Gulen-Inspired schools are not just “foreign investments” in more than 100 countries, but they are valuable institutions contributing to their respective countries in many ways. Cultivating a generation of global intellectuals and opening new windows to global opportunities, especially in developing countries, are among the biggest benefits these schools provide.

Last week I started writing about the International Conference on the Gulen Movement held in Chicago, titled "The Gulen Movement: Paradigms, Projects and Aspirations," and promised to continue this week.

On the second day of the conference, the first panel was titled "Sociological Approaches to the Hizmet Movement" and the speakers were Suveyda Karakaya of the University of Tennessee, Gökhan Bacık of Zirve University, and Muhammed Çetin of East Stroudsburg University.

Fatih University professor Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz had a seat at the Board of Editors of “2010 Int’l Conference on the Gulen Movement.” The conference was held in Chicago and witnessed an elegant parade of academicians from all parts of the world. It is encouraging to see such high level attention is given to this volunteers’ movement that serves humanity with relentless effort. Dr. Yilmaz shares his observations from the conference in this article.

Serhii Lashchenko who is a writer for Ukrainian weekly The Day Weekly Digest, writes about how he thinks every Ukrain and other nations need a person like Fethullah Gulen or at least his ideas. He thinks the people should undertake the dialogue initiatives, like Gulen Movement does, themselves. Lashchenko further argues that if “Gulen’s articles were read by leaders of nations, many conflicts would not exists.”

Rev. Dr. Dirk Ficca talked about the way Fethullah Gulen could influence adherents of all religions in the world to commit to peaceful coexistence. Rev. Ficca also sees the Gulen Movement as a model for his organization.

A leading American minister has said all religions need an adherent like Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish-Islamic scholar whose teachings focusing on interfaith dialogue have been widely lauded around the world.

In a continuing and growing trend, universities from around the world are spending extra time and effort in trying to understand and research the ideas of Fethullah Gulen. Most recently Temple University's Department of Religion in Philadelphia played host to a conference - with what would be considered a new and popular area of interest in the community - eco-justice. Such activities underlie the importance Mr Gulen places on crucial social issues. More information about the conference please read below:

The Rumi Forum, a Washington based think tank, whose mission is to foster intercultural dialogue, has presented its traditional Peace and Dialogue Awards at a nice ceremony.

Monash University PhD candidates Yucel and Ansari are reflecting on the latest Gulen conference organized by the Gulen Chair at the UIN Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Indonesia.

A few days before the devastating tsunami hit the West coast of Indonesia, an important conference was held in the heart of country’s capital, Jakarta, on Oct. 19-22.