Federal Government Helps so-called Gulen Charter Schools!

By Goose Network Blog

I read the news (seems a bit late, though) that Harmony Public Schools will receive almost 30 million dollars from the federal government as part of the race-to-the-top program. That should be a well-deserved accomplishment considering that Harmony Public Schools became a nationwide brand after they were featured at 60 Minutes.

Gulen-Inspired Schools

Fethullah Gulen-inspired schools are non-religious private institutions sponsored by generous entrepreneurs, altruistic educators, and dedicated parents. Using cutting-edge instructional technology and having already demonstrated outstanding academic achievements, many of these schools rank among the most prestigious educational institutions in their respective countries. Each school follows the curriculum of the host country, with the language of instruction is English. The schools provide scholarships for students who cannot afford the tuition. As many people have observed, Gulen-inspired schools are symbols of peaceful coexistence and dedication to the service of humanity. They also serve as an environment for peaceful coexistence, especially in conflict-ridden regions such as the Philippines, Macedonia, Afghanistan, Northern Iraq, Bosnia, and Kenya. (Quoted from Fethullah Gulen: Biographical Album published by the Gulen Institute).

As for some charter schools in the United States, they are not so-called Gulen charter schools. We cannot call these schools Gulen-inspired schools or Gulen charter schools, because first of all there is no tuition charged in those schools. Gulen-inspired schools are private institutions with some considerable amount of tutitions most of the time. Besides, they are continuously funded by aforementioned generous contributors.

Secondly, there is no contribution to these schools from generous entrepreneurs, altruistic educators, and dedicated parents as in the example of Gulen-inspired schools. Those schools are granted money from some foundations such as Gates Foundation and Dell Foundation, but those grants are provided within the frame of certain projects such as Texas High School Project.

Moreover, the officials of these charter schools deny any kind of formal relationship with Fethullah Gulen, who is neither the honorary president of any of these schools nor is he in their PTOs or boards.

As a scholar, I also do not put so-called Gulen charter schools in Gulen-inspired schools category. Those charter schools are definitely outside the Gulen-inspired schools realm.

What "Lies" Beyond Reality?

“Ignorance, fear, hatred, and lies beyond reality” seems to be a common pattern of many accusations in our world. The pattern well explains the motif of the statement, “Fethullah Gulen infiltrates the United States through our charter schools.” It seems to me that the only truth of the statement is that it aims to disturb people by using an irritating word as “infiltration.”

First of all, the statement lightly disregards the fact that the charter schools that are referred to are completely public institutions and not to be operated by such a reclusive person as Fethullah Gulen, who declares in an interview that appeared in USA Today that he has no relation with any institution in the form of ownership, board membership, or any similar kind. Calling these charter schools as Gulen charter schools is totally wrong, besides the term Gulen charter schools is not the equivalent of something in education. He maintains: "For many decades, I have expressed my ideas and opinions about social issues facing humanity. Many people have listened to my speeches and read my works. I do not approve that those who are familiar with and share these ideas and opinions to any extent, or the institutions they work at, should be viewed as connected with my person.”

A Texas Monthly article by William Martin, Rice University professor, supports what Fethullah Gulen declares. Martin clearly shows that the relation of Fethullah Gulen with a group of U.S. charter schools is a natural one, that is, there are Gulen-inspired educators who legally work there. The reality can also be seen at my personal interview with a group of educators working at public schools in Texas. There a physical educator says that, coming from Turkey, it would be impossible for him not to know about Fethullah Gulen and the social movement he has inspired. The educator assumes that the majority of Turkish nation sympathize or support Fethullah Gulen’s humanitarian ideals.

Fethullah Gulen is well known with his apolitical way of service to society and his stance against proselytizing people to Islam. He defends the idea that religious people should represent their values with their attitudes and let others choose to regard or not those values (Gulen 2004: 38, 115). Professor Scott Appleby, Director of Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, testifies this commonly known fact in his recent article at Open Democracy:

Gulen has his critics. His endorsement of robust religious pluralism, reluctance to proselytize publicly, and insistence that his followers build schools not mosques, has led some Islamists to conclude that Gulen preaches an “Islam-less Islam”—a fuzzy ecumenism that refuses to take seriously the supposedly absolutist claims of religion.

Professor Appleby teaches courses in American religious history and comparative religious movements at the University of Notre Dame. He examines the roots of religious violence and the potential of religious peace-building. Appleby also co-chaired the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy, which released the influential report “Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy.” In regard to the accusations of “infiltration,” “Islamization,” etc., Dr. Appleby says, “If a tree is known by its fruits, however, thus far the Gulen people give no evidence of deserving these accusations.” What is more, Dr. Appleby points out to the Gülen-inspired movement as one that the U.S. universities and youth movements, foundations and businesses should engage.

Who is Fethullah Gulen

“Be so emphatic and tolerant that your bosom becomes wide as the ocean. Be inspired with faith and love the human being. Let there be no troubled souls to whom you do not offer a hand and about whom you remain unconcerned.”

Fethullah Gulen is a Turkish scholar, preacher, thinker, author, opinion leader, education activist, and peace advocate. He is regarded as the initiator and inspirer of the worldwide civil society movement, the Gulen Movement, which is committed to education, dialogue, peace, social justice, and social harmony. Gulen has published more than sixty books in Turkish, many of which have been translated to more than thirty languages. He was listed among the top hundred public intellectuals in the world by Foreign Policy magazine in May 2008.

Fethullah Gulen is known for his philosophical and active stance for human rights, democracy, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, science, spirituality, and against violence, segregation, and turning religion into a political ideology. Not only does his discourse cherish values such as empathetic acceptance, altruistic service to one’s community and humanity in general, the complementary roles of mind and heart, sincerity, and love of the creation; his life exemplifies them. “Serving humanity to serve God” and “living to let others live” are the core principles of his understanding of service. Fethullah Gulen's promotion of sympathy, compassion and harmonious coexistence can best be reflected in a comparison with that of Rumi, the 13th century Anatolian Sufi and spiritual poet and one of Fethullah Gulen’s sources of inspiration.

Fethullah Gulen started his career as a preacher and educational activist. In time, he succeeded in mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people for the purpose of serving society by uniting around high human values. Despite the high regard millions hold for him, Fethullah Gulen considers himself only one of the volunteers of the civil society movement he helped originate and denounces any attribution of leadership. Fethullah Gulen has never married, and has spent most of his life in Turkey, his native country. Fethullah Gulen currently resides in Pennsylvania, the United States, at a retreat facility.

[Source: Fethullah Gülen: Biographical Album published by the Gülen Institute]