| Meet Fethullah Gülen, the World's Top Public Intellectual |
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| Written by Hakan Yeşilova |
| 2008.08.06 |
 The US-based Foreign Policy and the British Prospect magazines hold joint surveys every few years to find out who their readers think are the top public intellectuals. But none of them was as overwhelming as that of 2008, the results of which were announced on June 23rd: More than half a million people who went online to vote for their favorite intellectual. This figure was extraordinarily above the number of votes received in previous surveys, and what surprised the editors of these magazines most was that the landslide majority of these votes were for one person: Fethullah Gülen.
For those who are familiar with Gülen and his influence over large masses this was not a surprise. For Kerim Balcı from Today's Zaman 500,000-some votes were "a shame for Gülen's supporters." He certainly has a point if we ponder a bit on the great chasm between intellectuals and the general public. How many intellectuals have public access? How many have some influence over large populations, or enjoy being understood by the people, with the exception of a few academics? Looking at the survey from this angle reveals a problem embedded in juxtaposing the term "public" next to "intellectual." If there is a person in the list who best reflects this compound, Gülen is no doubt the most fitting name. After the results were announced Foreign Policy magazine requested an interview with Gülen. For the last two decades journalists have been applying for interviews, but in most cases Gülen has politely declined such requests either due to his ill health or for other personal reasons. This is why we only have a handful of interviews with him published in the press. Nevertheless, in gratitude to Foreign Policy's naming him in the list he accepted. This interview is published exclusively at the website of Foreign Policy. |
| Last Updated ( 2008.08.16 ) |