Periodicals in the Balkans: The Journey of Islamic Thought, 1918-2018" Presented

The Project “The Journey of Islamic Thought, 1918-2018", which was prepared by YTB to elaborate on the contemporary Islamic thought in the Balkans through periodicals has been presented.

 

The Project “Periodicals in the Balkans: The Journey of Islamic Thought, 1918-2018”, which has been carried out by the Balkan Studies Foundation with the support of the Presidency for Turks and Related Communities (YTB), has been presented. The presentation ceremony took place in the YTB Anatolia-Rumelia Event Hall with the participation of Nazif Yılmaz, Vice President of National Education, Abdullah Eren, President of YTB, Prof. Mehmet Görmez, President of the Institute of Islamic Thought and a Former President of Religious Affairs, Vedat Ahmet, President of Bulgarian High Islamic Council and guests from Türkiye and abroad.

Intellectual Background to Cast Light on the Present

Abullah Eren, the President of YTB, gave a speech at the ceremony and said that as an institution they cared a lot about academic studies. He underlined that among all the academic studies they focus on, they give special importance to studies related to the Balkans. He indicated that these studies help to demonstrate the impact of historical developments on the region and uncover the accumulated knowledge in the Balkans. Eren said that the project would also help to reveal the intellectual background that would cast light on the present and added, “We value the academic studies conducted through universities, non-governmental organizations and research and thought centers. We are trying to support the studies on the Balkans specifically. This project is precious to see the evolution of Islamic thought in the region. It consists of 3 different periods, and the 1^st period has already come to an end. We see the intellectual background that would cast on the present thanks to this project.”

 YTB Undertakes a Valuable Project on Periodicals  

Nazif Yılmaz, Vice Minister of National Education delivered a speech at the presentation ceremony of the project and said that he closely followed YTB’s projects. He underlined that YTB, which carries out important work by granting scholarship to international students, has also been undertaking an important project on periodicals. He added that such periodicals are central to maintain cultures which are about to be forgotten. He said, “We should regard periodicals as a school, for they reflect the socio-cultural structure and history of the period they are published in.”         

We witness the continuation of Srebrenica massacre in Gaza Srebrenica massacre

Following the opening speeches, Prof. Mehmet Görmez, former President of Religious Affairs, started the opening seminar. He began his speech by commemorating the anniversary of Srebrenica massacre and drew attention to the fact that at the moment we are unfortunately witnessing the continuation of this massacre in Gaza. Görmez thanked those who worked for this project for the efforts they put into reviving the memory of the Balkans. He said, “Memory, identity and belonging are closely related terms. There can be no identity without memory; there can be no belonging without identity. I congratulate YTB, Balkan Studies Foundation and all the researchers who undertook a role in this project on their efforts to record the memory of the Balkans, with which we have shared the same culture, history and belief for centuries.”

 Görmez provided brief insights into the historical period throughout which the Balkans were introduced Islam and Islam took root in the region. He said, “Western orientalism was tired of the Balkan conquest because we are not talking about a conquest that can be reduced to military power only. There are different theories about how Islam was introduced to the Balkans. According to a Serbian theory, it was by force. According to another one, it was through the devshirme system. Yet we know that hearts are open to Islam. Islam is such a powerful religion that once you welcome it, you get the power to turn the land you live in into your homeland.”  

The program “Periodicals in the Balkans: The Journey of Islamic Thought, 1918- 2018” ended with panel moderated by Dr. Sevba Abdula, the President of the Balkan Studies Foundation, Vedat S. Ahmet, the President of Bulgarian High Islamic Council, Dr. Ahmet Köroğlu, a faculty member from Istanbul University and Assoc. Prof. Hamdi Çilingir, a faculty member from Sakarya University gave a speech in the panel.