News outlets all over the world have started the day with a major update: the Turkish cleric and teacher Fethullah Gülen has passed away. It did not make the front pages, but the news is there somewhere. The headings mention his name with accusations of the Turkish regime, never proven nor accepted by the international community, and far from the truth for anyone who cares to look beyond the two lines heading of an article.

Today, I would rather be remembering Mr. Gülen as the figure behind – and I say this sincerely with no intention of exaggerating – the greatest story of our times which few know about, a story of hope and true efforts of peacebuilding impacting the entire world. Mr. Gülen, through his teachings and life’s work, inspired what’s known today as the Hizmet Movement, a social movement that, while rooted in the Islamic faith, calls ALL to serve ALL. The word hizmet is Turkish for service. This call to service is an invitation to participate in the creation of a peaceful society, cohesive in all its diversity, where our shared values, those same values found in all major faiths and the foundations of our secular laws, are upheld.

Fethullah Gülen was born in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, in 1938. By the late 1960’s and early 70’s, Mr. Gülen’s teaching were inspiring young and old who felt that their faith was separated from the reality of their lives, that their spiritual beliefs and needs were not compatible with modern life. What people heard, some in sermons at a mosque, many in gatherings at local cafés, was that Islam, and for that matter all major faiths, requires for us to actively participate in life, to care for others, to embrace knowledge and science as divine gifts, to see education as fundamental to understanding the mysteries of the universe and our fellow human beings, and ultimately to build a better world for all. For those who believe, faith is their fuel and hizmet is done for the sake and pleasure of the Creator; but for those whose trust might be elsewhere, motivation can still be found in social wellbeing and the common good.

The Hizmet Movement brilliantly focused its efforts in three grand areas. First and foremost, education, nourishing hearts and minds as the foundation for any positive developments, especially in today’s diverse and multicultural societies. By now, the Hizmet Movement has spread globally to almost all countries in the world, establishing some of the most reputable academic institutions from elementary to universities, gifting the world with a few generations of highly prepared professionals and intellectuals who were also exposed to the ethics and philosophy of caring of their teachers. Charity and relief for those in need has been another area of constant activities. Every major natural disaster in the past decades has seen the immediate helping hand of Hizmet institutions and volunteers, from the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and the one in Nepal in 2015, or hurricanes Katrina and Sandy in the USA, to the outpouring of aid sent to the victims of the 2023 earthquake in Turkey (despite the relentless persecution of the movement there). Added to these actions are a myriad of ongoing global relief campaigns addressing poverty, health, access to clean water, refugees, and more. Fethullah Gülen also set an example by extending his goodwill to other faiths, pointing at common grounds and celebrating our shared values. Today, Hizmet institutions and individuals in cities all around the world are connectors and promoters of intercultural dialogue, bringing together and providing a space for religious leaders, public officials, and the community at large to know each other and work together in building a better society. This commitment and tireless efforts have improved the individual lives of millions in countless communities that today are thankful to have a Hizmet participant as a neighbor.

As an image maker, photography has always been a way and an excuse to learn about something that interest me. In 2016, after encountering this “Hizmet” and curious about it, I embarked on a visual photographic project aiming at understanding what this movement is and its international character. For a long time, I restrained myself from meeting Mr. Gülen. I know how impactful charismatic figures could be. Even if one is not too impressionable, some individuals are still able to attract the attention and admiration of so many. When I was in middle school, Pope John Paul II visited the Dominican Republic and I will never forget the feeling of joy at seeing him from a distance. On another occasion, as a young photo-assistant, I remember a great sense of respect while shaking hands with Kofi Annan during a photoshoot in his office at the United Nations. And just the other day and by chance, exchanging smiles and saying hello to Sting as we crossed paths while walking in Central Park became the highlight of the day. (These things happen!) Recently, I met Hocaefendi Fethullah Gülen.

By then I had seen and experience much of what Hizmet is, and I felt that meeting him was not going to affect my views on the movement. It took a couple tries, his health was already deteriorating and most times receiving visitors was a major effort for him. When I was finally in his presence, to my own surprise, I had no questions for him. I was left with a thought that day. And today as his passing is announced that thought comes back to mind: was Hizmet a reflection of him or did he make himself throughout his life into the idea of Hizmet? He signaled for me to come closer and offered me tea and some chocolates. Someone translated to him in Turkish what I have been doing and passed to him a small box with 10 pictures from the project. He nodded and said thank you. (I lament he will not see the final work.) I did ask him if I could take his picture. He said, “I am not important. Hizmet is all you have already seen, but if you think this can help in any way, I will do as you ask.”