Hospitality conference draws strong participation in Bangkok
Date posted: May 5, 2014
BANGKOK
A two-day conference on hospitality in Anatolian and Asian cultures recently held in Bangkok saw lively engagement by 200 participants including scholars, community and religious leaders, NGO representatives, students, journalists and artists from 20 countries.
A resolution issued at the end of the conference stressed that in a context of worldwide suffering caused by conflicts rooted in ignorance, xenophobia, disunity, greed and poverty, the participants had sought to present the theme of hospitality as a universal cultural value that encourages openness to everyone.
Speaking at the conference, Professor Sophia Pandya from California University said that Anatolians provide the best example of hospitality toward all comers irrespective of race, religion or language. Pandya added that the Hizmet movement, which originated in Anatolia and is inspired by well-respected Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, tries to find solutions to many problems in the world with a similar approach.
The problem is not about the failure of the members of the Hizmet movement to obey orders from their superiors in the public service but about the claim that the prosecutors and police chiefs who conducted the graft and bribery investigation are members of the Hizmet movement — a claim which has yet to be proven.
Businessmen voice frustration over smear campaign against Hizmet
The Akşehir Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (AKSİAD) has condemned an ongoing defamation campaign being conducted against the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, calling on government officials to refrain from the hate speech and polarizing rhetoric that are damaging the society.
Fethullah Gülen’s Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Sri Lanka Explosions
I was shocked and deeply saddened by the devastating news of explosions in Sri Lanka. I firmly condemn this horrific attack, which turned a day meant for the celebration of Easter by Christians around the world into bloodshed.
Why Gülen movement teachings attractive to followers?
The Gülen Movement arose among pious men and women who wanted a modern interpretation of religion. In the dynamics of the transformation of the movement, the social milieu also played an important role. The movement became a spiritual refuge for those who searched for an interpretation where Islam was in harmony with modernity. The followers of the Gülen Movement do not describe themselves as a political movement.
Panel Discussion – The Gulen Schools In Central Asia
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev rather quickly defused the problem with Turkey by making a visit to Ankara to meet with President Erdogan. Nazarbaev did not agree to close down the Gulen schools in Kazakhstan, but he did promise to carefully scrutinize those running the schools and those teaching in them.
Scapegoating: Turkish PM again blames Gülen movement for worsening economy
As the Turkish lira plunged even further on Friday, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım claimed the Gülen movement was responsible for the deterioration in the country’s economic outlook. According to Yıldırım, “separatists” and sympathizers of the Gülen movement are working hard to ruin the Turkish economy in the eyes of the world.
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