Muslim Journeys: Hizmet as a Contemporary Muslim Spiritual Renewal and Social Reform Movement A Lecture by Dr. Scott Alexander, Director of Catholic-Muslim Studies at the Catholic Theological Union

The Gülen or Hizmet movement is a non-political service group that grew from a handful of students, teachers and businessmen in late 60s Turkey to inspire millions of adherents around the world. Its basic principles stem from Islam’s universal values, such as love of the creation, sympathy for the fellow human, compassion and altruism. It focuses on the betterment of the individual toward a positive change in society and is distinguished for its support of democracy, its openness to globalization, its progressiveness in integrating tradition with modernity and its commitment to peaceful co-existence and interfaith dialogue. Born against a backdrop of poverty, corruption, religious restriction, anti-democratic intervention and ethnic clashes, the movement was founded by Fethullah Gülen who taught the value of reforming oneself and thus becoming a better believer and practitioner of faith, serving something greater than yourself, education as the solution to most problems, a successful synthesis or integration of religion, modernity, patriotism, democracy, science, arts, secularism and positive action, as well as outreach and inclusiveness. As the movement has flourished, Gülen, the man, has shown a great reluctance to placing himself at the top of a rigid hierarchy. Instead, he prefers to encourage his followers to express their philosophy in independent works of service to their fellow man regardless of religious, ethnic or cultural differences. Dr. Scott Alexander will trace the history of the movement and discuss its considerable impact on the world today. This event includes a tour of the Turkish AMerican Cultural Center as well as light refreshments.


This fall, the Lakewood Public Library will be hosting a series of programs that will bring to light the cultural, historical and spiritual lives of Muslims in America and around the world. Topics range from Western perspectives on Muslim history to the loving and universal poetry of  Rumi to the rise of the Islam-inspired Hizmet social reform movement. There will be documentaries about the life of Muhammad, the majesty of Islamic art and a conservative Muslim woman’s struggle to educate young Pakistani women. A charming, fictional film will provide a glimpse of everyday life in Turkey and an animated film will illustrate the story of a headstrong young girl growing up in the middle of the Iranian revolution. Children’s programs will focus on arts and crafts of henna design, calligraphy, mosaics and ebru. An ensemble of Sufi musicians will present a glorious concert of openhearted music that welcomes all faiths. And a masterpiece of Persian poetry will be brought to life by actors and musicians reading selections from The Conference of the Birds. The series begins on Saturday, September 7 with a documentary film, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, introduced and moderated by Dr. Zeki Saritoprak of John Caroll University. A complete schedule with program descriptions and more can be found at www.lakewoodpubliclibrary.org/muslimjourneys. These programs are sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Turkish American Society of Ohio--Cleveland.