GYV discusses respect for sacred values at UN panel


Date posted: March 16, 2014

Geneva – The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) held a panel on Saturday on “Respect for Sacred Values” at the United Nations’ Geneva headquarters. Many academics and diplomats showed great interest in the panel, which was held as the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) conducted its annual meetings in Geneva.

Delivering speeches and making presentations, academics and diplomats agreed that free expression must be defended, but should not be used to justify hate speech or insulting language. In this context, the meeting on sacred values emphasized the importance of freedom of thought through emphasis on dialogue and tolerance.

Swiss academic Jean-François Mayer, who moderated the discussion, said that while the panel could not eradicate injustice and intolerance, it could contribute by finding productive ways to fight them. Mayer also said that he represents those who could not attend the panel and that the panel’s attendees aimed at contributing to better understanding of tolerance and dialogue.

GYV deputy chair Hüseyin Hurmalı, speaking at the 32nd Abant Platform in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa last weekend, discussed Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen‘s methods of struggling against ignorance, poverty and strife. Stressing that Gülen has put forth peaceful co-existence as the only solution to these kinds of problems, Hurmalı said the GVY, through several organizations that it founded, has striven to establish peace by fostering human rights, freedom of belief and freedom of expression.

Intolerance cannot exist where sacred values are kept alive

Dr. İbrahim Salama, who has worked for the UNHRC, also took the floor. Salama said that a lack of tolerance where sacred values are kept alive is impossible. “Religions are not an obstacle to human rights, religion even contributes to settling many problems. When one examines Islamic history, I am sure that many questions on human rights and peaceful co-existence will find answers, when the history is deeply examined. But I believe that terms like freedom of expression and belief give rise to confusion because they are not defined clearly.”

Emphasizing that the exchanging viewpoints was a habit of Prophet Muhammad, Salama said, “Our prophet spent his whole life fighting against oppressive regimes and he always exchanged views with his friends while he struggled with such regimes.”

Stefan Hammer, from the University of Vienna Faculty of Law, said that the ECHR clearly defines the concepts of freedom of religion and freedom of belief, and bans all kind of hate speech against any religion or race, adding: “Dialogue among nations and civilizations should be increased as well as knowledge-sharing and more constructive discussions. All sorts of hate and violent speech should be barred through dialogue efforts.”

Source: Todays Zaman , March 16, 2014


Related News

International Workshop – Hizmet Movement between Political Islam and Civil Islam

Hizmet-inspired European organizations are organizing an international conference to be held in November 2017 in Amsterdam. The workshop will examine the Hizmet Movement in the realm of political Islam and civil Islam.

Turkish school graduates in Bosnia now teachers at alma maters

Ten graduates of Turkish schools in Bosnia, which were opened right after the Bosnian war and are among the top educational institutions in the country, are now working as teachers at the schools they attended as students, the Anatolia news agency has reported.

International panel on Mary was held in Istanbul

An international panel, titled “Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an,” was jointly held by the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (GYV) Intercultural Dialogue Platform (KADİP), the Tevere Institute and İzmir Intercultural Dialogue Center (İZDİM) at WoW Hotel in Istanbul. The two-day meeting was attended by a number of leading scholars and intellectuals of the field and focused on such topics as “Approaches to Mary,” “Debate on Mary,” “Mary Doctrine and its Historical Development.”

Kimse Yok Mu holds iftar dinner for Bosnian orphans

KYM has been active in Bosnia for some time. The foundation gave away scholarships in the amount of 50 thousand dollar in April. Besides, the children received clothing aid. The foundation also provided both monetary assistance and eight-truck load of basic needs in the aftermath of the recent flooding disaster.

Critics of Turkey’s president across Europe tell of threats

Ercan Karakoyun looks twice over his shoulder when he leaves his Berlin home to make sure nobody is following him. The 37-year-old, who is the public face of the Gulen movement in Germany, says he has received several death threats since the aborted overthrow.

A Peace Conference to be held at UN in Geneva

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF) and Dialog-Institut, in partnership with other civil society organizations, will organize Geneva Peace Conference: Mobilizing Civil Society for Building Peace on October 24, 2014 at United Nations Office in Geneva. Several important factors for peaceful coexistence will be discussed, including the roles of freedom of religion, media and education as catalysts in the process of creating conditions for such coexistence.

Latest News

After Reunion: A Quiet Transformation Within the Hizmet Movement

Erdogan’s Failed Crusade: The World Rejects His War on Hizmet

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

In Case You Missed It

AFSV Denounces President Erdogan’s Seizure of Leading Newspaper Zaman

Religious communities and ISIL

Aid delivery to Gaza continues under bombardments

Construction of Turkish hospital in Haiti begins

Ergenekon opinion lists subversive plans for coup d’état

Pak-Turk Schools react to baseless claims

Massachusetts Judges Express Fears Over Arrests, Firings Of Judges In Turkey

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News