Süleymaniye’s Hub of Volunteerism: Cross-Cultural Communication Center

If you were to go on a short trip abroad for a few days or a week and were asked to describe the place when you return, what would you share about your experiences? If this visit is to a place you haven’t been to before, everything for you is a first impression. When asked about how people in that country are, the first examples you encountered would come to mind. Questions like “How are things there?” or “How are the people?” would bring up the initial impressions you had. Now, let’s turn the question around. When tourists come to our country, what kind of image do you think forms in their minds about the Turkish people, Turkey, and Muslims? Or what kind of image would you like to see formed? Would it be based on the negative incidents we often encounter in the media, or on the sincere, cheerful, and helpful mosque volunteers? Let’s take a look into the world of these beautiful people.

Cross-Cultural Communication Center

The meeting point of these wonderful volunteers is the Cross-Cultural Communication Center. Established with the aim of explaining our religion to tourists and breaking the prejudices created in the media, let’s hear the founding story of this beautiful organization from the founder Enes Eryarsoy:

In 2008, during an experience abroad, I had the opportunity to understand and study the volunteer activities of creating awareness through mosque visits, explaining Islam and the mosque in tours that describe Islam and the mosque during tourist visits. Mosque volunteers warmly welcomed visiting tourists as if they were in their own homes. Volunteers who spoke various languages answered questions sincerely and thoroughly. Thus, tourists left very satisfied and had also learned about Islam. The reviews of visitors to the mosque on platforms like TripAdvisor were fantastic. This application, which I encountered for the first time there, impressed me a lot. If visitors to this mosque, which does not have many historical features, are so pleased with the introduction service they receive, the responsibility on us in our country is much greater.

How Can We Implement This Practice in Turkey?

Returning to Istanbul, Enes immediately took action and visited Emrullah, who was then serving as an Imam at Sultanahmet Mosque. Then, around the question of “how can we implement this practice in Turkey?” consultations were made, visits were conducted, and in 2010, the Cross-Cultural Communication Center was officially established.

Activities Conducted

In the approximately 10 years since its establishment, they have achieved wonderful things. One of the first things that comes to mind is explaining Islam and Islamic culture to tourists in the mosque. Every year during Ramadan, they organize iftar dinners with tourists, and the feedback they receive warms the heart. They also have presentations after the noon and afternoon prayers, where they talk about the Süleymaniye Mosque and answer questions.

Welcoming guests with Turkish dishes and delights, and offering warm drinks, they not only warm people’s hearts but also succeed in removing some barriers between them and Islam. And of course, brochures explaining Islam and translations of the Qur’an in different languages are displayed in the entrance section of the foundation for people to examine and take for free.

If you want to be a part of this beautiful initiative and participate in events, you can email your willingness to volunteer to the address provided below. If you don’t have time or means to regularly attend events but don’t want to miss out on this reward, you can save the number below. When you encounter a foreign friend or a tourist who wants information, you can direct them to the Cross-Cultural Communication Center. This way, you can facilitate their meeting with the wonderful people who will warmly welcome them and answer their questions sincerely.

• Website: kim.org.tr
• Soru ve bilgi edinme talepleriniz için: info@kim.org.tr
• Whats App İletişim Hattı : +90 553 787 18 46