Address by Nurdin Kaparov,
MAHBOOBNAGAR:
Dear Guests
Dear Dignitaries
Dear Religious and community leaders
And Dear organizers
Please accept our heartily greetings from Indialogue Foundation.
Indialogue is an action-oriented dialogue and peace foundation, was founded in 2005, the imagination and fortune of a group of Turkish and Indian people inspired by sensible and spiritual thoughts of the eminent scholars and spiritual leaders of the world, to promote and to encourage international, intercultural and interfaith dialogue; understanding and tolerance, harmony, co-existence, cooperation and peace; proactive studies. Indialogue contributes to information exchange and networking on current issues of dialogue and peace policy through its analyses and reports as well as meetings and conferences.
We recall taking other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace, and to achieve the objectives in promoting and encouraging respect for religions, human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without discrimination or distinction as to religion, culture, race, sex, language etc. Therefore, dialogue among civilizations, faiths and cultures can make an improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind.
Indialogue Foundation in its five years tenure in Hyderabad city has organized number of interfaith forums, cultural events, scholarly conferences, cultural trips to Turkey, etc. We could develop good relations with NGOs and university departments in the city and collaborating in organizing socially beneficial endeavors, and we hope also to work with our new circles and friends that we could make today.
Diversity is the Divine Will; God has created human being with distinct features with different colors and languages and made us into nations and tribes, that we might know one another. The diversity of thoughts, cultures and languages should not be viewed as a national threat but should be accepted as a national asset that should be cherished. Rainbow is formed with different colors, and gives auspicious appearance that we all enjoy, and in same way differences among people also should be acknowledged in same direction.
Today’s contemporary world is moving fast with new developments and driving us into global village, but these progresses are not affecting equivalently in livelihood of people. The innovative communication devices make us closer even thousand miles, but the association with next door neighbor became afar. The rich and poor gap became wide, understanding each other’s problem became incomprehensive. Unemployment and poverty spread all over. We feel proud of new technologies, but they are not applicable and affordable to the common people. The environment and ecological issues arouse into serious level. The stress became common on people’s life; the psychological concern needs to be addressed to win back people who became alien to our own world. The only way out of this Global Problems are Dialogue.
Dialogue is coming together and communication of members of different faiths and cultures for the purpose of knowing others accurately and establishing a foundation of peaceful coexistence and cooperation in an atmosphere of peace, respect and empathy that is exhibited today’s event. Dialogue process become necessity, as occurrences in one part of the world is affecting entire globe, today we are not immune to events those are happening even another continents. Globalization also enabled a better logistics and lobby for hate-mongers who aim to spread chaos, enmity and hatred through disinformation and role of education seems to be indefinite way. Only education will enable people to be able to judge what is right and wrong through knowledge and critical thinking.
As Turkish NGOs and sister organizations we are working in more than 120 countries in all over world mainly in the education sphere, by the inspiration of Fethullah Gulen who is an eminent Islamic Scholar and Peace Activist from Turkey, whose teachings are based on Dialogue and Education, and he has been subject to many academic studies. His more than 60 books have been translated to many languages and his philosophy is well accepted in East and West.
He understood the importance of Education from early years and encouraged establishments of schools, with the methodologies that have been well developed to cater the need of modern time. These schools are non denominational, follows the national curriculum of countries which they are based, brings students of all cultures and faiths. These educational establishments run as an oasis of peace, science, knowledge, technology and proficiency, by participating and organizing international science Olympics. At present it numbers more than 1000 schools, in each province and city of Turkey. The volunteers, who are motivated by his teachings, have exposed to the world and more than 500 schools have been instituted in more than 120 countries in Eurasia, Africa, North America, etc.
In 1990s Gulen advocated the necessity of interfaith dialog when it was alien to national consciousness and was subject of criticism for his interfaith activities. Through his exemplary activism in difficult times, we as Turkish group are settled in Hyderabad and engaged educational and dialogue activities. He personally met with many religious and community leaders, including Pope John Paul II, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos, and Israeli Sephardic Head Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron. He was one the first who stepped forward after 11th September incident, unequivalently condemned such act, and he said:
“Terror can never be used in the name of Islam or for the sake of any Islamic end. Acts such as random killing, suicide bombing and kidnapping are completely forbidden in Islam and can never be undertaken whatever the circumstances or condition. Those who kill one innocent person through such acts are considered in Islam to have killed the whole humankind. A terrorist cannot be a Muslim and a Muslim cannot be a terrorist. A Muslim can only be the representative and symbol of peace, well-being and prosperity”. (The Washington Post)
And I would like to finish my speech with Gulen’s quotation:
“Be so tolerant that your heart becomes wide like an ocean. Become inspired with faith and love for others. Offer a hand to those in trouble, and be concerned about everyone“.
And as Indialogue Foundation we would like to express our gratefulness to organize such meaningful event and we wish further success in your future endeavors.
Thanking you
