Public Lecture by Dr. James Harrington:
“Free Speech, Religious Freedom, and Democracy in Turkey:
The Political Trials and Times of Fethullah Gülen”
Dr. James Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project and Adjunct Professor at the School of Law in the University of Texas talked about the political trial of Fethullah Gülen, a moderate Turkish religious leader, helped to greatly expand civil liberties and strengthen democracy in Turkey. The trial began in 2000 in an Ankara state security court and ended in 2008 in an appeals court in Gülen’s favor. He also talked about the Hizmet (Gulen) Movement, which originated in 1970s’ Turkey as a faith-inspired initiative to improve educational opportunities for a local community; and which since then, has grown into a transnational educational, inter-cultural and interfaith movement…
Event was organized by Intercultural Dialogue Institute Toronto & Centre for European, Russian, and Euroasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto…
Dr. Harrington also spoke at the dinner event that took place at IDI Toronto’s office on the same day.
