1Understanding

Fethullah G l e n

JoUrnalist and Writers FoUndation

1Who is Fethullah Glen?: His biography, his values and views 2

The Glen Movement: Its history, and activities in dialogue and education

3Glen in the Media: News excertps on Glen and the Glen Movement

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3www.gyv.org.tr

Understanding

FethullahGLEN

4Foreword: Why Fethullah Glen? 6

Who Is Fethullah Glen? 11

Fethullah Glens Life Chronology 14

Glens Efforts on Dialogue 18

Glens Condemnation Message of September 11th Terrorist Attacks 34

Glens Values and Views 36

5Glen and Education 46

The Glen Movement 71

Commentaries on Fethullah Glen 92

International Conferences on the Glen Movement 102

Glen in the Media 106

Q&As on the Glen Movement 143

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6Foreword: Why Fethullah Glen?

Dedicating a book or any published material to someone is always a hard decision: At one hand, considering the significance of that person for your country, for Muslim World, thus for the world, you feel obliged to make his voice heard by everyone. Particularly, those who is seeking for a hope against, or alternative to Clash of Civilisations thesis. On the other, what you are doing could be called a propaganda, and whatever you are saying, true or not, could be ignored without ever thinking. So, waiting this person to be discovered in time seems to be the best option.

We, Journalist and Writers Foundation, have chosen the first way. The reasons are verious, and below you can see ten of them. However, to us, considering that he pionereed a movement inspired by faith yet geared towards serving all

7people regardless of faith and invigorate hundreds of thousands people around high-human values is more than enough to dedicate this book(let).

Fethullah Glen is an authoritative mainstream Turkish Muslim scholar, opinion leader and educational activist who supports interfaith and intercultural dialogue, democracy, human rights and spirituality, and opposes violence and turning religion into a political ideology. Glen promotes cooperation of civilizations toward a peaceful world, as opposed to a clash.

Mr Glen and the civil society movement inspired by his views, which is known as the Glen movement, are significant and deserve attention for the following reasons:

Glens Authority and Impact: Mr Glen is known and respected among Turkish Muslims as well as Muslims from around the world as an authoritative mainstream Muslim scholar of the Sunni tradition, to which 8790% of

the worlds Muslim population belongs.

His readership in Turkey is estimated at several million. His influence outside Turkey is growing daily as his works are translated into many languages including English, Arabic, Russian, German, Spanish, Urdu, Bosnian, Albanian, Malay and Indonesian.

In addition to printed publications, his ideas are accessible to an ever increasing world population through private radio and television networks sympathetic to his views.

Public Stance against Violence, Terror and Suicide Attacks: Glen has been recognized for his consistent stance against the combination of violence and religious rhetoric. More specifically, he was the first Muslim scholar to publicly condemn the attacks of 9/11 (in an advertisement in the Washington Post).

He unequivocally rejects suicide attacks. He helped publish a scholarly book on the Islamic

Glen envisions a world where people

are deeply grounded in a moral and ethical

tradition, where humility and service

are highly valued and where reason, science

and technology are fully utilised for the benefit of

all.

Bruce Eldridge, The Place of the Glen Movement in the

Intellectual History of Islam, Particularly in Relation to

Islams Confrontation with Postmodernism

8perspective on terror and suicide attacks, condemning such acts on humanitarian and religious grounds.

He did not express these views only to Western readers but voiced them in mosque sermons with congregations of thousands of Muslims. He has given interviews to Turkish, Japanese, French and American newspapers in which he categorically condemned the use of political, ideological and religious reasons to justify acts of terror.

He has appeared on numerous national television shows publicly condemning such acts.

Pioneer in Interfaith Dialogue: Glen has been actively promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue for over a decade, starting long before the tragedy of 9/11. In Turkey, he has been credited with bringing about a positive atmosphere in relationships between the majority Muslim population and the various religious minorities such as Greek Orthodox,

Armenian Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish communities.

Outside Turkey, his ideas on interfaith dialogue have inspired many to establish organizations engaging in dialogue with the same objectives of mutual understanding, empathetic acceptance, peaceful coexistence, and cooperation. His efforts for dialogue and tolerance were recognized by a personal audience with the late Pope John Paul II and an invitation from the chief Sephardic Rabbi of

Glen was the first Muslim scholar to

publicly condemn the attacks of 9/11.

9Israel, as well as meetings with the leaders of various Christian denominations.

For Cooperation of Civilizations: Glen promotes the cooperation of civilizations as opposed to clash, through dialogue, mutual understanding and gathering around shared values.

As a civil society opinion leader he supports Turkish efforts toward joining the European Union and says that this relationship will benefit both parties.

Emphasis on the Spiritual Dimension of Faith: Owing in part to his early education in the spiritual discipline, Glen is known for his emphasis on Islamic spirituality (known in the West as Sufism), and the embracing attitude towards fellow human beings that this emphasis brings.

Due to his representation of love, compassion and an open-hearted approach to all issues concerning humanity, he is known by some as a modern-day Rumi. He was asked by efik Can, a late Sufi

master, a descendant of Rumi and author, to write the foreword for his book on Rumis life and teachings.

Glens own two-volume book on Sufism is used as a textbook for university courses on the spiritual traditions of the world.

Science and Faith in Harmony: Glen sees science and faith as not only compatible but complementary. He therefore encourages scientific research and technological advancement for the good of all humanity.

Intellectual Dimension: He is well-versed in the leading thinkers of the Western tradition and can converse with them comfortably through his writings and addresses.

Pro-Democracy: Glen recognizes democracy as the only viable political system of governance. He denounces turning religion into a political ideology, while encouraging all citizens to take an informed and responsible part in political life of their country. He stresses

Alternative views, even views hostile to Islam,

are to be tolerated and not persecuted, and their adherents

respected, he argues. Violence is anathema to him and any form

of terrorism in support of religious aims is

ruled out without reservation.

Oliver Leaman, Towards an Understanding of Glens

Methodology

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the flexibilities in the Islamic principles relating to governance and their compatibility with a true democracy.

Solutions to Social Problems Working on the Ground: The most striking feature of Glens life is the fact that his vision and ideas have not remained rhetorical but instead have been realized globally as civic projects.

By some estimates, several hundred educational organizations such as K-12 schools, universities, and language schools have been established around the world inspired by Glen and sponsored by local entrepreneurs, altruistic educators and dedicated parents. Notable examples of such schools include those in southeast Turkey, Central Asia, several countries in Africa, the Far East and Eastern Europe Regardless of their location, these schools are symbols of harmonious interfaith and intercultural relationships, successful unification of faith and

reason, and dedication to the service of humanity.

Especially in conflict-ridden regions such as the Philippines, southeast Turkey and Afghanistan, these institutions help reduce poverty and increase educational opportunities, which in turn decrease the appeal of terrorist groups with exclusivist agendas operating in these countries.

In addition to contributing to social harmony, these schools produce winners in international science and math competitions.

Other Civil Society Projects: Other civic projects inspired by Glens ideas and encouragement include relief organizations, sustainable development organizations, media organizations, professional associations, and medical institutions.

NB: Please be advised that references and bibliographies are omitted for this and remaining articles due to limited space.

Glen is pre-eminently a reconciler: material

and spiritual values; positive sciences and

religion; the ideologies and philosophies of East

and West. The way of civilisation is the way of democratic persuasion,

not the imposition of force. Democracy not a perfect system, but it is the only viable political

system and process appropriate to the

modern age.

Douglas Pratt, Islamic Prospects for Interreligious

Dialogue: The Contribution of Fethullah Glen

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Who Is Fethullah Glen?

Fethullah Glen was born in 1941 in a village in the northeastern part of Turkey. His father, Ramiz, was an imam in the region and his mother was the primary caregiver of the family and a major influence on Glens spiritual and religious upbringing.

Fethullah Glen attended his formal primary education in his home village, and after the family moved to a nearby village he began an informal religious education.

In 1959, Fethullah Glen was awarded a state preachers license in Edirne, Turkey. He was then transferred in 1966 to a religious post in Izmir, Turkey. It was in Izmir that Mr Glens progressive ideas of education, science, the economy and social justice began to take shape and his supporters began to increase.

During this time, he traveled to

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various provinces in Anatolia giving lectures in mosques, coffee houses and other community meeting places. Fethullah Glen spoke on important subjects ranging from peace and social justice to theoretical naturalism. His primary aim always remained, urging the younger generation to harmonize intellectual enlightenment with spirituality rooted in religious tradition, and to serve humanity.

Throughout his life and until today, Fethullah Glen has been greatly influenced by the ideas and writings of many great Muslim scholars, amongst them: Said Nursi, Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi, Abu Hanifa, Ghazali, Imam Rabbani, Yunus Emre.

In line with these great thinkers, Fethullah Glens philosophy and writings embody ideas of altruistic service to ones community and likewise to humanity in general; harmony between intelligence and heart; sincerity; a holistic view of the human; a profound devotion and love of creation. Throughout his

life, Mr Glen has been noted for his support of democracy, science, dialogue and non-violence.

Fethullah Glen is regarded as the founder and inspirer of the global social movement known as the Hizmet (Service) Movement, more popularly known as the Glen Movement.

In 1994, Mr Glen co-founded the Journalists and Writers Foundation and was given the title Honorary President by the foundation.

In March 1999, upon the recommendation of his doctors, Fethullah Glen moved to the U.S. to receive medical care.

In July 2008, Fethullah Glen was voted the top public intellectual in the world by Foreign Policy Magazine.

Despite the high regard millions hold for him, Mr Glen considers himself a volunteering member of the civil society movement he helped found and does not accept any credit of leadership for the Hizmet (Service)

What is astonishing about his ideas is that while effectively convincing the reader in this fashion by traditional means, he is then able to turn adroitly to an emphasis upon a supplementary argument of reason and an insistence upon independent and critical thinking. A consequence of this intellectual style is that he has become an authoritative intermediary between the sunnah and the Quran on the one hand and modern Western thought on the other.

Louis J Cantori, Fethullah Glen: Kemalist and Islamic Republicanism and the Turkish Democratic Future

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Movement. Fethullah Glen devotes his time to reading, writing, and religious devotion. He has based his understanding of service upon this guiding principle, living to let others live.

Fethullah Glen currently resides in Pennsylvania and continues to write and give talks on various subjects.

His WorksGlen used to contribute, still sometimes does, to a number of journals and magazines. He writes the editorial page for several magazines. He writes the lead article for The Fountain, Yeni Umit, Sznt, and Yagmur, leading popular and spiritual thought magazines in Turkey. He has written more than sixty books, hundreds of articles, and recorded thousands of audio and videocassettes. Some of his books-many of which have been bestsellers in Turkey have been made available in English translations, such as, Prophet Muhammad: Aspects of His Life, Questions and Answers about

Faith, Pearls of Wisdom, Prophet Muhammad, Essentials of the Islamic Faith, Towards the Lost Paradise, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism. Most of his books have also been translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Albanian, Japanese, Indonesian, Spanish and others.

Seminars & TalksGlen ran more than 500 seminars, talks and conferences, both in Turkey and in other countries. The list of topics in the seminars includes morality, God and Deity, the Quran, Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), parenting, worshipping and prayer, metaphysical life, soul and spirituality, social life, economics, destiny, responsibility, issues & questions on Islamic principles and rules.

Fethullah Glen can be truly said to be

preaching by example and, on the front of

social activism and the greater good through

learning and the pursuit of knowledge,

his example is one that speaks loudly not just

to the Muslim world but also to the west.

Greg Barton, Preaching by Example and Learning for

Life: Understanding the Glen Hizmet in the Global Context

of Religious Philanthropy and Civil Religion

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Fethullah Glens Life Chronology

27 April 1941 Born in Erzurum, North Eastern Anatolia.

1945 At the age of five mastered the Quran and pursued prayer. He completed the memorisation of Quran in 1951.1946 Began elementary school.

1953 Within a couple of months mastered classical books of madrassa education at a relatively very early age. Upon the recommendation of his teachers he pursued advanced classical theology education.

1956 Started preaching within the surrounding towns and villages.1958 Went to Edirne, a border city in the Trace region.

1959 Became formally the Imam second in line at Ucserefeli Mosque, Edirne. He stayed there for the next two and a half years.27 May 1960 Military coup overthrew the first elected government of the Turkish Republic.

1961 Began his military service at Mamak in Ankara serving out his preliminary duties there before shipping out to Iskenderun.1962 Continued religious lectures and preaching within the military.

1968 Went to Hajj, the holy pilgrimage at Mecca. This was his first of three pilgrimage journeys.1969 Began institutional education activities in Izmir.

1969 Began informal preaches at the provinces and villages of the Aegean part of Turkey.

1969 Set up student dormitories at Izmir as the first of its kind within the Muslim community in Turkey. (For some resources, its 1974 that the first dormitories were set up.)12 March 1971 Second (succesful) coup detat in Turkish republic.

3 May 1971 Arrested under the conditions of having been banned from public lectures. He was released without charge on 5 November of the same year.

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20 April 1975 Began a series of seminars and conferences entitled Science and the Holy Quran, Darwinism and Golden Generation. First impressions of his perception of religion, science, and society can be seen in these lectures and conferences.

28 September 1976

Transferred to Izmir, Bornova, where the movement first appeared to gather around him.

1 March 1978 His first ever book, Hitap Cicekleri, published.1 February 1979 The first ever printed media of the movement, Sizinti, published.

5 September 1980 Preached for the last time prior to the coup dtat.

12 September 1980

The military coup took place in Turkey, by which a total of 1,683,000 people were blacklisted, 650,000 detained, 230,000 were tried, 14,000 were stripped of citizenship, and 50 were executed. His home was also raided, he averted being arrested by the virtue of not being home.

17 September 1980

Residence where he attends as a guest was raided. He was released after a 6-hour interrogation procedure.

20 March 1981 Resigned as official preacher of the Turkish Religious Directorate.

15 November 1982

First ever mainstream school of the community started teaching. This was a huge step in Turkey since civic initiative has no mainstream schooling activies except few schools of foreign nationals and elite educational institutions.

6 April 1986 After nearly 6 years took the podium once again.16 June 1991 Ended his second period of preaching.5 May 1992 Paid a visit to Turgut Ozal, the 8th President of Turkey.

29 June 1994 Founded Journalists & Writers Foundation and became the honotary president of the Foundation.30 November

1994 Paid a visit to Prime Minister Mrs Tansu Ciller.

11 February 1995

Attended a fast-breaking dinner of the Journalists and Writers Foundation, a an event of utmost importance in which people from different religious, cultural and ideological backgrounds joined together probably for the first time around the same table.

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20 March 1995 Met Mr Bulent Ecevit, the Leader of the Leader of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey.

10 May 1995 Met Mr Hikmet Cetin, the Leader of the leftist Republicans People Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey of the time.26 May 1995 Received an award from the Turk Ocaklari Foundation.

9 June 1995 Met Prime Minister Mrs Tansu Ciller second time.

15 June 1995 Met Mr Mesut Yilmaz, Leader of the Motherland Party and the three-time Prime minister of Turkey in the 1990s.

25 July 1995 Received an award of gratitude from the Mehmetcik Foundation, Turkish army semi-official aid charity.2 August 1995 Paid a visit to the head of Parliament Mr Husametttin Cindoruk.19 September

1995 Masterminded a sport organisation designed to benefit the wartorn children of Bosnia.

23 January 1996 Gave his first ever interview to a natinal daily, Sabah.

4 April 1996 Met with Patriarch Bartholemeos, a corner-stone event in which community leaders of different religions gathered.10 September

1997 Met Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

19 September 1997 Met Cardinal OConnor, Cardinal Archbishop of New York, in the United States.

21 November 1997

Received a visit from George Marovitch, the representative of Vatican to Istanbul of Turkey and associates.

22 January 1998 Attended and broke fast with the leading members of the Jewish Community in Turkey.4 February 1998 Before visiting to the Vatican, he met Prime Minister, Mr Bulent Ecevit.9 February 1998 Visited and had a meeting with Pope John Paul II.

25 February 1998 Met the head Rabbi Eliyahu Bakhsi Doron, religious leader of the Jews.

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7 March 1998 Attended the Celestial Meeting of Religions.21 March 1999 Went to the United States for medical treatment of an ailment.11 August 2000 Trial began as he was indicted on undermining secular state.

5 May 2006 Acquitted. The supreme court of appeals penalty board has confirmed the decision of acquittal going on for more than eight years on 25 June 2008.

26 July 2008 Was selected as the most important public intellectual that is still alive and active in public life in the 100 Public Intellectuals Poll. The poll was conducted by Prospect Magazine (UK) and Foreign Policy (US) on the basis of responding readers ballot.

15 July 2010 Awarded honorary doctorate by Leeds Metropolitan University

[I]n an increasingly globalised world, this movement has been

distinguished by its consistent ability to convert its social network and

spiritual capital into creative projects that contribute positively to the

transformation of Islamic thought and practice in many different settings

and socio-political contexts.

Talip Kucukcan, Social and Spiritual Capital of the Glen Movement

Fethullah Glens works and movement have aimed to mend the tensions and fissures, specifically along racial and ideological lines on both practical and theoretical levels that are emerging in this rapidly globalising world.

Wanda Krause, Civility in Islamic Activism: Towards a Better Understanding of Shared Values for Civil Society Development

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Glens Efforts on Dialogue

Fethullah Glen: Contributions to Global Peace and the Inter- Religious Dialogue by Prof Greg Barton, Monash University, Australia 23 November 2007 (abbreviated)

There are many ways of summarising Glens thought and describing his social activism. He is, first and foremost, an alim, a traditional Islamic scholar, with a deep understanding of the Quran, the Sunnah, Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic history. He is also a Sufi, though he does not belong to any particular tarikah, or Sufi brotherhood...

Glen has inspired a broad social movement concerned with practical religious philanthropy on a grand scale.

This religious philanthropy can be

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understood simply as revolving around three axial themes or elements: a deep desire for dialogue, a love of learning and a passion for service.

Glens profound interest in dialogue can readily be discerned in his writing and in his personal activism. In February 1998, for example, Glen met with Pope John Paul II, having already met with many of the senior religious leaders in Turkey and surrounding nations. The most overtly dialogue-orientated group associated with the Glen movement is found in the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF) established in 1994. This very influential NGO goes beyond straightforward journalistic reporting and analysis to support strategic public intellectual initiatives in the promotion of dialogue. One of the Foundations most important activities is the hosting of a high-level annual summer dialogue forum known as the Abant Platform (named after the lakeside location of its annual

meetings) designed to bring together disparate elements of the political and cultural elite to talk face to face about issues of pressing national importance. Each Abant Platform produces an Abant Declaration summing up the issues discussed. The first Abant Platform was held in July 1998 on the theme of Islam and Secularism. Subsequent Abant Platforms dealt with the related themes of Religion and State Relations (July 1999), Islam and Democracy (July 2000), and Pluralism (July 2001). In April 2004 the JWF took the Abant Platform offshore to America and held a successful forum meeting at Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC around the theme of Islam and Democracy. Subsequently the Abant Platform has also met in Europe and is planning for an ongoing series of international meetings.

Global Dialogue

In a broader sense, the fact that since 1983 the Glen movement has established more than 500 schools across Turkey and

In its sponsorship and support for interfaith

and intercivilisational dialogue, the Glen

movement seeks both to counter the impact

of the more violent fundamentalist strains

in modern Islam and to undermine wherever it

can Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations thesis.

Bill Park, The Fethullah Glen Movement as a Transnational

Phenomenon

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throughout Asia, Africa and the western hemisphere, all of which are secular, and many of which are located in areas of socio-economic hardship in both Muslim and non-Muslim communities, can also be seen as an exercise in practical dialogue. Similarly, the commercially successful and broadly influential Zaman newspaper global network, and its television analogue Samanyolu TV, with their focus on objective, professional journalism and wholesome, but not overtly religious, entertainment and education, can also be seen as exercises in dialogue. The closest equivalent in Christian publishing is arguably the surprisingly professional Christian Science Monitor.

The second element in Glens thought and in the Glen movements social activism is a love of learning. This can be readily discerned in the aforementioned schools. In addition to these schools there also a handful of well regarded secular colleges and

half a dozen universities such as Fatih University in Istanbul and Ankara. These schools, many of which have been deliberately established in some of the poorest and most needy parts of the word, are generally very well regarded and achieve a high standard of scholastic achievement in neighbourhoods, districts and nations not normally accustomed to excellence in education. What makes them so remarkable in the context of the Muslim world is their commitment to secular modern learning open to students of all backgrounds. The schools, regardless of the nation in which they operate and the legislation that pertains to religious instruction in schools, adhere consistently to a secular curriculum. In this and many other respects they are very much like modern Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist or Catholic schools. Zaman newspaper, Samanyolu TV and many of the books and magazines published by Glen movement publishers such as Isik Publishing can also be said to

Glen rejects conflicting attitudes, prejudice and half-truths and entirely understands the growing interdependencies of today. Establishing and maintaining dialogue should be rooted in giving precedence to the common points and in avoiding the divisive issues.

Irina Vainovski-Mihai, Giving Precedence to Common Points: The Limits of the Otherness in Fethullah Glens Dialogic Methodology for Interfaith Encounters

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be concerned with education in the broadest sense, much in the manner as Americas popular Readers Digest magazine.

The Glen movement speaks of itself as being the Glen hizmet and of its members being engaged in hizmet. The Turkish word hizmet translates as service and for the members of the Glen movement hizmet - service is understood in much the same way as active Christians use the word to describe their religious activism and

philanthropy. Some institutions associated with the Glen movement, such as Zaman and Samanyolu TV have become so commercially successful that they have been able to run along regular business lines. But many other aspects of the movements work, such as The Fountain magazine, rely, at least in part, on the contributions of volunteers. The schools, in particular, are very much the product of volunteer activism. The seed capital to set up a new school,

often in a remote part of Africa or Asia, is typically generated through the philanthropy of a community of Glen movement businessmen meeting in a certain town or suburb. The idea is that the schools ultimately become self-sustaining but before this is possible they rely on teachers leaving behind the comforts of Istanbul, Izmir or Ankara to travel to the likes of Kazakhstan, Nigeria or Cambodia to serve out several terms as secular missionary teachers. This, more

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than anything, embodies the movements notion of hizmet, or service.

There is much more that could be said about Fethullah Glen and the philanthropic movement that he has inspired. And there are many elements in addition to a deep desire for dialogue, a love of learning and a commitment to service. But these three elements -dialogue, learning and service- sum up the core passions of Glen. And they explain why it is profoundly appropriate that

the new ACU Chair for the Study of Islam and Muslim-Catholic Relations should be named the Fethullah Glen Chair.

As Christians and Muslims seeking to promote dialogue, deepen understanding and build relationships we do indeed live in the worst of times and the best of times. We certainly live in interesting times, in challenging times. But tonight we should take heart. This new century promises to see so much more achieved in Muslim-Christian relations and

in the scholarly understanding of Islam and Muslim society than was achieved last century. The launch of this Chair at this university, I believe, represents something very good and something of great significance that goes well beyond any one institution and any one appointment. This, inshallah, God willing, is the start of something big.

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Glen: Dialogue is a Must

On the global stage, an outstanding Muslim leader promoting interreligious dialogue is Fethullah Glen. The movement to which his ideas and recommendations have given inspiration is one of the primary advocacy groups for dialogue in the world today. Fethullah Glen comes to the core point of his message: 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.

Glen also argue that the Quran urges Muslims to respect the followers of other religions and to accept former Prophets and their Books. So he will insist that an attitude of dialogue is not only required by modernity but also by the very source of Islam.

Based on the notion that Islam is an inherently open and tolerant religion, Mr Glen advocates

acceptance and dialogue with the non-Muslim community. To advocate this notion of tolerance, he has met important Christian and Jewish religious leaders such as Pope John Paul II (in 1998), Greek Eucumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos (in 1996), Sepharadic Chief Rabbi of Israel Eliyahu Bakshi Doron (in 1999) and others religious leader of Turkey in many occations to promote inter-religious dialogue.

Long before the Second Vatican Council, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1876-1960), one of the most influential Muslim thinkers of the 20th Century, advocated a dialogue between true Muslims and Christians. The earliest statement of Said Nursi concerning the need for dialogue between Muslims and Christians dates from 1911, more than 50 years before the Council document, Nostra aetate.

What motivation does Fethullah Glen suggest for those who wish to follow his ways in the practice of dialogue and charity?

At the outset of a collection of essays published as Toward a Global Civilization of Love & Tolerance, in an essay entitled Love for Humankind, he concludes with this exhortation: As we are all limbs of the same body, we should cease this duality that violates our very union. We should clear the way to unite people; this is one of the greatest ways in which God grants people success in this world, and how He transforms this world into a Paradise. It is in this way that the doors of Heaven will be opened wide in order to give us a warm welcome. Hence, we should remove all ideas and feelings that pull us apart, and run to embrace one another. Those who feel deep love run to embrace one another. God reaches out in dialogue with all humanity and our response begins with love of God and love of one another. In Pearls of Wisdom, Glen writes of love: Love is the most direct and safest way to human perfection. One of the principles for

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dialogue that Glen suggests is a challenge to his fellow Muslims to be humble and reach out to others in imitation of the Creator who reaches out to all in ways that are unimaginable: Judge your worth in the Creators sight by how much space He occupies in your heart, and your worth in peoples eyes by how you treat them. Do not neglect the Truth even for a moment. And yet, be a man or woman among other men or women.

For Glen, what people have in common is far greater than what divides and separates them; thus his approach is holistic: inner harmony and peace of humankind only occurs when the material and spiritual realms are reconciled.

Furthermore, in the face of widespread unbelief (or loss of the religious sense) Glen believes that Muslim-Christian dialogue is indispensable. Even though we may not have common grounds on some matters, says Glen, We all live in this world and we are passengers on the

same ship. In this respect, there are many common points that can be discussed and shared with people from every segment of society. Fethullah Glen maintains that regular dialogue is essential. To this end, he pioneered the establishment of the Foundation of Journalists and Writers, whose activities to promote dialogue and mutual respect among all strata of the society have been warmly welcomed by people from almost all walks of life. Again to this end, Fethullah Glen visits, and receives visits from, leading figures not only from among the Turkish people. but from all over the world.

The Vatican ambassador to Turkey, the Patriarchs of the Turkish Orthodox and the Turkish Armenian communities, the Chief Rabbi of the Turkish Jewish community, as well as influential opinion-formers such as journalists, columnists. TV and film stars, thinkers and writers of diverse views, are among the many people with whom he

frequently meets. Fethullah Glen arguably regards interfaith dialogue as an expression of a divinely-inspired love, for the primary theological verity that binds together all peoples of the Book -Jews, Christians and Muslims especially- is the belief in God as Creator. The act of creation is not that of arbitrary whim but intentional love of the Creator for the creature. As Glen states, Love is the reason for existence and its essence, and it is the strongest tie that binds creatures together. Everything in the universe is the handiwork of God. Love issues in practical actions, and at the level of inter-communal and inter-religious relations, love is expressed in terms of dialogical engagement: thus dialogue is the real remedy for terror, chaos, and intolerance

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Fethullah Glen on Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Interfaith Relations

by Prof Douglas Pratt, University of Waikato, New Zealand UNESCO Chair in Intercultural and Interreligious Relations - Asia Pacific 27 October 2007

Fethullah Glen is absolutely correct in noting that desire for mutual understanding, a dedication to justice, and a priority on mutual respect are

requisite are requisite principles for engaging in interreligious dialogue. Glen is of the view that, in todays world, the task of representing faith with its true values has gained an even greater importance than before. Indeed, he regards interfaith engagement as a function of the necessity of increasing the interests we have in common with other people. He and the movement seeking to promote his teachings and views within the Islamic world and beyond are

firmly committed to the cause of interreligious engagement and dialogue.

In the light of my general analysis of the paradigms and dynamics that have pertained to Muslim interfaith relations, what might be the paradigmatic perspective and prospects that are embedded in the thought of Fethullah Glen?

Lester Kurtz, noting that, for Glen, spiritual practice and morality are more important than

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ritual and dogmatism speaks of four pillars of dialogue -love, compassion, tolerance and forgiveness- as descriptive of Glens understanding. Indeed, it is this perspective that opens the way for dialogue with other faith traditions for Muslims.

My own reading of Glen expands this threefold analysis. I suggest that, from Glen, we may derive some seven elements for a possible contemporary Islamic paradigm for interreligious relations and dialogue.

1. Distinction of Values: Primary and Secondary

Arguably, love is a primary word in Glens vocabulary of dialogue. Love, he says, exists in everyone as a seed. This seed germinates under favorable circumstances and, growing like a tree, blossoms into a flower, and finally ripens, like a fruit, to unite the beginning with the end. Indeed, it is clear that, for Glen, primary values such as peace, love, forgiveness, and tolerance are fundamental to Islam

whereas values such as jihad are regarded as a secondary matter.

Keeping these categories of primary and secondary value distinguished and in proper perspective is critical for, as Glen avers, failure to establish a proper balance between what is primary and what is secondary leads others to conclude that Islam advocates malice and hatred in the soul, whereas true Muslims are full of love and affection for all creation.

2. Intentionality: A Principal Perspective

Intentionality is also an important element of Islamic thought and a key to Glens perspective: In every task undertaken, there should be a certain meaning, sincerity should be sought, and reason and good judgment should be the priority. Glen remarks that the Prophet of God said: Deeds are judged by intentions, and he emphasized that the intention of the believer is more important than the act itself.

The Movement does not designate internal and external scapegoats so as to turn aggressive energies onto itself or any group, so destructive processes are not activated.

Muhammed Cetin, The Glen Movement: Its Nature and Identity

27

Intentionality is applied naturally to the sphere of interfaith engagement. And noting the Quran calls people to accept the former Prophets and their Books, Glen avers that having such a condition at the very beginning of the Quran seems very important when it comes to starting a dialogue with the followers of other religions.

3. Tolerance: An Inherent Element

Glen argues that Society has to uphold tolerance. If we dont announce jihad for anything else, we should announce it for tolerance. Tolerance, properly understood, is inherent to dialogue for, as well as being commanded to take tolerance and to use dialogue as his basis while performing his duties, Muhammad was guided toward things in common with the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), as the Holy Quran (Al-Imran 3:64) bears witness: O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but God;

that we speculate no partners with Him; that we take not some from among ourselves for Lords other than God.

Tolerance -together with forgiveness- is a virtue enjoined throughout the Quran such that, in the contemporary context of today, Glen is quite clear: Muslims are to behave with tolerance and forbearance in the interfaith arena. In his critique of certain Muslim propensities he asserts that the method of those who act with enmity and hatred, who view everyone else with anger, and who blacken others as infidels is non-Islamic, for Islam is a religion of love and tolerance. Yet Glen is positive overall: We are rediscovering tolerance, something that is inherent in the spirit of Islam and something that was explained to us in the Quran and by Prophet Muhammad.

Of course, tolerance is not to be equated with attitudes of passive putting-up with that which we would prefer to have nothing to do. This is often the default perspective that we find

Fethullah Glens works and movement

have aimed to mend the tensions and fissures,

specifically along racial and ideological lines

on both practical and theoretical levels that

are emerging in this rapidly globalising

world.

Wanda Krause, Civility in Islamic Activism: Towards a Better

Understanding of Shared Values for Civil Society Development

28

in our societies - what might be better called mere tolerance. The tolerance to which Glen alludes, on the other hand, is far more active and intentional, for it has to do with an underlying aim of dialogical engagement: the fostering of that peace and harmony to which the Quran refers and for which Islam stands: peace is better (Al-Nisa 4:128). Glen asserts that Muslims will lose nothing by employing dialogue, love, and tolerance, and that, indeed, there are many verses in the Quran that extol these virtues.

4. Dialogue: An Expression of a Divinely-Inspired Love

Fethullah Glen arguably regards interfaith dialogue as an expression of a divinely-inspired love, for the primary theological verity that binds together all peoples of the Book -Jews, Christians and Muslims especially- is the belief in God as Creator. The act of creation is not that of arbitrary whim but intentional love of the Creator for the creature. As Glen states, Love

is the reason for existence and its essence, and it is the strongest tie that binds creatures together. Everything in the universe is the handiwork of God.

Love issues in practical actions, and at the level of inter-communal and inter-religious relations, love is expressed in terms of dialogical engagement: thus dialogue is the real remedy for terror, chaos, and intolerance. Glen is himself succinct and to the point: those who seek to build the happy world of the future on foundations of spiritual and moral values should arrive first at the altar of belief, then ascend to the pulpit of love, and only then preach their message of belief and love to others.

The complementarity of tolerance and love as being not just human virtues but in reality indicators of primary values which the Creator imbued the creation underscores an essential oneness of human existence that itself suggests dialogue is the right and proper mode of interaction. Even

Fethullah Glen is unusual in providing a

distinctly Islamic voice to the call for a non-violent

approach to conflict resolution.

Steve Wright, The Work of Fethullah Glen & The Role

of Non-Violence in a Time of Terror

29

though we may not have common grounds on some matters, says Glen, we all live in this world and we are passengers on the same ship. In this respect, there are many common points that can be discussed and shared with people from every segment of society.

5. Reconciliation: The Essence of Religion

The motif of religion as a force for and of reconciliation is very strong with Fethullah Glen. Indeed, love, compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness are at the heart of all religions. It is thus of the nature of religion to promote the values and virtues that engender reconciliation. Specifi cally, for Islam, the Quran itself enjoins reconciliation with the wider religious context of the Peoples of the Book, a view that Glen derives directly from Surah al-Baqara. Allah commands against disputing one with another; instead the reconciling interaction of dialogical debate is encouraged. In particular, Glen notes that there are many

common points for dialogue among devout Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The imperative to dialogue is therefore strong, and must be conducted in a context of giving precedence to common points, which far outnumber polemical ones.

6. Hermeneutical Authority for Dialogue

Glen recognises the need to read the Quran carefully and intelligently when it comes, for example, to the issue of specific relations with Jews and Christians. Some expressions in the Quran regarding Christianity and Judaism are indeed very sharp and rather negative, even hostile in some cases. At best there seems to be a measure of revelatory paradox. But such paradox may be the effect of taking things out of context, or at least not taking context sufficiently into account. Thus, on the one hand verses condemning and rebuking the Jews and Christians are either about some Jews and Christians who lived in the time of the

30

Prophet Muhammad or their own Prophets, as opposed to all Jews and Christians at all times; or on the other hand they are about stubborn unbelievers who lived during the Prophets lifetime and insisted on unbelief who happened to be Jews or Christians. Such verses cannot be taken to refer to all Jews and Christians since, for it was never Jewish or Christian belief and believing at such which was being criticised, but the presence of unbelief - Jews and Christians ignoring their own heritage

wherein they, together with Muslims, are together believers in the one God. As Glen himself remarks, it was not Christianity or Judaism that was the subject of condemnation but rather the Quran goes after wrong behaviour, incorrect thought, and resistance to the truth, creation of hostility, and non-commendable characteristics. Rather than counting against dialogue, a careful and correct contextual reading of the Quran would seem to be advocated by Glen. In this way a proper interpretive

Muslim authority for dialogue may be discerned.

7. Ijtihad: The Struggle for Dialogue

The final element in a possible Islamic paradigm for interreligious dialogue and relations has to do with the notion of ijtihad as meaning a proper intellectual and spiritual struggle. Ihsan Yilmaz argues that Glen believes that there is a need for ijtihad in our age. He says that he respects the scholars of the past but also believes that ijtihad is a

31

necessity: to freeze ijtihad means to freeze Islam and to imprison it in a given time and space. He argues that Islam is a dynamic and universal religion that covers all time and space, and renews itself in real life situations; it changes from one context to another, and ijtihad is a major tool in enabling this.

The struggle to live a life of true faith, to follow the way of peaceful submission to God, has led Fethullah Glen into significant arenas of social and educational action, not the least of which is the promotion of interfaith dialogue and interreligious relations. Such dialogue inheres to the agenda of the Glen movement because Glen juxtaposed the struggle to live as a good and true Muslim with the task of engaging with the religious neighbour. This contrasts with forms of ijtihad coming from other quarters in the Islamic world that result in advocating jihad against the religious other. Thus Lester Kurtz can speak of

Glens paradoxical fusion of intense faith commitment with tolerance, for example, thus resulting in a paradigm of Islamic dialogue. The essence of Glens paradigm is nothing less than the application of ijtihad to the question and challenge of Muslim interfaith relations. Hence, tolerance of others and genuine interfaith dialogue are not simply a pleasant ideal that will be fulfilled in some future paradise, but (are) at the core of what it is to be Muslim in the here and now. Indeed, Glen argues that dialogue is demanded by the very nature of religion as such.

Conclusion

... Glen reinterprets Islamic understanding in tune with contemporary times and develops a new Muslim discourse. Today, Fethullah Glen continues to practice the theology of dialogue, since he believes that his teachings are well grounded in the principles of Islam. A relatively cursory reading of some representative works of Glen yield

elements for a paradigmatic perspective that is indicative of new possibilities for Muslim interpretation of, and sensibilities toward, interfaith relations and dialogue. Where these values, patterns and perspectives on dialogue are not put into place, the outcome is quite dire. Glen himself avers that The present, distorted image of Islam that has resulted from its misuse by both Muslims and non-Muslims for their own goals scares both Muslims and non-Muslims. In reality, at the heart of Islam is the call to dialogue. Peace also lies at this heart; war and conflict as aberrations to be brought under control with security and world harmony the underlying divinely desired goal.

It must be remembered that for any faith-based movement there is a dialectical tension in respect to its ongoing relationship to its founder: on the one hand it always stands open to the criticism of not living up as fully as it might to the standards, demands, or expectations of

32

its founder; on the other hand neither must it remain bound by the inevitable limitations that any human founder brings. Rather, the trick is to proceed along the path in the direction pointed to by the founder, cognizant of the values and insights supplied, but capable of applying and developing them as new circumstances and contexts arise. This is the stuff of the inherent and internal dialogical dialectic of all faith-based movements. The Glen Movement is no exception. Paul Weller has rightly observed that Fethullah Glen himself affirms the existence of a fundamental continuity in the issues faced by human beings in relation to their behavior with one another and their place in the universe. At the same time, he recognizes the specific nature of the challenges of diversity and plurality - challenges which have previously been present in individual historical societies but which, in the 21st century, have been elevated onto a global stage. Glen stands against

ways of thinking and acting that promote the illusion that the uncomfortable plurality of the contemporary world can simply be abolished.

In respect to the issue of relations between Christians and Muslims, or more broadly speaking between the West and Islam, and prospects for the ongoing dialogue between those two faiths and their respective cultures, we might agree with Charles Kimball that:

For many people in both communities the basic theological issues constitute the primary agenda.... Understanding different orientations is an important step, but it does not resolve the seemingly inherent conflicts. Thoughtful, creative, and persevering efforts are required in order to bridge some of the real and perceived differences in foundational theological understandings. ... Although we all carry the cumulative baggage provided by our deep-rooted heritage, developments in the past 150 years have challenged

An important motivator for Glens embracing views of empathic acceptance and respect is his view of the inherent value of the human. Glen uses powerful messages when basing human relations on the notion that every human is a piece of art created by the Compassionate God, reflecting aspects of His compassion. He highlights love as the raison detre of the universe.

David Capes, Tolerance in the Theology and Thought of A J Conyers and F Glen

33

traditional assumptions and prompted the vexing questions confronting people of faith today.

Religious prejudice, expressed in forms of claims to superiority and exclusivity of one over another, is an issue that ever needs to be addressed. Parties to any Muslim interfaith dialogue -be that Jewish, Christian, Muslim or any other religion of the book- need to recognise that, indeed, each religion is an interpretive venture. The book is ever a text requiring interpretive understanding and application. Triumphalism must be countered if there is to be any genuine eirenical advance. As Rabbi David Rosen, a leading Jewish figure in the cause of interfaith relations, has commented: We should indeed keep the differences and learn to respect them. Each religion has its particular approach to God. But we also have a universal dimension to our traditions that we share, and we must emphasize that as well.

By pursuing the challenge of dialogue we seek to comprehend better the respective faiths in which we live, and move, and have our being.

In dialogue with Fethullah Glen Muslim and non-Muslim alike are moved beyond prejudice, suspicion, and half-truths so that they might arrive at an understanding what Islam is really about and to see that tolerance, love, and compassion are genuinely Islamic values that Muslims have a duty to bring to the modern world. The call of Islam is a call to dialogue. Fethullah Glen certainly offers Muslims a way to live out Islamic values amidst the complex demands of modern societies and to engage in ongoing dialogue and cooperation with people of other religions. Dialogue with Glen and the movement that bears his name is an avenue wherein the non-Muslim can join with Muslims in the greater journey of the dialogical quest.

He is thus a bridging figure between being a

dominant interpreter of Islam and being an

animator of Islamic practice.

Louis J. Cantori, Fethullah Glen: Kemalist and Islamic

Republicanism and the Turkish Democratic Future

34

Glens Condemnation Message of September 11th Terrorist Attacks

I would like to make it very clear that any terrorist activity, no matter by whom it is carried out or for what purpose, is the greatest blow to peace, democracy, and humanity. For this reason, no one -and certainly no Muslim- can approve of any terrorist activity. Terror has no place in a quest to achieve independence or salvation. It takes the lives of innocent people.

Even though at first sight such acts seem to harm the target, all terrorist activities eventually do more harm to the terrorists and their supporters. This latest terrorist activity, which is a most bloody and condemnable one, is far more than an attack on the

United States of Americait is an assault against world peace as well as against universal democratic and humanistic values. Those who perpetrated this atrocity can only be considered as being the most brutal people in the world.

Please let me reassure you that Islam does not approve of terrorism in any form. Terrorism cannot be used to achieve any Islamic goal. No terrorist can be a Muslim, and no real Muslim can be a terrorist. Islam demands peace, and the Quran demands that every real Muslim be a symbol of peace and work to support the maintenance of basic human rights. If a ship is carrying nine criminals and one innocent person, Islam does not allow for the ship to be sunk in order to punish the nine criminals; doing so would violate the rights of the one innocent person.

Islam respects all individual rights and states clearly that none of these can be violated, even if doing so would be in the interest of the community. The Quran

declares that one who takes a life unjustly has, in effect, taken all the lives of humanity, and that one who saves a life has, in effect, saved all the lives of humanity. Moreover, Prophet Muhammad stated that a Muslim is a person who does no harm with either the hands or with the tongue.

I strongly condemn this latest terrorist attack on the United States. It only deserves condemnation and contempt, and it must be condemned by every person in the world. I appeal to everyone for calmness and restraint. Before Americas leaders and people respond to this heinous assault out of their jus-tified anger and pain, please let me express that they must understand why such a terrible event occurred and let us look at how similar tragedies can be avoided in the future. They must also be aware of the fact that injuring inno-cent masses in order to punish a few guilty people is to no ones benefit; rather such actions will only strengthen the

35

terrorists by feeding any existing resentment and by giving birth to more terrorists and more violence. Please remember that terrorists represent an extremely small minority within any society or religion. Let us try to understand each other better, for only through mutual understanding and respect can such violence be prevented in the fu-ture.

I feel the pain of the American people from the bottom of my heart, and I assure them that I pray to God Almighty for the victims and I pray that He give their loved-ones and all other Americans the necessary patience to en-dure their pain.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again send my regards to everybody.

Respectfully.

Fethullah Glen

*Appeared in The Washington Post on

12 September 2001

36

Glens Values and Views

LoveLove is the most direct and safest way to human perfection. It is difficult to attain the rank of human perfection through ways that do not contain love. Other than the way of acknowledging ones innate impotence, poverty, and reliance on Gods Power and Riches, and ones zeal in His way and thanksgiving, no other way to truth is equal to that of love...

Seeing the beloveds traces in the blowing wind, the falling rain, the murmuring stream, the humming forest, the dawning morning and the darkening night, the lover comes alive. Seeing the beloveds beauty reflected in everything around him or her, the lover becomes exuberant. Feeling the beloveds breath in every breeze, the lover becomes joyful. Feeling the beloveds occasional reproaches, the lover moans in sorrow...

37

If we do not plant the seeds of love in the hearts of young people, whom we try to revive through science, knowledge, and modern culture, they will never attain perfection and free themselves completely from their carnal desires...

Even if we have different feelings and thoughts, we are all people of this society. Even though we may not have common grounds on some matters, we all live in this world and we are passengers on the same ship. In this respect, there are many common points that can be discussed and shared with people from every segment of society.

People of HeartPeople of heart are monuments of humility and modesty who are devoted to a spiritual life, determined to stay away from all the material and spiritual dirt, always vigilant to corporeal desires of the body, and ready to struggle with such evils as hatred, resentment, greed,

jealousy, selfishness and lust. They always endeavour to give what is right the highest esteem, to convey to others what they feel about this world, as well as the next, and they are always patient and cautious.

People of heart are too busy fighting their selves and their misdemeanours to be interested in the misdeeds of others. In contrast, they set an example to others of what a good person should be, leading others to attain higher horizons. They turn a blind eye to what other people may do wrong. Responding with a smile to those who have displayed negative attitudes, such people nullify bad behaviour with kindness, not thinking to hurt anybody, even when they have been hurt over and over again.

People of heart do not violate the rights of any other people, nor do they seek revenge. Even in the most critical circumstances, they tend to behave calmly, and do whatever a person of heart should do to the utmost.

[T]he Glen movement has

defined the enemy as attributes rather than

the objects. In other words, bad attributes

such as selfishness, ego-centrism, and

fraudulence that sustain the triple enemies of ignorance, poverty,

and disunity in Muslim world specifically, and

the world in general, can only be solved

by the new human attributes such as

love, saintliness, and perceptive reasoning.

Mustafa Gurbuz, Performing Moral Opposition: Musing on

the Strategy and Identity in the Glen Movement

38

They always reply to evil acts with kindness, and, considering badness to be a characteristic of evil, treating those who have harmed them as monuments of virtue.

People of heart never lose their temper with anybody, nor are they offended by those whose hearts are attached to God. When they see any of their brothers or sisters-inreligion doing wrong, they do not abandon them. In order to avoid embarrassment they do not make any wrong-doing publicly or personally known, either. On the contrary, they blame and question themselves for witnessing any immoral act.

ToleranceBe so tolerant that your heart becomes wide like the ocean. Become inspired with faith and love for others. Offer a hand to those in trouble, and be concerned about everyone. Applaud the good for their goodness, appreciate those

who have believing hearts, and be kind to believers. Approach unbelievers so gently that their envy and hatred melt away. Like a Messiah, revive people with your breath.

Remember that you travel the best road and follow an Exalted Guide, upon him be peace. Be mindful that you have his guidance through the most perfect and expressive revelation. Be fair-minded and balanced in your judgment, for many people do not enjoy these blessings.

Return good for evil, and disregard discourteous treatment. An individuals character is reflected in his or her behavior. Choose tolerance, and be magnanimous toward the illmannered.

The most distinctive feature of a soul overflowing with faith is to love all types of love that are expressed in deeds, and to feel enmity for all deeds in which enmity is expressed. To hate everything is a sign of insanity or

The story of how a soft spoken Islamic scholar without any explicitly political organization to support him has in

fact weathered this storm and rebounded

to emerge politically strengthened is a story

of how deeply he has affected Muslims in

Turkey and perhaps how representative of religious sentiment he

has become.

Louis J. Cantori, Fethullah Glen: Kemalist and Islamic

Republicanism and the Turkish Democratic Future

39

of infatuation with Satan...

Take note of and be attentive to any behavior that causes you to love others. Then remind yourself that behaving in the same way will cause them to love you. Always behave decently, and be alert...

In sum: In order to preserve your credit, honor, and love, love for the sake of the Truth, hate for the sake of the Truth, and be open-hearted toward the Truth.

HumanityWhen interacting with others always regard whatever pleases and displeases yourself as the measure. Desire for others what your own ego desires and do not forget that whatever conduct displeases you will displease others. If you do this you will be safe not only from misconduct and bad behavior but also from hurting others...

There is no limit to doing good to others. Those who have dedicated themselves to the

good of humanity can be so altruistic that they will even sacrifice their lives for others.However such altruism is a great virtue only if it originates in sincerity and purity of intention and if it does not define the others by racial preferences...

Those who regard even the greatest good they have done for others as insignificant while greatly appreciating even the least favor done to themselves are perfected ones who have acquired the Divine standards of behavior and found peace in their conscience. Such individuals never remind others of the good they have done for them and never complain when others appear to be indifferent to them.

Personal IntegrityThose who want to reform the world must first reform themselves. If they want to lead others to a better world they must purify their inner worlds of hatred rancor and jealousy and adorn their outer worlds with

[W]hat Glens teaching offers, is a contribution that is devout, and looks for the renewal of Muslims through deeper engagement with the sources of Islam. At the same time, this Islamic depth calls for deployment of an appropriate ijtihad that is directed towards Islamically faithful engagement with the realities of the current historical and geographical and socio-political contexts.

Paul Weller, Robustness and Civility: Themes from Fethullah Glen as Resource and Challenge for Government, Muslims and Civil Society in the United Kingdom

40

virtue. The words of those who cannot control and disci-pline themselves and who have not refined their feelings may seem attractive and insightful at first. How-ever even if they somehow manage to inspire others which they sometimes do the sentiments they arouse will soon wither.

If we cannot accept the criticism of those we love and who love us, we may lose our friends and remain unaware of our defects.Do not remember the promises that others have failed to keep; instead, remember your own promises that you did not fulfill. Do not blame others because they are not doing good to you; instead, remember the chances you missed of doing good to someone else.

EducationRight decisions depend on having a sound mind and being capable of sound thought. Science and knowledge illuminate and develop the mind. For this reason, a mind deprived of science and

knowledge cannot reach right decisions, is always exposed to deception, and is subject to being misled.

We are only truly human if we learn, teach, and inspire others. It is difficult to regard those who are ignorant and without desire to learn as truly human. It is also questionable whether learned people who do not renew and reform themselves in order to set an example for others are truly human. Status and merit acquired through knowledge and science are higher and more lasting than those obtained through other means.

Given the great importance of learning and teaching, we must determine what is to be learned and taught, and when and how to do so. Although knowledge is a value in itself, the purpose of learning is to make knowledge a guide in life and illuminate the road to human betterment. Thus, any knowledge not appropriated for the self is a burden to the learner, and a science that does not direct one toward sublime

goals is a deception.

Real TeachersReal teachers sow the seed and preserve it. They occupy themselves with what is good and wholesome, and lead and guide the children in life and whatever events they encounter... In addition to setting a good example, teachers should be patient enough to obtain the desired results. They should know their students very well, and address their hearts, spirits, and feelings.

The best way to educate people is to show a real concern for every individual, not forgetting that each individual is a different world... Teachers should know how to find a way to the students heart and leave indelible imprints.

From birth until death, the teacher is a holy master who gives shape to the world throughout ones life. On earth, there is no equal to him in guiding his nation to their fate,

41

in refining their ethics and their characteristics, and in infusing his nation with the awareness of eternity.

The influence of the teacher on the individual far exceeds the one exerted by his parents and by society. In fact, it is the teacher who kneads the mother, the father, and all members of society. If he is not involved in the kneading of any piece of dough, it is left formless.

The teacher is a hand and a tongue that God uses to exalt or humiliate humanity. Yes, a nomadic community that found its instructor was sublimed as high as angels and they all ascended to the rank of being teachers for humanity. With a good teacher, Macedonia raised a great conqueror and Anatolia reached its prosperous era.

In a teachers hands, metals are purified and then turned into solid gold and bright silver. In

this mystic hand, the crudest and the most worthless things become invaluable diamonds. No factory can work as fast and as systematic as the teacher does. No one but the teacher can convey the depth of the emotional spectrum to those around him and become a part of their existence.

Hizmet for Glen, implies that a person excessively devotes his life to humanity,

is interested in the others needs and prefers their happiness rather than his own needs. He assume that the

altruism the essential moral principle that the educators must to have for the

humanity.

Erkan Togulu, Glens Theory of Arab and Ethical Values of Glen Movement

By delinking Islam from the accomplishment of traditional practices and dressing styles, Glen has transformed it into a kind of moral essence that should push individuals to act in a socially-oriented responsible way.

Fabio Vicini, Glens Rethinking of Islamic Pattern and Its Socio-Political Effects

42

Bringing Up the YoungEducators who have not been apprenticed to a master and have not received a sound education are like blind people trying to light the way of others with lanterns.

A childs mischief and impudence arises from the atmosphere in which he or she has been raised. A dysfunctional family life increasingly is reflected upon the spirit of the child, and therefore upon the society.

In schools, good manners should be considered just as important as other subjects. If they are not, how can children grow up with sound characters? Education is different from teaching. Most people can be teachers, but the number of educators is severely limited...

Our humanity is directly proportional to the purity of our emotions. Although those who are full of bad feelings and whose souls are influenced by egoism look like human beings, whether they really are human is doubtful.

Almost everyone can train their bodies, but few people can educate their minds and feelings. The former training produces strong bodies, while the latter produces spiritual people.

FreedomTrue freedom is civilized freedom. It wears the diamond chain of religion and morals, and the golden collar of sound thinking.

True freedom is the freedom of the human mind from all shackles that hinder it from making material and spiritual progress, as long as we do not fall into indifference and heedlessness.

Freedom allows people to do whatever they want, provided that they do not harm others and that they remain wholly devoted to the truth...

True freedom, the freedom of moral responsibility, shows that one is human, for it motivates and enlivens the conscience and removes impediments to the spirit.

While remaining a theologically conservative Muslim, he believes deeply in the value of reason, science and technology. He has engaged intellectually with Western thinkers and he has personally shared his desire for inter-religious harmony with leaders of other faiths.

Bruce Eldridge, The Place of the Glen Movement in the Intellectual History of Islam, Particularly in Relation to Islams Confrontation with Postmodernism

43

Freedom of ThoughtEfforts to suppress ideas via pressure or brute force have never been truly successful. History shows that no idea was ever removed by suppressing it. Many great empires and states were destroyed, but an idea or thought whose essence is sound continues to survive.

DemocracyDemocracy has developed over time. Just as it has gone through many different stages in the past, it will continue to evolve and improve in the future. Along the way, it will be shaped into a more humane and just system, one based on righteousness and reality.

If human beings are considered as a whole, without disregarding the spiritual dimension of their existence and their spiritual needs, and without forgetting that human life is not limited to this mortal life and that all people have a great craving for eternity, democracy could reach

the peak of perfection and bring even more happiness to humanity. Islamic principles of equality, tolerance, and justice can help it do just this...

Democracy is undergoing a process of development. Its a process of no return that must develop and mature. I dont know how true Darwins theory of evolution is, but we undoubtedly experience an evolution of thought in our spirit.

As a result, democracy will one day attain a very high level. But we have to wait for times interpretation.

ArtArt is the spirit of progress and one of the most important means of developing emotions. Those who cannot make use of this means are unfortunate indeed, and live a numbed, diminished life...

It is art which manifests and defines the power and deepest potentials of the human psyche

[H]e sees Islam as more of an open than

a closed system. Islam encompasses wide

varieties of people and beliefs, it is not seen as

something narrowly confined to just a few

specific forms of belief and action. Oliver

Leaman

Oliver Leaman, Towards an Understanding of Glens

Methodology

44

and soul. It is by means of art that the most profound emotions and thoughts, the most striking observations and discoveries, and the most heart-felt desires have been preserved as if recorded on a tape and gained eternity...

Art makes iron more valuable than gold and copper more valuable than bronze. Thanks to art, the most worthless metals become more valuable than gold, silver, and diamonds.

Environment and NatureNature is, in its particulars and as a whole, an exhibition of Divine miracles. However, rather than call it an exhibition, we prefer to call it a book. This book or exhibition was once much more dazzling; like a magnificent vessel sailing in the ocean of love and ecstasy or a chandelier with one thousand and one light, it was beautiful beyond imagination.

With its emerald hills and slopes and exhilarating valleys and plains, with its forests inhabited

by thousands of kinds of cheerful animals and paradise-like gardens, fields and orchards and with its singing birds and merry-making insects, this book was the realm neighbouring the other world, Divine mercy poured onto it in the form of rain to make the earth more fertile and, in return, hands were held open towards it in profound gratitude.

What a pity it is that this magnificent book, this charming exhibition, which the infinitely Merciful One has created and presented to man to observe and study and to be exhilarated by, is no longer given any more care than is given to a heap of junk or rubbish. Worse than that, it is more and more becoming a wasteland and like a dunghill.

Today, air, that magnificent conductor of Divine commands, is a suffocating smoke and a perilous whirlpool. Water, that source of life and other Divine bounties, is either a hazardous flood or forms desolate expanses of pitch. And earth, that treasure of Divine grace and munificence,

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is a wilderness no longer productive and a ruin without any ecological balance.

Like everything else entrusted to us, we have deplorably treated this book, this magnificent exhibition, which is an embodiment of Divine grace and mercy.

How deplorably and awkwardly we have treated plains and residential places, which we have changed into deserts and heaps of ruin. How deplorably

and gracelessly we have treated seas and rivers, which we have polluted.

Again, how deplorably and awkwardly we have treated air and water, and fields, forests, and gardens, which we have made unfavourable to any life. Truly, by changing this Paradise-like world to a hell, how deplorably and awkwardly we have treated ourselves!

Unless we improve this world, whose order we have destroyed

and which we have polluted, and restore it to its essential beauty and magnificence, it will inevitably collapse on us in heaps of wreckage.

Glens faith may be compared to a glass of water, without color, without

odor, without taste, yet when held up to the light of day it is a prism that reflects

and captures all the beauty, mystery, and wonder in the universe

Richard Penaskovic, M Fethullah Glens Response to the Clash of Civilizations Thesis

A central concept Glen extrapolates from tradition is hizmet, which generally refers to religious service. According to his socially-oriented idea of Islam he has extended this concept to every act of serving the benefit of others.

Fabio Vicini, Glens Rethinking of Islamic Pattern and Its Socio-Political Effects

46

Fethullah Glen and the Glen Schools

Prof Thomas Michel, SJ 18 February 2003 (abbreviated)

... Rather than having studied the writings of Fethullah Glen on education and pedagogy and then tried to see, in what might be called a deductive

approach, how he has put these principles into practice, I have instead come to know first the educational institutions conducted by participants of the movement led by Mr Glen. This has led me in turn to study his writings to discover the rationale that lies behind the tremendous educational venture that has ensued from the educational

vision of Fethullah Glen and his colleagues.

At the outset, it is necessary to be precise about the relationship of Mr Glen to the schools that are often loosely called Glen schools, or schools of the Glen movement. Mr Glen describes himself primarily as an educator and is generally

Glen and Education

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referred to by members of his movement as Khoja Effendi, a title of respect given to religious teachers in Turkey. However, he is careful to distinguish between education and teaching. Most human beings can be teachers, he states, but the number of educators is severely limited.

He has also tried to make clear that he has no schools of his own. Im tired of saying that I dont have any schools, he affirms with a bit of exasperation... The schools have been established by individual agreements between the countries in which they are located and the educational companies founded for this purpose. Each school is an independently run institution, but most of the schools rely on the services of Turkish companies to provide educational supplies and human resources...

Operating independently, but maintaining links of coordination and training, the schools could be called a loose federation of institutions that share a common pedagogic vision, similar

curriculum, and human and material resources.

My Personal Encounter with Glen Schools

My first encounter with one of these schools dates back to 1995, in Zamboanga, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, when I learned that there was a Turkish school several miles outside the city. On approaching the school, the first thing that caught my attention was the large sign at the entrance to the property bearing the name: The Philippine-Turkish School of Tolerance. This is a startling affirmation in Zamboanga, a city almost equally 50% Christian and 50% Muslim, located in a region where for over 20 years various Moro separatist movements have been locked in an armed struggle against the military forces of the government of the Philippines.

I was well-received by the Turkish director and staff of the school, where over 1000 students study and live in

Due to the spread and popularity of Glen

schools, the movement has become more than

just a faith-based movement battling localized issues. It

has instead become a world-wide educational movement that seeks to

build a more peaceful world through dialogue

and cooperation.

Michael David Graskemper, A Bridge to Inter-Religious Co-operation: the GlenJesuit

Educational Nexus

48

dormitories. As I learned from the Turkish staff and their Filipino colleagues, both Muslim and Christian, the affirmation of their school as an institution dedicated towards formation in tolerance was no empty boast. In a region where kidnaping is a frequent occurrence, along with guerrilla warfare, summary raids, arrests, disappearances, and killings by military and para-military forces, the school is offering Muslim and Christian Filipino children, along with an educational standard of high quality, a more positive way of living and relating to each other. My Jesuit colleagues and the lay professors at the Ateneo de Zamboanga confirm that from its beginning, the Philippine-Turkish

School has maintained a deep level of contact and cooperation with Christian institutions of the region.

Since that time I have had occasion to visit other schools of the Glen movement and discuss educational policy with the teaching and administrative staff. In Turkey, I have visited several institutions in the Istanbul area and in the city of Urfa. In Kyrghyzstan, I had the opportunity to examine at length about half the twelve Sebat schools, including the new Ataturk Alatoo University, all inspired and founded by the Glen movement. I can state without qualification that I find these schools to be one of the most dynamic and worthwhile educational enterprises that I have

While the schools of the Glen movement are not relying on any confessional

instruction, they are instead seeking to transport and expound ethical

Islamic values like honesty, hard work, generosity and the like.

Philipp Bruckmayr, Phnom Penhs Fethullah Glen School as an Alternative to Prevalent Forms of Education for

Cambodias Muslim Minority

Not only in Turkic speaking regions, but also as far as Mongolia and Southeast Asia, the so-called Turkish schools have succeeded in creating sustainable systems of private schools that offer quality education to ethnically and religiously diverse populations.

Victoria Clement, Turkmenistans New Challenges: Can Stability Co-exist with Reform? A Study of Glen Schools in Central Asia, 19972007

49

encountered in the world today.

These encounters led me to study the writings of Fethullah Glen to ascertain the educational principles and motivation which undergird the schools and to try to find Glens own techniques that have made him into an educator capable of inspiring others with his vision. These are the questions that will occupy the remainder of my paper. I will concentrate mainly on the Glen schools as the central expression of his educational policies, and must pass over in silence the educational aspects of other ventures which he has promoted, such as the Samanyolu television network, the Zaman newspaper and other publishing projects, the scholarship program for needy students, and the efforts of the Writers and Journalists Foundation to promote interreligious dialogue and understanding.

The Educational Vision of Fethullah Glen

Glens educational starting

point would seem to be what he sees as a fundamental crisis in Turkish society. Analyzing the factors that have contributed to bring about this societal crisis, he concludes that an element which cannot be dismissed is the lack of coordination among the various types and systems of education. He regards the development of education in Turkey throughout the 20th Century as an unhealthy competition among mutually exclusive systems of education, which has produced graduates who lack an integrated perspective towards the future and perpetuate the existing divisions in society. He states: At a time when modern schools concentrated on ideological dogmas, institutions of religious education (madrassas) broke with life, institutions of spiritual training (takyas) were immersed in sheer metaphysics, and the army restricted itself to sheer force, this coordination was essentially not possible.

Modern secular schools, he holds, have been unable to free

themselves of the prejudices and conventions of modernist ideology, while the madrassas have shown little interest or capability to meet the challenges of technology and scientific thought. The madrassas lack the flexibility, vision, and ability to break with past, enact change, and offer the type of educational formation that is needed today. The Sufi-oriented takyas, which traditionally had fostered the development of spiritual values, have lost their dynamism and, as Glen puts it, console themselves with virtues and wonders of the saints who had lived in previous centuries. The educational training offered by the military, which had in previous times been the representative of religious energy and activity and a symbol of national identity, has devolved into an espousal of attitudes of self-assertion and self-preservation.

The challenge today is to find a way in which these traditional pedagogical systems can move beyond regarding each

50

other as rivals or enemies so that they can learn from one another. By integrating the insights and strengths found in the various educational currents, educators must seek to bring about a marriage of mind and heart if they hope to form individuals of thought, action, and inspiration. An integration of the interior wisdom which is the cumulative heritage built up over the centuries with the scientific tools essential for the continued progress of the nation would enable students to move beyond the societal pressures of their environment and provide them with both internal stability and direction for their actions. He states: Until we help them through education, the young will be captives of their environment. They wander aimlessly, intensely moved by their passions, but far from knowledge and reason. They can become truly valiant young representatives of national thought and feeling, provided their education integrates them with their past, and prepares

them intelligently for the future.

Despite the necessity of modernization, he holds, there are nevertheless risks involved in any radical break with the past. Cut off from traditional values, young people are in danger of being educated with no values at all beyond those of material success. Non-material values such as profundity of ideas, clarity of thought, depth of feeling, cultural appreciation, or interest in spirituality tend to be ignored in modern educational ventures which are largely aimed at mass-producing functionaries of a globalized market system.

Such students might be adequately prepared to find jobs, but they will not have the necessary interior formation to achieve true human freedom. Leaders in both economic and political fields often favor and promote job-oriented, value-free education because it enables those with power to control the trained but not educated working cadres more easily... The road to social justice

The Glen school provides an alternative both to the Muslim private school and the general private school. Unlike the latter, it gives more attention to moral values, and unlike the former, it is open to all learners irrespective of religious persuasion. It provides a service to society in the transmission of knowledge to humanity, and in cultivating moral values such as responsibility, tolerance, respect, reliability and compassion.

Yasien Mohammed, The Education Theory of Fethullah Glen and its Practice in South Africa

51

is paved with adequate, universal education, for only this will give people sufficient understanding and tolerance to respect the rights of others.

Thus, in Glens view, it is not only the establishment of justice which is hindered by the lack of well-rounded education, but also the recognition of human rights and attitudes of acceptance and tolerance toward others. If people are properly educated to think for themselves and to espouse the positive values of social justice, human rights and tolerance, they will be able to be agents of change to implement these beneficial goals.

The crisis in modern societies arises from decades of schooling having produced generations with no ideals. It is human ideals, aims, goals, and vision which are the source of movement, action, and creativity in society. People whose education has been limited to the acquisition of marketable skills are no longer able to produce the dynamism needed to inspire and carry out

societal change. The result is social atrophy, decadence, and narcissism. He states: When [people] are left with no ideals or aims, they become reduced to the condition of animated corpses, showi