On Wednesday, October 10, 2012, Rumi Forum organized a reception at the National Press Club in Washington DC in order to give Peace and Dialogue Awards to distinguished persons who have served to the public for lasting peace and dialogue. Recepients of the Rumi Forum 2012 Peace and Dialogue Awards were Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the United States Department of State, Farah Pandith, Special Envoy and the head of Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism in the Obama Administration, Hannah Rosenthal, and Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley for their extraordinary public services. The same award was given to Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick for his extraordinary service for peace. Executive Director of Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ajla Delkic was deemed to deserve “Extraordinary Loyalty-Youth Award for Building Peace”.
In her speech, Farah Pandith mentioned about their activities in the direction of building a world that aims mutual respect and building peace bridges. In this regard, she said Rumi Forum’s cooperation and friendship means a lot for herself.
Through a video message that was prepared before, Hannah Rosenthal spoke to guests that it is very important than ever before to give messages of improving mutual respect and struggling against the hate in the world. Since, we pass in a transition, there is intolarance, fanaticism and radical nationalism growing up. By presenting her sincere thanks to Rumi Forum due to its activities in order to prevent bad trends, Rosenthal said “we work together in order to end hate and fanaticism, but to increase mutual respect, tolerance, pluralism and peace. Hate is hate”.
In his video message, Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley spoke as State of Maryland we appreaciate and join to the Rumi Forum’s efforts on improving education, supporting for our people’s needs and celebrating pluralism. He also said, it is an honor to receive Rumi Forum’s Peace and Dialogue Award.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick underlined your mission in the life is not to look for love but to find obstacles in front of the love and remove them. In this regard, interfaith dialogue is very important.
If people have reasonable dialogue with each other there will be an understanding between each other and if they do so, they will come to the level of respecting other’s values. McCarrick said we should work with each other. Anyone of us could not change the world alone. But if we fulfill what the Mevlana wanted from us, if we throw away hate, discrimination and egoism on our shoulders we will come to a level of acting freely in order to change the world.
Ayla Delkic told she was born in Bosnia and came to the United States as refugee in the beginning of 1990s.
As Bosnian Serb government still refuse genocide and ethnic cleaning Delkic said religion and ethnicity is used in order to seperate people. I afraid today’s generation may grow as seperated. They are going to different classrooms in a same school. For example, there are some schools Muslim children go to school in the morning while Christian Orthadox pupils are going in the afternoon. They don’t interact with each other, they don’t play in the same place, and even their history books are different. I am concerned about they may grow up as more nationalist even than those who leaded us to war. Nevertheless, I believe there is a light in the end of the tunnel and it is in our hands to help to Bosnia.
Member of the Rumi Forum Advisory Board, Peter Kovach determined Turkey is a fascinating country with its coherent and modern Islam vision and deep history. Another member of the Advisory Board David Newton also emphasized majority of the Muslims are peaceful people.
In the end, President of Rumi Forum Emre Celik and Peace and Dialogue Award honorees were taken a family picture. Ambassador of Turkey, Namik Tan who atttended the event also congratulated Award honorees.
