Concluding statement of the International panel on Mary announced


Date posted: December 8, 2013

The international panel, titled “Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an,” which was jointly held by the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (GYV) Intercultural Dialogue Platform (KADİP), the Tevere Institute and İzmir Intercultural Dialogue Center (İZDİM), was concluded with a statement.

Chaired by Professor Ömer Faruk Harman, the Concluding Statement Committee consisted of Professor Catherine Joseph Droste, Associate Professor Mustafa Alıcı, Associate Professor İsmail Taşpınar and Kadriye Erdemli.

The concluding statement of International Panel on Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an

The concluding statement of the International Panel on Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an, which sought to bring Christians and Muslims together to discuss Mary and help people understand the place and significance of Mary in holy books, is as follows:

1- Mary was the most distinguished, innocent, pristine, and chaste of all women and she attained God’s favor and benevolence before she died. As such, he represents a significant role model for Christians and Muslims to develop a mutual understanding and foster coexistence.

2- Having destroyed many exclusionary taboos of her time, Mary played an effective role in the empowerment of women.

3- We have much to inspire from Mary as an epitome of patience, humility, submission, devotion and belief for treating spiritual crises and diseases that haunt humanity in general and women in particular.

4- It is quite natural that both Christian and Islamic sources have a good level convergence as well as divergence about Mary. However, it is clear that it would be more advisable to focus on common grounds rather than differences and accept everyone as they are.

5- Given the fact that it is a must to have a thorough understanding of Mary, an epoch-making woman, both from a socio-cultural and theological perspective, it is recommended that the panel on “Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an” should be regularly held with differing themes every year.

Source: Intercultural Dialogue Platform , December 8, 2013


Related News

Erdogan: Turkey’s man of mystery armed with extra powers

Erdogan’s Islamist supporters sometimes suggest that he is on his way to declaring himself caliph. As the 100th anniversary of the caliphate’s abolition approaches, he may find this tempting; depending on whether he uses the Islamic or Christian calendar, that could happen, respectively, on March 10, 2021 or March 4, 2024. You read it here first.

Turkey’s anti-Gulen campaign: Strengthening militants and jihadists

The dilemma for the Pakistani government is stark. Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim has warned that Turkey would be at war with any country that cooperates or aids the Gulen movement. Yet closing down schools that prepare their students for a modern society and economy is something Pakistan’s deeply troubled education sector can ill afford.

Filipina, infant freed from Turkish jail, but…

The Filipina mother who forcibly was separated from her infant and detained in Turkey for weeks has been released. But their reunion is being cut short by her deportation, in the crackdown following a failed coup in which she had no part. Information is being withheld from Karen’s lawyer and the Philippine Embassy staff assisting her. Forcible separation of an infant from her mother is a humanitarian concern.

With Husband Already In Jail, Woman Along With Two Children Detained In Post-Coup Witch Hunt

Nearly seven months after former public worker B.K. was arrested, his wife and two children were also detained as part of a government witch hunt against the Gülen movement. She is also diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Islam, terrorism and the media

We unfortunately live in an unfair world. Injustice is so ubiquitous that we can categorize it based on our neighborhood, our city, our region, our country and the world. Any kind of injustice, discrimination or otherization — such as social injustice, class injustice, inequity in income distribution and a lack of equal opportunities in education, business and social mobility — may rear its ugly head at any moment in our daily life. Not only the cases of social injustice we encounter in our daily life, but also the sentiments of rage and revolt stemming from national or international injustice may trigger reactions that are against the nature of people who normally have psychological integrity.

Silencing Taraf daily

The liberal Taraf daily, where I write a column, is one of the few independent newspapers in this country. Those who don’t know the Turkish media well need to know that media outlets are largely owned by private holdings which have close ties to the government. Thus, Turkish newspapers need to consider whether their reporting would harm their bosses’ business connections with the government.

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

Turkic American Convention kicks off with opening gala cruise

Monitoring group documents 53 suspicious deaths since coup attempt

Gülen’s relatives dismayed over smear campaign against Islamic scholar

Fethullah Gülen grieving for Islamic world amid Eid al Fitr holiday

In redemption days hoping for better

Ishak Alaton praises Turkish schools abroad

Former US diplomat: War on Turkish schools in Africa ruining Turkey’s credibility

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News