At the anniversary ceremony of the February 6 Earthquake organized by Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, the earthquake martyrs were commemorated with common prayers read by representatives of different heavenly religions on the same stage.
HBB Sufi music choir also sang hymns at the ceremony, where Quran recitation was performed and opinion leaders of different religions recited prayers from holy books.
HBB President Assoc. Prof. attended the ceremony. Dr. Lütfü Savaş, Austrian Ambassador Gabriele Juen, SP Hatay Deputy Necmettin Çalışkan, opinion leaders, representatives of different religions and beliefs, non-governmental organizations and citizens also attended.
In the speeches made by the protocol members at the ceremony, they wished God's mercy to all our martyrs and gave messages of brotherhood, solidarity, tolerance, togetherness and living together in the future.
CENUDUOĞLU: WE WILL RESTORE ANTAKYA
In his speech, Jewish community leader Azur Cenuduoğlu said, “We used to live together as brothers with Alevis, Sunnis, Jews and Christians. Antakya experienced a great disaster. We will bring Antakya back to its feet. "We will all live together again." said.
FROZEN: LONG LIVE OUR ANTAKYA
Catholic Church Father Francis Dondu said, “We were all together before, during and after the earthquake. And a year after that tragedy, we are together again. We will hold hands and rebuild Antakya together. Long live our Antakya, long live our Turkey!” said
BIRTH: WE ARE ALL TOGETHER
Orthodox Church Father Dimitri Birth also said, “It was a pity for all of us on February 6. We stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, on the same streets, in the same bazaar, in the same places of worship, at funerals or weddings. Just as we have always been proud of our brotherhood, we still boast the same way until today. Because we are all together.” said.
ÇEKMECE: WE WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE BROTHERLY
Alevi community leader Süleyman Çekmece said, “We need each other more today than yesterday. In order for this city to rise again, there must first be love and respect for each other. We have lived as brothers in this geography for centuries, and hopefully, we will live as brothers in the future. "We will bring our city back to its feet with this belief and this love." he said.
ESATOĞLU: OUR BODY FIT IN THE CITIES WE VISITED, BUT OUR SPIRIT DID NOT FIT IN THE CITIES WE VISITED
Sunni community leader Musa Esatoğlu said in his speech: "When February 6 is mentioned, we get chills and even its name comes to mind. After the earthquake, we went to different provinces in fear of death. Our bodies fit into the cities we went to, but our souls could not. We came to Antakya. Even though the view we saw was not encouraging, we found ourselves in Antakya again. I can only recommend this. If we live with the person we meet as if it were the last time, then we will truly appreciate each other. May God perpetuate our unity.” He included his statements.
ÇALIŞKAN: HIS MARK ON OUR HEARTS HAS NEVER BEEN ERASED
Saadet Party Hatay Deputy Necmettin Çalışkan said, “Today, we are literally reliving the February 6 Earthquake. We regret to state that even though the traces of the earthquake seem to have been erased superficially by removing the debris for a year, its traces in our hearts have never been erased. Our wounds still remain as fresh as the first day. "On such a day, of course, we understood once again how important it is to live in peace, tranquility and brotherhood, which Antakya has set as an example to the world as a city of civilization throughout history, where it is in unity and solidarity." said.
WAR: WE TOGETHER EFFORTED TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE SURVIVE
HBB President Assoc. Dr. Lütfü Savaş said, “We lost nearly 24 thousand people in the earthquake in Hatay alone. We had people who passed away but were forgotten to be buried. Because we all died that day. Some of us were buried under the ground. In order to hold on to life again, others started to fight hand in hand with each other, shoulder to shoulder, to survive and to make this city flourish again. In those days, the people of Hatay were united. Since that day, we have worked together to bring Hatay back to its feet and for our people to hold on to life. Let's not let our homes or workplaces collapse or lose our people in the next earthquake. I wish God's mercy to all our brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the earthquake. “My condolences to all of us.” he said.
The commemoration ceremony, where the photographs of the 166 HBB personnel who lost their lives were published, witnessed emotional moments and tears flowing.
