Rumi Forum Newsletter

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From all of us at the Rumi Forum, we extend our warmest wishes of health, joy and peace to all who are celebrating during this beautiful and abundant holiday season . . .
Happy Holidays.

Rumi Forum Held 6th Annual Awards Ceremony

Rumi Forum held its 6th Annual Rumi Peace and Dialogue Awards Ceremony at the National Press Club on October 10,2012.
2012 RUMI Awards’ recipients include:

·         Extraordinary Commitment to Public Service: The Honorable Martin O’Malley,Governor, State of Maryland

·         Extraordinary Commitment to Public Service: Special Envoy Hannah Rosenthal,Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, US Department of State

·         Extraordinary Commitment to Public Service: Special Representative Farah Anwar Pandith, Special Representative to Muslim Communities, US Department of State

·         Extraordinary Commitment to Peace: His Eminence Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington

·         Extraordinary Commitment to Peace Building - Youth Award: Ajla Delkic,Executive Director, Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

See photos

Watch Videos

MAFTAA Launches Relief Campaign for Sandy Victims

As Rumi Forum we would like to send our deepest condolences for the lives lost and wish for a speedy recovery for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Mid Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations, of which Rumi Forum is a member, is collaborating with Helping Hands Relief Foundation to help victims of Sandy.

Georgetown University Seminar on Rumi’s Teachings and the Quran

Dr. Tarik Quadir, from Mevlana University in Konya, Turkey, spoke on the topic of diversity as a mercy from God as it relates to Rumi’s teachings and the Quran.
Following a discussion on the rationale of Divine Mercy and the existence of diverse entities in the universe, Quadir discussed how this can help us understand the existence of religious diversity as well.

Howard University Scholars Visited Rumi Forum

A group of Howard University graduate students and scholars visited Rumi Forum in September 2012. Headed by Dr. Michael Frazier, the group had a chance to discuss a variety of issues over the dinner with the participants from Rumi Forum and Washington correspondent of Zaman newspaper, Ali H. Aslan.

Photos

Chairman of International Law Institute, Professor Don Wallace Joins Rumi Forum Advisory Board

Rumi Forum is happy to announce that Don Wallace, Chairman of International Law Institute and Professor of International Law at Georgetown University joined Rumi Forum’s Advisory Board. Wallace is also a board member of the International Council for Middle East Studies. In the photo below Professor Wallace is with Rumi Forum President Emre Celik at an iftar hosted by the Rumi Forum.

Photos

Lecture on Turkish Democratization Held at the American University

Recently It is has been debated whether the Turkish experience in democracy can be an example for the predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria that are going through their own struggles for democratization.
Dr Alp Aslandogan, President of Alliance for Shared Values, reviewed the history of democracy in Turkey with an eye toward the roles of ideologies, political leaders, higher judiciary, military, media, business and civil society at the American University on October 18, 2012. He also talked about Gulen Movement, which he described as a social movement originated by observant Turkish Muslims that is playing a crucial role in consolidating democracy in the country. The event was jointly organized with the Rumi Forum.

Watch the event video here.
Photos

Discussion on Gulen Movement Held at CSIS

On October 19, Dr. Alp Aslandogan, President of the Alliance for Shared Values, a New York-based non-profit umbrella organization for cultural and interfaith dialogue organizations around the U.S., and Board Member of the Gulen Institute held a discussion on the Gulen Hizmet Movement at CSIS. The discussion was jointly organized with the Rumi Forum.

Focusing on education but also active in many other fields, the faith-inspired movement around Fethullah Gulen has recently attracted even greater interest in the U.S.Dr. Aslandogan discussed the history, vision and activities of the Hizmet Movement, as it is referred to by its members, or the Gulen Movement, as it is more generally known. He then responded to questions and comments by participants.

German Newspaper FAZ Article Examines Gulen Movement

Rainer Hermann, a respected writer for Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily, puts the Hizmet movement, and Gulen's life under the spotlight in an article published on November 9, 2012.
The article, titled “Tue Gutes, und lasse es wirken” (Do good and let it unfold), includes Hermann's interview with Gülen, as well as interviews conducted with others in the movement including Rumi Forum President Emre Celik.

Financial Times Featured Fethullah Gulen’s Oped

Fethullah Gulen’s article on the non violent tradition of Islam appeared on Financial Times’s September 27 issue. Calling the use of violence wrong and strayed from the right path. Full article below.

The Rumi Forum Condemns Attack in Libya

The Rumi Forum of Washington DC issued a statement regarding the deadly attack targeting the US Consulate in Libya.

Fethullah Gulen also issued a statement condemning the attacks. Read his statement here.

ARTICLE:An untold African story

Rumi Forum President Emre Celik shared his impressions from his last visit to Africa. He visited South Africa, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Kenya and Ethiopia to discover and note Hizmet activities.

LUNCHEONS and EVENING TALKS

“Justice for All” with U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.

“Ankara, Washington and the Syrian Crisis: Geopolitical and Regional Implications” with Dr. F. Stephen Larrabee

“Rising Tide of Religious Restrictions around the World” with Dr. Brian Grim, Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life

“Assessing the Contribution of Foreign Born Workers to the U.S. Economy” with James Witte, George Mason University

“Islam, Religion of Peace and Creation” with The Supreme Mufti of Kazakhstan Abdsattar Hadji Derbissali Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan

"Exploring the Culinary Backstreets of Istanbul" with Yigal Schleifer

In The News

Daily Times

Gulen moot to explore meaning of life, model of ideal human

Read here

Today’s Zaman

Great interest shown in Turkish school in Egypt.

Read here

Today’s Zaman

Gülen's teachings discussed at conference in Algeria.

Read here

Today’s Zaman

GYV Coexistence Awards Honor Turkey’s Minority Groups.

Read here

New Books

Dialogue In Islam by Ahmet Kurucan. Read more

Rumi Forum broadcasting on 4 TV Stations

DC TV: Comcast 95, RCN 10, Verizon10
schedule here

Arlington TV:Comcast 69, Verizon 38

Fairfax TV: Cox 30, Verizon 30

Montgomery TV: Verizon 19,21 Cox 19,21, RCN 19,21

Turkish Classes

Learn Turkish in Washington, DC! Experienced teachers are offering Turkish Language Classes at the Rumi Forum in Washington, DC. If you are looking for Turkish lessons in the DC Metropolitan Area, Rumi Forum is the right place to begin. There are three terms in a year

• Turkish language classes are open to everyone who is interested.
• The classes are arranged based on the number of students interested in at any level.
• Our teachers are using a Turkish Language Book Set written in Turkish.

For the intensive program: A four-hour class per week and eight classes in a month.

For further queries and application form please email: turkish@rumiforum.org

Visit the 'Learn Turkish' blog

WATCH PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

For more info

Rumi Forum Internship Program

Eligibility: All undergraduate and master’s-level students and J.D. and Ph.D. candidates as well as recent graduates are eligible to apply.

Application Process: In order to apply for a Rumi Forum Internship, please submit the following:

· Cover Letter and Resume

· College or University Transcript

· 2-3 References (please provide both the phone and email contact information and please include a Professor or other individual familiar with your work)

*starting dates are flexible

Please send materials via email to

internships@rumiforum.org

DONATE TO RUMI FORUM

Rumi Forum now accepts donation through a new service via Paypal. The Rumi Forum, a NGO that is a non-profit exempt organization under section 501 (C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code exists by way of contributions, donations and the volunteers that enable it to provide numerous services to better society at large. Your contributions are appreciated and play an important part in the Rumi Forum increasing social harmony and understanding.