Those angry blog users would probably say that this is something that Fethullah Gulen thought to the charter school students, when they see the below video. They are also the same folks who invented such weird phrase of Gulen charter schools out of nowhere. This is a production of their ill imagination. It is not only Gulen charter schools phrase, but also juxtaposition of Fethullah Gulen and radical Islam into the same text. How funny it is. Let us remain silent here and bear witness to the power of science.
Gee it is not Mr Gulen teaching radical Islam on the video, but the brilliant students of Horizon charter schools experiencing the power of science. Congrats guys.
Below article well illustrates that Radical Islam or Turkish ties are not big deals for the parents of the charter schools that are somewhat associated with Fethullah Gulen.
ReplyDeleteSchools' backers say Islamic ties pose no threat BY MEGAN ROLLAND mrolland@opubco.com
Published: May 1, 2011
Modified: April 30, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Math teacher Ahmet Bilge helps students during after school tutoring at Dove Science Academy in Oklahoma City. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman
He did his own research, talked to teachers and students, and decided to stay.
“I was so impressed with the administrators, who happen to be Turkish, who happen to be Muslim, that I don't worry,” said Mikell, an associate professor of biology at Oklahoma Christian University. “I feel very comfortable. I have never had any fragment of an idea that they were trying to convert anyone to anything.”
Mikell's children attend Dove Science Academy Elementary, an Oklahoma City charter school funded with state tax dollars, run by a nonprofit organization, and free to students admitted through a lottery.
It is one of four Oklahoma charter schools run by the nonprofit Sky Foundation, which was founded in 2000 by five graduate students at Oklahoma State University. Most were members of the Turkish Student Association. In 2009, Sky Foundation reported nearly $8 million in revenue.
More than 120 charter schools nationwide were founded by Turkish nationals, beginning in 1999. The schools have excelled academically. They also have brought thousands of workers into the country on temporary visas.
And today the schools are part of a brewing controversy that touches on religion, Middle Eastern politics, the growing school choice movement and immigration.
Mikell said none of the controversy matters when he considers the outstanding education his children are receiving, tuition-free, at the Oklahoma City school.
The movement
At the center is Fethullah Gulen, a 70-year-old Turkish Muslim philosopher who preaches peace, interfaith cooperation, democracy and an emphasis on science and math.
From his current home — described as a retreat or compound in Pennsylvania — Gulen also promotes his brand of volunteerism that has inspired countless people throughout the world.
Social scientists, who have researched the Gulen Movement, claim there are millions of followers around the world and thousands of Gulen-inspired schools.
...
Those in the movement — who live their lives according to Gulen's teachings — are reticent to call it a movement, let alone agree there are charter schools inspired by Gulen.
“I would like to make a very clear distinction and put a space between Gulen-inspired schools and the nonexistence of what some bloggers call Gulen Charter schools,” said Ali Candir, president of The Gulen Institute at the University of Houston. “You can find these things on some ultra right-extremist blogs ... If there's a Turkish person there it can be imagined that some of these individuals, not all of them of course, might be inspired by the works and life of Mr. Gulen.”
...
Jill Carroll, who teaches religious studies at Rice and published a book on the movement, says that while the schools were clearly inspired by Gulen there is no central organization. She said the American public has nothing to fear.
“The tendency is for people over here who are afraid of Islam and Muslims to think that these are madrassas or they're teaching the Quran, and this is ridiculous,” Carroll said. “It's nothing but fear mongering ... not based on anything factual.”
Across the nation, the charter schools are known for their strong ...
Read more: http://mood.newsok.com/schools-backers-say-islamic-ties-pose-no-threat/article/3563627