Written by Şule Kulu, Sunday's Zaman. Posted in News.

The Fountain Magazine's Invitation

Fountain invites everyone to take part in its quest to discover the meaning of existence, the purpose of life and the nature of reality.

The Fountain, a 68-page bimonthly magazine, encourages critical thought and scientific inquiry on a wide range of topics, including physical science, social science, ethics, education, literature, religion and comparative studies. “The Fountain strives to explore what our existence means, more than what we mostly spend our lives doing, and encourages us to contemplate the existential questions of human life: Who am I? Where did I come from? What is the meaning of my existence? Who is the One who gave me life? What does He want from me? I think The Fountain is one of the few periodicals which takes a balanced approach regarding natural and social sciences as well as faith in God and endeavors to be a beacon of guidance for us fellow human beings to help us think seriously about our roles as the most honorable of all creatures in this life,” says the managing editor of the magazine, Hakan Yeşilova.

The Fountain is concerned with the global problems of the modern world and highlights social topics such as maintaining peace in the world, cultural diversity, enhancing the overall welfare of society, education, health care, preserving the ecological balance, divorce, the problems of young people, alcoholism and all kinds of addiction and preventing young people from turning to crime. It also promotes universal ethical values such as respect and care for parents, honoring the elderly, safeguarding the family as the heart of a sound society, love and compassion for all, neighborliness, hospitality, charity and the like.

The magazine was launched in England in 1993 by a group of academics as a channel to convey the messages of the faith-based Gülen Movement, inspired by the teachings of the well-respected Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. In 1999, The Fountain’s headquarters moved to the US, where it is currently published in collaboration with Tughra Books’ Turkey office, which is a part of the Kaynak Publishing Group. Yeşilova says The Fountain promotes a holistic understanding of the universe, humankind and divine revelations in the light of science and reason. “Every creature in the universe is in fact a sign, like verses of divine scriptures, that points to God who sent us to this world -- ayat in Arabic means both Quranic verse and ‘sign.’ What we try to promote is ‘reading the universe’,” Yeşilova notes.

Yeşilova underlines that The Fountain aims to show that religion and science do not contradict each other and is dedicated to bridging the perceived gap between the two. “With the Industrial Revolution in particular, science and religion were clearly separated from each other. Science and one’s religious identity started to clash, which paved the way for strong positivist thought. However, in our view there cannot be such a distinction. The heart and mind are not on opposite sides. God created the world in harmony, and we should strive to think about it,” he says. Noting that there has never been a distinction between science and religion in the history of Turkey, he says Islamic scholars have traditionally had a profound knowledge of science.

Emphasizing the need for interfaith dialogue

Yeşilova also states that Gülen and his thoughts have been an inspiration for The Fountain. Gülen is a Turkish Islamic scholar renowned for his teachings promoting mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures. One of the world’s most influential Islamic scholars, Gülen was at the top of the list of “The World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals” compiled by the magazines Foreign Policy and Prospect in 2008. Now residing in the US, Gülen has pioneered educational activities in a number of countries, along with efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the world. He has written nearly 50 books in Turkish, some of them translated into several languages.

“Mr. Gülen is the author of our lead article. We believe his message and approach are what the world needs most today. His vision and core approaches to science, faith, dialogue, accepting everyone’s position and embracing every human and other creature with love and compassion were the main principles that paved the way for The Fountain to emerge as a periodical in 1993. We believe Mr. Gülen’s vision, deeply rooted in universally shared human values and a profound faith in God, is shared by the majority of people around the world in different nations and communities,” Yeşilova notes. Stating that the magazine has nearly 25,000 readers around the world, he says The Fountain also has non-Muslim readers. “We have nearly 25,000 subscribers all over the world as The Fountain is distributed in every country. Most of our readers are Muslims, but we have a considerable number of non-Muslim readers from many countries, mainly the US. Our main emphasis is on belief in God, and this is a common point for us. All people are in fact our neighbors as we live in a globalized world, and respecting your neighbors is also promoted in Christianity,” he says.

Yeşilova stresses that in addition to nearly 25,000 readers, hundreds of academics voluntarily contribute to the magazine. “We have a mechanism for evaluating submitted essays called The Fountain Manuscript Review (FMPS). When an article is submitted to us, a group of academics who are knowledgeable about the issue evaluate it, make comments and decide whether it should be published. There are hundreds of such academics working voluntarily, most of whom I have never seen, to contribute to The Fountain. This is something like an online network of Fountain volunteers,” Yeşilova underlines.

Finally, Yeşilova mentions an essay contest organized by the magazine in 2009, which was an important step in the promotion of the magazine. He says nearly 250 university students entered the contest, the mission of which was to promote and encourage writing that may lead to a better understanding of human nature and the universe. (Şule Kulu)