Gülen Movement, Role Model In Representing Islam Positively
The Muslim community, non-governmental organisations and society in general would do well to follow the footsteps of the Gülen Movement, founded by Turkish philosopher and modernist Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, in advocating the message of Islam.
For its work which includes promoting peaceful coexistence and supporting communities on a voluntary basis, the movement is said to have a powerful, positive impact in the eyes of the West and the world.
The Gülen Movement is an unofficial organisation that has around five million followers and supporters worldwide.
International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) Communications Department head and Gülen Movement associate, Assoc Prof Dr Azmuddin Ibrahim, said the international movement had managed to bridge the boundaries of Western and Islamic civilisations through interfaith dialogues, community service and open discourses.
"For the movement's members, it doesn't matter whether you're a Muslim or not. What matters is education and helping everyone," he said when presenting his paper titled "The Gülen Movement: A Case of Positive Representation" at the International Conference on the Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media, here, Wednesday.
Azmuddin said Fethullah Gülen was known as one of the foremost Islamic intellectuals in the world who has so far written 60 books. "By preaching tolerance and acceptance, he was for many years the unofficial Turkish ambassador to America. He met with many Western leaders, including Pope John Paul II and other religious and political leaders."
He said the movement had established more than 500 schools in more than 50 countries covering Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia plus six universities in Turkey and Central Asia.
"The Gülen Movement promotes Muslim voluntary services in many parts of the world, including Third world countries. Its efforts have included building a school in Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia and even in Malaysia."
Azmuddin said many Western countries, including the Netherlands and the US, were receptive to the movement because of the clear message of peace that it preached.
For instance, he said, the Dutch government had sponsored the building of a Gülen school and funded its administration and the teachers' salaries. Asked why the Gülen Movement had failed to penetrate and received coverage by the Western media to make a significant impact on the minds of the Western masses, Azmuddin said the bottom line for the Western media was money.
"They only focus on news that make money," he explained.
"Even though we are trying to understand each other, only people associated with academics and those interested in inter-religious dialogues are interested in what the movement does.
"But the media themselves are cold towards its discourses and other activities to put them in print and on TV and radio for the consumption of the masses. So the ordinary people are still ignorant about the movement," he added.
The Gülen Movement has strong support from the business circle, including one of the fastest growing financial institutions in Turkey, Bank Asya, and media institutions such as Zaman Media Group, Samanyolu TV Media Group and New Jersey-based Tughra Books.
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