(Note: this article will be the centerpiece of my Ecumenical and Multi-Faith Relations Office TOGETHER IN HOPE Newsletter for WINTER 2024-2025)
Professor Gulen was a devout Muslim Imam committed to Multi-Faith dialogue who fostered a broad education for Muslim youth –girls and boys–under the designation HIZMET (Arabic for “Service”). He began his work in “Türkiye” (natives prefer the pronunciation Tur-key-yeah, not the English “Turkey”) and through his advanced studies and lectures, he inspired the Hizmet movement, establishing schools and Multi-Faith organizations worldwide. Hizmet encourages ongoing conversations at the intersections of Theology and Science as it fosters comfortability in all pursuits of knowledge. Gulen was known for his deep spirituality highlighting Love as God’s essence and as God’s invitation to and for all peoples. His writings and lectures (over 60 published books) reflect his inspiration from the Sufi Tradition and the poetry of the 13th-century Islamic Mystic Rumi. He became an expert on Siad Nursi’s Risale- I Nur, an important work of early 20th Century Turkish thought. [1]
[1] BETWEEN THOUGHT and ACTION, An Intellectual Biography of Fethullah Gulen, by Ori Z. Soltes © 2022 by Blue Dome Press, Clifton, NJ.
Founder of the Hizmet Educational System & Collaborative Service
After years of study from the early ages of childhood in the Qur’an, Western and Asian Wisdom Literature: History, Novels, and Philosophy, Fethullah Gulen founded Schools of Service (Hizmet) in his native Türkiye. He integrated the insights and strengths found in the various educational currents, encouraging educators to cultivate a “marriage of mind and heart,” an interdisciplinary amalgamation that invites students to acknowledge their spiritual selves and bring their insights and struggles into classes on every subject from math, science, literature, art, and music to Phys Ed!
Hizmet schools were flourishing throughout Türkiye until Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first became Prime Minister and subsequently the nation’s President. Before that, Gulen and Erdoğan had been friends and like-minded citizens,. That changed after Erdoğan’s political ambitions forged more traditional Islamic alliances critical of the progressive exchange of ideas. Gulen came to the United States seeking expert medical attention in 1999. Subsequently, Erdoğan’s growing authoritarian sensibilities and democratic backsliding motivated Gulen to remain in a self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, where he lived, wrote, and lectured until his death on October 20th, 2024.
In 2016 Erdoğan made Hizmet his scapegoat for a military coup attempt to depose him. The accusations were ironic in light of Hikmet’s foundational peace objectives, yet Erdoğan labeled the movement “a terrorist organization” and “Enemy of the State,” imprisoning and exiling thousands of Hizmet professors, students, and sympathizers, seeking Gulen’s extradition from the US. Since then, our nation has welcomed many expatriates of Türkiye while Erdoğan continues to hold over twelve thousand Hizmet in Turkish prisons.[1] You can access more information on Erdoğan’s persecution of Hizmet here: Country policy and information note: Gülenist movement, Turkey, October 2023 (Accessible) – GOV.UK
More on Erdoğan here: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – Wikipedia
[1] Country policy and information note: Gülenist movement, Turkey, October 2023 (accessible) – GOV.UK
The FUNERAL
For the past two years I have interacted with members of Peace Islands of New York and New Jersey, two prominent Hizmet organizations. (See LEGACY section below for more information about Peace Islands.) Emre Celik, Director of Peace Islands New York, invited me to attend testimonies and eulogies honoring Fethullah Gulen in a stadium in Augusta NJ on October 24th. Later in the day, we proceeded to Gulen’s burial place near Bethlehem, PA. Although Islamic Tradition requires burials within 24 hours of a person’s death, Gulen’s family and Hizmet Directors postponed his funeral for three days to allow over a thousand international Hizmet educators and facilitators to travel from their homes to pray farewell and honor their mentor. It was inspiring to witness their steadfast belief in the promise of eternal life for Gulen and all people of goodwill.
Because of numerous, necessary security precautions, Peace Islands instructed me to drive from my rectory in New York City to a designated spot in New Jersey. From the parking lot, I then joined mourners on one of many buses taking us to Augusta. On the way I chatted with a woman educator from Texas who shared her story of exile from Türkiye, her reunification with her husband and children here (she fled first, alone, and unaccompanied), and how they were all adjusting to American life. Once we arrived at the outdoor Skyland Stadium and Entertainment Center, I was taken aback by the large crowd. With long lines of people waiting to get through security, I had the sense I was present at an important moment in history. I met many professors, scholars, and scientists — people from Germany, Brussels, Tanzania, Uganda, Australia, and Canada—along with hundreds of professionals, lay people, and their families from throughout the USA. Each in their own way spoke with reverence for Imam Gulen and how he filled their lives with hope, invigorated their faith, strengthened their quest for lifelong education, and motivated their purposeful collaborative friendships and service engagements with people of many faiths and denominations. I could not find an official tally, but estimates ranged from ten to twenty thousand people. An astounding witness to what these divided United States could cultivate in the here and now!
I appreciated the collegiality and compassion of the many sponsoring Hizmet communities who coordinated the memorial throughout the warm, sun-filled day. Humbled by the way they welcomed this Catholic priest with hugs and bows of respect, I readily returned their affection in kind. Peace Islands New York Director Emre Celik assigned me an attentive host and guide, Mr. Umit Gunebir, President of the Atlantic Institute in Georgia, USA, another Hizmet outreach. (See Atlantic Institute.) So considerate and kindhearted, Umit highlighted the respect and appreciation for another that is central to Hizmet philosophy and that was evident in so many of the interactions I observed.
| Mehmet Kilic Mehmet Kilic and me. Mehmet is President of the Journalists and Writers Foundation, See: https://jwf.org A member of Peace Islands New York, a Hizmet outreach, Mr. Kilic is affiliated with the United Nations Multi-Faith division. |
Above all, I was impressed by the sincerity and devotion apparent in all the men who filled the sports field (in Islam, men and women worship in separate groups), as the memorials in Arabic, Turkish, and English were interspersed with the compulsory prayers designated for five specific times throughout each day to keep believers ever-mindful of God.
News Resources:
ABC News coverage of Gulen’s funeral
Thousands mourn Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish spiritual leader who died in the US – ABC News
PBS News coverage of Gulen’s funeral
Fethullah Gülen, Turkish spiritual leader who self-exiled in the U.S., has died | PBS News
NPR News coverage of Gulen’s funeral
Self-exiled Turkish spiritual leader Fethullah Gülen dies in Pennsylvania: NPR
LEGACY
In addition to the United States, Hizmet schools and initiatives have found welcome home in Canada, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Gulen’s advocates include intellectuals from both Christian (Catholic and Protestant) and Jewish communities, including two noted scholars—Jon Pahl Ph.D. (United Lutheran Seminary) and Ori Soltes Ph. D (Georgetown University). Gulen’s lectures and published writings have inspired dozens of Multi-Faith International initiatives cultivating Multi-Faith friendships and cooperative service projects through organizations such as these:
Peace Islands Institute (PII): Focuses on promoting peace, dialogue, and understanding among diverse cultures and religions. Peace Islands Institute | Unity, Education, Welfare, Progress – Peace Islands Formerly Interfaith Dialog Center (IDC): Works to build bridges between different faith communities through dialogue and cooperation. Interfaith Dialog Center
Rumi Forum: A platform for interfaith dialogue and cultural exchange, named after the famous poet Rumi. Rumi Forum | Interfaith Dialogue and Intercultural Understanding
Turkish Cultural Center (TCC): Aims to promote Turkish culture and foster intercultural understanding. Home | TCC New York
Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF): Supports freedom of expression, press freedom, and human rights. Home – The Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF)
The Atlantic Institute – fostering a global community through education, interfaith dialogue, and meaningful social experiences. Atlantic Institute.
Although sometimes referred to as “The Gulen Movement,” evolving a progressive and broad-minded Islam, the professor urged his students to claim the term HIZMET in all their undertakings, preferring to be one professor among many. See this article by Jesuit Father Thomas Michel (unfortunately titled “Gulen Movement”) here: Hizmet Schools: A new pedagogy
No organization is without controversy. Because of the political dynamics with Türkiye, there are complexities and critical perspectives regarding Gulen and the Hizmet schools. For further investigation, see:
Fethullah Gulen, Türkiye, and the United States: A Reference
Gülen movement schools – Wikipedia
For Further Reading
Primary Sources: You can access Fethullah Gulen’s writings and lectures here: Works’s Official Web Site | Fethullah Gülen’s Official Web Site – Fethullah Gülen’s Official Web Site
ABOUT THE AUTHOR JON PAHL, Ph.D.
Ph.D. – (The History of Christianity) – The University of Chicago Divinity School
M.T.S. – (History, Theology, Society) – Trinity Lutheran Seminary
B.A. – (History, Religion, Christ College) – Valparaiso University
MORE ABOUT JON PAHL, PH.D.
Jon Pahl is a historian, author, teacher, preacher, researcher, business-planner, and community activist. He has taught at Valparaiso, Temple, and Princeton Universities, and since 2000 at the Lutheran Seminary. As an author, Dr. Pahl’s most recent book is the first critical biography in English of the controversial Turkish Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen, entitled Fethullah Gülen: A Life of Hizmet–Why a Muslim Scholar in Pennsylvania Matters to the World. Jon has also published six other books, including Empire of Sacrifice: The Religious Origins of American Violence, Shopping Malls and Other Sacred Spaces, and Youth Ministry in Modern America: 1930-the Present.
MORE: Jon Pahl – The Peter Paul and Elizabeth Hagan Chair and Professor of the History of Christianity | United Lutheran Seminary
An interview with Lutheran author Jon Pahl, Ph.D. on YouTube:
(Ep.106) Jon Pahl on Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet (aka the Gulen Movement)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ORI Z. SOLTES Ph.D.
Dr. Ori Z. Soltes is Goldman Professorial Lecturer in Theology and Fine Arts at Georgetown University. He is the former director and curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy from Haverford College, his M.A. in Classics from Princeton, and his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Union Institute and University.
MORE ABOUT ORI Z. SOLTES PH.D.
Professor Soltes is the author of more than 130 articles, exhibition catalogues, essays, and books and is the writer, director, and narrator of more than 30 documentary videos. Among his most recent books are Fixing the World: Jewish American Painters in the Twentieth Century; Our Sacred Signs: How Christian, Jewish and Muslim Art Draw from the Same Source; and The Ashen Rainbow: Essays on the Arts and the Holocaust. Professor Soltes has taught and lectured in more than 20 universities and museums nationally on subjects ranging from Symbols of Faith: Art as an Instrument of Addressing God to The Body in Ancient Art. Throughout the United States and overseas, he has guest-curated exhibitions that have focused on diverse aspects of Western art throughout the ages and art from across the world.
Ori Soltes: Georgetown University
Ori Z Soltes – Historian and Educator
An interview with Ori Z. Soltes on Fethullah Gulen on YouTube:
Prof. Ori Soltes on his first encounter with Fethullah Gulen
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Together in Hope Last Issue: December | 2023 | frjamesdiluzio
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