All Posts in Category: OP-ED

Time is a very important phenomenon in Islam where it is seen as an endowment from God as an important dimension of our journey in this world. Time is something relative though, abstract concept which is valuable not by itself but earns value by how it is spent. Beloved Prophet…

A domestic political scandal that erupted in Turkey in mid-December (2013) has once again put the country in the global headlines. This time, unfortunately, the news is rather grim. The corruption allegations and controversies over so-called “parallel structures” have not only called into question Turkey’s international prestige but also triggered…

There are currently more than 1000 Gülen-inspired schools around the world. The extraordinary achievement of Gülen inspired schools has been a clear indicator of the quality of education. G¸len inspired schools have been sharing some common values regardless of their locations in the world. For example, student-centered, non-discriminatory, standards-based curriculum…

If we look at the sociological definition of a social movement in the broadest sense it refers to collective action by a group of people brought together over a shared desire or interest to impact social change or bring about primary changes to a society. When we consider various sociological…

My first stop during this second visit to Africa was Nigeria – the largest country by population with some 155 million people. Within a few days I also realized it was one of the busier Hizmet hubs amongst all the African countries I have visited. Nigeria has approximately 1000 Turkish…

I have never met Fethullah Gulen.  I have read his books, and watched videos of him, and talked to those who know him, and to those who simply love him.  I have heard those who hate him, and those who call him a criminal, and those who think the world…

Emre Çelik is an Australian based in Washington DC and President of the Rumi Forum. Following on my recent piece on travels in Africa. During my visit in Tanzania, I met with the former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi. He commended the Hizmet schools highly for their successes and contributions to…

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment was a series of studies on delayed gratification in the late 1960s and early 1970s led by psychologist Walter Mischel, then a professor at Stanford University. In these studies, a child at the age of 4 was offered a choice between one small reward (sometimes a…

Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish Islamic scholar well known for his teachings promoting mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures. Mr.Gulen was among the top of the list of “The World’s Top 20 Public Intellectuals” according to the magazines Foreign Policy and Prospect in 2008. Fethullah Gülen has written nearly 50…

A basic assumption of many contemporary social science theories is that humans are “opportunistic” by definition and driven primarily by self-interest. This implies that a rational human being would exploit chances presented to him by immediate circumstances without any reference to moral principle or a general plan, if such exists.…