New Turks Have Something New to Offer

by Hüseyin Gülerce, Today's Zaman Thursday, 04 October 2007 04:43

In New York, the city known as the "center of the world," there is an organization called the Turkish Cultural Center New York. It truly represents us and our values. Contrary to the numerous lobbies that receive grants worth millions of dollars, their hard work and drive can only be understood once you get to know these "heroes." Turkish cultural and dialogue centers, established in several locations in the US over the last three years, have engaged in worthy activities. The individuals involved in such initiatives have contributed to a Turkish discovery of the US, whose people, affected by global terrorism, quickly change their biases about Islam once they meet the new Turks. Colombia University's Professor Richard Bulliet thinks that US governors' ignorance of Islam impedes project production. I reminded him of Fethullah Gülen, saying: "A Muslim can't be a terrorist and a terrorist can't be a Muslim. Killing only one innocent person is like killing all the people." "This was what the US wants to hear," Bulliet said. Everyone who gets to know the new Turks remarks how late they arrived in the US.

People who meet Turks at these cultural centers and then visit Turkey are fascinated by Turkish values, the ezan (Muslim call to prayer) and the hospitability -- that is unless they haven't already watched a program titled "Fruits of Dialogue" on Samanyolu TV, a Turkish television station. Moreover, these are not ordinary people; these respectable people are immersed in an environment through which they are involved with various activities to serve people.

Critics who say "How big the Gülen movement has become!" also exist. They, disturbed even by the Turkish Olympics that took place early last summer in which 100 countries participated, have not endeavored to hide their irritation in Turkey, either. Nonetheless, if a success is there, it is the result of internalizing the target of opening Turkey to the globe and integrating it in the world by way of universal humanistic values instead of assimilation. What Gülen does as an opinion leader is to advise and encourage.

This goal is realized through devoted individuals hoping to conquer hearts. In New York, I met someone from the Black Sea region of Turkey who founded a chain of supermarkets. His eyes were gleaming with joy, and he said: "I couldn't run away from these relentless fellows who followed me for three years. Currently, I go back and forth between Cuba and Costa Rica while trying to come up with what else we can do there in terms of service," he says. It is not easy to win hearts.

Ideologies and politics also affect people, yet, nothing is as impressive as winning hearts. Some cannot comprehend the Gülen movement and say: "These people cannot achieve all of this. Certainly super powers are involved in and behind it." Is it possible for those who can't bring themselves to give a small amount of money to charity to understand these people? These very same people then ask, "What makes these services possible?"

There is no single United States. In the US, there people who believe in and see the value of intercultural dialogue as being more crucial and durable than that of the dialogue between governments. When 1,000 people fill up the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, it says something.

A reality of our day is that there are those who say "We want something new." They are ready to build a new world.