April 14, 2016, Los Angeles, CA. — Pacifica Institute in Los Angeles hosted a discussion titled “Islam and the Building of America” The lecture was given by Amir Hussain, Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University.

Dr. Hussain opened the discussion on the history of African American Muslims, and the challenges they faced during the slave era in the United States.. He also highlighted Muslims as ‘newcomers’ to America, most of whom were immigrants. He also mentioned great muslim heroes such as Mohammed Ali, Ahmet Ertegun, a Turkish-American Muslim who co-founded Atlantic records and the African American influence on Jazz music in the 1950’s. According to Dr. Hussain, “Muslim influences on American music are evident just like many other aspects of the American culture”.

Dr. Hussain teaches courses on Islam and specializes in the study of contemporary Muslim societies in North America. He is also the author and editor of 5 books and over 50 scholarly articles and book chapters. He is currently finishing a book on how American Muslims have woven themselves into the fabric of American life, titled, “Muslims and the Making of America.” From 2011 to 2015 he was the editor of the Journal of American Academy of Religion.

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April 6, 2016, Augusta, ME. The Turkish Cultural Center in Maine (TCCME) organized the its 5th Annual Turkic Cultural Day at the State House Hall of Flags in Augusta, Maine, . The event celebrated by more than 200 guests, including government leaders, officials and local community leaders.

Among the distinguished guests was Senator Justin Alfond, who gave remarks and praised the Turkish Cultural Center’s efforts in bringing different cultures together to make positive contributions to the community. In addition, he also emphasized the cultural center’s role in establishing and maintaining economic relations between Turkey and the State of Maine.

The event concluded with a wide array of Turkish coffee and delicacies, including an impressive Ebru art (water marbling) demonstration that showcased the Turkish hospitality.

The Turkish Cultural Center-Maine is one of nine such cultural centers in the northeast region of the United States promoting cultural awareness and engage in dialogue through annual friendship dinners, Turkey trips, and luncheon forums.

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April 19, 2016, Albany, NY. — The Turkish Cultural Center in Albany organized the 5th Annual Friendship Dinner and Award Ceremony at the Wolferts Roost Country Club. The theme of this year’s event was “Refugee Crises: Global Challenges and Local Opportunities”. The event attracted individuals and organizations that contribute greatly to peaceful coexistence in Albany.

The program began with opening remarks by emcee of the event, attorney Seth Leech, and continued with welcoming remarks by TCC Advisory Board Member, Dr. Samantha Friedman.

The keynote speaker for the event was Vera Eccarius-Kelly, Professor of Political Science at Siena College. She shared her experiences visiting refugee camps across Europe and the Middle East. Alma Kanic, a member of the Bosniak Association, spoke first hand about her family’s experience fleeing the brutal war in Bosnia in the ‘90s and travelling to the United States as refugees.

This year, Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany received the “Leadership Award”. Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy was awarded the “Community Service Award”. Jill Peckenpaugh, Director of U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants received the “Philanthropy Award”. The “Media Award” was given to Paul Grondahl, Author, Reporter at Times Union.

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April 27, 2016, Washington D.C. The 14th International Festival of Language of Culture (IFLC) kicked off in with a colorful event at the Rayburn Building in Washington D.C. The event attracted U.S. Members of Congress from both the House and the Senate, including their staff. Over 126 students from 24 countries participated, in the annual celebration of diversity and linguistic talents.

Rep. Robin Kelly (IL) and Rep. Bonnie Watson (NJ) greeted and welcomed the students to Washington D.C.. Thereafter, Rep. Henry Cuellar, thanked the guests and gave brief remarks on the importance of diversity and free speech. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK) was very honored by the invitation and thanked the organizers for their efforts in bringing people from different cultures and backgrounds in promoting unity.

Faruk Taban, President of the Turkic American Alliance, was pleased with the turnout, recognized and acknowledged the efforts of the organizers, including the U.S. Members of Congress who showed their support and shared the cultural experience with the students.

Xavier Becerra presented Dr. Taban with a Certificate of Recognition for organizing the 14th International Festival of Language and Culture, and showed his support for contributions to dialogue and serving as global citizens in establishing peace.

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX), who was impressed by the music, dance and dress, thanked Turkic American Alliance for inviting his staff and looked forward to improving person-to-person relations with students and professors in promoting education. Rep. John Delaney thanked the organizers for celebrating multiculturalism and promoting integration communities through music, language and the talented youth.

Rep. Juan Vargas (CA) showed his appreciation to the students for their performances and presented Dr. Taban with a Congressional Recognition honoring the 14th International Festival of Language and Culture–and praising it for “creating a platform for youth to share their cultural heritage” and “uniting nations of the world with universal human values”.

Other Members of Congress that participated in the event or interacted with student participants were Rep. Scott Perry (PA), Rep Dan Kildee (MI), Rep Ed Royce (CA), Rep. Pete Olson (TX), Rep. Marc Veasey (TX), Rep. John Duncan Jnr (TN), Sen Elizabeth Warren (MA), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX) and Rep. Trent Franks (AZ).

The event concluded with a united performance by all the students in the song titled, “Universal Peace” and will continue on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C.

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April 28, 2016, Washington D.C. — The 14th International Festival of Language of Culture (IFLC) continued at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. The event was attended by over 2800 people, including over 126 students from 27 countries. Among the participating countries were Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and the United States.

The program began at 6.30pm with a group performance by the student, with the opening song, titled “Colors of the World”. The emcee of the evening was Andy Garcia, a popular professional actor and director — who introduced the participants,their families and other distinguished guests to the colorful event.

Emre Celik, President of Rumi Forum in Washington D.C. welcomed the guests, briefly mentioning the history of the festival, including its inspiration, Fethullah Gulen, who inspired the groups and individuals to serve, become role models citizens and support initiatives that further mutual respect.

Asher Mayerson from the Office of Public Engagement in the White House, delivered a message on behalf of President Barack Obama:

“The rich cultures and unique histories of our global society are brought to life through mesmerizing dance and captivating performance. In demonstrating the traditions that make your heritages special, festivals like this one allow us to bear witness to the ways hope and beauty stem from songs of inclusion. Your efforts to unite young people from across the globe reflect the power our common humanity has to transcend what sets us apart. As you come together to celebrate the cultural mosaic that is our world and forge bonds of friendship, I wish you all the best.” – President Barack Obama

Other distinguished guests, including Ambassadors, U.S. Members of Congress, representatives from the White House, showed their support in embracing the youth and supporting the vision of the International Festival of Language and Culture.

Congressman Randy Weber (TX) was pleased with the attendance. The theme of the event, inspired by Fethullah Gulen, is a “global tapestry” that provides a “vision of peace”. “Cultural traditions help weave the fabric of nations…and are critical to understand perspectives”, he continued. In addition, he expressed his disappointment in the festival not being held in Turkey the past two years, due to “lack of freedom of speech and expression”.

Congressman Mike Honda (CA), also gave brief remarks, praising the event as one that “is vibrant and celebrates humanity”. As a former teacher and principal, he shed light on the importance of celebrating multiculturalism in promoting the message of peace, tolerance and service to humanity. “The world will be more respected if they understand the Gulen Movement”, he concluded.

Some of the popular songs performed were, “Waka Waka” from South Africa; “Kalinka”, one of Russia’s most recognized songs written more than 130 years ago; “What a Wonderful World”, sang by students from the Philippines, Albania and the United States.

The program continued with mesmerizing folk dances from Brazil, Mozambique, Kazakhstan, Turkey that showcased the rich color and traditions. The event concluded with the song, “Universal Peace”, performed by all students as an international choir.

The International Festival was started and held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2003, and attracted students from 14 countries. By 2016, it spread to over 145 countries with over 2000 participants worldwide. The International Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC) is an annual celebration and showcase for the diversity of linguistic talents from across the world. Its mission is to serve for global peace, research, learning, and information exchanges in support of friendship, and understanding.

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April 5, 2016, Seoul, Korea — A delegation from Pacifica Institute attended the the 2016 Korea-US-Turkey Interfaith Cultural Exchange Peaceful Coexistence in Seoul, South Korea. The program was co-hosted by local Seoul based NGOs, the Korean Council of Religions for Peace, and the Hangang Network — bringing together religious scholars and academics from the United States, Turkey, and South Korea.

Reverend Dr. Taesik John Park, Chair of the Panel, welcomed the distinguished scholars, who were from Turkey, United States and South Korea to the 4th Peaceful coexistence conference. “Your participation in this conference will be very fruitful in terms of understanding interfaith dialogue in Korea and also a chance for us to express our religious diversity.”, he continued.

The first panel, titled, “Liberation and Salvation” was held at the Koreana Hotel, where debaters shared their ideas and thoughts on how their culture, traditions and religion have an impact on communities. A round-table discussion, titled, “Religious Extremism at the Grassroots Level” was also held at the Seoul National University, where delegations emphasized the importance of education dialogue activities having access to communities, including those that appeal and create interest in all levels for the public.

Participants also visited and attended meetings at Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Korean Orthodox Church, Dharma Master of Won-Buddhism, Rainbow International School, including a meeting with the H.E. Archbishop Kim. The purpose of the meetings and tours was to learn more about other faiths, traditions, and exchange ideas. On the final day, participants visited various historical sites in Seoul and Gyeongbok Palace, including the traditional Namdaemun Market.

“As the KCRP, we look forward to the opportunity to hold the 5th event in the United States, to experience interfaith dialogue in the United States, and to exchange our experiences with the religious leaders of the United States” , Reverend Gwang Joon Kim, the Secretary General concluded.

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May 4, 2016, Washington D.C. — TAA staff and its board members attended the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) 22nd Annual Awards Gala Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington DC. The gala dinner was organized to recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to the empowerment and advancement of Asian American and Pacific Islander community

The event began with the the Armed Forces Color Guard of the Army Military District, who marched into the ballroom, followed by the national anthem, which was performed by Dave Yoon, Ellen Park and Matthew Kim.

S. Floyd Mori, President & CEO of APAICS gave welcoming remarks,including Susan Jin Davis, Chair of the APAICS Board of Directors and Tariq Khan, APAICS Gala Committee Chair. Congressman Xavier Becerra was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Toyota received the corporate achievement award, Aziz Ansari & Alan Young were given the Vision Award.

Congresswoman Judy Chu, the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus later introduced Barack Obama, President of the United States, who presented the Keynote for the evening.

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is a national non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting Asian Pacific American participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office. APAICS programs focus on developing leadership, building public policy knowledge, and filling the political pipeline for Asian Pacific Americans to pursue public office at the local, state, and federal levels.

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May 22, 2016, Brooklyn, NY — Turkish Cultural Center in Brooklyn organized an interfaith discussion, titled “Combating Extremism Cancer” with the partnership of St. Athanasius Church, and Fountain Magazine at the St. Athanasius Church in Brooklyn.” The guest speaker of the event was Hakan Yesilova, Chief Editor of Fountain Magazine.

Mr. Yesilova discussed how to create spaces for practicing faiths. According to him, religion (or faith) has been a “reality of the human condition”, whether that belief is taken as divine truth or a product of our minds. He also explained the history of violence, and asked critical questions to better understand the complex relationship between faith and violence.

The program was created in response to the lead article published by The Fountain Magazine in November 2015 that denounced terrorism and to correct false associations of violence with religion. In recent years, communities across the United States and around the World have been suffering from extremist views, fueled by inflammatory and hateful resorting to violence in the society.

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May 1, 2016, Pittsburgh, PA — The Turkish Cultural Center in Pittsburgh organized a friendship picnic at the Monroeville Community Park to bring together families, volunteers and local community leaders to connect and share their experiences throughout the year.

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May 3, 2016, Austin, TX — Travis County Sheriff candidate Sally Hernandez visited the foundation and met with the volunteers. He praised the organization for creating and coordinating social and cultural programs in Texas.

“I want to thank everyone at the Turkish Cultural Center and the Raindrop Women’s Association for allowing me the honor to speak last night. It was wonderful meeting everyone and I am grateful for the beautiful personalized calligraphy gift that was presented to me.” Sally mentioned in a facebook post.

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May 16, 2016, Jacksonville, FL — The Istanbul Center in Florida co-organized the International Festival of Language and Culture in Florida.The program was held in Jacoby Symphony Hall with over a 1000 guests from surrounding cities and states in attendance.

This year’s performances were mainly done Turkish, English and Spanish, with performers showcasing colorful moments for the audience. At the end of the night the 150 young performers, aged 12-16 were awarded for their performances by Istanbul Cultural Center.

Among the distinguished guests were State Senator Audrey Gibson, Florida State Representative Lake Ray, Jacksonville assembly members Samuel Newby and Joyce Morgan were the honorary guests.

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May 23, 2016, Milwaukee, WI — Niagara Foundation at Milwaukee hosted Ellen Gilligan, President of Greater Milwaukee Foundation which is one of the largest and oldest foundations in the US.

The event began with lunch and continued with a presentation by Ellen, who discussed the challenges in combating racial disparity in the US. She also mentioned the importance of having the foundations in Milwaukee working together to exchange ideas.

Ellen Gilligan praised the Niagara Foundation’s mission of bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and allow the exchange of ideas. The program concluded with Ms. Gilligan receiving a gift as a token of appreciation from the Niagara Foundation.

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May 30, 2016, Chicago, IL — The dialog dinner was jointly organized by the Niagara Foundation and Turkish-American Society of Chicago (TASC). The opening remarks were made by TASC representative Mustafa Yazici under the theme of refugees. In his speech, he discussed the importance of service to humanity by noting that it is an underlying principle for all three Abrahamic religions.

The program kicked off with a video presentation of the activities of Niagara Foundation. Hakan Berberoglu, a representative from Niagara Foundation gave closing remarks and discussed on the many difficulties the prophets faced in their lives.

Over 200 people attended the event, as well as three people representing their respective traditions as part of the panel Frederick Reeves, Sally Dyck and Kamil Mufti.

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May 31, 2016, Portland, OR — The Anatolian Cultural Center organized a coffee night in Portland, Oregon attracting guests, mainly women from diverse backgrounds. The topic of the night, weddings in different cultures as well as desserts, dances and traditions, including a dinner. The event concluded with the presenters receiving gifts for their cultural presentations.

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June 8, 2016, San Francisco — An annual interfaith iftar event titled, “ The Art of Living Together: Building Relationships”, was organized by Pacifica Institute and Calvary Presbyterian Church as an initiative of promoting an interfaith dialogue. The gathering, attended by more than 250 people took place at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco with people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. The event served as a platform to promote universal values such as peace, love and respect for all humans.

The program started with the welcoming remarks by Rev. John Weems and Fatih Ates, including introductions on the activities of the Pacifica Institute which explained the significance of the Holy Month Ramadan to Muslims globally.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Scott Alexander, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, emphasized the importance of engaging through dialogue between different faith communities. Rev. Ronald Kobata, Board Member at San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC); W. David Barnes, ‎Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Calvary Presbyterian Church; Nancy Sheftel-Gomes, Education Director at Congregation Sherith Israel and Iftekhar Hai, Board Member at United Muslims of America all gave presentations at the event. The event was concluded with the performance of Ebru art, a turkish water marbling, by an artist Hulya Yatasi.

A similar interfaith Iftar was held on June 9th, at Sunnyvale, California. One more will be held on June 29th at the Seattle University in WA.

Pacifica Institute and other Turkish Cultural Centers will continue organizing Iftar Dinners in various regions of the Western United States to welcoming people from all cultures and religions to initiate and unite through fruitful conversations between communities.

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June 9, 2016, Washington D.C. — Turkic American Alliance (TAA) and Rumi Forum collaborated to host their annual signature Ramadan dinner in Washington D.C., with over 100 guests in attendance.

The program began at 8.00pm, with Lamija Silajdzic, Program Director of TAA welcomed the distinguished guests and acknowledged the staff of both organizations in putting together the event. Ms. Silajdzic later introduced Mustafa Akpinar, the upcoming CEO of Rumi Forum, who gave the opening remarks.

Arsalan Suleman, Acting U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the State Department explained Ramadan as a “month of reflection” for ourselves and those that served community. He gave the example of Mohammed Ali, who inspired millions, confronted racism and injustice and fought for religious equality and freedom.

Rev. Nate Walker, Executive Director at Religious Freedom Center of The Newseum, gave brief remarks sharing the importance promoting diversity and uniformity and maintaining religious liberty. He called for society to “move beyond personal gain” and work towards universal understanding and peaceful coexistence.

The Keynote, Imam Abdullah Antepli, Chief Representative of Muslim Affairs and Adjunct Faculty at Duke University shed light on the value of the Holy Month of Ramadan, as a time for “building good habits” that are easily ignored during the course of the year.

Later, the “call to prayer”, symbolizing the breaking of the fast was recited and the guests enjoyed their dinner. During the meal, the speakers were invited to the stage for a group photo.

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June 9, 2016, Washington, D.C. – During this year’s annual Signature Ramadan Dinner hosted by Turkic American Alliance (TAA) and Rumi Forum, there were several distinguished speakers including, Acting U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Arsalan Suleman. Mr. Suleman’s remarks at the dinner were recently published on the U.S. State Department’s website. In his speech, Suleman honors the memory of boxing legend and civil, and religious rights icon Muhammad Ali, whom recently passed away on June 3, 2016 at age 74 due to complications with Parkinson’s disease, and talks of the importance of championing “civil society.”

According to the U.S. State Department website, as Acting U.S. Special Envoy to the OIC, Suleman engages with the OIC, OIC member countries and relevant civil society on key foreign policy issues and works to deepen and expand partnerships in areas of mutual interest, such as human rights, countering violent extremism, health, education, entrepreneurship, and science and technology.

His complete remarks can be found below:

“Assalamualaikum, and Ramadan Mubarak! I’d like to thank the Rumi Forum and the Turkic American Alliance (TAA) for hosting this lovely iftar dinner here at the TAA.
It’s a real blessing to be here with you all today. Ramadan is a time for reflection, for spiritual rejuvenation, for empathy and compassion, for charity, and for unity. We welcomed this Ramadan with heavy hearts, as our nation’s beloved Champion – the world’s Champion, the people’s Champion – Muhammad Ali, the Greatest, passed away from this world. Today was his janaza, or funeral prayer, in Louisville, Kentucky, and we join all those mourning his passing. And in this month of reflection, we have the opportunity to remember his example, how he confronted racism and injustice, how he fought for equality and religious freedom, and how he championed peace and reconciliation around the world. He was courageous, he was dignified, he inspired millions, he shook up the world.

Ali is not alone in the fight for justice, equality, and a better world for us all. At home and abroad, brave individuals and civil society organizations engage in this important work through advocacy, education, peaceful protest, humanitarian services, dialogue, charity, and civic and political engagement. They are the change-leaders, the backbone of society, the source of strength and resilience and innovation. They deserve our praise and our protection.
Here and abroad, the United States champions the role of civil society. Recognizing the vital role that civil society plays, we have made engagement with civil society a cornerstone of our foreign policy. We work bilaterally and multilaterally with other governments, as well as directly with civil society, to ensure that civil society has a safe, open, and enabling environment to operate, one in which the rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly are protected.

Unfortunately, in far too many parts of the world, governments are shrinking the space for civil society rather than expanding it. This was one of our top concerns highlighted in the 2015 Human Rights Report, released in April. Crackdowns on civil society often happen under the guise of fighting terrorism or countering extremism. We believe that societies become stronger and more vibrant by allowing expression from diverse voices within society. We work globally to ensure that such civil society organizations—regardless of their religious or political orientation, or the issues on which they work— have a safe, open, and enabling environment within which to operate, where their rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly are protected.
We do so because it is the right thing to do, and because societies that protect such human rights are more stable, democratic, resilient, and prosperous. We appreciate the work NGOs the world over do to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue, because they enrich our cultural and religious diversity, and make the world a stronger and safer place.
So I’d like to thank the interfaith community for all the important work that you do. And thank you again for hosting us here today.”

The link to the article is here.

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June 12, 2016, Orlando, FL — The Turkic American Alliance and its six member federations condemn the terror attacks in Orlando that killed 50 people and injured many others – -making it one of the deadliest mass shooting in the United States.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families, relatives and friends of those affected. The mass shootings are an attack on our values, acts that must be condemned as these acts neither represent the principles nor promote the ideals of all Muslims.

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June 10-12, 2016, Queens, N.Y. –Turkish Cultural Center Queens (TCCQ) welcomed guests to its 12th Annual Ramadan Tent in New York City borough of Queens. The approximately 500 guests from many ethnic backgrounds enjoyed three days of festivities. Some of the activities included, cultural music played by Mustafa Demirci, an art tent where an artist showcased and sold his work, vendors, food and informative dialogue about the Islamic faith.

“I think this [is]a good experience for New Yorkers,” says TCCQ volunteer Mustafa Yasa. “They get an opportunity to learn about different cultures, [which]you learn in many different ways, but this is in front of your eyes.”

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June 15, 2016, Weehawken, N.J. – Faith, unity and understanding brought people of different cultural backgrounds together for Turkish Cultural Center New Jersey’s (TCC-NJ) Annual Intercultural Ramadan Friendship Dinner.

TCC-NJ welcomed 200 guests and dignitaries to the annual iftar dinner at Chart House in Weehawken, N.J. Before the dinner began, guests had a chance to mingle and enjoy the work of a Turkish Calligrapher, who made party favors with guests’ names. Guests were also greeted by an informative video presentation about Ramadan, a call to prayer and several distinguished speakers.

Weehwaken, N.J. Mayor Richard Turner and Deputy Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, Steven Gutkin were among those to make remarks at the dinner. Retired New Jersey Fire Chief, Michael Scardino spoke of being inspired by a Muslim youth he observed fasting and had to decided to fast as well. The keynote speaker, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman made remarks about the recent Orlando shooting that left 49 dead and said that he did not believe the incident reflected the beliefs of Islam. Fishman went on to talk about an encounter with his son where he declared he would attend the TCC-NJ iftar to show solidarity with Muslims.

TCC-NJ Executive Director Yavuz Aydin was touched by the speech that Fishman gave and felt it was a refreshing message despite the negative news coverage around the Islamic faith.

“When I hear that I feel very happy,” says Aydin. “[Hearing] the [remarks]by the attorney general makes [me]feel more comfortable more respected.

Once the fast was broken, guests enjoyed traditional Turkish food and Turkish music, followed by more remarks from distinguished guest.

“Ramadan is a holy month and we just bring people from different backgrounds [and]religions so we may [share]our plates [and]common values,” says Aydin. “As a [people]we are together [and]we respect each other.”

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