Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What is Islam's Gulen movement?
BBC News ^ | 24 May 2011 | Edward Stourton

Posted on 05/25/2011 5:26:59 AM PDT by 1010RD

Turkey's Gulen movement, which promotes service to the common good, may have grown into the world's biggest Muslim network. Is it the modern face of Islam, or are there more sinister undercurrents?

SNIP

Its supporters say they simply work together, in a loosely affiliated alliance inspired by the message of charismatic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education.

Turkish businessmen are attracted by what they see as his international outlook and pragmatic approach to issues like using credit.

SNIP

Mr Gulen's critics point to a video which surfaced in 1999, in which he seemed to tell his followers that they should deliberately attempt to infiltrate mainstream structures:

"You must move within the arteries of the system, without anyone noticing your existence, until you reach all the power centres. You must wait until such time as you have got all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institution in Turkey."

SNIP

There are claims that supporters of the movement dominate parts of the police and the judiciary.

Last year, a police chief who wrote a book on this subject was jailed. Earlier this year, two Turkish investigative journalists, Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener, were arrested after investigating similar claims.

SNIP

Press freedom campaigner Ferai Tinch says most journalists in Turkey believe that they too will suffer if they criticise [it].

"The imprisonment of journalists is the tip of the iceberg. Nobody dares to write directly against the Gulen movement,"

SNIP

"It's illogical to think that Gulen followers would be involved [in arresting critics]," says Cemal Usak, of the Gulen-linked Journalists and Writers Foundation.

"That would do the biggest harm to the movement. They must be out of their minds to think such a thing."

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fethullahgulen; threatmatrix
Is Turkey being infiltrated by Islamists?
1 posted on 05/25/2011 5:27:01 AM PDT by 1010RD
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 1010RD
"Is Turkey being infiltrated by Islamists?"

Is??? "Has been" is probably more correct.

2 posted on 05/25/2011 5:37:56 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 1010RD; SWAMPSNIPER; Domestic Church; rightly_dividing; combat_boots; bronxville; cripplecreek; ...

Fethullah Gulens movement is a mechanism with which to bring Islam to the New World Order system of sustainable development.


3 posted on 05/25/2011 5:41:00 AM PDT by wheresmyusa (FTUN)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 1010RD

Here is the text of what he said in 1999.

“You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the power centers … until the conditions are ripe, they [the followers]  must continue like this. If they do something prematurely, the world will crush our heads, and Muslims will suffer everywhere, like in the tragedies in Algeria, like in 1982 [in] Syria … like in the yearly disasters and tragedies in Egypt. The time is not yet right. You must wait for the time when you are complete and conditions are ripe, until we can shoulder the entire world and carry it … You must wait until such time as you have gotten all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institutions in Turkey … Until that time, any step taken would be too early—like breaking an egg without waiting the full forty days for it to hatch. It would be like killing the chick inside. The work to be done is [in] confronting the world. Now, I have expressed my feelings and thoughts to you all—in confidence … trusting your loyalty and secrecy. I know that when you leave here—[just] as you discard your empty juice boxes, you must discard the thoughts and the feelings that I expressed here.”

Why the need for secrecy at the end of his speech?


4 posted on 05/25/2011 6:03:00 AM PDT by Okieshooter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Okieshooter
The Turkish Military (secular) has been suspicious of the Gulen Movement for some time. Another BBC report on the movement (from 31 August, 2000) notes:

...But the powerful Turkish military, which regards itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular tradition, has always remained suspicious of Mr Gulen's motives.

He has now been charged with plotting to overthrow the country's secular state, and allegation that Mr Gulen - and his followers - are likely to vehemently deny.

link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/905262.stm

The last Islamic Caliphate was Turkish...there are still members of the Osman Dynasty living that could claim descent.

5 posted on 05/25/2011 6:55:57 AM PDT by Heuristic Hiker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: 1010RD
a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education.

Taqiyya.

6 posted on 05/25/2011 7:01:24 AM PDT by JimRed (Excising a cancer before it kills us waters the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All; SWAMPSNIPER; Domestic Church; rightly_dividing; combat_boots; bronxville; cripplecreek; ...
An interesting read:

"The actual size of Gülen’s millions of followers and sympathizers is not exactly known. But it is agreed that it is the largest civil movement in the country, an “apolitical communitarian movement

"Educational institutions can foster sustainable development by bridging international values with local values and cultures; by capacity-building, preparing professionals to foster a sustainable future and by creating public spaces through civil society associations"

"Yet, it must also be noted that the Movement emphasizes the vitality of voluntary communitarianism and its discourse and praxis discourage atomistic individualism."

Transnational Muslim faith-based peacebuilding:Initiatives of the Gülen Movement
7 posted on 05/25/2011 7:28:27 AM PDT by wheresmyusa (FTUN)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Wonder Warthog

You’re correct. I was begging the question. Sadly, this happened on Bush’s watch.


8 posted on 05/25/2011 7:41:47 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: wheresmyusa

...and 0bama....

http://fiveboxes.com/more.php/2010/10/30/communitarianism-the-third-way-the-key-to-understanding-obama-world-events-and-whats-coming-next/


9 posted on 05/25/2011 9:32:53 AM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: wheresmyusa
Fethullah Gulen---a brand franchise promoting peace, understanding, respect, and tolerance


Fethullah Gulen’s discourse cherishes and his life exemplifies values like empathic acceptance, altruistic service of one’s community and humanity in general, complementary roles of the intellect and the heart, sincerity, holistic view of the human, deepening faith and love of the creation.

He is noted for his pro-democracy, pro-science, pro-dialogue and non-violence stances in critical junctures of the history of his society. In July 2008, Fethullah Gulen was listed among the top hundred public intellectuals in the world by Foreign Policy magazine .

Fethullah Gulen.org

Fethullah Gulen Movement.net

Fethullah Gulen's Website

Qualifications

Extensive knowledge and teaching experience in Islamic scholarship. Proficient author with more than sixty books translated into many world languages. Recognized as the world's top public intellectual in Foreign Policy / Prospect poll in 2008. Years of service as an imam, preacher, and civil society activist with acclaimed competence as a speaker on Islam, education, and dialogue in Turkey.

Education

Classical education in Islamic scholarship at various divinity schools (Kurşunlu, Kemhan, Taşmescid) under a number of Turkey's renowned Sufi scholars and masters, such as Ramiz Gülen, Muhammed Lütfi, Haci Sıtkı, Sadi Efendi, and Osman Bektaş (1951–1956)

Compulsory elementary education (1946–1949)

Home schooling along with memorization of the whole Qur'an and mastering recitation skills (before 1946)

Employment

Imam / Preacher

* Voluntary Imam / Preacher, Erzurum, Amasya, Tokat, Sivas (1955–1958)
* Deputy Imam, Üçşerefeli Mosque, Edirne (1959–1961)
* Imam / Lecturer, Iskenderun, while serving compulsory military service (1961–1963)
* Member of the Public Hall, Erzurum (1963). Convened conferences and lectured on Rumi
* Qur'an Teacher / Imam, Dar'ul Hadis Mosque, Edirne (1964)
* Senior Preacher (Merkez Vaizi), Kırklareli (1965)
* Senior Preacher, Izmir (1966–1971)
* Director / Teacher, Kestanepazarı Boarding Qur'anic School (1966–1971)
* Senior Preacher, Edremit (1972–1974)
* Senior Preacher, Manisa (1974–1976)
* Senior Preacher, Izmir, Bornova (1976–1980)
* Voluntary Preacher, Istanbul, Izmir, and throughout Turkey (post-retirement service) (1986–1989)

Speaker

* Delivered a series of talks in Turkey and Europe (1975–1977)
* Talks on social, cultural, and religious matters recorded and broadcast every week on www.herkul.org (2003– present)

Honorary President / Civil Society Leader

* Founder member of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (1994)
* Participated in interfaith gatherings and promoted dialogue through a number of events organized by this foundation. (1994–1998)
* Honorary president of Rumi Forum, Washington D.C. (1999–present)



THE GULEN INSTITUTE


The Gülen Institute was established in October 2007 as a non-profit organization and a joint initiative of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog.

The perspectives of the institute are inspired by the life and works of the distinguished contemporary scholar and civic leader Fethullah Gülen. Visit Fethullah Gulen Forum for updates on Mr. Gulen and Gulen Movement.

Dialog of Civilizations Platform on January 23, 2010

Luncheon Forum: Dr. Robert Pape

"Occupation, violence and religion: A look at dynamics of conflicts in the light of Afghanistan troop surge"

Gulen Institute welcomes Dr. Robert A. Pape, a distinguished political science professor, from the University of Chicago at a luncheon forum.

This luncheon will take place during the Dialog of Civilizations Platform on January 23, 2010. After Dr. Pape's speech, there will be a session where high school students participate as panelists. Their topic is 'Improving Family Relations".


OPENING REMARKS: Harris County Judge Ed Emmett
SESSION: Social Conflicts and Peaceful Coexistence


SESSION: Substance Abuse and Youth


HIGH SCHOOLS SESSION: Improving Family Relations


SESSION: Public Role of Women around the World


SESSION: Poverty and Social Justice

Hon. Kofi Annan at the Gülen Institute
April 12, 2010

Secretary-General of the United Nations, 1997-2006
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient

Speech Topic: The Global Compact: Challenging Business to Become Leading Actors in Sustainable Development

Gülen Institute's Youtube Channel



Fethullah Gulen Conference.org

International Conferences on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice

Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish Muslim scholar, thinker, author, poet, opinion leader, educational activist, and preacher emeritus. He is regarded as the initiator and inspirer of the worldwide social movement of human values known as the Hizmet (Service) Movement or the Gülen Movement.>

2005 Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice
November 12-13, 2005, Rice University, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

2006 The Second International Conference on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice
March 4-5, 2006, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,

2006 The Second Annual Conference on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice
November 4-5, 2006, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

2007 The Third Annual Conference on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice
November 3, 2007, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio,

2009 The Fifth International Conference on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice
March 6-7, 2009, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.A.

NOTE: There is no information on the Fourth International Conference on the website



Fethullah Gulen Forum is an online discussion board of issues related to Fethullah Gülen. By creating active discussions, FG Forum aims to offer in depth analysis on Fethullah Gülen and the Gülen Movement.

Recent Articles

* Defamation of Gulen as a Smoke Screen Abdullah Ademoglu. April 5, 2010

* Responses to Soner Cagaptay Fethullah Gulen Forum. March 13, 2010

* Fethullah Gülen: Spiritual Leader in a Global Islamic Context Salih Yucel, PhD- Journal of Religion and Society. February 4, 2010

* Fethullah Gülen and Al-Ghazzali on Tolerance J. B. Schlubach, Ph.D.. January 7, 2010

* Fethullah Gulen's Thoughts on State, Democracy, Politics, Terrorism and ... Zeki Saritoprak, PhD.

* “Fethullah Gülen's Grand Ambition”: A Biased, Selective, Misleading, Misrepresentative and Miscalculated Article Dogan Koc. January 29, 2010

10 posted on 05/25/2011 10:46:48 AM PDT by thouworm
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: wheresmyusa

Fethullah Gulen -— Another side and another point of view.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 7, 2010
Exclusive: World’s ‘Most Dangerous Islamist’ Alive, Well, and Living in Pennsylvania

Paul Williams, PhD

An Islamic Armed Fortress Emerges in the Pocono Mountains
The most dangerous Islamist in the world is neither Afghani nor Arab.

He comes from neither Sudan nor Somalia.

And he resides in neither the mountains of Pakistan nor the deserts of the Palestinian territories.

This individual has toppled the secular government of Turkey and established madrassahs throughout the world.
His schools indoctrinate children in the tenets of radical Islam and prepare adolescents for the Islamization of the world.

More than 90 of these madrassahs have been established as charter schools throughout the United States. They are funded by American taxpayers.

One of these charter schools – Tarek ibn Zayed Academy (TiZA) in Minnesota – is so radically Islamic and subversive in nature that the Minnesota Department of Education issued two citations against it and the American Civil Liberties Union is suing it.

Dozens of his universities, including the Faith University in Istabul, train young men to become lawyers, accountants, and political leaders so that they can take an active part in the restoration of the Ottoman Empire and the Islamization of the Western World.

He also allegedly operates compounds to train jihadis in the tactics of guerilla warfare.

This individual has amasssed a fortune – over $30 billion – for the creation of a universal caliphate.

His name is Fethullah Gulen and he resides not in the wilds of southern Turkey – but the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

From his fortess headquarters, located on 28 acres at 1857 Mt. Eaton Road in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, Gulen plots the overthrow of secular governments and oversees the spread of education jihad throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Gulen is surrounded by an army of over 100 Turkish Islamists, who guard him and tend to his needs. The army is comprised of armed militants who wear suits and ties and do not look like traditional Islamists in cloaks and turbans. They follow their hocaefendi’s (master lord’s) orders and even refrain from marrying until age 50 per his instructions. When they do marry, their spouses are expected to dress in the Islamic manner, as dictated by Gulen himself.

The Saylorsburg property consists of a massive chalet surrounded by numerous out buildings, including recreational centers, dormitories, cabins for visiting foreign dignitaries, a helicopter pad, and firing ranges.

Neighbors complain of the incessant sounds of gunfire – including the rat-tat-tat of fully automatic weapons – coming from the compound and the low flying helicopter that circles the area in search of all intruders.

The FBI has been called to the scene, the neighbors say, but no action has been taken to end the illegal activity.
Sentries stand guard at the gates to the estate to turn away all curiosity seekers.

Within the sentry hut are wide screen televisions that project high resolution images from security cameras.
Before the hut is a sign that reads “Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center.”

It’s hard for the local residents to understand that the Muslim who operates this compound is not an American political or intelligence official – but rather a radical Islamist from Turkey.

Gulen fled Turkey in 1998 to avoid prosecution on charges that he was attempting to undermine Turkey’s secular government with the objective of establishing an Islamic government. Since his arrival in Pennsylvania, the Department of Homeland Security has been trying to deport him. But in 2008 a federal court ruled that Gulan was an individual with “extraordinary ability in the field of education” who merited permanent residence status in the U.S.

The ruling remains quizzical because Gulen has no formal education or training.

Gulen, according to the Middle East Quarterly, was a student and follower of Sheikh Sa’id-i Kurdi (1878-1960), also known as Sa’id-i Nursi, the founder of the Islamist Nur (light) movement. After Turkey’s war of independence, Kurdi demanded, in an address to the new parliament, that the new republic be based on Islamic principles. He turned against Atatürk and his reforms and against the new modern, secular, Western republic.

How powerful is Gulen? And why is he such a threat to America and the Western world?

Consider this.

Turkey is now ruled by the Justice and Democratic Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma, AKP)- - a party under the Gulen’s control. Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s first Islamist President, is a Gulen disciple along with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, the head of Turkey’s Council of Higher Education.

Under the AKP, Turkey has transformed from a secular state into an Islamic country with 85,000 active mosques – one for every 350- citizens – the highest number per capita in the world, 90,000 imams, more imams than teachers and physicians – and thousands of state-run Islamic schools.
Despite the rhetoric of European Union accession, Turkey has transferred its alliance from Europe and the United States to Russia and Iran. It has moved toward friendship with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria and created a pervasive anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, and anti-America animus throughout the populace.

Speaking on Monday at the inauguration ceremony of “TRT al Turkiye,” the new channel of the state run TV station TRT, Prime Minister Erdogan said Turkey will always be on the side of Muslims wherever they are.

Gulen’s tentacles stretch throughout the country since his followers, known as Fethullahists, have gained control of the country’s media outlets, its financial institutions and banks, and its business organizations.

According to Bayram Balci, a Turkish scholar, the Gulen schools that have been established throughout the world seek to expand “the Islamization of Turkish nationality and the Turification of Islam” in order to bring about a universal caliphate ruled by Islamic law.

Several countries have outlawed the establishment of Gulen schools and cemaats (communities) within their borders – including Russia and Uzbekistan. Even the Netherlands, a nation that embraces pluralism and tolerance, has opted to cut funding to the Gulen schools because of their imminent threat to the social order.

But Gulen’s activities in the United States, including the establishment of an armed fortress in the midst of the Pocono Mountains, have escaped national press attention.
In his public statements, Gulen espouses a liberal version of Sunni/Hanafi Islam and promotes the Muslim notion of hizmet – altruistic service to the common good.

Despite the paramilitary training at his Pocono fortress, Gulen has condemned terrorism and called for interfaith dialogue. He has met with Pope John Paul II, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos, and Israeli Sephardic Head Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron.

In private, Gulen has stated that “in order to reach the ideal Muslim society ‘every method and path is acceptable, [including] lying to people.’”

In a sermon that was aired on Turkish television, Gulen said:

“You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the power centers … until the conditions are ripe, they [the followers] must continue like this. If they do something prematurely, the world will crush our heads, and Muslims will suffer everywhere, like in the tragedies in Algeria, like in 1982 [in] Syria … like in the yearly disasters and tragedies in Egypt. The time is not yet right. You must wait for the time when you are complete and conditions are ripe, until we can shoulder the entire world and carry it … You must wait until such time as you have gotten all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institutions in Turkey …

Until that time, any step taken would be too early—like breaking an egg without waiting the full forty days for it to hatch. It would be like killing the chick inside. The work to be done is [in] confronting the world. Now, I have expressed my feelings and thoughts to you all—in confidence … trusting your loyalty and secrecy. I know that when you leave here—[just] as you discard your empty juice boxes, you must discard the thoughts and the feelings that I expressed here.”

Why has the federal government opted to turn a blind eye to Gulen and his mountain fortress?

Why have Gulen’s madrassahs been kept under the radar screen of Hoimeland Security?

Why have the CIA and FBI allowed Gulen to wreak havoc and topple secular governments without interruption or intervention?

The questions beg answers.

http://familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.5921/pub_detail.asp


11 posted on 05/25/2011 10:48:09 AM PDT by thouworm
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Candor7; MestaMachine

Fethullah Gulen article


12 posted on 05/25/2011 12:38:33 PM PDT by thouworm
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: thouworm

This isn’t an article, it is beyond feeble. YOU have posted more relevancy to Gulen than this “article” even begins to suggest. The Matrix covered Gulen from dusk until dawn and nobody paid attention. His network is HUGE here and he lives like a king off tithes from his followers who both love and fear him. Once in, you cannot leave or you will be hunted down and killed. His network has committed acts of terror here. He is not about peace. He is about dominating the world with islam. This “article” is almost beyond stupid and years too late.


13 posted on 05/25/2011 12:58:01 PM PDT by MestaMachine (If you want to pillage,plunder,destroy, blaspheme,or defile, become a muslim, or name yourself obama)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson