Tatar Historian Ishakov: No Trace of Extremism in the Works of Nursi
In an assessment of the ongoing trial over the works of Said Nursi in Russia and whether or not they promote extremism, Tatar historian Damir Ishakov argues that not only is there no trace of extremism in his works but that his message and that of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen promote peace.
"President of the Russian Council of Muftis Ravil Gaynuttin and Mufti of Tataristan Talgat Taceddin, who are two experts on Islamic issues in Russia, have submitted a report to the court that proves there is not a trace of Islamic extremism in the works of Said Nursi. And I'm 100 percent positive that Fethullah Gülen has never supported the establishment of an Islamic state. His thoughts help eradicate fundamentalist and extremist streams."
Yana Amelina from the Rosbalt News Agency interviewed Ishakov about the ongoing trial about the works of one of the greatest Islamic scholars of the 20th century, Said Nursi, and about the thoughts of the prominent contemporary Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Ishakov said evaluating those works without referring the case to the opinions of Islamic scholars and without considering them from different angles would be a serious mistake. "The greatest error here stems from not looking at the core of the issue. A trial process so lacking would make all scholars of jurisprudence around the world laugh," noted Ishakov.
Said Nursi, who lived in Turkey all his life, was a great Islamic thinker and scholar who interpreted Islam according to the needs of contemporary era, Ishakov said. "While presenting my ideas to the court, I defended the contemporary interpretation of Islam against the primitive Wahhabi understanding. These are two different lines that cannot be combined. In order to appreciate this fact more accurately, you need to have a certain degree of knowledge of Turkish history. The Turks make up a nation that has an interpretation of Islam that is at peace with the Western world. Turkish society has renovated itself socially through modern values, and it really succeeded in that. The concepts articulated by Said Nursi were all taken from the Holy Koran. We need to interpret his words in accordance with the conditions of his day. Most of the things that were perceived as problems by the Turkish society of his time have nothing to do with our society. However, we suffered from similar problems here to a different degree."
Ishakov also noted that Fethullah Gülen was the moderate face of Islam and was always in favor of peace. "Turkish society opted for conciliation and Islam, which strictly supports peace, instead of following a radical path. And Fethullah Gülen, who has great popularity in Turkey, represents Islam, which is moderate in essence. Although Turkey went through very troubled times in terms of religious freedom for decades, it never gravitated toward a radical path, unlike Saudi Arabia or other well-off Gulf countries. Turkish Islam has always represented the religion in a more moderate and correct manner. And today Gülen's understanding has greatly helped Turkey's society reconcile with modern values. And this stance is against Wahhabism," he continued.
Ishakov pointed out that assessing Gülen's ideas without reading all his books would be a mistake. "I have read most of his books. I'm 100 percent positive that Gülen would never support the establishment of an Islamic state. His thoughts help to eradicate the fundamentalist and extremist streams. In this sense, wouldn't the United States, which says it is fighting fundamentalism, also be fighting Fethullah Gülen, who has been living in the United States for a decade now?"
The Tatar historian stressed that Islam wasn't made up of only two interpretations, which were the Shiite Islam of Iran and the Wahhabi Islam of Saudi Arabia, and there was also a third interpretation that brought out national values and was in compliance with the necessities of the modern era.
Ishakov added that the term "Turk" as used by Fethullah Gülen only meant the Turkish nation and wasn't a Pan-Turkist concept. "Therefore, I see Gülen as a modern person. He supports the formation of a country that is in harmony with Europe. I have read Gülen's work 'Sufism' in English. If it is translated into Russian, we would greatly benefit from it. In that book, you can see that there is a different kind of Muslimhood in Turkey that we must closely inspect. An understanding of Islam based on a national foundation is more modern compared to Wahhabism, which knows no limits."
Ishakov posited a question on supporting other nations: "They are accusing Gülen of Pan-Turkism. So shouldn't they accuse Russia of engaging in Pan-Slavism when it supports Serbia?" He added, "Similar relations between Turkish countries should be viewed as natural. They are never directed at harming the security of the Russian Federation."
Saying that Fethullah Gülen is an effective figure in the international arena, Ishakov added that "he introduces an understanding that is in perfect harmony with modern values. Gülen might have been influenced by Nursi; however, no one can speak of a Nur organization that is a sequel to the one initiated by Nursi. Seeing them through a predecessor-successor perspective would be ignorance."
'We should bolster peace volunteers'
"Gülen's thoughts represent the real Islam: its essence," Ishakov said. "Islam is a universal religion and the overwhelming majority of Muslims favor peace. There is a great deal of contribution to be made by Muslims in terms of peace. It cannot be thought that they are against such a thing. The thing we most need in the world is peace. Russia should not stay away from these developments. Turks want to share their culture and values with the entire world, including Russia. If we still want to lock our doors and stay where we are, saying, 'No one touch us,' we should remember that this is no longer possible now that there is the Internet and all other modern communication devices."
Ishakov expressed a wish that the values in favor of peace and love be supported so that they might overcome other primitive values. (Faruk Akkan Moscow)
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