Can You Embrace the Faith?
One of them is Turkish and the other American. The Turk is a faculty member at an American university. The American, an analyst who had spent years in Turkey and the Middle East. They decided to write a book on Fethullah Gülen and his movement and have had dozens of meetings in and out of (America).
Their aim is to unravel the true identity of Gülen and his movement, without ideological obsessing and mundane speculation. May be that's why an article entitled 'Which Fethullah Gülen?' I wrote years ago caught their eye. Naturally, their first question was 'which Fethullah Gülen?'
We talk for a long time. In short, I say, "if you really want to understand Fethullan Gülen then you need to understand his 'intricate, charismatic and unbreakable' character based on 'mystic-scientific-political' philosophy, along the lines of Mevlana Gazali's Nizamulmulk."
"Speculation about him?" they ask. I say, I think Hodjaefendi, for all he has done and intends to do, could not have been more misconstrued. "People, who love him, either emphasize his one side suiting themselves or embrace his inner circle. His opponents attack that circle under the influence of ideological obsessions without even trying to understand, and question marks!"
"So what is the truth?" asks the American analyst, "it seems more complex than we thought." The Turkish academic cannot stand it anymore and says: "For God's sake Eyup, we are talking about a volunteer and an incredibly successful organization that has spread all over the world. What is Hodjaefendi's ultimate goal?"
Bingo, the expert ten-point question!
I say, "I'll tell you about an instance that I will never forget but will not comment on it!" They nod.
A modest apartment in New Jersey, made glamorous by its spectacular view of Manhattan from the balcony, this is where Hodjaefendi spent his first days in America, as a guest. He goes to the balcony late one night. In high spirits one second, he is suddenly overcome with sadness, and later we realize that he had secretly been crying.
The homeowners are baffled. They pick up on his sensitivity, although they haven't a met a single person who has not been stunned by the sight of daybreak over Manhattan (I, too, had been left dizzy by it). They could not grasp what has been going on. A few hours later, they asked why, the first chance they got. Eyes still teary, he refuses to speak. They insist and finally, he manages to say: "When I looked at this brilliant place, where the world's heart beats, I thought about the people who are dazzled by this light, illuminating féte but unaware of God's light, illuminating the whole universe. I felt very sad. I grieved deeply because we cannot embrace all of humanity with His light."
A short silence follows. The academic is taken aback, but I gather that he was not done with his hesitant line of questioning. So he takes a sociological analytical approach and asks new questions. The American analyst exclaims exasperatedly: "Why don't you understand? This is a very idealistic human portrait. Fethullah Hodja is almost a monument of faith. I don't think he has an earthly goal, if that's what you are asking. He wants humanity to embrace God's light. Why else would he cry for humanity while looking at Manhattan from New Jersey?"
This time, a long silence follows. Just before saying goodbye, the question, "When will Hodjaefendi return to Turkey?" comes. Gulping, I reply, "it was a necessary and problematic migration, I don't know." And while looking at post-operation photographs of this sad monument of faith in the newspaper yesterday, I asked myself the same question: "When?"
He had undergone cardiac surgery on two blocked arteries. It will take some time to regain his strength but he is in good health. He was saddest at not being unable to reply to all the people who sent individual 'get well soon' messages. He embraced all his friends warmly.
I anxiously await the book by the two writers, one of whom is Turkish and the other American. Let's see whether the faith can be embraced.
ZAMAN
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