| The hajj is one of Islam’s five obligations that every Muslim must fulfill, if possible, during his or her lifetime. According to Muslims, their journey to Mecca absolves them of their sins. On the eve of Eid al-Adha on Monday, pilgrims visited Mount Arafat for a day of prayer and reflection. Mount Arafat is in the desert approximately nine miles from Mecca where pilgrims spend the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah [in the Islamic calendar] as a rite of hajj. On this day, the pilgrims face Mecca and pray from noon to sundown. The Prophet Muhammad delivered his farewell sermon from Mount Arafat during his pilgrimage. In performing wuquf, pilgrims figuratively join those the Prophet addressed. Wuquf is believed to cleanse and purify the soul and mind in preparation for the pilgrims’ stay at Muzdalifah that night. After sunset, pilgrims moved to Muzdalifah, where they collected pebbles to be tossed at three stones representing Satan later in the hajj at Mina. Following the stoning, pilgrims sacrificed animals on the first day of Eid al-Adha, joining millions of other Muslims around the world. The pilgrims travelled by foot, public transport and private cars. This year saw the first phase of a train project intended to ease congestion on Saudi roadways. The Chinese-built elevated light rail began limited operations on Monday carrying pilgrims between Mina and Mount Arafat through Muzdalifah. This year it operated at about a third of its expected capacity.
Nov. 13 Saturday
With an agreement aiming to bring all of Iraq’s feuding political blocs into a new government led by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki having been struck, the Turkish capital maintained dialogue with Iraqi leaders, encouraging them to stick to efforts to secure a consensus in a fragile environment. Iraqi lawmakers approved the agreement on Saturday, despite the fact that deep disagreements remain about the role to be played by the country’s minority Sunnis. The deal struck this week ended an eight-month impasse that had stalled the formation of a new government and threatened to reignite sectarian violence. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held a telephone conversation with Maliki and congratulated him for the deal, diplomatic sources said.
Nov. 14 Sunday
İstanbul has been selected the European Capital of Sport in 2012, European Capital of Sport Association (ACES) President Gian Francesco Lupatelli announced in a press conference at the İstanbul Atatürk Airport. He was accompanied by Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış and İstanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş. Stating that officials from the association had carried out a number of inspections in İstanbul, Lupatelli said he was happy to announce İstanbul was selected.
Turkish women took sixth place in the 2010 FIVB women’s World Volleyball Championship after Italy defeated Turkey in Sunday’s game for fifth place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Turkey had beaten Germany 3-2 on Saturday to fight for the fifth spot. Defending European champion Italy beat Turkey 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-21).
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for a higher level of trade with Bangladesh, vowing to support the South Asian Muslim country in international platforms. “We will never leave Bangladesh alone,” Erdoğan told reporters in a joint press conference with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, in the capital Dhaka during his two-day visit. This visit, the first Turkish prime ministerial visit in 21 years to the country, was to bolster growing trade relations and bilateral ties between the two countries. The two prime ministers held bilateral talks and meetings with delegations before the news conference, which Erdoğan defined as “very useful.”
Interior Minister Beşir Atalay said political parties and the media stand as two major actors for cooperation in the fight against terrorism. “Cooperation among political parties has been a major key in counterterrorism efforts in countries where such problems have been settled. Another key is the media. … In the United Kingdom and Spain, no political parties used terrorism as an element of domestic politics. This [the fight against terrorism] is a national issue. It is not solely the issue of the ruling party,” the minister said during a live TV broadcast on Kanal 7.
Week-long celebrations marking the 27th anniversary of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (KKTC) declaration of independence, which began on Sunday in the northern part of the divided Mediterranean island, were overshadowed by the opposition parties’ decision not to attend the main celebration in protest of the government’s economic policies. Only Turgay Avcı, the leader of the opposition Freedom and Reform Party (ÖRP), was to attend a reception jointly hosted by President Derviş Eroğlu and Republican Assembly Speaker Hasan Bozer on Monday, while the other three opposition leaders announced that they would not attend the reception.
Nov. 15 Monday
President Abdullah Gül said Turkey had become a source of inspiration for countries in its region because of the pace of the strides it has been making in improving its democracy and economic strength. Gül issued a holiday greeting to all Muslims around the world as well as Turkish citizens on the occasion of the religious festival of Eid al-Adha, which started on Nov. 16. “The democratic developments in Turkey, its very lively cultural life and the pluralism in the country are all being followed with appreciation by all our neighbors both in the West and the East. Some even ask themselves why they cannot realize the same things,” he noted in his written statement, adding that Turkish citizens, however, may have difficulty noticing the changes as outsiders do because it is easier to see the change from the outside. “But, believe me, Turkey is going through a fundamental change,” he said.
Turkey ranked 22nd on a list that assesses the frequency and intensity of incidents of terrorism, according to the Terrorism Risk Index (TRI) developed by Maplecroft, a company that assesses geopolitical risks for companies and investors. In only one year’s time, Turkey dropped from 14th place to 22nd. The TRI measures not only the risk of an attack but also the chances of mass casualties occurring. According to the list, Somalia is the country with the highest risk of terrorist attacks, ahead of Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan.
A ceremony was held in İstanbul to commemorate those killed in a bombing of the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues on Nov. 15, 2003, with participants laying carnations for the victims in front of the Beth Israel Synagogue. The ceremony, which took place in front of Beth Israel at 10 a.m., was attended by Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül, Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Misbah Demircan and Deputy Chief Rabbi Rav Yeuda Adoni.
Nov. 16 Tuesday
The four-day-long Eid al-Adha festival began in Turkey and other Muslim countries. People sacrificed animals and distributed them to those in need. They also paid visits to their relatives and the elderly.
Nov. 17 Wednesday
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and a party delegate accompanying him to attend a Socialist International meeting in Paris visited the graves of Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya and Kurdish actor Yılmaz Güney in Paris.
The United States said in a report it released that the Turkish Constitution provides for freedom of religion in the country but that some constitutional provisions regarding the integrity and existence of the secular state restrict these rights. The US State Department released its annual International Religious Freedom Report, where it hailed Turkish laws and policies that contribute to the generally free practice of religion, but said core institutions of the state, including the presidency, the armed forces, the judiciary and the state bureaucracy, have played the role of defending secularism throughout the country’s history. “In some cases, elements of the state have opposed activities of the elected government on the grounds that they threatened the secular state,” the report suggested.
Nov. 18 Thursday
The private Kanal D TV station apologized on behalf of one of its correspondents, who during a live broadcast told a mother whose 3-year-old son was missing that her child was found dead, a claim that later proved untrue. The TV station’s anchorman, Serdar Cebe, opened the main news bulletin by apologizing for the irresponsible attitude shown towards the already devastated mother, Emine Coşkun. Commentators strongly reacted against what they said was an act by Kanal D correspondent Özay Erad to “only boost ratings.”
US State Department spokesman Phillip J. Crowley raised concerns about the Turkish government’s intimidation of mainstream media. Turkey was ranked among the 40 worst countries in terms of press freedoms, according to the report, placing the country 138th on a list of 178 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) annual World Press Freedom Index. This is a further drop of 16 places, down from last year’s 122nd ranking.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit is scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Sunday for a two-day official visit, the Egyptian ministry’s spokesperson, Hossam Zaki, announced.
Nov. 19 Friday
Eleven kilograms of cannabis were seized in the car of a noncommissioned officer from the Mersin Provincial Gendarmerie Command in Hatay’s Belen district after midnight.
Forty-four Turkish citizens, including 17 women, died during the annual hajj pilgrimage this year, a health official from the Mecca branch of the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs said. Reasons for the deaths included heart failure, respiratory problems, lung failure and traffic accidents. A further 31 Turkish pilgrims were injured and received treatment at Saudi hospitals and at the Turkish Diyanet Hospital in Mecca, said İlyas Serenli, head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs’ health team in Mecca.
Mustafa Kuş, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) lawmaker from the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, died on Thursday at the age of 62. The deputy was suffering from cancer, for which he had been undergoing medical treatment for the past three years.
Turkish charity groups cheered up the less fortunate in Turkey and across the world through their charitable efforts during the Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday, which began on Tuesday and ended on Friday. The meat from the religious sacrifice was distributed to the poor during the holiday by several Turkish charity groups, including organizations such as Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There), the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH), Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) and the Cansuyu Solidarity and Charity Foundation. Aid groups also distributed clothing, money and other forms of assistance to those most in need in many of Turkey’s 81 provinces as well as across 120 nations around the world. |
