Dr Salih Yucel - School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies
Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies
School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies
The Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology
6th Floor, Menzies Building
(Building 11)
Monash University Victoria 3800
Australia
Phone: 61- 3- 9905 2173
Email: salih.yucel@monash.edu
Personal History
I completed my Bachelor of Islamic Theology - a five-year program and equivalent to undergraduate and Masters degree - at the University of Ankara in 1982. I undertook various ecclesiastical roles for ten years for the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Turkey. Subsequent to attaining my Australian permanent-resident status, I completed my Master of Theology at the University of Sydney in 1996. I continued my postgraduate studies in United States and attained Doctorate of Ministry from Boston University in 2007. My doctoral research was about Tibb Nabawi - Medicine of the Prophet - from the earliest to modern period together with the effects of prayer on healing.
While I was in Boston, I was cofounder and the director of the Boston Dialogue Foundation, which is a community based organization dedicated to fostering interfaith and intercultural dialogue between Muslims and greater Boston community. I also worked as a pastoral care consultant for Harvard Medical School's hospitals. After ten years in the United States, I returned to Australia in 2007. I currently work as a lecturer in the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology at Monash University. I am also supervising Islamic Studies at Charles Stuart University.
Current Research
My current research is about "Memories of early Muslim immigrants in Australia." I am also a consultant to Australian Intercultural Society and working on a research about how dialogue can be promoted between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Major Publications
The Struggle of Ibrahim: Biography of an Australian Muslim, Tughra Books, New Jersey USA, 2010
Prayer and Healing in Islam, Tughra Books, New Jersey USA, 2010
Iman-i Kamil, Mature Faith by Mustafa Kemal Bin Omer al-Erzurumi Translated to modern Turkish from classical Ottoman scripture. Ankara, 1982.
Refereed Articles
“Spiritual Role Models in Fethullah Gulen’s Educational Philosophy”, Tawarikh, International Journal for Historical Studies, 3(1) 2011, http://www.tawarikh-journal.com/files/File/04.yucel.mu.octo.2011.pdf
“Is Islam part of the Problem or Solution: An Australian Immigrant Experience”, Turkish Journal of Politics, Number 2 volume 1, Summer, 2011, http://tjp.fatih.edu.tr/docs/articles/90.pdf
“Said Nursi’s approach to the environment: A spiritual view on the book of universe,” Quarterly Insights (4) 2009
"Fethullah Gulen: A Spiritual Leader in a Global Islamic Context" Journal of Religion and Society, Volume 12, 2010, U.S.A
"Healing in the Qur'an and Sunnah," Journal of Academic Studies, V. 11 Number 40, July 2009, Istanbul, Turkey.
"Institutionalising of Muslim-Christian Dialogue: Nostra Aetate and Fethullah Gülen's Vision," published online in 15 November, 2009 at http://en.fgulen.com, Fethullah Gulen's official website and Australian Catholic University website www.acu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/223090/Institutionalizing_of_Muslim-Christian_Dialogue_Nostra_Aetate_and_Fethullah_Gulens_Vision.pdf
Refereed Presentations
Is Islam an obstacle for progress: A critical approach of Said Nursi, “Islam and Development Roundtable” 13th December 2011, Deakin University
Radical reactions against aggression and Gulen’s language of cooperation on “Ethics in a Multifaith Society: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue”conference at Australian Catholic University, 22-23 November 2011
Islam and Ecology: Said Nursi’s holistic approach to the book of universe on “Forum on Religion and Ecology”, Monash University, 28.10. 2011
Do Muslims see Australia as their home? The notion of watan al-sukna in Islam, on ‘Enrichment of a socially inclusive society: challenges and solutions’ conference at Charles Stuart University, Canberra, July 12, 2011
Spiritual Role Models in Fethullah Gulen’s Educational Philosophy, “The significance of education for the future: The Gulen model of education” October 19-22, 2010 at The State Islamic University, Jakarta
Is Islam part of the Problem or Solution: An Australian Immigrant Experience, on “ Japanese Society encounters Islam” at Kogakuin University, Tokyo 1-2 October, 2010
Prophet Muhammed and his holistic approach to the environment, Centres for Muslim States and Societies, University of Western Australia, May 2, 2010
The Role of Faith in Palliative care, ‘On death and Dying’, Australian Catholic University, April 7-9, 2010
"Fethullah Gulen and the Concept of Otherness", at Religion and Otherness workshop, Monash University, Sunway Campus in Malaysia, 10 June, 2009.
"Institutionalising of Muslim-Christian Dialogue: Nostra Aetate and Fethullah Gülen's Vision," From Dialogue to Collaboration: The Vision of Fethullah Gülen and Muslim-Christian Relations Conference, organized by Monash University, Australian Catholic University, and Australian Intercultural Society, 15-16 July, 2009.
"Fethullah Gülen: Spiritual Leader in a Global Islamic Context," Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA) Annual Conference, hosted by Macquarie University, Department of Modern History, Politics, International Relations and Security, 28-29 September, 2009.
"Aussie Muslims: Facts and Challenges," Latrobe University, 9 November, 2009.
"Australia Diverse Cultures and Multifaith Communities: Fethullah Gulen's Vision and Building Bridges Projects," Parliament of World Religions, 6-9 December, Melbourne, 2009.
"The Gulen Movement's Global Peace and Social Reconciliation Vision and Projects: Lessons Learned from the US," Parliament of World Religions, 6-9 December, Melbourne, 2009.
"Correlation between Religion and Muslim family in Australia", Religion and Governing the Family Conference, Monash University, August 14, 2008.
"Dialogue: the Way of Civilization," Keynote speech at University of NH commencement, NH, May 17, 2005, USA
Non-refereed Articles
"The necessity for dialogue", Fountain Magazine January-March 2007.
"Islam and Muslims in America before Columbus", Fountain Magazine, issue 58, April-June 2007.
"Ramadan and its Social Dimension", Today's Zaman, (English version of Turkish daily newspaper), September 2, 2008.
"Ermeni Diasporasi ve Turkiyenin Yumusak Gucu" (The Armenian Diaspora and Turkey's Soft Power), Zaman Gazetesi (Turkish daily newspaper), 18 October, 2009
"Minare Yasagi ve Neo Con Oryantalizm," (Banning Minaret and Neo Conservative Orientalism), Star Gazetesi (Turkish daily newspaper), 21 December, 2009
Some Non-refereed Presentations
"Rumi and Peaceful coexistence," Pearl of Islands Foundation, Auckland, 17.12.2011
"Parenting in Islam," Mackay Islamic Society, Mackay Queensland, 20 January, 2009
"Islam and Mentoring," Serenity Foundation, Melbourne, 11 January, 2009
"Prophet Muhammad in Poetry," Feza Foundation, Sydney, 24 April, 2009
"Islam and Modernity," organized by Maldives Ministry of Religious Affairs, 5 September, 2009
"Education from Modern Islamic Perspective," organized by Maldives Ministry of Education in September 6th, 2009
"Success and Principles of Islamic Education," Horizon Youth International School, Male, Maldives, 7 September, 2009
"Islam, Human Rights, and Pluralism," Maldives Human Rights Commission, 9 September, 2009
"Education from Different Islamic Perspectives," Sule College, Sydney 28 October, 2009
"Muslims and Dialogue in Massachusetts," Harvard Divinity School, November 30, 2006
"Controversy about the Danish Cartoons", March 13, 2006, Americans for Informed Democracy, Fletcher School, Tufts University, Somerville, MA, USA.
"What does it mean to be Muslim in America?" November 24, 2005, Department of Religion, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
"Muslim Leadership in America", November 8, 2005 Experimental College, Tufts University, Somerville, MA, USA.
"Dialogue: the Way of Civilization", May 17, 2005, Keynote speech at UNH commencement, NH, USA.
"Dialogue with People of the Book", May 24, 2005, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL, USA.
"Islam and Turkish Muslimness", February 25, 2005, Balfour Center for Multicultural Affairs, Providence College, RI, USA.
"Peace and War in the Qur'an", Sufi Club for Interfaith Dialogue, March 3, 2003, Princeton University, NJ, USA.
"Sufism and Inner Peace", Rumi Club, February 19, 2003, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
"Prophet Muhammed and Humanity", Bloomington Muslim Dialogue Group, Indiana, May 16, 2003 University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN, USA.
"Peace and War in the Qur'an", Sufi Club for Interfaith Dialogue, March 3, 2003, Princeton University, NJ, USA.
"Tolerance in Islam", November 24, 2004, Worchester Polytechnic Institute, MA, USA.
"Why Interfaith Dialogue", Cornell Society for Islamic Spirituality, November 20, 2002, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Areas of Research & Supervision
- Memories of early Muslim immigrants in Australia after Second World War
- Islamic thought in the modern world and contemporary Islamic movements
- Interfaith and intercultural activities between Muslims and non-Muslims
- Advisor, Islamic studies and interfaith education, Charles Stuart University
Postgraduate Supervision
PhD Candidates currently being supervised
Mohd Rosmizi Abd Rahman, The concept of good deeds according to Augustine and Al-Ghazali
Burhan Che Daud, The life and career of Nur al-Din Mahmud b. Zanki
Mark Antony Stone, (Neither Shall They Grieve: Contemporary Sufism, Universalism and Inter-Religious Understanding
Sureyya Cicek: ' A study of the internal growth dynamics of the Gulen movement and its dialogical engagement with non-Muslim communities'
Mahsheed Ansari: 'Prophethood and Muhammed according to to Mawlana Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) and Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960)'
PhD Candidates currently being co-supervised
Ahmet Polat: 'Islamic Philanthropy and Civic Society Activism: The Differences between the Secular Schools Associated with the Gulen Movement and Islamic Schools in the Secular States'.
John D'Alton: The concept of jihad in pre-Islamic Syrian Christian and early Sufi Muslim writings
MA Candidates currently being co-supervised
Selma Sivri, The nature of Gulen's Sufism and what differs him from contemporary Sufis
Teaching
ATS2907 / ATS3907: Islamic leadership in the 20th century
ATS2586 / ATS3586 - Islam: Principles, Civilization and Influence
ATS2611 / ATS3611 - Mystics, authority and society
ATS4289 - Medieval Dialogues: Mysticism, Reason and Society
ATS3341 / ATS4341 / RLM4145 - Interpreting the sources of Islam: the Qur'an and hadith
ATS4342 - Islamic thought in the modern world
ATS1324 - Histories of God
Islam and Muslims in America, ten week seminar, Regis College, Wayland, MA, US, spring 2007.