Tuesday, May 15, 2012

CBS 60 minutes: Fethullah Gulen advocates education

Dr. Alp Aslandogan
Alp Aslandogan, Ph.D.
(Video Duration: 2 mins. 6 secs.)

CBS 60 minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl (LS) is interviewing Alp Aslandogan (AA), President of Institute of Interfaith Dialogue in Houston, Texas regarding the ideas of Fethullah Gulen on education:

LS: Let's talk about the schools, because there are so many "Gulen-inspired schools" in the United States now. Would you call Mr. Gulen an educator?

AA: I would call him an education advocate in the sense that he motivates people, he has been motivating everybody basically to do something about education: If you are a young person choose education as your career, if you are a parent get more involved in your child's school, if you are a business owner or a professional help a school.

LS: So, you build schools but not mosques, this movement. Is that right?

AA: Gulen's message was that education was more important than building places of worship.

LS: So building schools is more important than building mosques?

AA: Right, yes.

LS: That's his message.

AA: Yes.

LS: So, if a Turkish national is in the United States and involved in starting a school, is it safe to assume that they've been inspired by Gulen?

AA: There is a likelihood, a good likelihood, that they will be inspired by Gulen, because of his emphasis on education.

LS: And does he encourage people in Turkey to go abroad and start schools?

AA: He does encourage people to go abroad in general.

LS: And start schools?

AA: Well, education is at the center of this movement.

LS: Now, here is a fear that people have: That these "Gulen schools" are an insidious backdoor way to convert people to Islam... (AA smiling) ...that they are secret madrasas.

AA: That can only come from somebody who doesn't know these educational institutions.

LS: Is the Islamic religion thought anywhere in any of these schools?

AA: No.

LS: None of it.

AA: None of it.

LS: What about the teachers? Do they take the kids aside and talk to them about Islam, off to the site?

AA: No.


Related Video: CBS 60 minutes: Fethullah Gulen promotes democracy