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

Secretary Kerry insists Turkey must provide legal, solid evidence against Fethullah Gulen

We’ve never had a formal request for extradition, and we have always said, “give us the evidence, show us the evidence”. We need a solid, legal foundation that meets the standard of extradition in order for our courts to approve such a request.

Autistic child injures self to express grief after father detained in Malaysia: mother

Ten-year-old autistic child of Ihsan Aslan, a Turkish businessman who was detained in Malaysia last week, has been physically harming himself to express his sadness, his mother Ainnurul Aisyah Yunos told press on May 8.

Gulen movement becoming victim of its own legend

I don’t know whether they are aware of it, but a danger that needs to be taken very seriously awaits the Gulen movement. In the eyes of the Turkish society, which is believing of conspiracy theories, the Gulen movement is mythicized beyond its real dimensions. The power and influence of the Gulen movement is being so exaggerated that if no precautions are taken, this imagined power will one day destroy it.

Kimse Yok Mu organizes international cartoon competition: ‘Refugees’

Turkish charity organization Kimse Yok Mu has organized an international cartoon competition titled “refugees” in order to raise awareness of the difficulties facing migrants who fled their homelands and set out on dangerous journeys to Europe.

Water Well Constructed in Uganda in Memory of Slain Journalist

The charity Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?) and the Embrace Relief aid foundation, founded by Turks residing in the US, have jointly constructed a water well in Uganda dedicated to the memory of James Foley, an American journalist killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Opposition condemns Erdoğan’s vindictive remarks against Gülen movement

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s televised remarks on Wednesday night suggesting that the witch hunt against members of Gülen movement will show no sign of abating under the new government has drawn condemnation from opposition political parties.

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

Another AK Party deputy, Muhammed Çetin, resigns in protest

Hizmet movement and Kurdish question in Turkey

Gulen Denies Involvement – Erdogan Uses Coup for Repression

Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu helps the homeless after floods in Zimbabwe

President Zuma sends message to the South African – Turkish Business Association Business Awards

Enes Kanter Education Fund to award students with scholarship

Fighting poverty, ignorance and disunity in Ghana; the TUDEC experience

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News