Inspiring Words

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

Honorary President Commended by Resolution Passed by Texas Senate

The senate of the US state of Texas on Tuesday passed a resolution commending Rumi Forum's Honorary President Fethullah Gülen for his contributions to the promotion of global peace and understanding.

Senate Resolution No. 85, which was approved during last Tuesday's session chaired by Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, said, “The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize Fethullah Gülen for his ongoing and inspirational contributions to the promotion of global peace and understanding.” The resolution said Turkish scholar, author, poet, preacher and educational activist Fethullah Gülen has inspired a worldwide social movement that promotes humanistic values and service, known as the Hizmet movement, or the Gülen movement.

“Based on the principle that each human being is of value, regardless of background, faith or culture, the Gülen movement offers a multifaceted approach to seeking world peace.

It also places a strong emphasis on intercultural understanding and the embracing of differences; it values compassionate acts of care and concern; and it promotes the importance of education in laying the groundwork for fostering better relationships between diverse populations,” read the approved resolution.

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Read the Original Resolution No. 85

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HAMPTON ROADS INTERCULTURAL DINNER & PEACE AWARDS

Rumi Forum Hampton Roads chapter held its 6th annual Inter-cultural Dialog Dinner and Award Ceremony on December 1, 2010.

Each year, extraordinary individuals and organizations who have greatly contributed their time, energy, leadership, and dedication to the cause of dialogue, peace, community service, and understanding are recognized for their efforts.

This year’s award recipients included:

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Alex J. Turner FBI Norfolk Division, Commitment to Community Engagement Award

Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg of Ohef Sholom Temple, Commitment to Interfaith Understanding Award

Imam Vernon Fareed of Masjid William Salaam, Leadership Award

Ms. Cathy Lewis of WHRO, Media Award

SAC Turner who also delivered the key note speech on Counter Terrorism Through Education.

Approximately 110 attendees gathered in the Monarch Ballroom of the Virginia Beach Westin to “contribute to a peaceful coexistence of the adherents of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities and races,” the principal goal of our foundation.

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LUNCHEON TRANSCRIPTS & HD VIDEO -ALL NEW Services

Rumi Forum by way of providing all new services will now be transcribing selected speakers. This will allow guests on our web site to read and quote in a much easier manner.

Click here for transcripts

All our programs are produced in full HD video, and visitors to our web site now have direct access

Click here for HD videos

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RUMI FORUM PRESIDENT GUEST LECTURER AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

Rumi Forum President, Emre Celik was a guest lecturer recently at American University where he presented a talk on the history of the Gulen movement and its contribution to communities by way of its global educational and intercultural activities. The class consisted of numerous national and international students.

RUMI FORUM NOW ACCEPTS PAYPAL

Rumi Forum now accepts donation through a new service via Paypal. The Rumi Forum, a NGO that is a non-profit exempt organization under section 501 (C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code exists by way of contributions, donations and the volunteers that enable it to provide numerous services to better society at large. Your contributions are appreciated and play an important part in the Rumi Forum increasing social harmony and understanding.

In The Media

Rumi Forum Executives interviewed on radio WHRV

Rumi Forum's Emre Celik from Washington DC and Hampton Roads Coodinator from Norfolk Virginia were part of a hour long radio interview on NPR network's WHRV 89.5 FM on Cathy Lewis's talk show 'Hearsay' broadcast out of Norfolk, Virginia.

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PBS 'Religion and Ethics' air Gulen Movement program

PBS 'Religion and Ethics' aired a program that discussed the Rumi Forum's Honorary President, Fethullah Gulen and the movement based around his ideas on January 23, 2011.

Some quotes from the television program:

PROFESSOR HELEN EBAUGH (Dept. of Sociology, University of Houston; Author of “The Gülen Movement”): When Fethullah Gülen began preaching in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s in Turkey, his message was we don’t need more madrassas. We need schools that would promote science and math and secular subjects, and his contention was that one can be modern and one can be scientific and still be a good Muslim....

WILLIAM MARTIN (Senior Fellow, James Baker Institute at Rice University): I think it’s fair to say that Islam has had difficulty in coming to terms with modernity, and in that I think that the Gülen movement offers a much more positive picture of what Islam can be....

MARTIN: Gülen has always emphasized education, and that really lies at the core of this movement. To be a good Muslim meant to be well educated, and to be a good Muslim who participated in modernity meant to be conversant and well educated in science, math, and technology....

SEVERSON: Kimse Yok Mu and in the US Helping Hands contribute millions of dollars in humanitarian aid each year. Professor Ebaugh says in Turkey Gülen urged businessmen to grow their businesses and give a part of their earnings, as much as a third, to support humanitarian aid and education.

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Bishop Chane: Gülen one of the greatest scholars

Eighth Bishop of Washington in the Episcopal Church John Bryson Chane has said Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen is probably one of the greatest scholars and religious people in today’s world.

Speaking at a Jan. 20 meeting of the Rumi Forum, a think tank established by Turks living in Washington, D.C., to foster intercultural dialogue, the bishop praised Gülen and the Gülen movement inspired by him. During his speech, titled “Interfaith/Intercultural dialogue: a First Priority in the 21st Century,” Chane referred to Gülen as a “magnificent man”

“In the 50 books he has written he has probably been one of our greatest voices. He is a scholar and communicator who has really addressed -- not only the role of religion -- but the place of religion as an antidote to violence throughout the world, stressing the importance of the need to come to the table for dialogue and conversation.”

Bishop Chane serves a diverse diocese of 91 congregations, 23 church-related schools and 45,000 members in the District of Columbia and the counties of Prince George’s, Montgomery, Charles and Saint Mary’s in the state of Maryland.

Noting that Gülen has contributed much to the life and stability of the global community already, Chane said, “I really want to make a point in recognizing him and honoring him for the work he continues to do for global peace among all of God’s children.”

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OTHER MEDIA ITEMS

"Gulen Movement makes Turkey more noticable"

Greek broadcaster praises contributions of Gülen movement

Civic engagement, success and the Gülen movement

Fethullah Gulen's "Jewish Dialogue"

The New Republic: The Global Imam

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Article

Fethullah Gulen: Following in the Footsteps of Rumi by THOMAS MICHEL

1. The need for a modern spirituality

Among the medieval mystical poets, the one who speaks most clearly and directly to the modern world is Jalaluddin Rumi, known simply in the Muslim world as “Mevlana,” Our Master. The depth of his spiritual experience, his original and arresting poetic images, his obvious sincerity and openheartedness, and his ability to transcend cultures, time periods, and religions, all go together to make Mevlana one of the most accessible and influential of Muslim thinkers who speak to us from the past.

The number of internet webpages devoted to translations of Rumi’s poetry into European languages is evidence of the extent to which Mevlana is known and loved in the West, but in the Muslim world, the influence of Mevlana on modern thinkers and scholars, as upon the ordinary Muslim worshiper, must not be underestimated. While those who can read and appreciate his poetry in the original Persian may be relatively few, Mevlana’s works are known through poetry recitations, classical performances of their musical settings, and through the many translations of his poetry into Turkish, Arabic, Urdu and other Muslim languages. I have seen verses of Rumi decorating dishes, wood panels, horse carts and their modern equivalent, minibuses. The dervishes of the Mevlevi tariqa communicate in a non-verbal way Rumi’s message of tolerance, peace, and deep absorption in the Divine.

One of the modern Muslims who have appropriated Rumi’s attitudes and integrated them into their own understanding of Islamic faith and practice is the Turkish scholar and religious leader, Muhammad Fethullah Gulen*. The correspondence of Mevlana to Gülen is that of kindred spirits who, across the centuries, share an interpretation of the Qur’anic message as well as a commitment to communicate that message effectively to people of their respective ages. In his sermons and written works, Gülen frequently cites Rumi’s behavior and attitudes to illustrate his message; in the book Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance, Gülen cites Rumi over 15 times to exemplify his themes of civilizational dialogue. In his work on the Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, Gülen cites Mevlana more often than any other saint or spiritual writer as he seeks to initiate the seeker into the mysteries of God's love.

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WRITINGS BY FETHULLAH GULEN

A Movement Originating Its Own Models

In this article I would like to discuss a legend; to talk about it is a duty, and therefore it is difficult to put it into words. However, I wonder if it is possible to describe in the scope of such an article an important resurrectional movement, a movement that has thrived in every part of the world, budding, giving off shoots and seedlings. I think not. What I know about the issue comes only from the videos I have seen. My attestation relies on what I have heard. The limits of my pen are those of my comprehension. I do not know to what era the implication of all that has been happening belongs. Now tell me what can be told under these circumstances. All I can do in describing this will be like someone attempting to describe roses and flowers as they really are after only seeing a picture of a rose or a flower. But my task resembles more an attempt to describe the unique pattern, accent, and manner of each flower and rose in a garden by merely looking at the picture of a dead rose; the rose garden nor the flower garden cannot be described in this way. Even so, I believe that one should dare to talk on behalf of the phenomenon of the era to galvanize people of letters and conscience.... [CONTINUES]

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New Book

The Vision and Impact of Fethullah Gulen: A New Paradigm for Social Activism by Maumul Khan

"Fethullah Gulen has become something of a center of gravity for millions of people from all walks of life throughout the world. This work illustrates the ways in which Gulen and the supporters of the movement inspired by him have presented a new kind of social activism coupled with a deeper sense of spirituality and altruism that has been missing from many contemporary civic movements."

More information

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Turkish Classes - enrolments close this week

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 the 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 program: A four-hour class per week and eight classes in a month.

WATCH THE NEW 'TURKISH COURSE' VIDEO

Classes : February 7 ^th-April 1^st 2011 
(for 8 weeks/32 hours)

Cost: $300
Text Book: $30

For further queries and application form please email: turkish@rumiforum.org

Visit the 'Learn Turkish' blog

For more info

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Rumi Forum Internship Program

We are now accepting applications for our summer, fall  and winder 2011 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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