Gülen Movement, Schools Continue to Receive International Acclaim
The ideas of Fethullah Gülen, who is among Turkey's most influential religious scholars, and the schools opened by his followers all over the world have been praised by both famous economy magazine Forbes and French daily Le Monde in their latest editions.
Gülen is a provincial Turkish preacher who has inspired a worldwide network of Muslims who feel at home in the modern world, said an article published by the Forbes. The magazine identified the chief characteristic of the Gülen movement as its not seeking to subvert modern secular states but rather encouraging practicing Muslims to use to the fullest the opportunities those countries offer. "It is best understood as the Islamic equivalent of Christian movements appealing to business and the professions. Like them, it is feared by some for its ability to mobilize considerable resources and for its influence among decision-makers," said the magazine.
The Forbes article also noted that official toleration of the Gülen movement allowed him to concentrate on what became his life's work -- the creation of a network, first of private schools and residences and then of universities, media outlets and civil society groups, as centers of excellence promoting a modern, Islam-based ethical framework. "In any event, it is a unique and highly successful manifestation of flexible, modern Islam in a globalized setting, and it is likely to have a lasting impact on the modernization of Islam and its opening to engagement with Western ideas," it read.
Le Monde carried a story on the achievements of schools opened by Gülen's followers in Germany, saying these schools addressed the education problems of migrant children in the country and could be taken as an example by German schools.
"Excluded Turks revolt," said the headline of the article penned by the daily's Marie Elisabeth Borne, who examined the schools opened by Turkish entrepreneurs in German such as Stuttgart, Dortmund, Cologne and Berlin. The article said advanced technology was utilized perfectly in the schools and that students were able to take Turkish, English and French courses as well as German. Pointing out that the German educational system, which the daily termed as the most unfair of developed countries, Le Monde claimed that the chances for migrants' children to be admitted to high schools were six times less than those of ethnically German students. "Instead of waiting for the German government to correct its mistake, the Turkish society mobilized its own sources," said the daily.
Le Monde also remarked that the Turkish schools' administrators felt the path to Turkish integration could only be through education and that they saw their future in Germany. It also emphasized that the Turkish schools were fully committed to the German education system and curriculum and did not provide any religious education. Speaking to the daily, Cologne Dialogschule manager Gregor Hohmann-Van Haaren said, "The difference of our schools is that we provide Turkish, English and French courses as optional as well as German courses."
- Created on .