Islam and Peacebuilding

The book Islam and Peacebuilding edited by John Esposito and Ihsan Yilmaz takes an intensive look at the positive aspects of the Gullen Movement in Turkey. Although Islam is usually associated with extremism and violence, the Gullen approach seems to be a useful method to employ in the Asian region. The movement has built hundreds of schools in Turkey and Central Asia. Part 1 of the book introduces the Gulen Movement. It dives into issues that concern the "Islamic World": secularism, the state, civil society, and most importantly democracy. The issues of contention come up right at the beginning. The second chapter of Part 1 addresses the resources Islam has for the achievement of peacebuilding and gives a brief outline of some of those achievmenets thus far. Part 2 of the book discusses the movement in terms of globalization: the effects it is having on the countries around us and even in the United States! Part 3 discusses the importance of theological and interfaith dialogue. The last chapter finishes off with peacebuilding and Global Action. What it means to be a global citizen and how the movement expands through this lens

All in all, I thought the book was great. There is a lot of leaning towards the movement that comes through because of the positive effects on the nation and outside. It also evaluates aspects of the movement that are non-political while giving an objective view of the areas that are. Although, it is less critical of the movement's movement into politics, it certainly points out some conflicting issues within the state. As a first book, it is a good introduction to the Movement and Gulen himself (much of what he has actually said is quoted and used to explain it in context.)