On Saturday, October 26, Day 2 of the International Symposium on the Hizmet Movement and Peacebuilding opened with Panel V and was followed by Panel VI, an Author’s Roundtable, a Book Signing and a Deliberative Session. Day 2 also took place at the National Press Club.
Panel V: Spirituality and Persona of Peacebuilding
Moderating Panel V was Dr. Gertrude Conway, Professor at Mount St. Mary’s University, United States. Speakers included Rev. Dr. Simon Robinson, Professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom; Dr. Nazila Isgandarova, Spiritual Care Provider at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada; and Sureyya Çiçek, Ph.D. candidate at Monash University, Australia.
Panel VI: Peacebuilding in Regional Perspective
In addition to speaking as a panelist, Dr. Pim (Wilhelmus G.B.M.) Valkenberg, Ordinary Professor at Catholic University of America, United States, also served as moderator for Panel VI. Speakers included Dr. Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr., Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines, Philippines; and Sr. Dr. Martha Ann Kirk, CCVI, Profesor at the University of the Incarnate Word, United States.
Author’s Roundtable
Moderating the Author’s Roundtable was Emre Çelik, President of Rumi Forum. The contributing authors included Dr. Joshua Hendrick, Assistant Professor at Loyola University Maryland, United States; Dr. Doğan Koç, Executive Director of the Gülen Institute at the University of Houston, United States; Dr. James C. Harrington, Director and Attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, United States; and Dr. Thomas Gage, Professor Emeritus at Humboldt University, United States. The authors each discussed the research presented in their respective books. Following the roundtable, copies of their books were available for purchase and book signing.
Deliberative Session: The Hizmet Movement’s Contribution to Peacebuilding
The Deliberative Session was moderated by Dr. Fevzi Bilgin, Executive Director of the Rethink Institute, and was attended by all of the panelists and moderators who participated in the Symposium. The session bore fruitful discussions surrounding the following questions:
- How do you define the Hizmet Movement? How would you characterize its origins, tenets and orientation? How does the Hizmet Movement compare and contrast to other movements, communities and philosophies?
- What kind of movement is the Hizmet Movement? How does it relate to other social and/or religious movements? What is its relationship to Islam?
Following the Deliberative Session, dinner took place at Rumi Forum’s office, marking the culmination of the 2013 International Symposium on the Hizmet Movement and Peacebuilding. The Turkic American Alliance applauds Rumi Forum for all of its hard work and dedication. The Symposium was an enormous success and we can’t wait for more to come!
Be sure to check out Rumi Forum’s video coverage of the Symposium here, and Ebru New’s video coverage of the Symposium here. You can also follow the conversation that took place on Twitter at #Hizmet2013.
