"Dialogue between Cultures a Must, Not a Luxury"
A senior scholar of theology has said interfaith dialogue promoted by the Gülen movement is not a luxury but a necessity in today's world.
Fethullah Gülen is a scholar of Islam who strictly advocates the necessity and benefits of establishing intercultural dialogue between societies as well as religions. Followers of the Gülen movement are known for their schools, which provide a secular education both inside and outside Turkey.
Professor James Puglisi from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, highlighted the non-political characteristics of the movement, noting in the symposium "Dreaming for a Better World: Contributions of the Gülen Movement," organized on Sunday by the Canadian Institute of Intercultural Dialogue at Carleton University in Ottawa, that "dialogue promoted and initiated by Gülen is not a luxury but a requirement."
Senior scholars from a number of countries came together to discuss the highly respected and faith-based Gülen movement and its contribution to world peace through a comparative perspective.
Contributors to the symposium came from the Carleton, Toronto, Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier, Saint Paul, Renison, Ottawa and McGill universities in Canada as well as from the University of Texas and St. Edward's University in the US.
The symposium discussed the movement's contributions in three fields: education, intercultural dialogue and the promotion of peace throughout the world.
Professor Yetkin Yildirim, a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin, said the Gülen movement is different from similar movements because it is very active.
Drawing attention to similarities between Basil Moreau, a Catholic priest who opened schools following the French Revolution, and Gülen, who encourages Turkish businessmen to establish educational institutions throughout the world, Professor Puglisi highlighted the non-political characteristics of the movement.
Tom Reynolds, a professor of theology at the University of Toronto, underlined the contribution of this movement to globalization, whereas Professor Darrol Bryant, affiliated with the University of Waterloo, pointed to common values and dialogue-oriented initiatives the Gülen movement has focused on to make the movement a global one.
Professor Brice Balmer, also from the University of Waterloo, considers the movement an opportunity to soften the negative effects of secularism's frosty and coercive stance toward religion.
Attorney Marla Bryant reiterated Gülen's advice to individuals, namely, to not seek reformation of the world but to change themselves, a message voiced by the Quran, and stated that the movement has been serving to promote love, peace and tolerance in the world similar to Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi.
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