Gülen's Initiatives for Peace on Table in Rotterdam
An international conference on Fethullah Gülen's initiatives for peace in the contemporary world continues today at Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
The two-day international conference, titled "Peaceful Coexistence: Fethullah Gülen's initiatives for peace in the contemporary world," began on Thursday with the participation of some 50 academicians and more than 200 attendees. By focusing on the Islamic scholar and peace activist Gülen's concepts and how they are put into practice, the conference aims at exploring the appeal and impact of the Gülen movement's worldwide initiatives to help people respond creatively to the profound social changes occurring throughout the world.
Secretary of Interreligious Dialogue for the Society of Jesus in Rome, Professor Thomas Michel, who delivered an inaugural address at the conference, said the Gülen movement is based on peace and dialogue. "Schools, television channels and dialogue centers established in the region after the collapse of the Soviet Union brought about a new horizon for humanity. If it were not for charitable Muslim businessmen none of this could have happened. These charitable Muslim businessmen have even supported the education of Buddhist children in Cambodia," said Michel.
Addressing participants, Professor Andres Kinneging of the University of Leiden said the conference is an opportunity for Western and Eastern civilizations to understand each other. "A significant curiosity and interest in Islam arose in the West following the Sept. 11 attacks. Such conferences are of vital importance for the understanding among religions and civilizations. The Gülen movement is doing its utmost to represent and introduce Islamic values."
Dr. Şevket Yavuz from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University noted that the most important aspect of the international agenda after the Sept. 11 attacks has been dialogue. "Super powers tried to split the world into different ideologies during the Cold War era. In the present day, they are trying to do the same thing by exploiting differences among religions and cultures. The Gülen movement's call for mutual dialogue and understanding is important for moving away from such doomsday scenarios."
Ian Fry from the Melbourne College of Divinity, stated: "The real objective of all religions is to guide humanity to a life of harmony and fraternity. Conflict among religions will harm this mission. The Gülen movement has assumed a significant role in nurturing mutual understanding among civilizations of the world."
Professor Howard Wettstein from the University of California, Riverside, indicated in his address to participants of the conference that the Gülen movement contributed largely to modernization in Islam, adding that Islam is a religion based on reason and logic. He also noted that he was inspired by the ideas and projects put forward by Gülen. "The Gülen movement reminds me of Aristotle's golden mean. The acknowledgement of differences among parties is of vital importance for dialogue." (Ali Çimen Rotterdam)
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