Fethullah Gülen: A Man with a Mission

• Main Author: Edwin, Victor, SJ
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2022
• Subjects: Fethullah Gülen; Hizmet; Interreligious Dialogue and Muslims in Dialouge
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/apms/vol4/iss2/3; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/apms/article/1025/viewcontent/AMPS_204.2_204_20Article_20__20Edwin.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

“Are Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet (service) community friends or foes?’ I must answer that they are our friends. They are the kind of Muslim interlocutors for an active dialogue which we have been searching for since the time of Nostra Aetate.” With these words Fr. Tom Michel, SJ introduced the present writer to the members of the Hizmet movement in Delhi. Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish scholar and teacher of the Holy Qur'an, who has inspired a global movement of millions of individuals to dedicate themselves to literacy, social enterprise, and interreligious dialogue to build peace in the world. His lifelong mission is founded on five principles: integrity of participation in the nonviolent practices of Islam, commitment to dialogue manifested in principled pluralism, engaged empathy, which is the deep feeling for the suffering of the world and willingness to engage on behalf of alleviating the suffering of the world, commitment to spiritual and scientific literacy, and organizational model of social enterprise. This essay demonstrates that ‘engaging with others’ is the critical component of Gülen’s civilizational project of building peace in the world. The foundation of such a project stands firmly on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the very sources of Islam. Rootedness in the Islamic sources and openness to pluralistic values makes his offer attractive to both Muslims and people of other religions. The essay invites Christians to engage with the followers of Hizmet movement to build a just, equitable and peaceful world; where people of goodwill across borders of religion and culture could live in peace and dignity.