ANKARA
Members of a Turkish Islamic youth association gathered in the capital, Ankara, on Tuesday to honor the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.
''We are members of an association which assures love and brotherhood for all,’’ said 25-year-old Adulsamet Aydin, head of Anatolian Youth Association in Ankara.
Students from the association were standing outside the entrance of Ankara University’s Golbasi campus. They were holding 571 roses, representing the Prophet’s birth year, and waiting to enter the campus to place the roses.
However, guards standing behind the campus gates tightened security as the students were standing in line to enter. Some members of the group were not allowed to enter the campus, which requires a student ID.
‘’We are a human rights-based organization of peace, not war; of dialogue, not conflict; of justice, not double standards; of friendliness, not exploitation; of equality, not superiority,’’ Aydin said.
According to an eyewitness, Soner Aksakal, campus security guards feared another youth group linked to the leftist Peoples' Democratic Party would disrupt the celebration.
‘’Despite oppression and threats, we will distribute Turkish delights, hang banners and posters, and plant roses, as our Prophet said 'Even if the end of time is upon you and you have a seedling in your hand, plant it,'" Aydin said.
The gathering comes after a week of celebrations, starting from April 12, to mark the Prophet's birthday across Turkey.
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