Academic Says West Knows Little of Gülen's Contributions
Doctor B. Jill Carroll, a well-known author and lecturer at Rice University in Houston, has said it is surprising that the West knows little about Fethullah Gülen, a respected Turkish intellectual and scholar.
Carroll, author of "A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gülen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse," participated on Monday in an Interfaith Voices program, an independent public radio show that promotes interfaith understanding through dialogue. "I am baffled by the fact that Gülen is not known adequately by the West though he has served a great deal to the improvement of dialogue between faiths and cultures for so many years," noted Carroll.
Carroll said Gülen was in a category with the people who are not only loyal to their own traditions but also who work for a world where people live in peace. "In this sense, he is in the same category with the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa," she remarked.
She also praised Turkish schools, established around the globe with Gülen's pioneering. "These schools invest in the future and aim at creating a community that offers equal opportunities for everyone."
"Gülen's understanding of religion has a liberal and democratic nature. His main objective is to contribute to the education of world children and improve inter-religious dialogue. I was highly affected by Turkish hospitality during my visits to Turkey. I guess this is the ideal behavior that Gülen makes mention of," said Carroll.
She also noted the Gülen movement has become a global and transnational one. "Gülen has greatly impacted three generations in Turkey. He also influences considerable masses all across the world with his speeches and deeds. He leads a very modest life. Thousands of institutions have been established all around the globe by the Gülen movement, but he doesn't undertake the administration of even one of them. When people see such aspects of this movement, they say 'these are not Muslims in words, they are real Muslims'," Carroll said. (Ali H. Aslan, Washington)
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