Students enchant German crowd with poems of praise


Date posted: April 13, 2014

DUSSELDORF

Students receiving an education in Turkish schools across Europe captivated thousands of Turkish immigrants in Germany with their recitations of naats — poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammad — during a ceremony held in Düsseldorf on Saturday evening to celebrate Holy Birth Week.

 

Holy Birth Week marks the Prophet Muhammad’s birth and takes place between April 14 and 20 each year across the Islamic world.

The Holy Birth Week event was held at the ISS Dome, a multi-use indoor arena, in Düsseldorf on Saturday evening with the participation of 7,200 Turks living in Germany. The celebration was organized by the Düsseldorf Ebru Culture Center. Participants were treated to recitations of naats, ilahis (praising God and extolling the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad) and kasides (odes mostly written for the Prophet) performed by about 350 international students from Turkish schools across Europe. There were Albanian, Bosnian, Turkish and Kurdish students performing during the ceremony.

The host of the event was renowned Turkish writer and poet Bedirhan Gökçe, who stated during the event: “May God never give the chance to those who want to disturb the unity of our country [Turkey]. I hope those dark clouds over the country will be eliminated as soon as possible. And everybody should be aware that jihad cannot evolve from a fight between two brothers. Only sedition can evolve from it.”

A total of 30 choral performances and 24 solo performances took place. During the performances, many audience members were visibly moved.

The ceremony was broadcast live on Mehtap TV, Irmak TV, Bugün TV and Samanyolu News TV on Saturday evening. A model of the holy Kaaba in Mecca was on stage during the performances, and the international students circled around the model in reference to Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage. The ceremony also attracted great interest on social media. The event became a top tweet in Turkey and the world under the hashstag #OnaSelamOlsun.

Speaking during the ceremony, Ebru Culture Center Chairman Veysel Yeşilöz said they organized the event to bring together Turkish people living in Europe on the occasion of the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad ‘s birth.

Meanwhile, a celebration was held at the Ankara Arena sports hall in Ankara on Saturday night to mark Holy Birth Week with the participation of President Abdullah Gül and his wife, Hayrünnisa Gül, Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah İşler and Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The event was organized by the Religious Affairs Directorate. Speaking during the event, Gül stated that the full understanding of Prophet Muhammad’s teachings will encourage an atmosphere of peace and love in the world.

Source: Todays Zaman , April 13, 2014


Related News

Witch hunt continues as police raid Gülen-inspired schools across Turkey

In yet another government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, police officers and inspectors from several government bodies carried out raids on private high schools and exam preparation schools across Turkey on Thursday.

Hizmet school ready to pioneer education in Kurdish

Following the decision to allow education in languages other than Turkish in private schools, as part of the democratization package recently unveiled by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a private school run by Gülen movement volunteers said it is ready to start education in Kurdish once such a law is introduced.

Uplifting Romanian children in need

At a recent event, the children were distributed exclusive gift packs of toys, clothing and stationery. In attendance of the occasion were mayor of Sector 2 of Bucharest, Neculai Ontanu; the renowned Romanian singer, Nicoleta Matei, and Kimse Yok Mu Foundation representative, Orhan Erdogan.

Catholic University of Leuven establishes Fethullah Gülen Chair

HATİCE AVCI, LEUVEN A chair named after the well-respected Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen has been established at one of Belgium’s most prestigious Catholic universities, the Catholic University of Leuven, with university officials saying it is a source of pleasure for them to have a chair named after Gülen. The Fethullah Gülen Chair for Intercultural Studies […]

Australian Catholic University announces Fethullah Gulen international scholarship

Australian Catholic University has announced Fethullah Gulen International Scholarship to be given to international students who will research Muslim-Christian relations at postgraduate level. Funded by the International Student Scholarship funds, the Fethullah Gulen International Scholarship was established in 2012 to support international students undertaking postgraduate research in the broad area of Muslim-Christian relations within the […]

Turkish movie ‘Selam’ received with great interest at İstanbul gala

The new Turkish film “Selam” had its premiere Wednesday night in İstanbul and was welcomed by moviegoers. Turkish celebrities and politicians including EU Minister Egemen Bağış and former national football player and deputy Hakan Şükür watched the movie along with a large crowd. “Selam” tells the impressive stories of three Turkish teachers who are idealists […]

Latest News

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

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Turkey: Post-coup prisoner says threatened with rape, beaten almost to death

Logistics companies seized over Gülen links sold in fast-track auction

Pregnant woman kept in prison for 4 months over Gülen links despite regulations

Turkey’s Erdoğan Regime Extends Post-Coup Witch Hunt Targeting Gülen Followers Abroad

Turkey’s Erdogan exploiting failed coup to crush dissent, tighten grip on power

Kimse Yok Mu delegation visited the President of Somalia

Gulen: Erdogan will end up like Hitler and Stalin

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News