The Abant Platform, organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), will hold a three-day meeting on the Alevi issue at a hotel on the shore of Lake Abant.
The meeting, titled “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together,” will kick off on Friday in an effort to promote mutual coexistence. Over 150 people from different fields, including academia, media and civil society, are expected to attend.
Some of the debate topics will include faith relations in Turkey and the Middle East from a historic perspective, the societal cost of polarization, freedom of conscience and faith, equality in freedoms and rights, and getting Alevis and Sunnis to learn more about each other.
The Abant Platform is an independent think tank that takes its name from Lake Abant in the province of Bolu, the location of its first meeting. It is one of the most well-known programs of the GYV. The GYV was founded in 1994. Its mission and work were inspired by its honorary president, Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
Published on Today's Zaman, 10 December 2013, Tuesday