Geloylu Community Eid al-Adha Gathering

GELOYLU COMMUNITY EID AL-ADHA GATHERING

As previously announced on social media, the Geloylu Community Eid al-Adha Gathering was held on Friday, July 23, 2021, at Nirvana Pool and Country Wedding House. The meeting began at 12:00 with the opening speech by Mücahit Özden Hun, Chairman of the Geloylu Committee. The speech, partly in Kurdish, is as follows:

“Mêvanên Ezîz, Mêvanên Hêja,

Hun hemu bi xêr hatin. Ser seran û ser çavan hatin. Cejna we ya Qurbanê pîroz be! Ez bi hatina we serbilind û kêfxweşim.

Gelî Dostan,

Hun dizanin ku çend ji mêvanên me yên qedirbilind bi kurdî nizanin, ji ber ko bi destura we ezê axaftina xwe bi zimanê tirkî bidomînim.”

(Dear Guests, welcome to the meeting. You are most welcome. Happy Eid al-Adha! I am very proud and happy for your presence.

Dear Friends,

As you know, some of our esteemed guests do not speak Kurdish. Therefore, with your permission, I will continue my speech in Turkish.)

Dear Friends,

I welcome you all again and sincerely congratulate you on your blessed Eid. I thank each and every one of you for accepting our invitation on social media and being with us.

Dear Friends,

For the first time in the history of the Geloylu Community, such an Eid al-Adha ceremony is being held outside a home environment, in a decent place suitable for the participants. In this sense, I would like to remind you that today holds a special significance in the history of the Geloylu Community. Let us not forget the importance of today and, moving forward from here, let us take action to organize even larger gatherings.

Dear Guests,

58 years ago, in a summer month just like this, Martin Luther King, the leader of African Americans in America, addressed 200,000 people. The title of his speech was, "I have a dream."

Today, I tell you, my friends, despite the difficulties and obstacles of the present moment, I also have a dream. The name of this dream is PEACE AND SERENITY in Iğdır. The day will come when Iğdır will rise up and recreate itself. Peace and serenity, like our magnificent poplar trees, will reach for the sky in every corner of our Iğdır.

In this process, a great responsibility falls upon the Geloylu community. Let us not forget that the Geloylu Community is like an eagle flying high, with one wing Azeri and the other Kurdish. Currently, we have four esteemed guests from the village of Karakoyun in Tuzluca. They grew up with Azeri culture. They learned Azeri as their mother tongue, but they proudly see themselves as part of the Geloylu Community's lineage. Such a situation is a value unique to the Geloylu Community among regional tribes. We must act with this awareness.

The Geloylu Community must first achieve peace within itself and then contribute to Kurdish-Azeri peace in Iğdır. I believe that the day will come when our Iğdır will be a city where the feelings of freedom and justice take root. Where there is no peace and serenity, wealth or large investments have no meaning. Our Iğdır is experiencing an unfortunate vicious cycle. Every five years, Iğdır experiences chaos due to politics and elections; every five years, Iğdır starts from scratch in its desire for peace and serenity. Despite all the negativities, we carry a strong belief within us. We are determined to demolish the mountain of despair and erect a monument of hope in the middle of Iğdır.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk has a famous saying: "Peace at Home, Peace in the World!" Similarly, I express it as: "Peace in the Geloylu Community, Peace in Iğdır!"

I believe that the Geloylu Community will act with the awareness of this sacred duty. In short, no matter how rich and prosperous a city may be without peace in the human heart and serenity in society, brotherhood and happiness will not knock on their door.

Dear Friends,

There is an Arabic-derived word, RABIA, which our esteemed President uses to symbolically represent the four sacred terms: "State, Homeland, Nation, and Flag," and which has become established in political discourse. However, I regret to state that the word "Rabia" is used incorrectly. The word "Rabia" in Arabic means "Fourth," not "Four." Yet, we know that our esteemed President intends to say "Four" by raising four fingers. The Arabic equivalent of "four" is "Erbaa."

The Geloylu Community also has its "Erbaa," or four fundamental rules:

1. Bride price is forbidden.
2. Blood money is forbidden.
3. Milk money is forbidden.
4. Interference in political will is forbidden. The Geloylu Community is not the backyard of any political party. Any Geloylu individual has the right and freedom to vote for any candidate or party they wish. All candidates, regardless of their group or political view, have the right to campaign freely in Geloylu villages. The stoning of candidates or forcing voters to cast open ballots, which occurred in the past, must now end. To derive pride from this is not befitting the past struggle for democracy by the leaders of the Geloylu Community.

In addition to the four fundamental rules I just mentioned, I would also like to remind you that we urgently need to protect our youth. The scourge of heroin is devastating our youth. We are aware that we need to initiate a special effort for this.

Dear Friends,

We have a very esteemed guest among us. Akay Aktaş Hoca, the doyen of Iğdır journalism and an unforgettable name for thousands of students, expressed himself during our conversation as follows:

"The Karakuyu village pasture, all the lands owned by Mecit Hun and Cihangir Turan, once belonged to my ancestors from Sultanabat. Today, it is an honor for me to see these lands in the hands and service of the Geloylu Community."

The members of the Geloylu Committee consulted among themselves and took action to elect me as an "Honorary Member of the Geloylu Community."

Mücahit Özden Hun, in the final part of his speech, pointing to me, conveyed to the participants that they wished to see me as an "Honorary Member" and put this request to a vote. I was unanimously deemed worthy of Honorary Membership in the Geloylu Community. Mr. Hun, on behalf of the Geloylu Community, presented me with a gift package, a kind gesture to strengthen this meaningful friendship. I thank him and the Geloylu Community.

After the meal, a halay (govend) was danced. The meeting concluded with the wish that the Great Geloylu Festival would be held in October.The two tabs below change the content.