“The volunteers involved in this movement conduct activities geared toward promoting dialogue that bring all social sections closer together, with a particular emphasis on education; today such activities are extensively organized in various parts of the world. To this end, educational institutions have been established world-wide, offering new opportunities for different nations, with no political motives whatsoever being involved. This movement rejects the idea of the clash of civilizations, and aims to live in a peaceful world; departing from the principle of simply accepting everyone as they are, national and international meetings have been organized to discuss the issues and problems that present, or likely to present obstacles to an atmosphere of peaceful cohabitation and coexistence from developing.”The international conference "Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gulen Movement in Thought and Practice" aims to explore the appeal, meaning, and impact of Fethullah Gülen and the Gülen movement on Turkish, regional, and - increasingly - global societies. In the contemporary world, Muslim communities are undergoing radical social, economic, political and intellectual change. The underlying goal of this conference is to examine the issues facing the contemporary Muslim world in transition and the relations between Islam and the West. In particular, the conference explores the ideas of Fethullah Gülen – a Turkish Muslim scholar, author and education activist – and the impact of the civic projects initiated by participants in a social phenomenon called the Gülen movement. Originating in Turkey but becoming increasingly transnational, the Fethullah Gülen movement has a universal educational and interfaith agenda that aims to promote creative and positive relations between the Muslim world and the West, and to make a constructive contribution to the dialogue of civilizations, the reconciliation of science and religion, global education initiatives, democracy, and religious plurality.
Related Article
