Gülen: They Can’t Be Objective

Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 June 2009 08:23 by Hüseyin Gülerce, Today's Zaman Friday, 29 May 2009 06:32

We visit the esteemed Fethullah Gülen in his modestly decorated room and are watching the news bulletin on Samanyolu TV. I have been here for the last four days. Mr. Gülen is very ill. His flu has developed into bronchitis. He coughs as if his lungs will come out.

It is very depressing to see him in this situation. He patiently waits until the end of the news bulletin out of respect for his guests. When he heard from the news bulleting what Professor Thomas Michel said in the conference on the Gülen movement, he said, "Foreigners understand [us] correctly, while some of our own people are still lacking in understanding." I asked, "Sir, is it because they do not want to understand?" He replied, "They cannot be objective, Mr. Gülerce." Then, he pointed to some 15 people in the room. "Here are our fellow brothers. They do not carry even a pin lest it may prick someone," he said.

Indeed, I also attended the conference and saw that they were trying to explain this worldwide movement using objective criteria. About three years ago we had attended such a conference in Chicago with about 20 academics and columnists from Turkey. For instance, an academician from Europe had described the Light Houses ― which some people treat as they were some kind of illegal headquarters ― as " places where the movement makes its first contact with all levels of society."

Now the Turkish Olympics have started in Turkey with the attendance of students from 115 countries. This is the true agenda of Turkey for about 10 days. But some newspapers and TV stations will again turn a blind eye to this legendary event and they will not inform their readers or audiences about it.

However, this wonderful event cannot be identified with the name of Mr. Gülen in a manner that is depressing him. "This is a great injustice done to the self-sacrificing teachers, trainers and businessmen and their families. This is the movement and power of Turkey. It is the result of the country's desire to attain the place it deserves in the world," he has said and written repeatedly.

Given the fact the movement has opened schools and dialogue centers in 115 countries, including Russia, the US, the UK and Germany, which have the most capable intelligence services in the world, is it possible to suggest that they do not know what this movement really is and what it is trying to achieve? Can a reasonable person accept the contrary? There are still some people who may say, "They are supported by the US." Turkish has become a universal language and the teachers, who are the best models of our values, make sure that their students love Turkey and Turkish people. This movement is busy building true lobbies for Turkey through love and voluntary acceptance while some people are still occupied with setting traps or plots through mischief.

I still remember that one of our friends who was doing dialogue work in Washington had received an email from a US citizen who wrote, "I see that you do work that is beneficial to humankind, so I want to send money as my contribution." When Mr. Gülen was informed of this email, he said: "People's interest in us is regarded as a gratuity for us. But we do not accept money from foreigners. If we did, this would be disloyalty to the Anatolian people. This clean source should not be shared with others. Accepting nothing from anyone is the honor of our service and it is the expression of our respect for our nation. The nation's involvement is essential. If you can secure the overall involvement of the nation, there will be nothing to be concerned about. Thomas Michel was impressed by a iron worker in Anatolia who said, 'I give what I earn with my hard labor to a school in Africa.' May God protect us from being bad examples."

Mr. Gülen is opening the eyes of Turkey. He is a precious value for us. To defend Gülen does not mean that he needs to be defended. To defend him is to declare that our nation should secure the place it deserves in the international arena and to defend a peaceful world where everyone comes together on the basis of universal human values.