Love & Tolerance: Experiencing the Gulen Movement

"If, every day, we are able to increase our love for our surroundings, and, as much as possible, for all of existence, if we are able to minimize our hatred, we will be able to attain a world of human warmth and sympathy that has not yet been realized." --M. Fethullah Gulen

This is the philosophy of Gulen, the Turkish humanitarian and intellectual, that has inspired the recent Gulen Movement in Turkey. Turkey is very socially, ethnically, and religiously diverse, particularly in Istanbul. This causes a lot of natural tension, especially since Turkey is supposed to be a secular state. Gulen would say this is because the world is poor in love. His solution is to spread love by learning to understand and appreciate each other so that we can coexist in peace. Today's events centered around the organizations that have emerged from Gulen's principles and way of thinking.

Our guide, Ibrahim, took us around Istanbul to these different organizations. First, we visited Fetih College. This is a K-12 privately-owned school that resembles the best U.S. prep schools, and then some. It is supported by a Board of wealthy businessmen that freely donate for building expenses as well as tuition costs. With 1,500 students enrolled for this upcoming year, Fetih College is the place where parents want to send their children to school if they wish to continue on to University. Of the students that attend normal schools, only 25% are then accepted into University, wheras at least 90% of the graduating class at Fetih College is accepted into University programs. The curriculum is no different, but the teachers are very dedicated, making sure the students are doing well academically and personally. They even making house calls to see if the environment is one that promotes studying or if some distractions need to be removed. Each student (even at the kindergarten level) is interviewed, tested, and undergoes a personality exam before they are accepted. The building itself is rather new, with marble floors, multiple indoor gymnasiums, a beautiful lap pool, and complete with a high school cafeteria that scans your finger print for identification and entry! In comparisson with our humble Adventist school back home, it was learning in luxury. Reading is very important here, and 20 minutes each morning is devoted to reading. The children are all required to learn English (and Spanish their Freshman and Sophomore years), and the stairs even have English phrases on them to help the kids practice. Even if some, such as "Barking dogs seldom bark!" don't necessarily make sense, it's practice like this that sets these students apart. Their dedication to learning and understanding, paired with their hard-working teachers, is what helps their students do so well in their exit exams and then further on down the road in University.

Next, we went to visit the headquarters of Zaman Newspaper, the #1 newspaper in Turkey. They support democracy, joining the EU, and have complete freedom of speech. The staff is diverse, all coming from different backgrounds, in an attempt to promote an understanding of one another in a setting that fosters discussion and healthy debate. Even stories about the once untouchable Turkish military are becoming acceptible after corruption has become exposed. What was once reported as "Kurdish terrorism" is now being reported as the acts of a secret society of retired military officers who are now on trial. The goal of the paper is to be democratic, family friendly, and to promote a culture of understanding, not conspiracy. As Ibrahim told us, Zaman doesn't want "asparagus news," apparently a new term to describe false or ignorant stories.

After visiting Zaman, we ate a quick lunch at a shop that was famous for its delictible sweets, however the menus were all in Turkish, which posed as a bit of a challenge. Ordering pizza was easy, yet when it came to the pages of desserts to choose from, many of us could not differentiate one item from another and resorted to chosing deserts with names in which we could recognize a familiar ingredient.

The Fener Rum Patriarch was next. When Constantinople was the center of the Orthodox church, this Patriarch was its center. It looked like an old catholic church, with a large number of crystal chandeliers on the inside, and much gold decorating the front of the church. Very pretty.

From Fener, we went to see the Journalist and Writers Foundation. Here we were served juice, pastries, and tea, while discussing Turkish and American cultures and perceptions of each other. The Journalist and Writers Foundation, of which Gulen himself is President, stresses Love and Dialoge over different platforms and projects that aim to increase intercultural awareness and understanding. Many famous religious leaders, such as Pope John Paul II, and non-religious figures, such as the Turkish soccer team, have supported this foundation through dialogue meetings and fundraising events. Upon our departure we were each given "humble gifts" of Gulen literature. Both Dr. Mallery and Dr. Clark were given coffee cups, which are supposed to symbolize 40 years of friendship per cup. With each passing day, I perceive the Turks to be more and more generous.

The last Gulen-inspired organization that we visited was the Kimse Yok mu Foundation. This is a foundation concerned with worldwide humanitarian aid that believes it is the duty of humankind to take care of the less fortunate. If someone does not have food, you feed them. If someone does not have clothes, you clothe them. If children do not have a school, you build them one. This is what a loving person does, according to the Kimse Yok mu Foundation.The name Kimse Yok mu is translated as "is anyone there?" and is the Turkish equivalent of yelling "help!" It is a fitting name, as this is the foundation there when disaster strikes, providing the basic needs for the victims.

This was a very eye-opening and educational day for all of us. After being in Turkey for a week and experiencing some extreme poverty and living conditions as well as racial/religious discrimination, I was starting to feel weighed down. The burden of responsibility when there are so many people in need of help is heavy. It starts to seem like a hopeless position. The Aya Sofya will never be remolded because people cannot agree on Muslim, Christian, or Secular rennovation. The Roma colony will be destroyed to clear out the poor gypsies and make room for rich people and nice buildings. A 10 year-old Kurdish child will get arrested for teaching her friends Kurdish because Kurds are still not accepted or equal here. It becomes a negative bubble of helplessness.

Yet Gulen's philosophy of love and understanding has planted a seed that is growing thanks to the help of organizations such as these. Each of these foundations gives back to the community, provides education, addresses basic needs, and promotes a strong sense of diversity and understanding. The people that donate and support these organizations financially are some of the real heroes. It all comes back to the compassion of the Turkish people (and the Eastern world in general). If America were posed with this same situation, I fear few people would have enough love and generosity to also attempt to "clean up the mess."