Muslim Violence – mymilieu.org

Like you all, terrorism or extremism by any religion, including Muslim, bothers me deeply. I have always been of the opinion that the onus of introspecting and changing practices and rituals are strictly upon the followers of the ideology. For many years now, I have had this feeling that, it is time for Muslims to introspect and change. The time has really come now that the world has started reacting to aggressive radicalism, violence and the definition of Jihad.

I have been following Gulen and his Hizmet movement for sometime. Fathullah Gulen is a Muslim radical thinker from Turkey and has been spearheading this reform within Muslim Community.

This blog is circulated to a very handful of friends whom I consider iconoclasts and intellectuals. Here, I request you all to share your thoughts and provide balanced feedback without a bias towards Muslim religion and a benevolent feeling towards their religious philosophy.

My initial attempt is to understand the issues from differing perspective and eventually, I will share my thoughts and ideas. As I talk and discuss this with my Muslim brothers, I realize there is a strong feeling to change. However, there is no voice to guide them and if at all it emerges, that voice is snubbed with violence. Please spread this message from Mr. Fathullah Gulen to your Muslim brothers. This is an extra ordinary work and a singular and exemplary movement that spells awakening not alone with followers of Islam but also provides a path for other religions to introspect and open. Please forward this work within your Muslim brothers.

Of note, like Hizmet, other religions should come forward and introspect and flush few of those centuries old traditions and precepts, that have become obsolete in the contemporary scenario. Truly speaking, our relationship to God is unlikely to change simply because we change few of those old obsolete malfunctional ideas. It is likely, he will bless for reinvigorating his ideology.

A very Lucid and small book by F Gulen Click the link to download and read). perspective-muslim-countering-violence

COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM : MUJAHADA and MUSLIMS’ RESPONSIBILITY (Brussels, March 2016)

SYMPOSIUM COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM : MUJAHADA and MUSLIMS’ RESPONSIBILITY in MEDIA

Who is Gulen and what’s Hizmet?

Countering violent extremism programs are not the solution to Orlando mass shooting

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE)

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Programs

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM: MUJAHADA AND MUSLIMS’ RESPONSIBILITY

Muslims Only Cannot Condemn Terrorism, they also need to understand it’s root cause.

“MUSLIMS, WE HAVE TO CRITICALLY REVIEW OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM”

EVENT “ROOTING OUT VIOLENT EXTREMISM”

EVENT: “RENEWING ISLAM BY SERVICE”

FETHULLAH GULEN’S OP-ED IN WSJ: MUSLIMS MUST COMBAT THE EXTREMIST CANCER

Hizmet has solid foundation based on different value set and principles. If I understand Gulenist and Hizmet philosophy little bit, I trust coups are contrary to their dogmas.

Politicians have always been increasingly complicit with manipulating, procreating circumstances and misdirecting fluid and ambiguous general temperament to espouse causes that gratify their vested interests.

Politicians have since long back started drifting from being leaders and recently, we see an upsurge of these class of so called civilian (naive call them leaders, we should differentiate them as politicians, like teratoma).

The struggle obviously is between secularist and Islamist. It’s a class divide, similar to Brexit, where the educated, elite and socially well placed have embraced a form of Islam (religion with open mind) that is outward looking…. As compared to Erdogan’s AKP, which mainly has a base amongst the underprivileged, young and traditional Islam values. Over a period of 14 years, we see that disenchantment and discontent simmering between this groups and the rift is widening.

How does Turkey matter to US and the world?

It’s strategic location – both current and historical, between the west and the east, it’s historical moderate stand amongst the Muslim nations and it being part of NATO and recently the EU. Some major global political activities, such as Syrian crisis, are happening right next to Turkey. Each of these factors have an impact on the outcome of the cascading events in current geopolitical dynamics. That makes Turkey important to HK bal event, especially to NATO and US.

Who is Gulen and whats Hizmet?

Hizmet is a global initiative inspired by Gulen, who espouses what The New York Times has described as “a moderate, pro-Western brand of Sunni Islam that appeals to many well-educated and professional Turks.” Nongovernmental organizations founded by the Hizmet movement, including hundreds of secular co-ed schools, free tutoring centers, hospitals and relief agencies, are credited with addressing many of Turkey’s social problems (CNN, Failed coup in Turkey: What you need to know http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/18/middleeast/turkey-failed-coup-explainer/index.html).

A great simile runs between Dalai Lama and Fethullah Gulen. Both are spiritually driven political movements that a abhorred by their respective establishments, both have social transformation as a common agenda and both are nonviolent movements that have strengths arising from spiritual awakening. Naturally, they are denounced.

(The above blog was written on July 18, 2016 and posted here in Oct 2016)

Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet Movement (Primary Observations on Gulen and Hizmet)

Profile: Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet movement (BBC Dec 2013)

Turkey coup: What is Gulen movement and what does it want? (BBC July 2016)

Gulen Movement

Gulen movement sympathizers committed to interfaith dialogue, charity and nviolence

Why Is Turkey Targeting Hizmet? Questions about Erdoğan’s Post-Coup Crackdown

Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdish Issue