Students of Different Nationalities Come Together on International Day for Tolerance
The "International Day for Tolerance", accepted by UNESCO, which declared 2021 as the year of Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli and Yunus Emre, is celebrated with events at Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU).
According to the 2018 data published by UNESCO, Turkey is the 10th country with the highest number of international students in higher education, with the number of students of 125 thousand 138. Having more than 4 thousand international students from more than 40 nationalities, Istanbul Gelisim University also brings its students together on the "International Day for Tolerance" with the activities organized by the Research Support Coordinator.
“WE ACT WITH THE SAME HUMORITY, TOLERANCE AND HUMAN LOVE”
Students share their small messages on the “Tree of Tolerance” created in the event area, and marked their countries where they were born and raised on the world map. Speaking about the International Day for Tolerance, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Gelisim University Abdülkadir Gayretli emphasizes that cultural diversity and richness should be respected. Gayretli said, “Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli used to say ‘Whatever their language, religion, color; the good ones are good’. Yunus Emre and Mevlana also talked about human love and tolerance. It is possible to come across these expressions in the words and poems of scholars who grew up in the ancient lands of Anatolia. We have become a generation that has grown over the years with these words. Now, we are acting with the same humility, tolerance and human love at the point of raising new generations.”
“IT REMINDS US OUR VALUES”
Stating that they have more than 4 thousand international students and this number is increasing every year, Gayretli said, “To be a world university, we need to work together and live together. UNESCO's declaration of 2021 as the year of "Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli and Yunus Emre" has reminded us our values and helped us remind them to our friends who do not recognize these values. The activities are very beneficial in terms of bringing our students from different nationalities together and adding unity to their union.”
