Magnificent Finale for Mevlana Birthday Commemoration Contest
The final of the first international Peace and Tolerance in the Path of Mevlana Project Olympiad (MEVİPO), organized by Merve Educational Institutions to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the birth of the 13th century philosopher and Sufi saint Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, was held in the central Anatolian province of Konya last week.
Some 185 projects, chosen from among 5,432 projects from 22 countries, were entered in the contest and several officials attended the ceremony, held at the Mevlana Cultural Center in Konya. The guests were touched to see that the foreign students coming from other countries also sang the Turkish national anthem.
Speaking at the opening of the ceremony, Turkish Parliament Deputy Speaker İsmail Alptekin mentioned the importance of love and tolerance. Recalling that foreign students studying at the Turkish schools abroad had also joined the contest, Alptekin praised the Turkish schools abroad for their role in spreading the Turkish language and expressed his gratitude to the self-sacrificing teachers willing to work so from their homeland.
"These heroes teach students all over the world about love, tolerance and respect. They are the students' teachers in the classroom, and their big brothers in the school yard. I want to congratulate those self-sacrificing teachers. In the countries we visit as officials, we pay visits to these schools and talk to the state officials there. ... We are proud of them," Alptekin stated.
The world will learn about tolerance
Konya Mayor Tahir Akyürek said those who follow the path of Mevlana will find love, peace, tolerance and brotherhood. Akyürek said the world can better understand these concepts, desperately needed by humanity, thanks to these contests. Merve Educational Institutions' General Director Yilmaz Demir emphasized that their goal is to contribute to world peace.
Competition sponsors, including Selva, Enka, Seden Triko and Zade, were presented with commemorative plates following the speeches. Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Bülent Arinç was awarded a MEVİPO Peace prize, received by his deputy, Alptekin, on his behalf. The students were also given awards.
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