Fethullah Gulen tolerance message gaining ground

Islamic thinker, Mohammed Fethullah Gulen's message on the need of "tolerance for one another" is gaining international ground.

In Uganda, this year's tolerance discourse was celebrated at the Speke Resort Munyonyo attended by more than 300 invited guests.

The mention of Fethullah Gulen is not instantly familiar, except to those who have something to do with the Turkish community and the Turkish Light Academy kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, here.

Then, with the knowledge that through Gulen's Hizmet (Selfless Service) Movement of Volunteers, more than 1500 schools have been established around the world, the name becomes recognizable.

Gullen, 68, is an Islamic scholar, education activist and a peace apostle with the flagship message of tolerance. He has dedicated his life to serving humanity, has never married and does not own any personal property. But his influence is wide-ranging. Two years ago, the US Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the hundred most influential global intellectuals.

From the start of his Sufist preaching of Islam in Izmir, Turkey in 1958, Gulen has inspired three generations of peace, according to Prof. Marcia Hermansen of Islamic World Studies at Loyola University, Chicago, USA.

Hermansen was at Munyonyo to give the keynote speech of the Global Dialogue Dinner. Other speakers who addressed this dinner through recorded video segments included: former US president, Bill Clinton; former secretary of State, Madeleine Albright; and, Texas Congressman, Al Green.

In her inspiring lecture, Hermansen, brought up the development of Gulen from an Islamic preacher in the mosques, first of Izmir and then all over Turkey, to bringing the ideas of peace and tolerance to "public spaces" of bazaars and coffee shops. From the 1970s it became evident that the Hizmet Movement needed to extend to education.

After the military rule in Turkey in the 1980s, the movement embraced development of private school initially by providing dormitory accommodation for students; then the "internationalization" of the selfless service in the 1990s to public outreaches.

Now, its outreach is "media savvy" with, among others, both popular outlets; the Zama daily newspaper and Ebru satellite television channel, and the numerable websites.

Gulen's tolerance message now reaches 115 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Gulen, who now lives in Philadelphia in the US, sees the hope for the Earth's future in the values of self-sacrifice, service, activism, humility and tolerance. He sees today's as the Golden Generation to espouse peace without which the world is doomed to nuclear destruction.

Taking up the cue of peace, the NRM's minister of Ethics and Integrity, Dr. Nsaba Buturo, who was the guest of honour, said that the concept of peace was a reality that is signified by love.

He said that each of us, as our brothers' keeper, must learn to "accept, respect, care, have personal responsibility and honesty" for the other. He said that without this there is less prosperity, freedom and/or justice.

Buturo further enunciated that these concepts inevitably embrace issues of equitable distribution and sharing opportunities and resources in society for one to fulfill God's purpose of his creation. He lamented that where there is no peace then instability and lack of freedom prevail closely followed by poverty.

The consequence of this is tribalism, nepotism, sectarianism and corruption, which become conditions for anti-development. He said that in Uganda these are "promoted by individuals who are not serious about their development".

This, he moaned, affects issues of morality which make the African continent backward despite its rich and abundant resources. He decried the "fall in the scale of moral values which is not particularly ingrained in our [NRM] governance system."

But Buturo went out of his way to lambast occurrences in society that are not to be tolerated, such as; witchcraft, pornography, prostitution and homosexuality. On the last one, he said that it had "never been a human right; it is an abomination".

He said that Uganda would not budge from this position despite the threat of sanctions from the West to accept homosexuality. "Integrity is not for sale; it is not negotiable. We must face head on the issue of holding the nation's high esteem and work for conditions that uphold it," he added.

Buturo concluded that there must be mutual respectability so that policies would be formulated for respect and strength to reflect the values that Gulen, "This distinguished son of Turkey we are talking about, who is making you proud by bringing us together with his universal language."

szumuz@yahoo.com

Source:
http://www.sunrise.ug/component/content/article/465.html