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Fethullah Gulen: A Life of Hizmet
In this first critical biography of Fethullah Gulen in English, historian Jon Pahl takes us on a journey where we discover wisdom and controversy, from 1940's Turkey to the U.S. in the twenty-first century. Pahl tells the story of a pious Muslim boy from a tiny and remote Turkish village who on the one hand has inspired a global movement of millions of individuals dedicated to literacy, social enterprise, and interreligious dialogue, but who on the other hand has been monitored by Turkish police, seen as a threat by autocrats, and recently declared number one enemy by the current Turkish dictator. With lively prose and extensive research, Pahl traces Fethullah Gulen's life and thought in its contexts, states clearly his own positions, and then lets readers draw their own conclusions from the evidence about this undeniably significant historical figure.
450 pages, Hardcover
Published April 22, 2019
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145 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 31, 2019
Several years ago I became acquainted with a Muslim-oriented group that sponsored interfaith dialogue. This organization, I discovered, was related to a Turkish-originated movement known as Hizmet. Hizmet is the outgrowth of the work of a Turkish spiritual leader named Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is now living in exile in rural Pennsylvania. The current, autocratic, leader of Turkey has deemed him and his movement terrorists. Having come to know people affiliated with the movement, I can say that they are not terrorists. In fact, they are good people who embrace non-violence, tolerance, education, and service to humanity. While I had come to some understanding of the movement and its founder, there was much I didn't know or understand. Hence, this biography written by Jon Pahl.
The book, which was published by a publisher affiliated with the movement, was given to me by a friend from the movement who wanted to know what I thought of the book. I'm grateful to Ali for providing me with the book, for I am in a much better place now in understanding the nature of this movement and the identity of its founder.
The publisher is Hizmet related, but the author is a well-regarded historian of Christianity who teaches at United Lutheran Seminary. He is symptathetic to the movement (as am I), but he's not a direct participant. Like me, Pahl had his introduction to the movement through a Hizmet sponsored event. His was an Iftar dinner and mine was an Abrahamic dinner sponsored by the movement and held at a local Christian college. It is from that vantage point that Pahl had access to leaders of the movement and to Gulen himself.
Pahl takes us on a journey from Gulen's birth in a Turkish village, where his father was an imam, through his introduction to Sufism, and on toward a life of leadership within the Turkish religious community. We discover if we didn't already know that when Turkey was founded as a republic, it was with a highly secularized constitution. Religion was to be kept private, and the military served to enforce this. Gulen spent much of his life evading arrest or spending time in prison for his religious activities. We discover the nature of this reality. There was a period in the 1980s and 1990s where there was a thaw, but it was always dangerous. Nevertheless, Gulen was a powerful preacher who lived an austere life, calling for adherence to a form of Islam that was open and embracing of others. He rose to prominence, serving as an imam in major communities such as Izmir and Istanbul.
There are principles that emerge from his life and movement that are key. These are 1) nonviolence, 2) principled pluralism (which is expressed through engagement in interfaith dialogue); 3) engaged empathy (which expresses itself in service to others); commitment to education and literacy, especially the sciences; and finally 5) a commitment to a model of social enterprise. Each of these emphases are illustrated at different points in Gulen's life and as the movement expanded beyond Turkey to a global presence. All of this emerged out of Gulen's study of the Quran and the life of Muhammad. In other words, he believes that this is what true Islam looks like.
Gulen comes off in the book as both a charismatic figure, but also as humble one. You can understand why some might find him troubling. He has inspired great loyalty. Yet, like the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis, he has used this charisma for the good. A biography like this is important because it brings to life both the person whose vision led to the creation of the movement and the nature of the movement itself. Because Gulen and his movement have been deemed dangerous by the Turkish government it is important to get the facts straight.
This is a sympathetic biography but it's not hagiography. Pahl doesn't focus on Gulen's faults, but he doesn't shy away from them. He notes the dangers of a personality cult, and the way in which Gulen has tried to remain separate from any such reality. Although the book is published by a Hizmet related entity (remember that social enterprise is part of the vision), Pahl comes to the subject as a historian of religion. He brings that sense of commitment to getting the facts straight that one would expect of a historian. Being a historian myself, I understand the need to keep a certain distance from the subject, even if I am an engaged person. Pahl does that.
So, why read this book? For one thing, it offers a vision of Islam that runs counter to the popular vision. That's important at a time of culture wars. It reminds us that Islam is not monolithic, and that Sufism, which is the more mystical version, offers an important point of contact. It speaks to the importance of service, helping us understand service to humanity is deeply rooted in Islam. It also suggests that Islam is capable of supporting democratic institutions. It is worth noting that even as the current president of Turkey turns increasingly autocratic, he has attacked advocates of democracy who root their vision in their understanding of Islam. For those of us who value interfaith relationships, the commitment of this figure and this movement is important. So, by all means read and understand.
The book, which was published by a publisher affiliated with the movement, was given to me by a friend from the movement who wanted to know what I thought of the book. I'm grateful to Ali for providing me with the book, for I am in a much better place now in understanding the nature of this movement and the identity of its founder.
The publisher is Hizmet related, but the author is a well-regarded historian of Christianity who teaches at United Lutheran Seminary. He is symptathetic to the movement (as am I), but he's not a direct participant. Like me, Pahl had his introduction to the movement through a Hizmet sponsored event. His was an Iftar dinner and mine was an Abrahamic dinner sponsored by the movement and held at a local Christian college. It is from that vantage point that Pahl had access to leaders of the movement and to Gulen himself.
Pahl takes us on a journey from Gulen's birth in a Turkish village, where his father was an imam, through his introduction to Sufism, and on toward a life of leadership within the Turkish religious community. We discover if we didn't already know that when Turkey was founded as a republic, it was with a highly secularized constitution. Religion was to be kept private, and the military served to enforce this. Gulen spent much of his life evading arrest or spending time in prison for his religious activities. We discover the nature of this reality. There was a period in the 1980s and 1990s where there was a thaw, but it was always dangerous. Nevertheless, Gulen was a powerful preacher who lived an austere life, calling for adherence to a form of Islam that was open and embracing of others. He rose to prominence, serving as an imam in major communities such as Izmir and Istanbul.
There are principles that emerge from his life and movement that are key. These are 1) nonviolence, 2) principled pluralism (which is expressed through engagement in interfaith dialogue); 3) engaged empathy (which expresses itself in service to others); commitment to education and literacy, especially the sciences; and finally 5) a commitment to a model of social enterprise. Each of these emphases are illustrated at different points in Gulen's life and as the movement expanded beyond Turkey to a global presence. All of this emerged out of Gulen's study of the Quran and the life of Muhammad. In other words, he believes that this is what true Islam looks like.
Gulen comes off in the book as both a charismatic figure, but also as humble one. You can understand why some might find him troubling. He has inspired great loyalty. Yet, like the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis, he has used this charisma for the good. A biography like this is important because it brings to life both the person whose vision led to the creation of the movement and the nature of the movement itself. Because Gulen and his movement have been deemed dangerous by the Turkish government it is important to get the facts straight.
This is a sympathetic biography but it's not hagiography. Pahl doesn't focus on Gulen's faults, but he doesn't shy away from them. He notes the dangers of a personality cult, and the way in which Gulen has tried to remain separate from any such reality. Although the book is published by a Hizmet related entity (remember that social enterprise is part of the vision), Pahl comes to the subject as a historian of religion. He brings that sense of commitment to getting the facts straight that one would expect of a historian. Being a historian myself, I understand the need to keep a certain distance from the subject, even if I am an engaged person. Pahl does that.
So, why read this book? For one thing, it offers a vision of Islam that runs counter to the popular vision. That's important at a time of culture wars. It reminds us that Islam is not monolithic, and that Sufism, which is the more mystical version, offers an important point of contact. It speaks to the importance of service, helping us understand service to humanity is deeply rooted in Islam. It also suggests that Islam is capable of supporting democratic institutions. It is worth noting that even as the current president of Turkey turns increasingly autocratic, he has attacked advocates of democracy who root their vision in their understanding of Islam. For those of us who value interfaith relationships, the commitment of this figure and this movement is important. So, by all means read and understand.
May 18, 2019
Jon Pahl undertakes the difficult task to write a biography that chronologically covers major themes of Gulen's thought. The historian's touch makes itself evident and the book flows with easy. It's a pity that Gulen's late life struggles with the current Turkish regime and his crisis management is left out from the narrative.
May 23, 2020
After I started reading Prof. Jon Pahl’s book (Fethullah Gulen: A Life of Hizmet), I realized that I did not fully understand the roots, development and projections of this Hizmet Movement.
Although I’m a volunteer since my middle school years and his ideas and teachings shaped my life path, I could not fully comprehend the far horizons of Mr. Gulen.
His timely motions and well-thought acts to embrace diverse communities of the world shed intense light on the way his followers to establish peace islands at different locations in the world.
The people who think they know Gulen and the movement should read this book to rethink about their knowledge. This book made me to do that.
Thank you Prof. Pahl for your timely publication of this book, when the members of Hizmet need the most to refresh their perspective about this movement and Mr. Gulen, following the intense oppression and heinous acts of the tyrannies back “home”.
Although I’m a volunteer since my middle school years and his ideas and teachings shaped my life path, I could not fully comprehend the far horizons of Mr. Gulen.
His timely motions and well-thought acts to embrace diverse communities of the world shed intense light on the way his followers to establish peace islands at different locations in the world.
The people who think they know Gulen and the movement should read this book to rethink about their knowledge. This book made me to do that.
Thank you Prof. Pahl for your timely publication of this book, when the members of Hizmet need the most to refresh their perspective about this movement and Mr. Gulen, following the intense oppression and heinous acts of the tyrannies back “home”.
April 16, 2020
Fetullah Guelen, a Life of Hizmet, by Jon Pahl; Blue Dome Press: New Jersey; $24.95 hardback
What strange alchemy caused a Turkish, Islamic theologian to become one of the most influential thinkers of our century? What's more, how has he come to live in Pennsylvania, there to spiritually guide millions of adherents around the world? This biography of an almost saintly theologian comes to us from Dr. Jon Pahl, himself an historian, much awarded author, and United Lutheran Seminary religious scholar. Pahl's international presentations at major universities brought him first into fascination with, then to professional research on Guelen's movement, Hizmet.
We learn that Hizmet means service. Pahl shows how Guelen discovered, through life encounters carefully evaluated and discussed, a hard world rent with conflict and hatred. He gradually evolved thinking which postulated that even such a world could be influenced for the good by an active, religiously based 'compassion'. This compassion is manifested by 'service' to others.
The Turkey of Guelen's youth and middle age was one of endless conflict. Secular forces, Islamist groups, and others contested and even killed one another. Thus was precluded good government for a beleaguered population. Every decade, a military coup d'etat would force a resolution of sorts, which only put a lid on boiling conflicts. Guelen came, through prayers, discussion and contemplation to a new discovery. Religion could be a means of peace, not a cause of fighting among men. For this reason, his philosophy is challenged by dictators around the world, even in his beloved Turkey.
He proposed as a resolution a bridge of love. If you loved 'your Creator', you could not help but love your fellow human beings. He placed no titles, no religious definition, no limits on the nature of this bridge building. In time it took shape. He created foundations for open education which stressed patience, toleration, dialogue, and science. Soon followers began to institute, through his 'engaged empathy' concept, programs for youth, to keep them on a path for community service themselves. Sports and schools projects for children and youth, for helping the less favored and in need, became models of his efforts. One young man is quoted as having been led from radicalization to social service because of Guelen's way. Guelen did not stop there. He opined that freedom and the rule of law allowed Islam to flourish among other beliefs and customs so equally treated. His philosophy became a means of action, and this became a movement of people who genuinely wanted to live out their faith in peace with others, in service and education for generations to come, and in support of freedom of speech and the rule of law.
We Americans can learn much from this kind and thoughtful man. Our system at its best encourages understanding and tolerance of others. So it is that we can benefit greatly from such wise insights as Guelen offers. His way is not without controversy in lands where law is arbitrary, where justice is a sham. Guelen proposes we can all enjoy life together, live in harmony, and so give a gift of a happy land to our children.
What strange alchemy caused a Turkish, Islamic theologian to become one of the most influential thinkers of our century? What's more, how has he come to live in Pennsylvania, there to spiritually guide millions of adherents around the world? This biography of an almost saintly theologian comes to us from Dr. Jon Pahl, himself an historian, much awarded author, and United Lutheran Seminary religious scholar. Pahl's international presentations at major universities brought him first into fascination with, then to professional research on Guelen's movement, Hizmet.
We learn that Hizmet means service. Pahl shows how Guelen discovered, through life encounters carefully evaluated and discussed, a hard world rent with conflict and hatred. He gradually evolved thinking which postulated that even such a world could be influenced for the good by an active, religiously based 'compassion'. This compassion is manifested by 'service' to others.
The Turkey of Guelen's youth and middle age was one of endless conflict. Secular forces, Islamist groups, and others contested and even killed one another. Thus was precluded good government for a beleaguered population. Every decade, a military coup d'etat would force a resolution of sorts, which only put a lid on boiling conflicts. Guelen came, through prayers, discussion and contemplation to a new discovery. Religion could be a means of peace, not a cause of fighting among men. For this reason, his philosophy is challenged by dictators around the world, even in his beloved Turkey.
He proposed as a resolution a bridge of love. If you loved 'your Creator', you could not help but love your fellow human beings. He placed no titles, no religious definition, no limits on the nature of this bridge building. In time it took shape. He created foundations for open education which stressed patience, toleration, dialogue, and science. Soon followers began to institute, through his 'engaged empathy' concept, programs for youth, to keep them on a path for community service themselves. Sports and schools projects for children and youth, for helping the less favored and in need, became models of his efforts. One young man is quoted as having been led from radicalization to social service because of Guelen's way. Guelen did not stop there. He opined that freedom and the rule of law allowed Islam to flourish among other beliefs and customs so equally treated. His philosophy became a means of action, and this became a movement of people who genuinely wanted to live out their faith in peace with others, in service and education for generations to come, and in support of freedom of speech and the rule of law.
We Americans can learn much from this kind and thoughtful man. Our system at its best encourages understanding and tolerance of others. So it is that we can benefit greatly from such wise insights as Guelen offers. His way is not without controversy in lands where law is arbitrary, where justice is a sham. Guelen proposes we can all enjoy life together, live in harmony, and so give a gift of a happy land to our children.
February 10, 2021
It is a very detailed book about F. Gülen and in part of the Hizmet movement how they developed and in particular how Gülen‘s world view is. It is interesting to see how Gülen‘s whole life was opposing to what he was always been accused to have done. I can recommend this book to those people who are interested in the Gülen, the movement and who wants to understand the context about the current issues in Turkey regarding Gülen and the Hizmet movement.
November 8, 2020
This book is a propaganda tool of Fethuallah Gulen. He can hardly be called a "world leader." He followers are secretive, cunning, and lie amongst other Muslims outside Turkey. Gulen is a charismatic "cult leader" that unfortunately convinced this respected author to promote his image and ideology.
Very unfortunate.
Very unfortunate.
November 8, 2020
He is very talented as he managed to brain wash hundreds of thousands of innocent people to cratae most viscous army for himself. He is using religion to make people believe, he is also responsible of 242 people death and thousands wounds on his recent military take over attempt ! Him and his organisation very dangerous to any country. He is pure evil !
August 30, 2019
Impressive and well-crafted book. Jon Pahl deeply, historically and comprehensively tells about Mr. Gulen, and Hizmet movement in the book. I never would dream of having such a valuable book before I read it, but Pahl's book is above the expectations. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews