JWF shared its experiences on interfaith cooperation at UN


Date posted: September 10, 2013

Here you can find the full speech of Mr. Hüseyin Hurmalı (Secretary General of (Journalists and Writers Foundation) Abant Platform)

* * *

United Nations High Level Meeting in the Culture of Peace
“The role of interfaith cooperation in promoting
a global Culture of Peace

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is my privilege to speak at the United Nations Culture of Peace High Level Meeting.
I want to thank H.E. Vuk Jeremic, President of the United Nations General Assembly and H.E. Ambassador Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, who invited me to share our ideas and thoughts about the role of interfaith cooperation in promoting a global culture of peace.

Today, it has been heartening to see such prominent leaders from member states, civil society, academia and the United Nations, display such a deep and broad commitment to the principles of Interfaith Dialogue and the Culture of Peace from multiple perspectives. Personally, I am encouraged by the speakers’ willingness to share and openly discuss actions, experiences and challenges. Working together across sectors in this way to address the most pressing issues facing international community and society is promising for a peaceful world for today and tomorrow.

Today’s High Level Meeting, once again, made it abundantly clear that government and civil society leadership should go hand-in-hand. This will help us build the supportive measures needed to create peaceful co-existence. And it will ultimately help improve the lives of many people around the world.

The global and local initiatives set the stage for individual and collective actions on peace building. They send a powerful message to governments and civil society everywhere about the need for interfaith cooperation.

As stated by the UNESCO Director-General, “Peace is more than the absence of war; it is living together with our differences – of sex, race, language, religion or culture…” Therefore, in order to be effective in promoting the culture of peace, interfaith dialogue initiatives should not only be designed and implemented in post-conflict regions, but also they should be part of everyday life in all nations. As we have witnessed in recent years, very peaceful societies can someday become very violent as a result of clashes among ethnic and religious groups. Therefore, all initiatives that advance the culture of peace including interfaith dialogue programs should be established and promoted in all nations to prevent future conflicts.
Please allow me brief you about Journalists and Writers Foundation and its vision, which is  “Toward Universal Peace.” The JWF was founded in 1994 with a main principle of promoting peace, love, tolerance and open dialogue in the society. Our mission is to create a common living space for all based on reconciliation and mutual respect. Our strategy involves bringing intellectuals from diverse cultural, religious, ethnic and ideological backgrounds to find solutions to our local and global problems. The JWF encounters all forms of extremism and radicalization by pursuing intercultural and interfaith dialog, which, are the two most important solutions for all social, political, cultural and religious conflicts around the globe.

JWF has UN ECOSOC General Consultative Status and contributes to the global issues that the United Nations is dealing; especially UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Journalists and Writers Foundation believes that interfaith dialogue and interfaith cooperation are a must in today’s world as people can communicate ideas and images with millions around the world with a few clicks on a keyboard.

As the JWF, we find inspiration in the ideas of our Founding and Honorary President Fethullah Gulen, in working towards peace throughout the world. As a prominent thinker and intellectual, Mr. Gulen lays out the basic principles of achieving peace by focusing on the human element. The JWF acts on the premise that three greatest enemies of achieving peace are “ignorance, poverty, and internal schism.”  We believe that the political, economic and legal regulations for sustainable peace can never have a lasting effect if the people consisting of the society are not educated on universally accepted values like human rights, freedom of expression, equality of opportunities, peaceful coexistence, and above all wishing for others what one wishes for himself/herself.

Educated global citizens with diverse socio-economic backgrounds who have a will to build a common prosperous future for all can achieve peace. We are inspired by this brief statement of Gulen:

As ignorance is the most serious problem, it must be opposed with education, which always has been the most important way of serving humanity. Ignorance can be defeated through education, poverty through work and the possession of capital, and internal schism and separatism through unity, dialogue, and tolerance. As the solution of every problem in this life ultimately depends on human beings, education is the most effective vehicle, regardless of whether we have a paralyzed social and political system or we have one that operates like clockwork.

In order to promote Intercultural and interfaith dialogue, our honorary president visited world religious leaders including Pope John Paul II, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, Chief Rabbi of Turkey Rabbi Eliyahu BakhsiDoron, and many others to give a message of love, tolerance, mutual understanding and respect to the society at large.

The iftar dinners were held in Ramadan, where representatives of Abrahamic religions as well as people from different segments of the society sat around the same table. This underlined the Foundation’s emphasis on dialogue, together with the meeting on The Art of Living Together and Tolerance, where the choirs of three Abrahamic religions performed on stage together at the end.

Later, many interfaith dialogue centers and cultural centers throughout the world organized Ramadan Iftar Dinners and Friendship Dinners as an instrument to build culture of peace an expression of friendship and harmony in the societies.

It’s also important to provide opportunities for young people from all ethnic, religious, cultural backgrounds to experience living in a pluralistic society and in their school environment, while accessing the universal tools for scientific and technological innovation as well as being equipped with necessary language, writing, artistic and thinking skills to be the agents of peace in their regions.

We all have to make an effort to know and understand one another, accept everyone as they are, appreciate our commonalities and respect our differences.  This is the first step toward interfaith dialogue. We need to collaborate and cooperate in solving today’s problems facing our global world.

Finally, I would like to end my words with a quote from our honorary president;

Be so tolerant that your heart becomes wide like the ocean,

Become inspired with faith and love for others.

Offer a hand to those in trouble, and

Be concerned about everyone…

Thank you…..

Here you can find the full speech of Mr. Hüseyin Hurmalı (Secretary General of Abant Platform)

Source: Journalists and Writers Foundation , September 09, 2013


Related News

Alevi leader Kenanoğlu: Discrimination against Alevis increased in 2013

It must be realized that religion is a matter for individual citizens. It is likely that the Gülen community will face restrictions and pressure from the government [as the AK Party government’s supporters have accused the Gülen movement of discrediting a number of ministers and their relatives in relation to a recent investigation into alleged bribery in public tenders, which saw the sons of three Cabinet ministers taken into custody alongside construction moguls and bureaucrats]. What we have been defending are universal rights, including the freedom of religion and belief. If these can be achieved, everybody will benefit from them, not just the Alevi community.

Answers to the questions about the Hizmet [Gulen] movement

HizmetNews.COM, January 7, 2013 The Journalists and Writers Foundation launched a new website that answers questions about the Hizmet movement (aka Gulen movement). The website may be reached at Hizmetesorulanlar.org. The website has the answers in two languages, Turkish and English, at the moment.  The website will be enriched with audio and video recordings soon. […]

Turkish Syriac Catholic patriarch launches ‘Fruits of Dialogue’

“Diyaloğun Meyveleri” (Fruits of Dialogue), a book by Deputy Patriarch of the Turkish Syriac Catholic Church Yusuf Sağ, was launched at a reception held at Taksim Green Park Hotel in İstanbul on Tuesday night. Delivering a speech at the event, Bartholomew praised the role of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in promoting dialogue among different faiths.

Desmond Tutu commends Gulen inspired organization

The Turquoise Harmony Institute, an organization inspired by the philosophies and teachings of Fethullah Gulen that promotes peace, dialogue and tolerance hosted its 7th annual Ubuntu Lecture and Peace and Dialogue Awards Ceremony on the 30th of April in Johannesburg, South Africa.

JWF strongly condemns this terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo

Twelve people including two police officers were killed in a shooting at the Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Hizmet’s role in global peace, interfaith dialogue highlighted in African conference

The role of the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, has been highlighted during an international conference held in the Republic of Benin attended by African religious leaders and intellectuals.

Latest News

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

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Gülen movement makes Turkey more noticeable

Ramadan Dinner At Kings Bay Y Celebrates Peace And Unity

Opposition journalists speak at U.N. panel on Turkey’s human rights record

A Turkish Recluse Bridges the Western and Muslim Worlds

Oxford Analytica: Gulen Inspires Muslims Worldwide

Deputies: Turkish Olympiads best response to voices against Hizmet

Turkish Food Festival seeks to teach Greenville about Turkey’s culture and cuisine

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News