In a Place, Far Away...
Houston (US) - Scholars from the UK, Germany, Australia, and even Korea are here; naturally a great many American attendees are also present. The reason why we came to Houston and spent two days confined within four walls is an academic conference. The main of the conference implies a subject -matter that requires simultaneous discussion at multiple instances: "Islam in the Contemporary World." And its subtitle is probably the first of its kind: "The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice."
Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi has been living in the USA for quite a while. Many people who love him or who are impressed by his works have come to the US to visit him. Already, there is quite a crowded Turkish community in Texas and in neighboring states, consisting mostly of students and university academics. The number of businessmen and professionals is not small either. Those people are striving to become an active part of the environment in which they live.
As the American people started to pay more attention to Islamic world, particularly after 9/11, they naturally became curious about the people they have come to see around them and about the ideas that motivate them. Likewise, curiosity is increasing in other countries as well, probably due to similar reasons. The presentations at the conference were truly striking in terms of variety and quality: having read Gülen's books, paying attention to the smallest detail, foreign scholars scrutinized the activities of the schools that have been opened and examined members of the community concerning their sincerity.
This was amazing for us all who came from Turkey to Houston with the expectation to hear once again what we already know. Having actually seen the educational institutions opened in the remotest corners and the most awkward places in the world, as well as having not only spoken with the teachers and students but also have observed and held their fingers on the pulse of the host countries, thus they were sincere when they stated how incredible this experience was. The financial sacrifices of our people, the altruism of our youth, and the rationalism of the methods implemented are paving the way for a global testimonial to be written...
'Islam' has been the focus of discussions for a while, both internationally and in Turkey. Those engaged in the discussions in the name of 'Islam' have been faced with a huge wall of prejudice, from the very beginning. The faults of a few when compared to the vast population the Islamic world have constantly been emphasized, while any positive voices that may have arisen from that world have been muffled. Nevertheless, we live in an era in which even those with strict prejudices feel the need to pay attention to the Islamic world in order to nurture hopes about the future.
In this regard, the conference in Houston has provided an introduction that should never be underestimated. The speakers did not praise everything all the time; they also bluntly expressed any contradictions or faults they encountered. Nobody assumed a 'defensive' mood; overall, the wisdom of brusquely bringing out into the open what is wrong prevailed throughout the conference. The expectation that the model originating from Turkey could serve the universal peace was voiced many times.
Our country has sometimes had trouble praising its own values; our system lets pass what is 'bad' while treating what is 'good' in an extremely sensitive manner. People in Turkey, too, have the right to hear what was voiced in Houston and to feel proud of the successes. Yet, we are still not able to discuss these with ease. Our own prejudices are so strict that we cannot blame anybody else. We are both stingy in praising and we have a 'habit' of being suspicious about what has been exalted and admired by others.
In this wealthy region of the US we were aware of the fact that as we talk about this important experience originating from Turkey and spreading all over the world, we are discussing a topic that has the potential to shape the future. Perhaps those who are more aware than us are the foreign academics and scholars who monitored and examined the experience closely. What made it valuable for us to come so far was, in addition to the satisfaction we got from the opinions we heard, the fact that a truth that we had already discovered was being confirmed by others. It was worth putting up with this tiring journey, if only for this confirmation...
In a single sentence, the summary of the conference is: we should question ourselves if we wish Islam to have an eminent place in the contemporary world.
YENI SAFAK
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