The “6th International Benevolence Awards,” organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs and Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), was announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the President of religious Affairs, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş the owners at the ceremony.
At the ceremony held at Beştepe Nation’s Convention and Culture Center in Ankara, five people determined from among the Benevolence stories from Turkiye and abroad were presented with a Benevolence award, while the Vefa Social Support Groups and Diyarbakır Mothers were given the Vefa fidelity award.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that “International Benevolence Awards”, aimed at spreading goodness, raising awareness of goodness, and has addressed a significant need in Turkiye, and “the goodness mobilization we have been doing with “Goodness will change the world” continues to grow stronger and strengthening the path Al-Hamdullillah.” he did.
President Erdogan said: “After a two-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, I am happy to meet my brothers and sisters, whom I see as global charitable, and to satisfy their longing once again. On behalf of myself and my nation, I would like to thank the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation and the esteemed directors of our Diyanet organization, who brought our hearts together in this beautiful atmosphere on the occasion of the Benevolence Awards Ceremony.” he said.
Congratulating the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation which, with its 27 educational institutions in 12 brotherly countries as well as its establishments in Türkiye, contributes to raising the youth which is the assurance of our future, President Erdoğan said: “One of the most prestigious activities of the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, which acts in line with the principle of ‘serving Allah by serving people,’ is the International Benevolence Awards. I believe these awards, which aim to spread benevolence, and to raise awareness about benevolence, meet a significant need in our country. The mobilization for benevolence, upon which we have embarked with the principle of ‘Benevolence will change the world,’ continues to strengthen and flourish.”
“Goodness also raises our hopes for the future”
Stating that one of the most prestigious activities of the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, which acts with the watchword “Service to the public in service to Almighty Allah”, Erdogan continued his words as follows:
“I think that these special awards, which aim to spread goodness and increase awareness of goodness and Benevolence, fill an important need in our country. The Benevolence award program we have launched with the slogan ‘Goodness will change the world continues to grow stronger and more flourishing. On the occasion of these awards, new bridges are built daily between good hearts and benevolent hearts all over the world. Benevolence is done without expecting anything in return, except for a happy heart, a smiling face, a grateful eye, and a heartbreaking ‘May Allah be pleased with you.’ also raise our hopes for the future.”
President Erdogan expressed his welcome for the increase in gratitude for the Benevolence Awards in Turkiye and abroad, adding that they watched the positive stories of goodness together both from Turkiye and from different corners of the world as part of the program.
Stating that these examples are chosen from 500 stories, each of which deserves a different appreciation, Erdoğan said, “I would like to congratulate our Siraj Wahhaj brother, Mrs.Gamze Özçelik, Sir Ali Önder, Ahmet Aydemir brother for their work, efforts, sacrifices and sincerity and we will present their awards in person. We also congratulate Yusuf Islam, who we know is in our hearts, even though he is not among us.” he said.
“I would like to thank all my brothers and sisters in the Vefa Social Support Group”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Vefa Social Support Groups played a critical role as a symbol of the nation’s solidarity.
Erdogan said hundreds of thousands of people from police to soldiers, health workers, educators, social services staff, AFAD officials, all official and non-governmental organizations worked hard for two years in Vefa Social Support Groups day and night, helping the most vulnerable parts of society by sacrificing their families, their leisure time, and even their health.
“Just as respect and loyalty to the goodness are as important as being majestic towards the cruel and oppressors,” Erdogan said, adding that the Turkish nation is a nation that has been fighting against separatist terrorism for nearly 40 years and knows the pain of terrorism very well.
“Diyarbakır mothers also unmask people traffickers who look like politicians”
The mothers of Diyarbakır, who issued a rebellion flag 925 days ago against the terrorist organization, called this hypocrisy “edi bese”, Erdogan said, “A handful of brave mothers warned that for decades, oppressors who had been clinging on the backs of my Kurdish brothers and succumbed to minstrels with their blood like leeches are now enough. With a child alert they started, the mothers of Diyarbakir not only struck the walls of fear but also brought down masks of politically motivated human traffickers,” he said.
“We are awarding the Vefa (fidelity) Award to the Diyarbakır mothers”
Stating that those who mobilized to acquit Yasin Börü’s murderers did not even move a hair for the mothers whose livers were forcibly smuggled into the mountains, Erdoğan said:
“Diyarbakir Mothers, written in gold letters in the history of the world struggle for rights, also revealed all these hypocrisies with their honorable stances. We present this year’s second Vefa (fidelity) Award to the brave Diyarbakir mothers who are trying to save their children from the clutches of terror with their shift. I salute the mothers of Diyarbakir who illuminated our way with their courage, sacrifice, and unrequited love. With the patience and the grace of the mothers, I hope we will save this country from the trouble of terror.”
“This meeting is a gathering of goodness”, said religious Affairs President Erbaş.
In his speech at the ceremony, President of Religious Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Erbaş, stated that the world is going through major crises, wars, destructions, migration, and poverty are increasing and besieging life every year, and said, “In such an environment, showing favor to the good and promoting goodness on a world scale. I think that the “International Benevolence Awards”, which we have been organizing since 2015 with the principle of “Goodness Will Change the World”, have become more important and meaningful.” said.
Reminding that it is stated in the Quran that man was created as an honorable being, President Erbaş said, “To be grateful is to be generous concerning beings. To be with the needy, the oppressed, the sad hearts. And to be grateful is to be a good person, to walk on the path of goodness. Allah Almighty, who warns us about the deceitfulness of worldly life, orders us to cooperate in goodness and piety.” he said.
“This meeting is a meeting of Goodness built on compassion”
President Erbaş states in the Holy Qur’an, “Then shall anyone who Has done an atom’s weight Of good, see it!.” Noting that it was ordered, he continued as follows:
“This meeting, which we have realized with this belief, is a meeting of goodness based on compassion, which is the most precious part of mankind. This is a meeting of goodness, built on our greatest values for all kinds of war and violence that make life uninhabitable. This is a meeting of Benevolence and sincerity, the source of peace and kindness that can make a habitable world possible. This meeting is a gathering of goodness built on the Ihsan, which will hold the hand of the man who is a man who is a part of the financial and moral crisis of the age.
“Our foundation strives to be the hope and joy of the orphans and the helpless”
Pointing out that the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation was founded 47 years ago in line with the idea of carrying the concept of goodness, hope, brotherhood, love, and the goodness of our civilization into the future, President Erbaş said, “Our Turkiye Diyanet Foundation extends its hand of help wherever it is needed in the world, regardless of any discrimination. He does good deeds in many fields from education, social benefits, the construction of mosques to the goodness of the hearts. It strives to be the hope and joy of Muslim minorities, those who are subjected to wars, occupations, disasters, the poor, the orphans, and the helpless.”
“The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation carries our people’s generosity to wherever they go.”
President Erbas stated that TDV serves 1003 branches in Turkiye and 149 countries abroad, “It raises generations in 27 educational institutions in 12 countries to develop the future. In cooperation with our Ministry of National Education, Turkiye Diyanet Foundation welcomes more than ten thousand students from 111 countries in our country. In this way, our Foundation supports tens of thousands of students with domestic and international education scholarships.”
Emphasizing that TDV will continue to serve the oppressed and needy all over the world with faith and determination in Turkiye, in every corner of the Islamic geography and all over the world, President Erbaş said, “Our Foundation is not just a Ramadan package to the places it goes, not just a Qurbani share. takes away the generosity of our nation. It shows the greatness and power of our state.
Award winners
“To Mr. Yusuf Islam, who converted to Islam at the peak of his career and became an exemplary name around the world with his stance and humanitarian work, To our venerable brother Siraj Wehhaj, who set an example for truth travelers with his striking life story, and wrote epics especially to protect our generations from harmful habits such as drugs. To our dear sister, Gamze Özçelik, who unites her heart with the hearts of the oppressed and needy and is a beacon of hope for humanity, To our Uncle Ali Önder, the exemplary tradesman and master of nobility, who affixed his heart to mosques and embroidered his art on pulpits, To our teacher Ahmet Aydemir, the Imam of the Nevşehir Çeçikli Mosque, who cheers with children and flowers, I hope they will receive their awards. We will present it.”
Vefa (Fidelity) award
President Erbas stated that they have offered Vefa (fidelity) awards in two areas this year, “We will present “Vefa (fidelity) Award” this year to the Vefa Social Support Groups, which are composed of many altruistic hearts from our police to our military, from our health workers to our religious officials, from educators to social services personnel, from AFAD officials to all official and non-governmental organizations. And we will also present the award to our brothers and sisters who are among us on behalf of the Mothers of Diyarbakir, who made their name in history with their determined and epic struggle to save their children from the scourge of terrorism and the hands of treacherous organizations.”
I would like to thank President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for guarding acts of goodness and for supporting all services. “I would like to thank all individuals, all institutions, and non-governmental organizations who exert their efforts for doing well throughout the world, especially to our glorious nation.” “he expressed.
After the speeches, the award owners received their awards from President Erdoğan.
The ceremony was attended by Turkish Parliament President Mustafa Şentop, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, TDV Board of Trustees 2. Ihsan Acik, TDV General Manager Izani Turan, senior executives of the Presidency of Religious Affairs; 81 city muftis; and many guests.
