A solid step in Gulen movement Alevite community dialogue: Mosque-cemevi-soup kitchen project


Date posted: April 3, 2013

The Gulen movement and Cem Foundation of the Alevite community have agreed to launch an important project. They will build a mosque, a cemevi (Alevite house of gathering) and a soup kitchen side by side in the capital of Turkey, Ankara.

Gulen (Hizmet) movement takes a concrete step forward to extend common shared values with Alevite community of Turkey. The dialog that has been built up between the two communities in various programs over the years came to the point where they plan on a solid project.

According to the news from Rotahaber, a committee from Gulen movement recently paid a visit to Prof Dr. Izzettin Dogan, the chairman of Cem Foundation. The committee offered a joint project: a mosque and a cemevi side by side in Ankara. Pleased to hear the project and Dogan added: “We should also build a soup kitchen next to them so that there will be a place where mosque and cemevi congregations can get together.” His offer was accepted and the visit ended up with a decision to implement the project.

They already acquired almost 2 acres land in Ankara for the project and started preliminary works.

Dogan briefly explained this project to the of the Cem Foundation.

Gulen-Dogan friendship

Gulen and Dogan had built warm friendship through the activities of The Journalists and Writers Foundation in 1990s. This friendship had caused great excitement in public those days.

Their friendship had started with an interview. Dogan liked Gulen’s answer to a question in the interview: “Why do you prefer opening schools in the Central Asian countries to Arap countries.” Gulen had answered: “We preferred to find places like Turkic countries who would welcome us with open arms. You may reach out to Turkish world with Sufism. The number of cemevis must increase beside mosques.”

Source: RotaHaber April 1, 2013

Disclaimer: The original news is in Turkish. Slight deviations from the original meaning may have occurred due to the difficulties in translating phrases and idioms. PII volunteers translated the article.

 

 

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Exiled journalist warns of a genocide in the making in newly released book

“The increasingly widespread witch-hunt, systematic and widespread hate speech, ongoing persecution and massacre of Gulen movement members have made conditions in Turkey ripe for a deliberate, planned and systematic genocide,” Bülent Keneş, a veteran Turkish journalist in exile, wrote in his newly released book.

Hizmet Essay Contest 2015

The Hizmet Essay Contest is an annual contest series that encourages research on the Hizmet movement as well as the works of the Turkish Islamic scholar, Fethullah Gulen. The contest aims to motivate individuals to think critically about issues that affect the international society and, how to tackle these important issues from a Hizmet perspective.

In Turkey, how Germany’s president became ‘Germany’s imam’

The Gulen movement is primarily a civil society organization, consisting of thousands of teachers, academics, journalists, businessmen and charitable workers. A political attack against their legitimate services and institutions would be disastrous for rule of law and societal peace, both of which have already been seriously compromised in Turkey.

Turkish court rejects appeal to arrest Dumanlı

A court has rejected an appeal made by a prosecutor requesting the arrest of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, stating that there was no new evidence that was sufficient to put Dumanlı behind bars.

Gov’t criticized for forcing scientific researcher to alter report

Claims by the former head of a scientific research agency who was dismissed a day after his public remarks that he was forced to make changes to a report that was part of an investigation into bugging devices found at the prime minister’s office have triggered a harsh reaction against the government.

Kimse Yok Mu delivers 25 electric wheelchairs to handicapped Palestinians

Turkey’s leading charity, Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There), has delivered electric wheelchairs to 25 handicapped Palestinians in Hebron, a Palestinian city located in the southern West Bank.

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

Hizmet and March 30 elections: What happened? (2)

Was prime minister able to convince the EU?

Kimse Yok Mu launches aid campaign for Gazans

One of his sons is with the PKK, the other is with the Gulen movement

History teacher gives birth to her third child in prison

Hate speech creates new opportunities for Hizmet movement

Domestic violence addressed at GYV Women’s Platform int’l conference

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News