The American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA) organized the now much exclaimed 4th Legislative Reception, in Richmond, Virginia on February 6th 2013. Members of Virginia’s General Assembly, their staff, and Turkish Americans attended the reception at the Old City Hall. The reception provided a great atmosphere for all attendees including legislators to relax and enjoy each other’s company; also provided a time for the district representatives and Turkish Americans to more-intimately convers with one another.
Turkish food, desert and coffee were served at the reception, along with an expedition on the Ottoman Sultans’ Fermans written down about the Ottoman subjects various religions. The various Fermans by the Sultan legalized the freedom to practice different religions throughout Ottoman lands.
A few honorable speakers from the General Assembly gave lauding remarks about the Turkish American relations in Virginia. The speakers praised the Turkish Americans in their effort in the betterment of the community and in improving the relations of Turkey and The United States. Above all, this event further enhanced the relations of both countries.
Pro-gov’t columnist claims Obama could be Gülen’s White House ‘imam’
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SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, İSTANBUL The Turkic American Alliance (TAA), the largest national Turkic organization in the US, is to hold its third annual Turkic American Convention in Washington, D.C., on March 12-13 in cooperation with the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON). Prior to the convention, leading policymakers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan […]
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Washington Post: Biden needs to give Turkey’s Erdogan some tough advice
Mr. Biden ought to candidly tell his host that the US did not instigate the coup and that it will not relinquish Mr. Gulen to a witchhunt. Mr. Erdogan may not want to hear it, but he also should be reminded that crushing the rule of law will dim Turkey’s prospects. Mr. Erdogan may bask in the crowds today, but using the coup as a pretext to purge the media, academia and other spheres of independent voices will not strengthen the nation in the long run.
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I appreciate that he’s [Fethullah Gulen] an Islamic thinker who spoke out after the attacks on September 11, immediately. In our country, for years after September 11 people kept saying, ‘why aren’t the Muslims speaking up’, and he did speak up but he wasn’t broadcast. He didn’t have the microphone in his mouth, so to speak. And I always regretted that because he was one who did.
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