"Problem Solvers" in The Fountain's Latest Issue
SReflecting this summer's schedule of activities related to the Gülen movement, the current edition of The Fountain Magazine features articles by two scholars who are studying the faith-based social movement inspired by Fethullah Gülen.
In the 70th issue of the bimonthly magazine, Kerim Balci of Today's Zaman shares with readers his observations on a conference titled “Muslims between Tradition and Modernity: The Gülen Movement as a Bridge between Cultures,” jointly organized by the University of Potsdam's Institute of Religion and the Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, Berlin, in May. He mentions the paper of Dr. Bekim Agai of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, who commented that thanks to the activities of the Gülen movement, Turkish migrants in Europe are no longer a part of the problems of Europe, but are “problem solvers,” and not only on issues relating to migrants themselves.
The second article comes from Maimul Ahsan Khan, a professor of law at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, who introduces Gülen as a “modern-day Rumi.” For Khan, “Gülen has brought [Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi's] glorious tradition [that cut across the lines between nationalistic and sectarian differences] back to the minds of millions of modern and religious Turks.” Professor Khan notes that “for [Gülen] the question is how well Muslims can represent Islamic spirituality and the universal message of Islam so as to attract Westerners to build a global society based on genuine equality, tranquility and humane treatment for all, irrespective of gender, race, and religion.”
Also in this issue comes an interview with Dr. Lynn Mitchell, a professor of religious studies and the director of the A.D. Bruce Religion Center at the University of Houston. Having taught a course titled “The Bible and Modern Science” for many years, Dr. Mitchell offers insights into the history of the relationship of science and religion in the interview.
The Fountain, launched in January 1993 and published by US-based Tughra Books, covers spiritual and scientific matters. The magazine can be found online at www.fountainmagazine.com.
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