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INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IMPERATIVE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Scholar promotes progressive ideals of Fethullah Gulen in new book

HOUSTON, Texas - So much violence and strife in the world today can be traced to one, overriding concept: a clash of cultures. Differing religions, values and traditions have pitted nations against each other for thousands of years, with no end in sight. With such a deep-rooted history of disagreement over beliefs, will it ever be possible for world cultures to connect?Dr. Jill Carroll, an acclaimed scholar of religious studies and the humanities, says there are deep convictions on which people of any culture can agree.Her new book, A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gulen’s Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse (The Light, Inc., April 2007, ISBN-13: 978-1-59784-110-8, $13.95), explores subjects such as inherent human value, freedom and responsibility through the progressive ideals of Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen. Gulen’s views are presented alongside philosophers of vastly different perspectives, such as Kant and Sartre, to reveal how people of diverse backgrounds can hold certain, core beliefs about humanity.

“An open dialogue between people with vastly different worldviews is more important today than ever,” says Dr. Carroll, the associate director for the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University. “Globalization, mass communications and technology have pushed groups together in ways never before experienced in human history, and it is important to develop a capacity to relate on some level with people different from ourselves. There are basic ideas about humanity we can all connect on and rally around, cross culturally.”

Gulen has inspired a faith-based civil society movement in Turkey and throughout the world, based on his ideals of democracy, education, global tolerance and an open, interfaith dialogue. Drawing on a Sufi tradition and belief system, Gulen strives to create an Islamic middle ground that integrates scientific knowledge with spiritual values, and Muslim beliefs with modern thought.

“Gulen has championed dialogue as a necessary commitment in the contemporary world, both in his career as a state-authorized preacher in Turkey and as an inspirational scholar and teacher to people throughout the world,” says Dr. Carroll. “I see great connections between his work and that of some of the great thinkers and philosophers of world intellectual history.”

Dr. Carroll currently resides in Pearland, Texas, near Houston, where she lectures on the humanities and religious studies at Rice University. She frequently appears on Houston television and as an expert source in the Houston Chronicle, and she also hosts a local radio program on tolerance, “Peaceful Coexistence.” An accomplished public speaker and author, Dr. Carroll has visited Turkey on several occasions to witness the positive impact of Gulen’s work firsthand, though she is not a Muslim herself. For more information, visit www.thelightpublishing.com.

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To schedule an interview with Dr. Carroll or to receive more information, please contact Amy Currie at (512) 478-2028 ext. 211 or acurrie@phenixpublicity.com.