June 17, 2013

The key to security and peace

Ekrem Dumanli

They attended qualifying competitions for the 11th International Turkish Olympiad, a festival that celebrates the Turkish language, at locations around the world.

They competed against each other in poetry, singing, folklore, special talents and other areas. They perfected their Turkish in order to attend the finals in their own countries. They read, wrote, thought and even dreamed in Turkish. They became acquainted with Turkish cuisine and they developed an admiration for Turkish music. Thousands of students who won their local competitions were then entitled to come to Turkey. And they came. With them, they brought an air of spring to the country. There were 2,500 finalists who attended 99 programs in 55 provinces. These students directly interacted with hundreds of people and millions of people watched them on TV. The Anatolian people were proud of them and embraced them with love.

Unexpectedly, some unfortunate incidents broke out during this visit of the children of the world. Although they initially started in reaction to the "cutting down of a few trees," the protests soon turned into a global operation. Common sense is the first victim in every polarization and this applies to the latest act of polarization. Those whose actions were guided by the very heat of the protests couldn't understand the moderate people who maintained their stance. There was no choice but to call on the masses to act with common sense. Alas! As reason was eclipsed by rage and as fairness was denied, no one could hear what others were saying. Never mind ...

The protests quickly went beyond the limits of Taksim and İstanbul and they became an item on the world's agenda. TV channels, newspapers and web sites were all talking about Turkey, and they were not mentioning it in any kind of a positive manner. The police cars that were burned, the police officers who were spraying tear gas, the streets that were obstructed with barricades and the public squares that were decorated with placards ...

This unfortunate outlook was heart-rending, tear-jerking and worrisome. What were the "children of Turkish" thinking about these tragic incidents? What were those angelic children seeing in this twilight where devils were swarming? Were they afraid? Were they intimidated? Did they want to run away? I inquired about their perceptions. I learned that the children always felt themselves engulfed in an atmosphere of love.

Seeing the trust the children feel in Turkey, I felt considerably relieved. But there is more to these children who came to Turkey with the devoted protection of their teachers and who continuously experienced an atmosphere of love in Turkey. What about their families?

Think about the parents who sent their children away to Turkey, thousands of miles away. Have a look at Turkey from their perspective: a country engulfed in flames, quarrels, strife, chaos and violence. Oh my beloved Turkey! You don't deserve to be portrayed in such a manner. Your image doesn't deserve to be undermined in such a cruel manner. Mothers wouldn't want their children to be in such a chaos even if you tried to convince them by explaining, "This is not the real Turkey."

Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER) President Ali Ursavaş's comforting words were very meaningful, "Yes, the families who are watching their children on TV have been uneasy, but none of them wanted their children to come back." This was very important. Why? This is because these families had high regard for the Turkish schools that are run by Turkish entrepreneurs inspired by the ideas of well-respected Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. They knew well that the teachers who were working at these schools wouldn't allow any danger to come close to the students who were entrusted to them. These parents had entrusted their children to the Anatolian people who pocket all sorts of hostilities and who approach everything with love.

In such a chaotic environment where international conferences and hotel reservations were being canceled, not a single student said: "There is commotion everywhere. I want to return to my country." Not a single parent said: "The country is in chaos. Send my kids back."

This means that it is possible to create "islands of peace" as we make progress toward universal peace. It also follows that the atmosphere of love created by "devoted spirits" can demolish all sorts of efforts to create a bad image of the country.

The sparkling in the eyes of the Olympiad participants is gratitude. They experience the happiness of getting closely acquainted with Turkey and making friends with children from any race or color. We, too, have our share of this happiness: thanks to the Olympiad, we learn more about their cultures and they have made clear to us that universal peace is possible.

This is the message they have been sending for the last 11 years. As a matter of fact, they have been sending this message for the last 20 years, going back to the initial establishment of these schools. I send my greetings to those students.

Published on Sunday's Zaman, 16 June 2013, Sunday

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