Have you ever cried together with an American professor? I have. At times, we also found ourselves smiling in disbelief at the absurd things happening in my country. He himself has not been able to travel to Turkey for ten years. His last visit was in 2015, when he moved around under surveillance, much like a character followed by an inspector in Les Misérables.
Jon Pahl is a professor of the history of Christianity in the United States and the author of numerous books. Known for his academic rigor and clarity of analysis, Pahl has also delivered lectures and conferences at prestigious universities such as the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and Yale University.
In the early 2000s, Jon Pahl began searching for meaning amid heavy global issues and overwhelming world events. While looking for an example in the world that could offer hope and peace, he was visited by volunteers from the Hizmet movement in the United States.
“I was invited to an iftar dinner in 2006. It was raining, and I almost didn’t go… but I went. If I hadn’t, I could never have imagined that my life would change in this way,” he recalls about his first encounter with Hizmet. What followed was a trip to Turkey and the opening of a new chapter in his life.
He felt great excitement and joy upon hearing about Fethullah Gülen. That day, he decided he had found what he had been searching for and began his research. He realized that no comprehensive international biography of Fethullah Gülen had been written, and he considered this a major gap. In 2010, he began writing the book.
During his last trip to Turkey in 2015, police followed him constantly. He changed locations three times. He arranged a 90-minute meeting with Yusuf Pekmezci, and they met in an abandoned factory. Yet the story he heard was so moving that the meeting lasted three hours, causing him to miss his flight to Erzurum.
He also met secretly in Izmir with Nurhayat Hanım, the sister of Fethullah Gülen. She read the lyrics of a childhood song they had once listened to together, and both were overcome with tears. Upon returning to the United States, Jon Pahl shared this story with Gülen, who also remembered those days with tears. “Sıbgatullah used to join that song too, though he could never quite sing it,” he said with a gentle smile.
Pahl continued his research until 2016. After the events of July 15, he decided to complete the book as quickly as possible in response to what he saw as injustices. For a full year, he rose every morning with excitement and worked at his desk, completing the manuscript with the support of his wife, Lisa. In 2018, he met Fethullah Gülen for the first time. Until then, he had avoided meeting him face-to-face in order to remain objective. After finishing the book, he presented the draft to Gülen and conducted interviews. Gülen offered him his own seat during their meeting—an act of courtesy that deeply impressed him.
The story of translating the book into French became an adventure in itself. For a long time, a suitable translator could not be found. Eventually, a translator from Belgium began the work but fell seriously ill during the COVID period six months later and had to withdraw from the project. Later, the renowned French theologian and academic Hervé Legrand was contacted and offered assistance. His sister, translator Anne-Marie Legrand, then took over the translation. The book was initially planned to be printed in the United States, but proper typesetting for French characters could not be achieved, requiring the process to start over. Eventually, through the help of close associates, discussions were held with the respected French publishing house La Harmattan. After lengthy negotiations and revisions, an agreement for publication was reached.
Jon Pahl was invited to France by the Cohesions Association to introduce the book. His visit took place in April 2026. Everywhere he went, he and his wife Lisa received significant attention.
One gathering at the home of Mr. Mevlüt, a businessman producing kitchen furniture in Paris, became a true mosaic of cultures. Alumni of Hizmet schools from Albania, Kazakhstan, Niger, and Afghanistan came together, making the evening vibrant and colorful. Ablaihan from Kazakhstan was an engineer working in nuclear science; Andi from Albania and his wife Lindi were university academics; Rabilou, a doctor from Niger; Ahmadullah from Afghanistan; and an American professor—all of us speaking the same language: the language of love.
On another day, while speaking with volunteers at the Paris Jeunactio youth center, we softly hummed the hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” together. “It reminds me of Hocaefendi,” he said with moist eyes.
Some volunteers stayed awake through the night to ensure the programs went smoothly. In the places we visited, there were moments of sadness, laughter, and song. Volunteers shared heartfelt stories. Lisa’s personal transformation after meeting Hizmet—how she began waking up earlier in the mornings and overcame her prejudices about Muslims—moved us deeply and sometimes brought us to tears.
“Everywhere we go, we meet beautiful people, and this deeply affects us,” they said. While touring central Paris, they checked the news and learned that flooding had occurred in their home region of Wisconsin. Their own house, located on higher ground, had not been affected, but some neighbors had suffered damage. We prayed together.
A conference and book presentation were held at Espace Bellechasse of the Académie d’Agriculture de France, one of Paris’s prestigious venues. The hall was full, and latecomers had to stand. French guests and attendees from various nationalities showed strong interest.
Jon Pahl explained that he had studied the Hizmet movement for twenty years, conducted in-depth research into Fethullah Gülen’s life, and written the book as a result of these studies.
The book has three main objectives:
First objective: To present the life of Fethullah Gülen accurately and in detail.
Second objective: To narrate the history of the Hizmet movement that emerged from Gülen’s life and to provide an introduction to Islam for non-Muslim readers.
Third objective: To demonstrate the contributions of Gülen’s life and the Hizmet movement to peace.
During his speech, he emphasized five key characteristics of Hizmet:
Non-violent Islamic practice
Dialogue open to different beliefs
Empathy
Science and education
Social service
He passionately described how many lives had been suddenly darkened after Hizmet was declared a scapegoat. Despite everything, he stated that continuing their lives with positive action remains the strongest response to injustice and unlawful treatment.
“I am a historian; I was trained to be skeptical—to research and to question. There may be areas where Hizmet can improve, but I have not seen a ‘dark side,’” he said. In response to another question, he advised strengthening the role of women, strictly complying with the laws of the countries where Hizmet operates, and never giving up on love.
As I said at the beginning, with an American professor, you find yourself sharing burdens that you cannot always express to people who speak your own language—yet you discover a common language nonetheless.
The book was translated into French by Anne-Marie Legrand, sister of the renowned French theologian Hervé Legrand. The work has reached a broad international audience through translations into many languages, including English, Greek, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, German, French, Chinese, Romanian, and Albanian. This demonstrates the global interest in a life devoted to the Hizmet movement.
The book was published with sponsorship from the Cohesions Association by the respected French publishing house La Harmattan. The back-cover description reads:
“Born in 1938 in a remote village in Anatolia, how did Fethullah Gülen inspire Hizmet, a global movement devoted to education, social initiatives, and interfaith dialogue, supported by millions? How did the influence of this peaceful Muslim thinker provoke such intense hostility? Even President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared him public enemy number one.”
Book presentation programs continue across France, with upcoming events in Rennes, Orléans, Creil, Marseille, Strasbourg, Metz, Colmar, Mulhouse, Lyon, and Bordeaux.
While visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral, Jon Pahl lit a candle for me and asked me to make a wish. I expressed my hope that the number of French friends—like him—who understand both the intellectual and practical dimensions of Hizmet would increase. He prayed and was deeply moved.
He also shared that he named two trees in his garden after his late mother Barbara and father Fred, whom he visits daily to remember and pray for. On the anniversary of Fethullah Gülen’s passing, he named an oak tree overlooking a lake in his honor and said that he offers a special prayer there each day.
Paris is often called the “City of Lights” (La Ville Lumière). Who knows—perhaps a new light will rise again in these lands as well.
