"Palestine Days," Organised by Our University, Commenced with a Strong Academic Turnout
"Our university's organized 'Palestine Days' began with a strong attendance. The event, which will continue until May 17 and was attended by our Governor Avni Çakır, Rector of Bitlis Eren University Prof. Dr. Necmettin Elmastaş, Rector of Artvin Çoruh University Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sıtkı Bilgin, and our Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican, received significant interest from our academics and students.
In his welcome speech, Governor Çakır highlighted the importance of the 'Palestine Days' event, stating that three times the bombs used in Iraq by America were used in Palestine, emphasizing the magnitude of the massacre in Palestine. Bitlis Eren University Rector Prof. Dr. Necmettin Elmastaş, in his welcome speech, emphasized the importance of the 'Palestine Days' event in recognizing Palestine and understanding it better, stating that the Palestine issue dates back to the 1890s and briefly touching upon its historical dimension. Artvin Çoruh University Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sıtkı Bilgin, while describing the events in Palestine as the most horrific massacre and genocide in history, criticized the West's silence on this issue.
Delivering the opening speech for the 'Jerusalem Days,' Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican said, 'Jerusalem is not just a city, a blessed place considered sacred by the followers of the great Abrahamic religions, or a crime scene where humanity is being slaughtered before the eyes of the world. Jerusalem is also the bier upon which the 20th-century Muslim, bewildered, having lost his identity, personality, and history, is laid to rest.' He emphasized that Jerusalem has been subjected to oppression, massacres, and humiliation throughout history, stating that Jerusalem is 'a territory of apostasy' where a small people, the Jews, have injected themselves with the cyanide of Zionism and turned into oppressors, resigning from being oppressed in the name of worldly gains.
Rector Alican expressed that the captivity of Jerusalem is evidence of the captivity of Muslims, stating, 'The Zionist boots trampling upon the Haram al-Sharif are the handcuffs and shackles on the hands and feet of the Islamic world. Therefore, the freedom of Jerusalem will also be the freedom of Muslims.' He emphasized that the status of Jerusalem is not international but transcendent of worlds, histories, and the earthly realm, and stated, 'Only under the control of Islam has this sacred trust been safe. Only Muslims have not only considered the sanctity of this blessed city for themselves but have also allowed everyone, all humanity, to benefit from its grace.'
The opening program of the event concluded with the presentation of plaques to the winners of the "Write for Jerusalem/Gaza" poetry competition organized by the Hayırda Buluşanlar Derneği, with Özgür Eser, who won first place with "News of Freedom," Rabia Karakaya, who came second with "Breeze," and Nuray Özdemir, who came third with "Every Woman Is a Mother in Jerusalem," and with a thank-you certificate presented to Aykut Çağlı on behalf of Muş Gözlük Dünyası for their contribution to the competition."
