By Maryam Spahic
GOMBAK, 12 December 2014: Hundreds attended the long awaited forum entitled ˜Last Ottoman New Turkey held last night at Main Auditorium, IIUM, organised by the Turkish Students Society and Al-Aqsa Friends.
Prof. Dr. Ataullah Kopanski, Haji Ahmad Azam and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saim Kayadibi delivered insightful lectures regarding the past and present Turkey.
The forum was also attended by two representatives from the Turkish Embassy as well as the Deputy Rector (Student Affairs), IIUM, Prof. Datuk. Dr. Mizan Hitam.
According to the President of the Turkish Students Society, Ibrahim Karadas, this programme was to let the audience know that in addition to its technological and economical development, the new Turkey has the same spirituality as the great Osmanli Devlet (Ottoman Empire).
Ataullah Kopanski in his speech repeatedly urged the audience to permanently use the term ˜Osmanli Devlet instead of the Western term ˜Ottoman Empire.
IIUM students Jetmir Zendeli and Obadah Al Najjar from Macedonia and Syria respectively performed several multilingual nasheed in between speeches.
The forum ended with brief speech by one IIUM student Mohammad Faysal from Kashmir.***