The conference is co-sponsored by Dept. of Anthropology ,The Rumi Club, Graduate Student Government at the University of Maryland, College Park. Several distinguished speakers including former ambassador, US State Department official, academicians talked about the contributions of the Gulen Movement to the World Peace.

The conference opened with a keynote speech by Dr. Ori Z. Soltes from Georgetown University, titled, “Socrates, Violence, Education, the Gulen Movement, and Peace”. This talk compared Socrates’ aims to those of the Gulen Movement. Dr. Soltes noted that like Fethullah Gulen, Socrates emphasized importance of ethics and the process of dialogue for brining morality into all facets of life. Gulen emphasizes that education is the ultimate means through which we can deduce Divine will and thus improve the world. He noted that unlike Socrates, the Gulen Movement has been able to put Gulen’s ideas into action through its varied educational programs, media, cable, and internet programming. Moreover, the Gulen movement seeks peace through constant effort and struggle, and this is a “fullness of peace” that not merely tolerates, but embraces diversity, and it cannot be described as merely the absence of war.

The conference featured two panels, one titled “Preventing Violence and Achieving World Peace” and the other, “The Contributions of the Gulen Movement to World Peace.” Dr. John Davies from University of Maryland, College Park opened the first panel by sharing findings from a comprehensive research program that has identified societal factors which strongly correlate with the likelihood or absence of violence and wars within and among nations. The single best indicator of a nation-state’s likelihood of creating a climate for war is the Infant Mortality Rate. Peter Kovach, from the U.S. Department of State said that Rumi Forum in Washington DC and Pacifica Institute at Los Angeles are one of the most effective peace organizations that build bridges between people from diverse backgrounds. Kovach shared with the audience the Department of State’s recent success in collaboration with the Egyptian delegation in resolving issues stemming from the Organization of Islamic Conference regarding defamation of religions. Kovach presented the issue as a free speech issue, noting that “One man’s truth is another’s defamation,” and that suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. Ambassador David Newton shared his experience with Radio Free Iraq. He noted that the internet has weakened control of authoritarian regimes; they can no longer totally dominate the media. He stated that the media is an empty vessel, and it can be filled with tolerance or intolerance and incite violence or peace. Dr. Imad-ad Dean Ahmad of the Minaret of Freedom Institute wrapped up the session by emphasizing the critical importance of education (as opposed to merely schooling) for fomenting tolerance and peace. He observed that historically Muslims went to madrasses to learn and understand the Qu’ran (education). Today, madrasses teach memorization and correct pronunciation (schooling). We need to move more towards being educated about other cultures and about ways of thinking in order to achieve greater tolerance.

The second panel shifted focus to a more complete understanding of how the Gulen movement conceptualizes peace and ways to achieve it. Dr Eileen Eppig of the College of Notre Dame identified how Gulen’s ideas regarding peace are inspired by Sufism and the Holy Qu’ran. Human beings are God’s highest level of creation and He manifests His qualities, His “names” through His creations. When we recognize God’s love within ourselves, then we can see it in others and all of creation. This recognition brings about actions that respect God’s love in all of His creations and leads to a state of compassion. Dr. Heon C. Kim of Temple University continued with Dr. Eppig’s themes by emphasizing the Islamic perspective that places the highest value on humanity, as opposed to fundamentalist beliefs which tend to devalue humanity. Kim demonstrated that dialogic humanism is the heart of Gulen’s thought and gives the reason for the existence of the Gulen movement – hizmet, service to humanity as a solution to individual and collective problems. Dr. William Taft Stuart of the University of Maryland, College Park discussed the social capital that the Gulen Movement brings to peace building, including its educational activities, forum activities, and media outlets, especially Zaman Newspaper. Dr. Pim Valkenberg was positioned excellently as the final speaker. He emphasized how the notion of peace is connected to religion. He stated that Gulen’s notion of peace is based on an analysis of three roots of violence – ignorance, disunity, and poverty. The Gulen movement activities address these three areas through its schools, dialogue groups, and charity organizations, such as Kimse Yok Mu. According to Gulen, for a Muslim, peace cannot be separated from religion as a Muslim desires, in his or her daily life to be at peace with all of creation. For Gulen, it is not enough that Muslims should feel safe, but that all humanity should feel safe. Since passages of violence and peace can be found in all fundamental scriptures (e.g. Judaic, Christian, Muslim), what is important is the mindset that interprets the scripture. Since Islam values peace above violence, then peace is the key to understanding the Qu’ran. If we believe that peace is better than violence, then we must be on the side of peace. From this viewpoint, violence in religious texts are interpreted as corresponding to specific circumstances, and cannot be seen as a fundamental, underlying premise.

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The conference focused on linking theological and religious interpretations of peace and nonviolence with tangible practices at the community level as well as policy making. Given the common representation of Islam, in the Western media in particular, Islam and nonviolence might not seem to be compatible. Indeed, Islamic tradition of nonviolence is deep rooted, and interest in the Islamic tradition of nonviolence has been revived over the last few years with various Islamic movements and leaders now searching for ways to employ nonviolence as a means of social transformation. In this context a dialogue and exchange among Muslim scholars, religious authorities, and practitioners regarding the traditions of peace and nonviolence and how they can be applied in the contemporary world, would contribute significantly to constructively address the issues facing Muslims in our current world.

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Reflecting upon the Gulen Movement

On 14-15 Nov. 2008, scholars, participants of the Gulen movement, university students and interested Turks and Americans from all walks of life met at Georgetown University to discuss “Islam in the Age of Global Challenges: Alternative Perspectives of the Gulen Movement.” Of the 170 papers submitted, 40 were presented. Sponsored by the Georgetown University President’s Office, the Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding, and the Rumi Forum, this event studied various aspects of Gulen’s worldview and various aspects of the community projects inspired by his works.

In his welcoming remarks, Dr. John Esposito noted that the first conference on the movement was also held at Georgetown University in 2001, and expressed his pleasure in observing the increasing interest in studying the movement among social scientists. 
Jon Pahl (Lutheran Seminary) remarked that the movement offers an alternative to youth being recruited by militant groups: “sacred places” where they can undergo “vernacular rights of passage,” schools that promote self-criticism abilities, and a struggle of love against violence. Zeynep Sahin (University of Southern California) discussed how religion has become part of the peace-building arena and how its approach of promoting nonviolence, transnational justice, interfaith dialogue, and education differs from the traditional paradigm of conflict management, conflict resolution, and structural reforms.
Patrick Hallzon (Stockholm University), Gulsum Gurbuz Kucuksari (Hartford Seminary), Margaret J. Rausch (University of Kansas), and M. Sait Yavuz (University of Maryland College Park) analyzed the attitudes within the movement toward women’s roles. The scholars noted Gulen’s view that gender inequality entered Islam via pre-Islamic cultural traditions, that the Prophet did not define women’s roles, that husbands need to appreciate their wives’ work, and that reinterpretation of religious sources from within the tradition is required when times and conditions change.
Greg Barton (Monash University), Gary D. Bouma (Monash University), and Aaron Tyler (St. Mary’s University) focused on “Dialogue: The Art of Living Together.” The first two presenters traced the movement’s beginnings in Australia during the early 1980s, how it spread, and how it deals with youth and mainstream Australian society. Tyler stated that Gulen’s “principled approach to peaceful engagement” is an “outgrowth of Islamic faith, not despite it” and that the overall goal is to replace the “existing ‘us and them’ with a possibility of ‘we.’”
A most fascinating subject was the “Kimse Yok Mu” (Does Anyone Care?) organization, which began in the early 2000s. According to Thomas Michel, S.J. (Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University), what began as a domestic anti-poverty organization has now gone global: It has sent relief supplies to thirty-seven Turkish cities and forty-two countries, from Myanmar to Peru, from Lebanon to China, and throughout Africa.
In his closing remarks, Michel quoted Matthew 7:16: “You shall know them by their fruits” and stated that this is a “faith-based,” rather than a “religion-based,” movement in which non-Muslims are fully involved and accepted.

Click here for the conference papers.

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