Kareem Irfan introduces Ofram. Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, provided opening remarks during the Third Meeting of the National Muslim and Catholic Dialogue at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, on March 7. Dr. Rita George-Tvrtkovic, associate professor of theology at Benedictine University, and Dr. Irfan Omar, associate professor of theology at Marquette University, were the guest lecturers. This year’s topic was, “One God, One Humanity: Confronting Religious Prejudice. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
After seven years as Co-Chair, Cardinal Cupich will hand over his role to Bishop Elias Lorenzo, OSB, of Newark, NJ, beginning in 2025.
Participants reviewed key passages from Pope Francis’ Encyclical FRATELLI TUTTI (On Fraternity and Social Friendship) published 3 October 2020 Fratelli tutti (3 October 2020) | Francis and LESSONS FROM Beiuzzamon Said Nursi’s TREATISE ON BROTHERHOOD
This is a link to PhD summary and assessment of Nursi’s Treatise on Brotherhood: 2e.xps (Original text is difficult to find online.)
Consensus from dialogue with both documents:
Cognizant of the conflicts of the past and aware of their historical contexts, we ask God to help us see ourselves anew in the present time.
The necessity of individual and mutual prayer asking God to help us respond to evil with good (Nursi’s Third Principle of the Fourth Aspect of Brotherhood); patience and understanding to illuminate the evildoers suffering as in Luke’s Gospel Sermon on the Plain Chapter 6 vs 27 ff “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you . . .”
Quotes from the Qur’an include:
Q 25:46 God created diversity “so that you know one another”
Q 49:10 “Indeed, the believers are brothers” (i.e., all believers in God)
Participant Jordan Denari Duffner PhD is finalizing a brochure on ISLAMAPHOBIA in the USA for distribution to Catholic Churches. Professor Duffner, a Dialogue writes a blog and conducts podcasts. Go to: Jordan Denari Duffner
FUTURE GOALS FOR THE DIALOGUE:
Collaborate on promoting Educational Resources for Catholics re. the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Advance Humanitarian Efforts to the suffering in Gaza through Catholic Relief Services and promote the International Peace Efforts supported by both Jews and Muslims (E.g., I was recently acquainted with the excellent Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue in Jerusalem, Israel)
(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]
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
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 KilicMehmet Kilicand 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.
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:
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:
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.
As we prepare our Summer Newsletter, I want to share our item on the EARTH BILL before Congress and its additional developments:
The “Earth Bill” was introduced in the 118th Congress as H.R. 598 “The Earth Act to Stop Climate Pollution by 2030.” The bill focuses on the three main drivers for climate action: electricity, cars, and food. The bill’s goal is to remediate climate pollution by having the U.S. engage in renewable energy sources; zero-emission vehicles; and regenerative agricultural practices by 2030. The bill’s New York sponsors are Representatives Adrian Espaillat, Jerry Nadler, and Nadia Velazquez. Additional Sponsors and the GOALs of the Earth Bill appear below:
How can you be an advocate for the earth? Become informed. You can read about the “Earth Bill” and the motivation for this legislation here: https://www.earthbill.org
Contact your U.S. representative. If your representative is a sponsor of this bill, indicate your support for their efforts. If your representative is not a sponsor of this bill, then ask them to support the bill.
You can either send an email or make a phone call to your representative’s local office. If you decide to call your representative’s office, ask for the legislative aide who is working on
environmental issues. Your call or email can be as simple as stating your name, indicating you are a voter in his/her district, and expressing your support (or asking for their support) for H.R. 598 “The Earth Act to Stop Climate Pollution by 2030.”
You can find your U.S. representative at this site by entering your zip code:
If you are interested in joining a network of persons interested in promoting this bill and other environmental issues, you can take the “Earth Bill Pledge” and find a group, share videos and news at:
An original cosponsor was a cosponsor on the date the legislation was introduced. Other cosponsors are shown with the date they joined, or later withdrew.
The table above shows whether the sponsor and any cosponsors are members of any committees that the bill has been referred to, a key predictor of whether this bill will move forward.
ALSO on this webpage, you will find whether other legislators who may be on relevant committees or cosponsors of relevant bills are the sponsor or a cosponsor of this bill. See what follows the heading Cosponsorship of Other Relevant Legislators
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