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

An NBA Center Faces Imprisonment And Possible Execution In Turkey

Normally, the Oklahoma City Thunder would be trying to find a replacement for Kevin Durant, or figure out how to get past the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets. They probably didn’t expect they’d have to struggle to keep their center Enes Kanter from being jailed and possibly executed in Turkey by an increasingly authoritarian leader.

The 14th Annual International Language and Culture Festival, organized by Raindrop Foundation

We love sharing the talents of young people. This group is truly international they come from 23 different countries, including France Mexico, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Brazil, Germany, Kazakhstan. They are here to compete in the Turkish raindrop foundations 14th annual international Festival of language and culture.

Turkey’s first intercultural dialogue center built on trust, offers quality services

The official data from the regional police department shows that there are 30,000 settled foreign citizens in Antalya and the surrounding cities. According to Kundak, this number could reach 100,000 as high when taking unofficial numbers into account.

Journalists seek asylum in Canada amid Turkish crackdown

Duncan Pike of the Toronto-based Canadian Journalists for Free Expression said the decline of press freedom in Turkey has been a growing concern as the Tayyip Erdogan regime continues to use the coup as a pretext to crack down on opposition critical of his government. “Reporters are stripped of press credentials. Publishing houses are closed down. Authors, journalists, teachers and academics are detained and investigated,” said Pike.

Fountain’s Yeşilova: We believe human life and the universe are each a book to read

English-language The fountain magazine Editor-in-Chief hakan yeşilova has said his magazine has an editorial policy that promotes love and respect for all, adding that they see human life and the universe as books that need to be read.

James Baker’s remarks about Fethullah Gulen and Gulen Movement

Honorary James Baker said: Problems of the world would be easy to address if, on the global level, we develop ways of sharing respect for each other’s religious perspectives. It is in this manner, the Gülen Institute and those who promote shared vision of interfaith dialogue provide truly invaluable leadership.

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

Gulen: Dervish of our times

Why do I take sides

Tamsil: The inadvertent overspill of internalization

Nigeria Turkish College to Host Language, Culture Festival

Which is the bigger threat, Turkey’s coup or Erdogan’s response?

Turkish asylum claims in Greece rise 40-fold in three years

US, Gülen to trigger artificial earthquake(!) in İstanbul, Ankara mayor says

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News