The Association of Palestinian Scholars Abroad organized an international conference in Istanbul that sheds light on scientific life in the city of Jerusalem during the Ottoman era. The conference was held on the twenty-ninth of December 2018, and lasted for two days, in cooperation with the Turkish Sultan Mehmet Al-Fateh University, the municipality of Bagcılar (a district in the European section of Istanbul) and the Association of Turkish Businessmen and Independent Industrialists “Musayad.” The conference discussed 30 research papers on the conditions of education, the judiciary, endowments, and other scientific fields in the Palestinian city during the Ottoman era, and the attacks on that legacy at the hands of the Israeli occupation. Participants also reviewed the reasons the Ottoman Empire provided for the flourishing of science, and the role of the endowments that were allocated for that. Palestinian, Turkish and Arab academics and officials participated in the conference, including leaders of the Hamas movement, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Ankara, Fayed Mustafa, and Osama Al-Rifai, head of the Syrian Islamic Council. At the beginning of the conference, Nawaf Al-Takrouri, head of the Association of Palestinian Scholars Abroad, said that organizing the event comes within the framework of “loyalty to the Ottomans” and defending sanctities and rights. He continued that the conference is in the process of adopting scientific and methodological methods towards achieving its desired goal, thanking the supporting Turkish authorities. Al-Takruri stressed that Türkiye today represents “a bulwark for all the oppressed and a support for all just causes in the nation, foremost of which is the issue of Palestine, Jerusalem, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.” In turn, Palestinian parliamentarian Marwan Abu Ras affirmed that “truth will triumph over falsehood” in his country. He added: “We cherish those who did not give up the land of Palestine, and who continue to give their money and blood to restore the Holy Land.” In turn, Luqman Çağrçi, mayor of Bagcilar, said: “When we mention Jerusalem, we remember our Muslim ancestors such as Omar bin Al-Khattab, Saladin Al-Ayyubi, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, and our Ottoman ancestors, those who gave lessons in humanity during their rule of the city.”
Istanbul conference explores scholarly life in Ottoman Jerusalem
