Syracuse Turkish community celebrates their heritage with a Children’s Festival
The Syracuse Turkish community and representatives of the Turkish Cultural Center celebrated their National Sovereignty and Children's Day at Syracuse City Hall on Thursday April 23, 2015 with a Children's Festival. Members of the local Turkish community and their friends pose for a group photo.
Date posted: April 25, 2015
STEPHEN D. CANNERELLI
The Syracuse Turkish community and representatives of the Turkish Cultural Center celebrated their National Sovereignty and Children’s Day at Syracuse City Hall on Thursday April 23, 2015 with a Children’s Festival.
April 23rd marks the inaugural session of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and is celebrated by the Turkish community as National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner proclaimed April 23, 2015 as “Turkish Heritage Day” with a proclamation presented to TCCS Director Tim Saka by Syracuse Common Council President Van Robinson. Havva Karakas of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School was the master of ceremonies. One of the speakers was Fatma Zehra Sula, a Weekend School student from TCCS.
There was Turkish music, dance and food. Students from The Turkish Cultural Center of Syracuse, under the direction of Ayla Turgay, performed a Turkish Wedding dance. The celebration concluded with the raising of the Turkish National flag on the steps of City Hall.
The sacrificial festival has many social aspects to it: it is all about charity, community and family, as well as the pilgrimage. During this holiday, people visit their relatives and friends; family ties are strengthened, and it gives children an opportunity to bond with the older generation. The sacrificial festival is a time for wishing one another well, exchanging gifts, having big feasts, donating and praying.
Fethullah Gulen talking about Turkey’s failed coup: Responses to Philadelphia World Affairs Council
Right now, all critical voices are silenced in Turkey and only the voice of those in power is heard. Consequently both Turkish people and outside observers are misled. The misperception about the coup continues because there is only one voice. The government interprets everything according to their calculations. They are using this event to express the antipathy they already had against Hizmet movement. The coup attempt is serving to justify their plans to persecute Hizmet movement.
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Assault on Press Freedom in Turkey Senate Floor
Mr. President, I have spoken many times on the Senate floor in defense of press freedom because it is a fundamental cornerstone of a democratic society. Today I want to briefly draw the Senate’s attention to the situation in Turkey, one of the many countries in the world where this basic right is under threat by officials in the government who seek to silence their critics.
American reporters got an intriguing glimpse into the political mind-set in Turkey
Turkish leaders said they were astonished that they had so far been unsuccessful in persuading the United States Justice Department to even ask a federal judge to extradite Fethullah Gulen. The Turkish government said it had provided the United States with extensive proof against Mr. Gulen, who has denied involvement. But Turkish officials refused in several interviews to publicize a single piece of that evidence.
Can Washington Ever Welcome a Nonviolent Muslim?
Michael Shank June 6, 2012 CBS News’ 60 Minutes recently produced a show about Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, spurred by concern about the so-called Hizmet movement’s (aka Gulen movement) alleged connection to a growing network of high performing and nationally ranked charter schools in the U.S. These schools rank in Newsweek’s top ten miracle schools in America and have […]
Enes Kanter: “I’m getting death threats almost every day”
Appearing on “CBS This Morning” Monday, Kanter said the trouble began while he was in Indonesia: “I was sleeping around 2:30 or something and my manager knocked on my door. He said the Secret Service and the Indonesian army were looking for me because the Turkish government told them I was a dangerous man.
Latest News
Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison
Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney
Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement
ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment
New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement
European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests
ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases
Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade
Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet
In Case You Missed It
Now, speaking Turco-Tweetish is more challenging
Fethullah Gulen Suggests Nonviolent Options to Young Activists
Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) gathers all colors of Turkey at iftar
Gülen’s lawyer dismisses wiretapping claims
Turkish Prisons Are Filled With Professors — Like My Father
Hüseyin Gülerce: I have to respond to Mr. Barlas
12-year-old claims asylum with UN as father caught in Erdogan’s anti-Gülen dragnet in Saudi Arabia
