Date posted: May 4, 2016
International Festival of Language and Culture – IFLC 2016
Remarks by Congressman Randy Weber (Representing Texas)
IFLC Washington DC
Source: IFLC International Festival of Language and Culture , Apr 29, 2016
Tags: Education | Hizmet-inspired schools | North America | Peacebuilding | Turkish Olympiads | USA |
The IFLC has been hosting its language and culture festival for the past 14 years, showcasing both the rich multicultural diversity of our world, as well as the boundless and inspiring talent of our youth. The IFLC draws participants from over 160 countries across the globe, with over 1000 student performers each year at numerous regional events worldwide.
Welcoming the students of the Yavuz Selim Education Institutions after their success in international competitions, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, the industry and mines minister of Senegal, said the students of the Turkish schools are encouraging hope for the future of the country.
The Alliance for Shared Values denounces the detention of six Turkish nationals in Kosovo on Thursday morning as a result of demands from the Turkish government. This is the latest incident in which the Recep Tayyip Erdogan regime has targeted innocent individuals solely based on affiliation with the Hizmet movement.
Several weeks ago, a lawyer based in England and Canada, Mr. Robert Amsterdam, announced in the US that he had been hired by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to sue Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement.
The Turkish authorities are continuing their crackdown on followers of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is being blamed for a failed military coup attempt. With tens of thousands of people arrested, opposition parties are starting to voice concern that the crackdown is turning into a witch hunt.
Recently a messenger came to Colorado with dark warnings from a troubled land: Abdulhamit Bilici, the former editor-in-chief of Zaman, Turkey’s go-to newspaper before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s brutal crackdown. You don’t often meet people like Abdulhamit Bilici in the United States. You almost can’t believe that someone with his backstory sits before you.