M. Fethullah Gulen is one of the most influential scholars in the Muslim world today. His ideas have inspired millions to take part in a movement of intercultural and interfaith dialogue and educational activism, which produced hundreds of quality schools and dialogue organizations in more than 110 countries.
Gulen was born in 1938 in Eastern Turkey to a humble and pious family. His father was an imam at a local mosque and his mother took unto herself to educate the children in her village along with 6 of her own. Fethullah Gulen completed his elementary education in the village of his birth and started a traditional religious education. He studied all Islamic disciplines in a short time and started preaching at the age of 14. He did not neglect keeping up with the contemporary issues and maintained a keen interest in the western world as well as the well being of his countrymen.