D.C. Group Holds Annual Peace and Dialogue Dinner in Albemarle
Date posted: April 8, 2013
A group focused on spreading peace shared its mission with some community leaders Thursday night in Albemarle County.
The Rumi Forum held its Annual Peace and Dialogue Dinner at the Doubletree Hotel.
Senator Creigh Deeds was the keynote speaker. He addressed issues from sequestration to the importance of discussing cultural differences.
The Rumi Forum president says he hopes the dinner will bridge cultural gaps.
“The gist of it is to bring people that don’t know one another around the table and to meet with one another, have a nice meal and hopefully that will be a catalyst for further social interaction beyond the actual dinner,” said Emre Celik, president of the Rumi Forum.
Charlottesville Vice Mayor Kristin Szakos gave the final remarks of the night.
Gulen Slams Turkey Crackdown Before Erdogan Demands Extradition
The exiled cleric accused by Turkey of orchestrating last year’s attempted coup charged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with seeking to silence critics, as the Turkish leader prepared to push for the preacher’s extradition in a White House meeting with Donald Trump.
Turkish-American community grapples with Turkey coup’s aftermath
Dr. Gokcek said he is not optimistic. He is fearful about the growing tensions in the country and coup sympathizers who might be stigmatized as traitors. On a basic level, Gokcek said, he has been able to sit down and eat with other Turkish-Americans with whom he might not always agree. “Some of those friends, I might not be able to now,” he said.
Ramadan Feast: Community Bonding at Its Best from the Turkish Cultural Center
Dignitaries, clergy, and everyday citizens, Jews, Christians and Muslims gathered Thursday night at Tarrytown’s DoubleTree Hotel by the invite of the Turkish Cultural Center for a Ramadan dinner, speeches, and entertainment. State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins praised the far-reaching outreach and inclusivity of this group and the peacefulness of their mission.
Hizmet, Erdoğan and the US
Today, the government resorts to irrational conspiracy theories in an effort to divert public attention from allegations of corruption. As a social movement that successfully promotes Turkey’s values in its schools in about 150 countries around the world, the Hizmet movement’s patriotism cannot be doubted
Rubin says Gülen’s extradition would convince Erdoğan that blackmail works
“If Gülen is turned over, however, I suspect relations will get worse because the extradition will convince Erdoğan that blackmail and bluster work,” said Rubin in an interview published in the Vocal Europe magazine on Monday.
Coup attempt in Turkey puts Tulsa Turks in difficult position
Muhammet Ali Sezer, the incoming executive director of the Raindrop Turkish Cultural Center, said it will be impossible for him to return to his homeland unless the political situation improves. “If I go back to Turkey, I don’t know what they will do to me,” said Sezer. He also said he fears for his father and brother who live in Turkey.
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
Erdogan’s crackdown – Woman detained while showing newborn baby to jailed husband
Turkey’s Purge Could Cause a Massive Brain Drain
Fethullah Gülen on Islam’s Relationship and Compatibility with Democracy
Scholars stress need for dialogue, cooperation to solve global issues
TUSKON’s Meral tells Turkish firms in Germany to open to world
TAA to hold annual Turkic American Convention in Washington