A Turkish couple spent their wedding day feeding 4,000 Syrian refugees


Date posted: August 4, 2015

Turkish couple who got married last week invited 4,000 Syrian refugees to celebrate with them.

Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat tied the knot in Kilis province on the Syrian border, which is currently home to thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in the neighbouring country.

It’s traditional for Turkish weddings to last between Tuesday to Thursday, culminating in a banquet on the last night, but this couple decided they wanted a celebration with a difference.

Hatice Avci, a spokesperson for aid organisation Kimse Yok Mu, told i100.co.uk that the charity is responsible for feeding 4,000 refugees who live in and around the town of Kilis, but last Thursday the newlyweds donated the savings their families had put together for a party to share their wedding celebrations with the refugees living nearby instead.

It was the groom’s father, Ali Üzümcüoğlu, who originally had the idea to share a bit of wedding joy with those less fortunate.

I thought that sharing a big delicious dinner with our family and friends was unnecessary, knowing that there are so many people in need living next door. So I came up with this idea and shared it with my son. I’m very happy that he accepted it and they started their new happy journey with such a selfless action.

Bride Esra Polat told i100.co.uk:

I was shocked when Fethullah first told me about the idea but afterwards I was won over by it. It was such a wonderful experience. I’m happy that we had the opportunity to share our wedding meal with the people who are in real need.

The wedding guests banded together to operate the food trucks and share the banquet with refugee families:

The bride and groom helped distribute the meal themselves and took their wedding pictures with people at the camp, according to local media.

Groom Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu said that he’d never taken part in something like this before but it was the “best and happiest moment of my life”:

Seeing the happiness in the eyes of the Syrian refugee children is just priceless. We started our journey to happiness with making others happy and that’s a great feeling.

Fethullah said that his friends were so inspired by the day that they’re planning on similar events for their own weddings.

Source: The Independent , August 4, 2015

Tags: | | |


Related News

Kimse Yok Mu cheers up Panamanian Orphans

The foundation built an additional facility for an orphanage in a far-flung corner of the country. The new facility came as a fresh air to the orphans living in squeezed rooms due to lack of space and beds.

Pregnant woman jailed over Gülen links sent back to prison after losing baby

Hanife Çiftçi, who was jailed in June when she was seven weeks pregnant due to her alleged links to the Gülen movement, lost her unborn baby and was sent back to prison from the hospital on the same day, the tr724 news website reported on Wednesday.

‘Gülen movement has a specific mission’

… If the [Fethullah] Gülen movement were a small, ineffective community, the AKP would never have disturbed it. Or if the Gülen movement had acted in full cooperation with the government, such a conflict wouldn’t have occurred. But the Gülen movement has a specific mission. What is that mission? They seek to obtain the pleasure of God by leading good religious lives and engaging in educational and social services.

Islamic scholar Gülen rejects involvement with graft probe and wiretappings

“If among those who conducted the graft investigations were some people who might be connected to the Hizmet movement, was I supposed to tell these people, ‘Turn a blind eye to the corruption charges?’ It appears to me that some people were expecting me to do this. Did they expect me to do this? How can I say something that would ruin my afterlife? How else can I act?” Fethullah Gülen said.

Slain prosecutor’s daughter: My father was not with Gülen movement

The daughter of former Bursa public prosecutor Seyfettin Yiğit, who allegedly committed suicide in a prison bathroom on Friday morning after he was put behind bars over Gülen movement ties, said on Saturday that her father was not affiliated with the Gülen movement but was with the Süleymancı movement, an Islamic movement in Turkey founded by Turkish Islamic scholar Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan in the early 20th century.

Kimse Yok Mu holds iftar dinner for Thai Muslims

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation held yet another iftar dinner for Thai Muslims as a part of its Ramadan activities. Ramadan is different in Thailand from Turkey. Families choose to break their fast together with others at the mosques rather than doing it alone at home.

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

Turks mobilize to join solidarity campaign for Bank Asya

Fethullah Gulen’s Message of Condolences for Senator John McCain

Hizmet schools win 64 out of 120 TÜBİTAK medals despite gov’t pressure

Are we to wait for our Fethullah Gulen?

Turkey: Babies behind bars

CCBT Teaches Turkish in Public School in Rio de Janeiro

Kimse Yok Mu gives away meat aid to six thousand Afghan families

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News