With the participation of the Russian delegation, who came to Istanbul within the scope of Istanbul Science and Culture Foundation's Risale-i Nur reading program, the “International Freedom of Expression and Conscience Workshop” was held. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, commenting at the workshop, stated that there have always been good and bad people throughout human history, and that striving to be among the good is the fundamental duty of being human. Tarhan, stating that the method of positive action serves the needs of not only Turkey but all humanity, defined Bediüzzaman as 'the sage of this era'. Tarhan said, “I see no difference between Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Bediüzzaman.”.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “I see no difference between Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Bediüzzaman”
Members of the Üsküdar Üniversitesi Risale-i Nur Research Platform, along with lawyers and researchers handling Risale-i Nur cases in Russia, attended the program held in the Central Campus Senate Meeting Hall. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özdemir, Prof. Dr. İlham Miraç, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Head of Translation and Interpreting Department Dr. Lecturer Nafi Yalçın, Prof. Dr. Fuat Bayram, Attorney Mustafa Tuncel, Attorney İbrahim Hilmi Ünlü, Prof. Dr. Muhammed Gür, Prof. Dr. Osman Çerezci, Retired Colonel Selahattin Arslan, Dr. Lecturer Erhan Bektaş, Molecular Biology and Genetics graduate and working student Menekşe Yamaç, 4th-year Sociology student and working student Ayşegül Tunçer, Attorney Sergey Sitchev, Attorney Ivan Ptashnik, Attorney Abdulla Abdullayev, Attorney Anna Nikolayevna Burchiyeva, Secretary General Selçuk Uysaler, and Head of Corporate Communications Tahsin Aksu also participated in the workshop.
Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özdemir: “Emphasizing freedom of expression and conscience is very important”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özdemir delivered the opening speech of the workshop. Özdemir said; “We are neighbors with Russia. Sometimes relations between neighbors can be tense, they get angry with each other, they hurt each other, but in the end, we are neighbors and we have to coexist. However, looking at history, our good days are better than our bad days, and for our relations to be built on a better foundation, it is very important to emphasize freedom of expression and conscience, and the rule of law. We hope that our future relations will continue on a scientific basis.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Human rights are not like clothes, they are like skin”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan spoke about Bediüzzaman Said Nursi's psychobiography and his methodology. Tarhan said; “On this occasion, I re-examined the report we wrote in 2021. In the report, we have given currently valid answers to the questions, neither more nor less. These are words we believe in and speak based on scientific evidence. They emerged from a serious examination of the books. I wrote the book 'Bediüzzaman, the Conscience of the Age' in 2012, which is about Bediüzzaman Said Nursi's psychobiography and the methodology he used. Secondly, as a psychiatrist, I analyzed the reasoning methods used in Risale-i Nur's methodology. At the same time, I am the president of the Defenders of Justice Association, which deals with human rights in Turkey. It is a civil society organization consisting of nearly a thousand people, mostly retired soldiers. From the perspective of the topic I am interested in there, I observed that human rights; there are fundamental human rights such as the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression, and the right to travel, which are measured by the European Court of Human Rights. These rights exist because a human is a human. These rights are not like clothes, they are like skin. They are not like fabric, they are like skin. Because a human is a human, not a tree, plant, or animal, these rights are his innate fundamental human rights. The struggle to prevent the loss of these rights is the most sacred struggle of humanity.”.
Tarhan; “I see no difference between Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Bediüzzaman”
Tarhan, commenting on the wise person being someone who tries to be beneficial to humanity, said; “In human history, there have been good and bad people. Striving to be among the good is already the fundamental duty of being human. The most important method I see used here is the method of positive action. We see that these books serve the needs of not only Turkey but all humanity. If it is possible to describe Bediüzzaman's personality in a single word, we can say 'he is the sage of this era'. A sage is someone who strives to be beneficial to humanity. For this reason, I see no difference between Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Bediüzzaman.”
After the mutual questions were answered, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan presented a plaque to Attorney Sergey Sitchev and gifted his books to the participants.
After the workshop concluded, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan presented conference attendance certificates to the participants, and the program ended after a group photo session.