Gülen Disproves Clash of Civilizations Thesis

Greg Barton, Associate Professor in politics at Deakin University, said Fethullah Gülen, who encourages dialogue and tolerance as well as the developing of the heart and mind through education, disapproved the "Clash of Cilivizations" thesis.

The conference titled, "Islam, Human Security and Xenophobia," co-organized by eminent universities of Australia's Victoria state Monash and Deakin was held in Melbourne on November 25-26.

Scholars, media members, lecturers, community leaders, human rights advocates as well as bureaucrats attended the conference. Deakin University Associate Professor Greg Barton presented a paper titled, "Progressive Islamic thought and civil society activism in Indonesia and Turkey," on the first day of the conference to the audience. Professor Barton, in his speech, answered questions regarding "whether Islamic thoughts and social movements can or can not be modern and whether Islam and liberal democracy are in agreement, " in the axis of Turkey and Indonesia. Barton noted the group he called " the non-governmental Fetullah Gülen movement" proved that positive answers can be given to these questions and disproved the "Clash of Civilizations" thesis.

Barton also expressed these kinds of Islamic non-governmental movements are not only open to democracy and modernism but also have the potential to develop them. Barton said Gülen, who encourages the development of the mind and heart with education as well as dialogue and tolerance, is among the most important Muslim intellectuals and activists of the 20th century. "Fethullah Gülen surpassed his contemporaries with the people who love him, with the schools he conduced to the establishment of all over the world and with the foundations and inter-religious dialogue efforts he pioneered." Barton said.

The Professor said he finds interesting the official and unofficial people and groups who react against the Gülen movement, the natural alternative to radical movements. Barton disclosed these behaviors originate from the reaction against Gülen's charismatic personality, from the worries that groups occupying certain positions in the country will lose their place and from the fact that some circles not sufficiently familiar with the Gülen movement confuse them with radical groups. Upon the question, "How did Fethullah Gülen react to the developments after September 11?", Barton said Gülen completely rejects terrorism as a way of thinking and as a method in reaching a goal. Barton stressed positive developments such as the Gülen movement must absolutely be examined closely and communicated to the masses as a positive alternative. (By Zafer Polat, Mete Samci, Melbourne)