Inspiring Words
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek
and find all the barriers within yourself that you have
built against it.”
Jalal ad-Din Rumi
HONORARY PRESIDENT
FETHULLAH GULEN AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE
Turkish Muslim scholar, educator and peace activist, M.
Fethullah Gülen, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by
Leeds Metropolitan at the University's Summer Graduation
celebrations for his contribution to education, peace making
and intercultural dialogue.
Through his teachings and work, Fethullah Gülen has
initiated and inspired a transnational civil society movement
to invest in education and dialogue which aims to contribute
towards durable peace and greater understanding. Gülen has
developed a readership and following amongst those of other
backgrounds, religions and no religion, demonstrating that his
teachings and work are received as universal.
Read More
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Written by Brian
Knowlton
SAYLORSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — Here in northeastern
Pennsylvania, where fertile farmlands yield suddenly to the
hauntingly beautiful foothills of the Pocono Mountains,
quietly resides one of the most influential men in Turkey.
Read More
Written
by Joe Lauria
Speaking in his first
interview with a U.S. news organization, Mr. Gülen spoke of
watching news coverage of Monday's deadly confrontation
between Israeli commandos and Turkish aid group members as its
flotilla approached Israel's sea blockade of Gaza. "What I saw
was not pretty," he said. "It was ugly."
Read More
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Some Quotes from luncheon guest speakers
RASHAD HUSSAIN
 "The president made clear that, of course,
on the issue of violent extremism,
Islam is actually a part of the solution and
not part of the problem, once again making the
declaration that United States is not at war,
and never will be at war,
with Islam and Muslims."
"…Terms such as Islamic terrorism,
that have been used in the past, or Jihadist, for
example, those types of terms can be unproductive in the
sense that Islam rejects terrorism…"
Watch Video
PETER
MANDAVILLE
"We are
beginning to see a shift away from Islamism or Islamic
social and political mobilization occurring according to a
conventional model of Muslim brotherhood which is after all,
a very hierarchical, formally-organized type of model."
"The current
version of the research looks at this phenomenon in relation
with two specific case-studies of network based movements.
One is set of charities and social activism organized around
the Egyptian popular preacher and television-based figure
Omar Halid. And the second involves analyzing network of
supporters around Fethulla Gulen, as an example of what I am
calling new Islamic social movement."
"The way to
proceed is to think about shared problem."
Watch Video
JOSHUA WALKER
"There was
no discussion whether Turkey was a part of the west. It was.
It was with us against the communists. Now in the post-cold
war environment the questions began to change. In the post
9/11 environment the US began to see Turkey through a very
different lens. The idea that after 9/11 the Bush
administration began seeking a partner to wage a war on
terror that would not be perceived as a war on Islam, Turkey
fit that motive very well. It is a only nation that is a
NATO member, the only nation that is with us in Afghanistan."
"Turkey also
has been changing. Since 2002 when AKP came to power,
whether you like them or not, you have to give them credit –
they have helped an economic growth in an unprecedented
manner, they have reasserted Turkish pride."
Watch Video
JULIETTE TOLAY
"The way I
think about Turkey is always through the lens of what is
going to happen once Turkey is in the EU."
"There is a
big risk of populism. Confident Turkey is great and
overconfident Turkey is a little bit worrisome."
"Is Turkey
really European or not? There are objective criteria that
would help us decide whether Turkey is culturally European
or not. And I think this is a little bit a wrong question.
Culture is not something fixed in time. There are a lot of
arguments arguing that Turkey is European there are a couple
of arguments to argue that it is not European. This is not a
matter of what it is, this is a matter of choice."
Watch Video
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Enrollment has started for Fall Turkish Classes
Learn
Turkish in Washington, DC! Experienced
teachers are offering Turkish Language Classes at the Rumi
Forum in Washington DC. If you are looking for Turkish
lessons in DC Metropolitan Area, Rumi Forum is the right
place to begin. There are three terms in a year:
• Turkish language
classes are open to everyone who is interested.
• The classes are arranged based on the
number of students interested in at any level.
• Our teachers are using a Turkish Language Book
Set written in Turkish.
For the intensive fall
program: A four-hour class per week and eight classes in a
month.
Intensive Turkish Classes for Fall
2010
8 weeks (32 hours) intensive program: starts 4
October - ends 26 November
Cost: 300$
Text Book: 30$
For further queries and
application form please email:
turkish@rumiforum.org
For more info
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'Meet and Greet' with ABC News and washington post
Reporters and Editors
The Rumi Forum Fairfax launched its new 'Meet and Greet with
the Media’ series in conjunction with the American-Turkish
Friendship Association of Virginia. Reporters, staff writers
and editors from ABC News and Washington Post were the
guests of the first two meetings where numerous community
issues of concern were discussed
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New book: "Islam and Peacebuilding: Gulen Movement
Initiatives"
By John L. Esposito and
Ihsan Yilmaz
The exploration of the
contributions is made with regards to the title in hand by
the thought and practice of the global movement associated
with the Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen. The
importance and distinctiveness of teaching of Gulen and the
practice of the movement is that it is rooted in a confident
Turkish Islamic heritage while being fully engaged with
modernity. It offers the possibility of a contextualised
renewal of Islam for Muslims in the modern world while being
fully rooted in the teachings of the Qu'ran and the Sunnah
of the Prophet. It advocates the freedom of religion while
making an Islamic contribution to the wider society based on
a commitment to service of others.
For more info
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Rumi Forum Internship Program
We are now accepting applications for our summer, fall and
winder 2010 internship program.
Eligibility: All undergraduate and master’s-level
students and J.D. and Ph.D. candidates as well as recent
graduates are eligible to apply.
Application Process: In order to apply for a Rumi
Forum Internship, please submit the following:
· Cover Letter and Resume
· College or University Transcript
· 2-3 References (please provide both the phone and email
contact information and please include a Professor or other
individual familiar with your work)
Duration:
Winter: January to March
Spring: March to May
Fall:
September to December
*starting dates are flexible
Please send materials via email to
internships@rumiforum.org
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From the Archive
Fethullah Gülen: Inspirer of Multi-disciplinary Studies by Kerim BALCI
The work of Gülen's followers in Turkey shows that Islam—as
taught by Gülen—seeks tolerance, not conflict; it aims for a
better society, not political power; and it manifests itself in
prayer and concrete local action.
link
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