Conversations on Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement : Dreaming for a Better World

The world needs vision to anticipate its potential for positive change, and that is what this book represents. While many equate faith positions with conflict, this book presents a more positive position--based in the philosophy of Fethullah GUlen--that emphasizes the potential for collaboration of faiths while acknowledging their diversity. This book, entitled Conversations on Fethullah Gülen and the Hizment Movement: Dreaming for a Better World, is intended to represent an open perspective on the influence of the Hizmet Movement, including Fethullah Gülen in particular, on the theme of “dreaming for a better world,” based on a variety of Christian and Muslim world views. This theme is approached from three specific perspectives: education and an emphasis on interfaith and intercultural dialogue, a comparison of various spiritualties, and a consideration of the shared dreams of the two religions. The essays in this volume are adapted from talks presented by eleven authors from Canada and the United States at the Gülen Symposium at Carleton University in October 2009. The panel discussion that followed the individual presentations enhanced the overall theme of “dreaming for a better world.” The symposium as a whole represented the positive potential that there is for the organization of forums of sharing that focus on this theme and on the three sub themes. The world needs vision to anticipate its potential for positive change, and that is what this book represents. While many equate faith positions with conflict, this book presents a more positive position—based in the philosophy of Fethullah Gülen—that emphasizes the potential for collaboration of faiths while acknowledging their diversity.