Gulen Institute awards student essay winners in Washington

Student essay winners and US Representatives pose for a group photo on Wednesday night after the award ceremony at the House of Representatives' Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. (Photo: AA, Mehmet Toroğlu)
Student essay winners and US Representatives pose for a group photo on Wednesday night after the award ceremony at the House of Representatives' Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. (Photo: AA, Mehmet Toroğlu)


Date posted: April 19, 2013

The University of Houston’s Gulen Institute on Wednesday bestowed awards on 30 young people for their winning essays on the subject of immigration and evacuation, in Washington, D.C.

Nearly 600 compositions written by students from 40 countries and 30 US states had been entered into the Gulen Institute’s international essay competition. The awards ceremony was held at the House of Representatives’ Rayburn House Office Building. US Congressmen Scott Peters, Al Green, Andy Barr, Susan Brooks, Gene Green, Pete Olson and Pete Gallego attended the ceremony.

Praising the Gulen Institute for its cultural and educational activities, Green said he has witnessed how the institute brings people together in Houston.

The first place prize of $3,000 went to George Abraham from the US state of Florida. Gawoon Shim from South Korea took second place, while Vaishnavi Rao of California received the third place award in the essay contest.

The congressmen in attendance awarded the 35 young students with certificates of recognition from Congress and congratulated them on behalf on their constituencies.

The winners were also given a three-day excursion in Washington. During this sponsored tour, students had the opportunity to visit various tourist attractions, meet with members of Congress and community leaders and participate in discussions.

Green, US representative for Texas’s 29th congressional district, praised the Gulen Institute for its role in strengthening Turkish and American relations during his speech at the awards ceremony, stating that the Gulen Institute helps people understand better Turkey-US relations.

Brooks, the US representative for Indiana’s 5th congressional district, said she was very pleased to attend the ceremony and added she took a pride in delivering an award on behalf of the Gulen Institute. Stating that the students studied hard to be able to succeed in the competition, Brook told the students that she was very impressed with their work.

Olson, US Representative for Texas’s 22nd congressional district, thanked the Gulen Institute for organizing such a competition during his speech in the ceremony.

Gulen Institute Chairman M. Sait Yavuz said they started holding the essay writing competition four years ago, adding that the students handle the problems in the world with purer and clearer intentions than the adults.

Established in October 2007, the Gulen Institute is a non-profit research organization dedicated to the promotion of peace and civic welfare.

Source: Today’s Zaman, 11 April, 2013


Related News

Gov’t attack on Bank Asya taints Turkey’s image

Attempts by the Turkish government to sink Bank Asya have tainted Turkey’s image, according to French-based Institute for Research on the International Economy expert Deniz Ünal, speaking to the Cihan news agency.

Kimse Yok Mu gives away Eid al-Adha meat in Mali

Eid al-Adha started one day late in Mali while the majority Muslims around the world celebrated it from Saturday on. Kimse Yok Mu Foundation slaughtered and gave away the 826 sacrifice shares from Turkey to the needy in Mali.

How does PM Erdoğan hurt the liberal pious of Turkey?

Turkey has been vigorously debating the nature of its democracy and popular Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling style, which has increasingly authoritarian tendencies, as never before since the Gezi Park protests in May. From my perspective, the Gezi protests, on which everyone was almost forced to take sides, is a grey area since both the government and the protesters made their share of mistakes.

Hate speech and its impact on the movement (1)

It amounts to the otherization of a social group, cowing it into submission. It is a weapon used by the powerful to destroy the “others.” Hate speech is particularly dangerous when employed by those who exercise public authority as it leads to official discrimination. In a democratic country, it is one of the state’s basic duties to prevent the use of hate speech.

Fethullah Gulen on Israel and Jews

In an interview with the Atlantic magazine in August 2013, Gulen stated that “I had a chance to get to know practitioners of non-Muslim faiths better, and I felt a need to revise my expressions from earlier periods. “I realized and then stated that the critiques and condemnations that are found in the Quran or prophetic tradition are not targeted against people who belong to a religious group,” but “can be found in any person.”

Human Rights Watch: Emergency Decrees Facilitate Torture in Turkey

Turkish police have tortured and otherwise ill-treated individuals in their custody after emergency decrees removed crucial safeguards in the wake of a failed coup attempt in July, 2016, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report details 13 cases of alleged abuse, including stress positions, sleep deprivation, severe beatings, sexual abuse, and rape threats, since the coup attempt.

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

Islamic scholars convene at ijtihad symposium in İstanbul

Reporters Without Borders urges Turkey to rescind draconian state of emergency decrees

Bulgarian producer introduces his fourth documentary on Fethullah Gulen

Fethullah Gulen in 2 minutes

Çağlayan: TUSKON Trade Bridge soon to be global brand

Guinea-Bissau minister pay visit to Turkish school

Gülen has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Leeds Metropolitan University

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News