Between the 17th and 18th of November the 3rd International NGO Fair, co-organised by the Union of NGO’s of the Islamic World (IDSB) and the Foundation of Volunteer Institutions of Turkey took place at the Yenikapi Eurasian Culture And Art Center, Istanbul.
Between the 17th and 18th of November the 3rd International NGO Fair, co-organised by the Union of NGO’s of the Islamic World (IDSB) and the Foundation of Volunteer Institutions of Turkey (TGTV) took place at the Yenikapi Eurasian Culture And Art Center, Istanbul.
The Fair was opened with recitations from the Holy Qur’an as well as speeches by IDSB president Av. Ali Kurt and TGTV president Av. Hamza Akbulut. They both mentioned that the participating organisations were strongly committed to the service of faith and thus acted as embodiments of compassion as well as microcosms of Islamic civilization itself. The speakers also emphasised that the issues of the Muslim world could be resolved and greater co-operation and unity facilitated by the actions and works of such NGO’s.
During the Fair many participating NGO’s hosted workshops and used the event as a means of increasing mutual consultation and co-operation amongst each other. The occasion was a means of facilitating new relationships and collaborations amongst various NGO’s both within Turkey as well as internationally. In addition, on the second day of the Fair the general public was invited and given the opportunity to learn more about the activities of the respective organisations.
This year’s Fair was the first one in which the Istanbul Foundation for Science And Culture (along with its Barla Platform) had participated in. Our Foundation ran our own stall which featured brochures and catalogues detailing our activities in Turkish, Arabic and English as well as various small copies of the Risale-i Nur. Alsoon-display were books on the topic of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s life as well as introductory explanations of the Risale treatises. We also featured copies of our respective academic journals “An Nur” and “Katre” among others which we not only had on display but also gave as gifts to visitors.
Given the international nature of the event, our hard-working volunteers and staff members greeted the participants and members of other NGO’s at the Fair in Arabic, Turkish and English. Our Foundation also used the event to learn more about the activities of various NGO’s, explain to them the relevance of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and the Risale-I Nur in today’s world as well as to arrange ways of organizing joint future activities together. The NGO’s that we encountered were generally operating in the area of educational and cultural activities and hailed from places such as Tunisia, Sudan, Ghana, Yemen, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Many of the members from the institutions and organizations present at the Fair stated that they had heard about Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and the Risale-i Nur and that they had established ongoing connections with Risale-I Nur students both in Turkey and around the world.
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