the 1980s in Turkey, were patriots, whose hearts were full of love for Turkey. The leaders for their own sake made people turn to fighting and killing each other. He urges whoever is in government to proceed through consultation and strive to be constructive and inclusive in all policies.

Gulen himself initiated dialogue with almost every faith leader, the leaders of political parties, the opinion formers in the worlds of the media and academic institutions, and he conveyed to them the message of building a strong society inclusive of everybody, not leaving out any single person as the ‘other’. His initiatives were welcomed and widely reciprocated in Turkey at the time. Indeed, Turkey witnessed during the 1990s dialogue between figures from distinct groups that had scarcely met each other since the 1800s. This happened thanks to Gulen’s initiative. He explained that this dialogue work can be sustainable if we believe that God is pleased with us when we work to unite the society.

Gulen initiated interfaith and intercultural institutions in almost every country. The movement he inspired become the theory’s living, practical embodiment – its volunteers and sympathizers include people from Sunni or Alawi, Muslim or Catholic, politic or apolitical backgrounds, artists and athletes, professionals and non-professionals, all working together with various level of commitment to the movement.

Gulen also argued that true security for Turkey can only be achieved by interacting closely with its neighbours, not by closing all doors to them. He also stated that governors just after Ataturk misunderstood him and the Misak-i Milli and they kept Turkey within its borders only and never interacted with even its immediate neighbours. Gulen explained that Ataturk’s ‘peace at home, peace in the world’ doctrine can only be achieved by having close, good relationships within the country and with all its neighbours in the region.

Gulen encouraged interfaith and intercultural institutions in almost every country. He always urges people to migrate to other countries in order to establish ‘schools of love’. He believes that ignorance is the main evil behind the separation of groups from each other. Gulen volunteers over the years have opened hundreds of schools in almost every country, even in war-torn places such as Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq etc. In these international schools children from the warring groups are educated side by side peacefully, as an example to the conflicting parties. In every country these schools serve as the representatives of peace. Gulen does not advise the teachers and administrators of these schools to serve for a time and then come back; instead, he urges them to be willing to live and die among the people there.

One of the pillars of Gulen’s dialogue idea is building a more capacious and stronger sense of ‘we’ on the practice of altruistic service of others. This theory and activity of dialogue expects, respects and accepts group differences and thereby creates opportunities to discover common ground between groups. It is the very opposite of, indeed the best possible antidote to, the defeatist mentality of ‘hunkering down’.

Published on A Thought, 05 December 2011, Monday

White House praises Rumi Forum for advocating interfaith dialogue

The White House, on its official website, commended the Washington-based Rumi Forum, an international organization promoting interfaith dialogue and peace, for its work in fostering “inter-religious and intercultural understanding” in a “consistent” manner since its establishment in 1999.

The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, in a statement on its blog, said, “We were honored to attend the 2011 Rumi Peace and Dialogue Awards, the Turkish American organization's annual celebration of leadership towards global harmony.”

Rumi Forum President Emre Celik and award recipients (l-r) Nontombi Naomi Tutu, receiving on behalf of Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Diane Rehm; Dr. Alan G. Merten; Karen Chane, receiving on behalf of Rev. John Bryson Chane; and Joshua DuBois

White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Director Joshua DuBois received the Extraordinary Commitment to Public Service Award for his efforts, the statement read. The Rumi Forum also recognized South African human rights activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu, George Mason University President Dr. Alan G. Merten, leading American radio talk show host Diane Rehm and Bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Washington Rev. John Bryson Chane for their work in promoting meaningful dialogue through media, education, church or government.

DuBois, in his address at the National Press Club on Oct. 25, said: “We are a country of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and unbelievers. Coming from every corner of the world, we were shaped with every religion and culture. We do not see this as a weakness,” he said.

DuBois continued, “We would like to work together with the Rumi Forum to promote intercultural understanding in our government, in our nation and all over the world.”

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, known for his vision and international efforts to achieve interfaith dialogue and tolerance, is the honorary president of the Rumi Forum.

Published on Today's Zaman, 21 November 2011, Monday

Gulen: Dervish of our times

Fethullah Gulen is a renowned and distinguished scholar of Islam having broad and in-depth knowledge of world history, politics and philosophy, besides having a comprehensive vision of world religions and religious movements. The main theme of his numerous writings and discourses, is interfaith dialogue which has assumed special significance in the backdrop of ideas like the end of history and clash of civilizations.

Gulen’s movement though not the first to sustain multicultural and interfaith dialogue is definitely the most laudable initiative along with a number of significant organized efforts currently at work, committed to world peace, harmony and human happiness. Gulen being highly conscious of his moral obligations is always ready to go extra miles to defuse crisis and to give peace a chance. Visualizing a bright future for the humanity, he contemplates that if we could universally believe in religious diversity as representatives of a single Truth i.e. God Almighty, the dreadful spectre of terrorism and sectarian violence would vanish. He is among those cool headed thinkers who are fully convinced that war is no solution to any of the world’s problems. It only vitiates the atmosphere and instead of dousing the flames, unleashes hostility to cause further flare up with no end to such tragic episodes.

Gulen being a great advocate of interfaith harmony and universal brotherhood has always favored restraint even in the face of the worst kind of hostility revenge and animosity. This high calibre Muslim intellectual who is witness to a number of upheavals in his own native land, Turkey, cites to his followers the example of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his pious companions who never initiated war by themselves, tried their best to avoid wanton killings, worked hard to negotiate and settle scores if any, beyond the zones of battle filed. However, when they were forced to wage war, they fought a few defensive battles ensuring that transgression of any kind did not take place and the war in no case turned out to be a tool to serve some body’s persona! ambitions, pride or prejudice. War is the last resort and the most detested choice for a true Muslim as the holy Quran warns that shedding a drop of blood of an innocent person is like slaying the entire humanity incurring the wrath of the Lord of the universe, inviting severest kind of punishment in the hereafter, while saving a life is like saving the whole humanity.

Gulen suggests that most of the ills of our times including misery, impoverishment, social and moral debasement and a general erosion of values are by and large, the result of mad rush to conclusions and hasty decision to resolve differences through violence, abuse and intimidation instead of patient hearing, compassion and magnanimity. Gulen being a staunch lover of humanity can never approve of such policies which are disastrous and detrimental to human happiness. He believes in the principle of forgiveness and fortitude. He even goes a step farther to affirm in this regard the views of the luminous mystic of his time Yunus Emre, who declares” don’t strike those who hit, not to respond harshly to those who curse and not to hold any secret grudge against those who abuse”

Gulen born and brought up in a traditionally religious Turkish family, who committed holy Quran to memory in a tender age, is a spiritual revolutionary par-excellence. Early influence on his life beside his saintly father, is traced to several luminaries and legendary figures such as Al Hasan al Bash, Shahwalilluah Dehlavi (1703-1762), Jalaluddin Rumi (1776) and Ahmad Sarhindi (1564-1624) etc. His deep fascination and involvement with the metaphysical experiences of Mujaddid Alf-e-Sani of India, and Badiuzzaman Syed Nursi of Turkey, clearly indicate his ardent desire and pious wish to go through a process of spiritual purgation before embarking on the divinely designated mission of transforming the society by dedicating himself to the relentless and selfless service to humanity for the rest of the life.

Why it is that Gulen, despite having been rated by the Foreign Policy Prospect as one of the highly acclaimed 100 top intellectuals of the world is still a lesser known public figure in the Muslim world. It may be because of his low profile and a moderate Turkish version of Islam and too much of his emphasis on the inter-civilization dialogue which is only a recent phenomenon in championing the cause of Islam.

Gulen being a unique example of the modern day Dervish, has successfully maintained the delicate balance between orthodoxy and spiritualism. He has repeatedly and categorically stated that the main source of his spiritual awakening, strength and guidance is the Holy Quran and the sayings of the prophet of God Mohammad (PBUH). He seriously contends that the true followers of Islam cannot abdicate the responsibility of serving the suffering humanity. In his opinion the service to humanity is as good as the sincere devotion to God. Despite being least concerned with worldly pleasure, he is not ready to renounce the world so as to leave it to the mercy of the senseless and wicked people to destroy it. He is a sufi who believes in action, proactive life, ceaseless efforts and perseverance in the face of challenges.

In most of his soul searching sermons, speeches and scholarly writings, he exhorts to his followers not to sit idle and come forward to contribute to the combined efforts for making this world beautiful and a better place to live in. The magically edifying quality of his exhortations have created a very powerful impact on his followers the world over. As a result they have dedicated themselves with utmost sincerely and selflessness to achieving the higher goals in life.

Gulen doesn’t believe in imposing his views on his followers and urges them to critically examine and logically analyze his messages before applying them on their lives. He is a strong supporter of free thinking and scientific outlook based on the universal ethical values which also need to be nurtured and promoted through systematic and scientific method of teaching in the specially designed educational institutions. A number of such ideal institutions established by his followers are being successfully run not only in Turkey but in many parts of the globe, and a large number of students irrespective of caste, color and creed are benefiting from them. These institutions are not merely for religious education. Their main aim is to impart modern education taking care of the overall Personal development and carving a future in the realm of science and technology. Its a purposeful educational project with highest consideration to human values, social consciousness and a responsible behavior toward every individual in the society. Prof. Qazi Obaidur Rehman Hashmi *


* Author teaches at the Dept of Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Published on Grater Kashmir, 26 November 2011, Saturday

The communities of many different countries run to help Van - VAN EARTHQUAKE

Kimse Yok Mu & EBRU TV
Immediately after the 7.2 earthquake in Van that shook all Turkey, many people and institutions from Turkey and all over the world mobilized to help Van. Ebru TV, broadcasting in the USA, held a live broadcast campaign for earthquake relief.
Login Krefeld and Dayen Bekis hosted the program and the guest studio audience answered the phones and took donations live on TV.

Turkish people living in the USA also showed great interest in the program. In addition, deputies, senators, government officials and leading figureheads of society whom are friends of Turkey connected by phone to express their feelings and to give donations.
Many different communities in the USA, whom are in communication with Turks, rushed to help. One of them being the Bangladesh Youth Association participated as a guest in the studio. Bangladesh young people living in the United States donated 3 thousand dollars collected amongst themselves.

Troubled Nigeria discusses Gülen’s ‘culture of coexistence’

The Abuja-based Ufuk Dialogue Foundation and The Fountain magazine representatives informed the local media about a conference at which Fethullah Gülen’s ideas and activities on establishing a culture of coexistence and mutual understanding will be discussed
...

“Gülen-inspired schools have been operating in Nigeria for over 13 years now. This conference will put Mr. Gülen’s thought on the social and cultural map of this country,” Tamer Çopuroğlu, president of the newly founded Ufuk Dialogue Foundation, told Today’s Zaman.
According to Çopuroğlu, Nigeria, with over 200 ethnic groups and languages, is both a perfect laboratory for testing Gülen’s peace ideas and for putting them into practice, also because Nigeria is badly in need of peace, given recent interreligious conflict in the country.
“We have been contributing to the solidarity among Nigerians with our schools for over a decade now. Last Ramadan our schools provided free iftar dinners to over 3,000 people every day and during Eid al-Adha we distributed sacrificial meat to Muslims, Christians and animists in order to create an environment of peaceful coexistence,” Çopuroğlu said. There are already 17 Gülen-inspired primary and high schools in Nigeria as well as a Nigerian Turkish University and a hospital.
Hakan Yeşilova, editor-in-chief of The Fountain magazine, is particularly impressed with the readiness of the Nigerian authorities to cooperate with the conference. “Nigeria is a gateway to sub-Saharan Africa and we will be hosting several statesmen from neighboring countries. I have been editing a journal on Gülen’s ideas for years now. For me this is like a dream come true and it gives energy for future dreams,” he told Today’s Zaman. The Fountain is planning to organize similar conferences in countries like Pakistan and India, where multiculturalism is a fact of life and where establishing and nurturing a culture of coexistence is a basic necessity.
read more: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-263165-troubled-nigeria-discusses-gulens-culture-of-coexistence.html

Ethics in a Multifaith Society: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue

The conference “Ethics in a multifaith society: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue” [Tuesday-Wednesday, 22-23 November 2011] is held in honour of M. Fethullah Gülen, from whom the Australian Catholic University Chair in the Study of Islam and Muslim-Catholic Relations, established in 2007, takes its name.

For Fethullah Gülen, dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims is imperative, not only because of what followers of these three monotheistic religions have in common, but also because of their shared responsibility to make our world a more peaceful and safer place. According to Gülen, the dialogue to which adherents of these religions are necessarily summoned offers “an alliance of the great worldwide faith traditions against the violent abuse of religion on the grounds that ‘Peace is better and is the name of God.’ More importantly, it is a call for a dialogical intellectual encounter among the great cultural and religious traditions to design a common path for a new humanism, consisting of a doctrine of love, humanity, tolerance, forgiveness and compassion.” In Gülen’s view, these values are central to Islamic ethics, at the very heart of which lies humility. For practising Muslims, therefore, dialogue will flow naturally as an ethical imperative from their living faith in God – a dialogue that will form an important stepping stone to a new world order of peace and justice for all.

This understanding of dialogue has its counterpart in the teachings and practice of the Catholic Church since Nostra Aetate (1965). To take just one example, Pope Benedict XVI at his address at the King Hussein Mosque in Amman on 9 May 2009 called upon Christians and Muslims to work together “to cultivate for the good, in the context of faith and truth, the vast potential of human reason.” For Pope Benedict also, as for Fethullah Gülen, dialogue is indispensable, not just as a matter of political necessity, but especially in that it derives from the core of faith itself.

The inspiration for this conference on ethics in a multifaith society derives from the vision expressed by both Fethullah Gülen and Pope Benedict XVI. The challenge to participants will be to put this dialogue into practice so as to enable a well reasoned contribution from Christians and Muslims, working together, toward the development of a durable and sustaining ethics for a pluralist society.

The conference begins with a consideration of the good life from philosophical and religious perspectives. On this basis it will move, in turn, to examine ethical questions concerning the beginnings and end of life, the identification of common ethical goals towards which Muslims and Christians can strive together, how business should be done in a global environment, war and peace, and the place of religious faith in public decision-making. The overall aim is not only to uncover emerging questions but also to recommend new directions for collaboration in promoting the common good of society.

Australian Catholic University - Last Update on 30 September 2011, Friday

Importance and power of the Gülen movement

Cengiz Çandar, Radikal

The Gülen community is currently the most influential Turkish lobby in the US. They work in the right way and obey the rules of the game in the US perfectly.

They are engaged in commercial activities, which have enabled them to develop their relations with state officials, mayors and governors. Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen had to leave Turkey due to the atmosphere of the Feb. 28, 1997 postmodern coup. He settled down in the eastern part of the United States, in Pennsylvania. He became a more influential global actor after he settled in the United States. Turkey needs the help of the Gülen movement, not only for Turkish lobbying in the United States but also to resolve major national issues such as the Kurdish question and the Armenian question.

Published on Today's Zaman, 12 October 2011, Wednesday
This is an excerpt of the original [Turkish] version. You may click here to read the full commentary.