On October 30th, 2014, the Rumi Forum commemorated 15 years since its inception during its 8th Annual Peace and Dialogue Awards at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The evening began with welcoming remarks by Myron Belkind, President of the National Press Club, and Emre Celik, President of the Rumi Forum. Jena Luedtke, Director of Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue at the Rumi Forum, was the emcee of the event. Among the distinguished guests were H.E. Winston Thompson, Ambassador of Fiji; Amb. Tony P. Hall, former United Nations’ Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome; Victoria Sloan, President and Founder of the Constitution Project; Don Wallace, Chairman of the International Law Institute; and representatives from the White House.
Carol Bellamy, Chair of the International Baccalaureate, delivered the keynote speech on the current state of education, calling on governments and civil societies to take a stand in ending violence and promoting peace in the world. According to Bellamy, “Education is a foundation for peace and dialogue that helps the youth make good choices and prevent conflict.” She concluded with an inspiring quote by Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi: “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment. Cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment intuition.” Following her remarks, the audience watched a short video presentation on the work of the Rumi Forum throughout the years.
After dinner was served, the awards portion of the night began. The first award—“Extraordinary Commitment of Service to Service to Women and Human Rights Award”, was given to Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri, Founder and Chair of KARAMAH. Dr. Al-Hibri shared her thoughts on the role of women in promoting human rights, peace and freedom in the world. In her speech, Dr. Al-Hibri stressed that “everyone deserves dignity regardless of gender, ethnicity, race or religion.” She also urged communities to use education as a platform to teach the value of human life and dignity.
Rev. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World & Alliance to End Hunger was given the “Extraordinary Commitment of Service to the Community Award.” Rev. Beckmann highlighted the challenges of reducing poverty and hunger in the U.S. and around the world and advocated for local and international organizations to engage in helping the poor and protecting programs for low income families. He also urged the U.S. government to create a framework for local and community leaders to “increase the momentum for progress” by raising awareness on hunger related issues.
Dr. Rebecca Winthrop, Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, received the “Extraordinary Commitment of Service to the Education Award.” Dr. Winthrop shared her personal experiences working with refugees, improving literacy and education reform. According to Dr. Winthrop, “education and literacy are fundamental” to students’ ability to take advantage of opportunities. She also suggested the need to support local leaders and entrepreneurs to find solutions for improving opportunities for girls education.
Dr. Zeki Saritoprak, the Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University and founder of the Rumi Forum, described the vision and inspiration behind the establishment of the Rumi Forum. Dr. Saritoprak briefly discussed on the growth of the Hizmet Movement and congratulated the organization for its commitment to promoting intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding.
