NCRCB representatives were on a working visit to Turkey

Delegation of members of the National Council of the Religious Communities in Bulgaria (NCRCB) were on a working visit to the Republic of Turkey within the period April 10 – 12.

In the delegation led by the President of the NCRCB Dr. Rupen Krikorian participated the representatives of the six main religions in Bulgaria (Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, Armenians and Jews).

Our representatives were the Deputy Grand Mufti Birali Birali, member of the Board of NCRCB, and the Secretary General Dzhelal Faik.

The meeting was organized at the initiative of Grand Mufti’s Office and Ulvi Ata – Social Affairs Attaché in the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Bulgaria.

The aim pf the program was exchange of expertise between the religious institutions of Bulgaria and the Republic of Turkey.

Because through this exchange of expertise the religious communities get to know each other better. And exactly “getting to know each other will contribute to eliminating the negative attitudes and prejudices” considers the Deputy Grand Mufti BIrali BIrali.

According to him “Our communication together and the presentation of each of us will contribute to the better understanding despite of being from different religions. Everyone finds his way to the Creator.”

During the visit the NCRCB presented its activities and common positions, which are in the basis of this formation, working already ten years for the maintenance of a dialogue between the main representatives of the different religions in our country.

The Bulgarian delegation was welcomed first by the Mufti of Istanbul Prof. Dr. Hasan Kamil Yılmaz. The guests had the opportunity to learn about the practices in the relations between the representatives of the different religions in Turkey, where on a national level there is no such organized council but there are initiatives in which the representatives of the different religions meet and exchange their experience.

After that the guests from Bulgaria met also with representatives of the Bulgarian community in Istanbul and visited the restored church “St. Stefan”, known also as the “Iron Church”.

After Istanbul the delegation was welcomed by the Mufti of Edirne Emrullah Üzüm and the Consul General of Bulgaria in Edirne – Vasil Valchev.

In Edirne the representatives of NCRCB were informed about the activities of the Mufti’s Office there and the representatives of the different religious communities in the Old Capital City, where for years peacefully co-exist Muslims, Christians and Jews.

The delegation was impressed by the quite younger but rich of temples city, where at one place can be seen the mosque “Selimiye” – architectural miracle of Mimar Sinan; the churches “St. St. Konstantin and Elena” and “St. Georgi” and the recently restored synagogue in Edirne, which remains as a working temple despite of the fact that in the city do not live many Jews. But the temple is a temple even there enters only one person, it must be widely open for him.

This also believes the Mufti of Edirne Emrulah Üzüm, who shares that “when people can live together and to profess their religion, they feel calm and secure. And when one can profess his religion peaceful and secure, we cannot expect form him to be danger and hostile to the other people.”

Author: Uzlem Tefikova