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TURKISH GROUP WANTS TO PERFORM FRIDAY PRAYER IN ARMENIA
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 21 2014
ISTANBUL
A group of Turkish NGOs have applied to the Foreign Ministry asking
permission to perform the Friday prayer at the Blue Mosque of Yerevan
in the Armenian capital.
Led by the "Organization for Fighting Against Baseless Armenian
Allegations" (ASÄ°MDER), the NGOs released a statement saying they
would like to perform Friday prayer on Sept. 5, 2014 in Yerevan.
The Head of ASİMDER, Göksel Gulbey, said the move is "a step toward
dialogue and overcoming problems between Turkey and Armenia and we
now expect Armenia to make a [friendly] gesture toward us."
The group made an official application to the Turkish Foreign Ministry
on Aug. 16, disregarding the fact that the majority of Muslims in
Turkey adhere to the Hanefi Sunni tradition, though the mosque is
primarily open to service Shiite Muslims.
"We, as the grandsons of Muslim Turkish families that were forced to
migrate from the place formally known as the Erivan Khanate, we would
now like to pray in the Blue Mosque in Yerevan," he said.
"In Turkey, the Armenian community is practicing their religion in a
free and secure way. Why can we not practice our religion on those
lands, from whence our ancestors were forced to migrate? We grew
up with the stories of those lands and now we want to see them and
perform prayers there," Gulbey added.
August/21/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-group-wants-to-perform-friday-prayer-in-armenia-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70746&NewsCatID=341
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 21 2014
ISTANBUL
A group of Turkish NGOs have applied to the Foreign Ministry asking
permission to perform the Friday prayer at the Blue Mosque of Yerevan
in the Armenian capital.
Led by the "Organization for Fighting Against Baseless Armenian
Allegations" (ASÄ°MDER), the NGOs released a statement saying they
would like to perform Friday prayer on Sept. 5, 2014 in Yerevan.
The Head of ASİMDER, Göksel Gulbey, said the move is "a step toward
dialogue and overcoming problems between Turkey and Armenia and we
now expect Armenia to make a [friendly] gesture toward us."
The group made an official application to the Turkish Foreign Ministry
on Aug. 16, disregarding the fact that the majority of Muslims in
Turkey adhere to the Hanefi Sunni tradition, though the mosque is
primarily open to service Shiite Muslims.
"We, as the grandsons of Muslim Turkish families that were forced to
migrate from the place formally known as the Erivan Khanate, we would
now like to pray in the Blue Mosque in Yerevan," he said.
"In Turkey, the Armenian community is practicing their religion in a
free and secure way. Why can we not practice our religion on those
lands, from whence our ancestors were forced to migrate? We grew
up with the stories of those lands and now we want to see them and
perform prayers there," Gulbey added.
August/21/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-group-wants-to-perform-friday-prayer-in-armenia-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70746&NewsCatID=341