“In every religion there is love,
Yet love has no religion.”
Rumi
Even for a few days in the nation`s capital, “religious freedom” is the buzzword. IRF Summit 2023 and National Prayer Breakfast create a powerful coalition of organizations that operate together to increase public awareness and political strength for the international religious freedom movement. This joint cause is an important step forward to encourage civil society, people of faith, and governments to take a stand for religious freedom around the world.
According to Paul Weller, in the age of global challenges, in a number of contemporary contexts, Islam and religious freedom might appear to be at least problematic. Weller emphasizes that while other Islamic scholars refer to the Qur’anic (2:256) precept that there is “no compulsion in religion” for this context, Fethullah Gulen asserts “an authentically Muslim commitment to religious freedom with unusual clarity and consistency of emphasis” (1).
In our modern globalized world, Gulen has stated that the only way to get others to accept your ideas is by persuasion. Similarly, for Gulen, the notion that plurality can be abolished is not only an illusion but is also dangerous:
…different beliefs, races, customs, and traditions will continue to cohabit in this village. Each individual is like a unique realm unto themselves; therefore the desire for all humanity to be similar to one another is nothing more than wishing for the impossible. For this reason, the peace of this (global) village lies in respecting all these differences, considering these differences to be part of our nature, and ensuring that people appreciate these differences. Otherwise, it is unavoidable that the world will devour itself in a web of conflicts, disputes, fights, and the bloodiest of wars, thus preparing the way for its own end.
In addition to theory, this commitment has been given expression in the activities of the civil society initiatives and dialogue societies that are inspired by Gulen`s teachings, such as the work of the Rumi Forum, which can be found in various countries of the world. In this and other similar ways, the spirit of dialogue and the theologically grounded freedom to believe or not to believe is embodied in both action and organization.
Weller states that “what is particularly significant about the clarity and consistency with which Gulen’s vision of Islam supports and upholds religious freedom is that this is not the voice of only an individual teacher. Rather, it resonates within a global movement and has influence beyond it.”
With that in mind, on Feb. 16-17, 2023, the Department of Religious Studies at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), is organizing a conference on the Hizmet (a.k.a. Gulen) Movement entitled “The Hizmet Movement: Responses to Contemporary Challenges.” The conference will mainly focus on the Hizmet Movement’s status and direction both locally and transnationally, as well as how the Movement responds to the challenges which are posed or exacerbated by global trends and events.