Ramadan Spirit Embraces Three Religions at İftar
The Writers and Journalists Foundation (GYV) organized an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) on Tuesday at İstanbul’s Grand Cevahir Hotel in a move to contribute to the improvement of dialogue between religions. The iftar was attended by representatives of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Among the participants of the event were Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, Turkey’s Chief Rabbi İshak Haleva, Turkish-Armenian Patriarchal Archbishop Aram Atesyan, Syriac Catholic Bishop of Turkey Yusuf Sağ, Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarigül and many journalists.
Participants of the event praised the GYV for having hosted such a meaningful event and emphasized the importance of inter-religious dialogue.
Turkish intellectual Fethullah Gülen, who is also the honorary chairman of the GYV, sent a written message to the event and congratulated all attendees of the iftar for having contributed to inter-religious dialogue and the improvement of tolerance between religions.
Zaman columnist Hüseyin Gülerce read the message, which said: “All prophets acted like leaders of affection and guided their followers to goodness and peace. Moses gathered his followers around him and saved them from the fire of hatred of the pharaoh. Jesus composed a poem of life based on human love and completed his mission by giving voice to this poem in different forms. And Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) led a life as a messenger of mercy and affection.”
Gülen underlined in his message that discord and conflict between religions do not stem from the religions themselves.
“These conflicts stem from the misinterpretation by some who cannot cling to the essence of the Divine message. Even if the world changes and heads in a totally different direction, science improves incredibly and people’s views and opinions change considerably, religion will continue to influence a great part of the world with its fascinating power as it has always done. An atmosphere of security and peace among civilizations will only be ensured thanks to self-sacrificing representatives of religions,” the message said.
‘We really miss Gülen’
Bartholomew delivered a speech at the event and said he really misses Gülen. “Gülen is currently residing in the United States. We have a saying, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ But this is not the case for the esteemed Mr. Gülen. We always love Gülen and really miss him. I would like to extend my thanks to the GYV for having invited me and my congregation to this meaningful iftar,” he stated.
Haleva stressed the iftar would send an important message to the whole world about the alliance of civilizations and inter-religious dialogue. “I believe Turkey has precious messages to convey to the whole world. I hope the beautiful atmosphere at this iftar will go beyond the borders of this country and reach greater fields. Representatives of three religions are sitting side by side here today and we love one another. I hope the seeds Gülen sowed will be protected and grown by future generations. May God be with all of us for a peaceful future,” he said.
Gülerce, also head of the Board of Trustees of GYV, expressed happiness about the gathering of representatives of three religions around the same table for the 11th time.
“Followers of three religions were so far away from one another in the past. It was Fethullah Gülen who brought them closer to one another. The important point is showing such courage for tolerance and dialogue between religions. Gülen showed this courage and gathered us around the same table,” he said.
Gülerce also stressed that such iftars and meetings are organized not only in Turkey but also in various places all across the world.
“We should respect each other no matter what our beliefs and thoughts are. We should show empathy toward others. We should place ourselves in the shoes of other people. If we want to be respected, we should respect others. We should be sincere in this respect,” he added.
Also at the event, GYV President Harun Tokak handed over his post to Mustafa Yeşil toward the end of the night.
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