Pacifica Institute San Diego holds its Dialogue and Friendship Dinner


Date posted: November 30, 2013

Pacifica Institute’s San Diego chapter held its 9th Annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner at Marriot Hotel, La Jolla. The gathering saw the attendance of some 170 guests including academics, bureaucrats and religious figures.

Atilla Kahveci, Pacifica Institute’s vice-president, in his inaugural address, reflected on the crucial role of occasions that bring people of diverse faiths and cultures in fostering intercultural understanding, cooperation and peace.

The night featured journalist-author Mustafa Akyol’s keynote speech centered on his latest book “Islam without Extremes”, followed by remarks by First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Cindy Cipriani; FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Mark Hudson; and Fr. Ron Cochran of Saint Luke Catholic Church.

Akyol illustrated the role of dominant cultural factors and authoritarian rules in various countries, alongside the media lacking sound judgment, in misinterpretation of Islam with specific examples. Attorney Cipriani highlighted the importance of exercising cultural awareness and recognition of diversity in legal system to be able to achieve peace and security in society. Cipriani reaffirmed the president Obama’s call for senior state officials to reach out to and engage with every segment of society.

Next, Fr. Cochran took the floor to deliver his remarks, in which he expressed his thanks to Pacifica Institute associates who invited him over for iftar dinners throughout the month of Ramadan. He further conveyed his pleasure to have seen prejudices removed after first encounters among communities and growing hope for tomorrows.

As the night passed on with live Turkish classical music on the background, the institute’s advisory board members were presented plaques for their contributions in dialogue. Finally, the promo video of “Love is a Verb”, a documentary on Hizmet Movement -filmed in six different countries including the US and anticipated to be aired on PBS- was displayed.

Published [in Turkish] on Zaman Amerika,  November 27, 2013.

Source: HizmetMovement.Com , November 30, 2013

Tags: | | |


Related News

PII Awards Law Enforcement in New Jersey

Peace Islands Institute director Ercan Tozan welcomed his guests and thanked everyone for their continued service to the community.

Ottawa urged to expedite residency process for those fleeing oppression in Turkey

Human rights advocate Renée Vaugeois wrote a letter asking Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen to expedite the Edmonton man’s residency application. She thinks that this is a targeted war on a specific group of people in Turkey and to her that speaks to genocide.

Fethullah Gülen’s Message on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Like all forms of violence, violence against women is the expression of an unhealthy mindset and psychology. Therefore, we must not approach the matter solely from a punitive perspective, but get to the root causes and come up with long-lasting solutions.

Turkey tries to trap Obama with extradition demand [of Mr. Gülen]

But while U.S. agency spokesmen are trying to be cautious in what they say, skepticism about Turkey’s claims that Gulen directed the plot are widespread in Washington. Last week, in comments that likely burned a few ears in Ankara, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told The Washington Post that he did not believe Turkey had yet offered enough proof to implicate Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania’s Poconos region for years.

The Other Side of the Ocean – What Happened in Pennsylvania?

During the time when the Gezi events were at their peak, a certain group in the United States planned to carry out a demonstration in the area where Fethullah Gulen is currently residing by organizing over the Internet, similar to the way they had in Turkey. For weeks they shared with tens of thousands of […]

Huntsville’s Peace Valley Foundation sets annual Dialogue Dinner and awards

A specialist in comparative theologies, Professor Loye Ashton, will deliver the keynote address at the 2013 Peace Valley Foundation’s Dialogue Dinner and Award Ceremony in Huntsville on Thursday, April 18, 2013. The annual dinner, sponsored by the non-profit organization dedicated to solving educational, cultural, environmental, social and humanitarian challenges, provides an opportunity for building bridges between people […]

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

AFSV Condemns Erdoğan’s Persecution of the Hizmet Movement

Erdogan critic calls jailing of his mother and brother ‘perverse’ and ‘politically motivated’

Detained woman, newborn baby transferred to police station 240 km away from home

Australian Relief Organisation awarded “Letter of Appreciation” by the Cambodian Ministry of Rural Development

Gülen says planned assassinations of prominent figures in Turkey could be blamed on him

Hakan Şükür’s resignation: Rebellion of a conscience

President Gül opens Turkish-Kazakh school in Astana

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News