Know-More Bulletin

Monthly School Bulletin February 2022 RUSSIA –UKRANIAN WAR What is the latest news on the Russia-Ukranian war? What are the reasons for the war between Russia According to the last-minute developments, the event, and Ukraine? which was feared took place in the Russia-Ukraine cri- The crisis between Russia and Ukraine, which started years sis, where tensions had risen for days. Russian President ago, is still on the agenda. The question on everyone's Vladimir Putin announced that a military operation was mind is what is the main reason for this conflict between launched in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Ukra- Russia and Ukraine. In 1991, the Soviet Union, followed inian leader Zelenski stated that there was a lot of loss of by Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, established the indepen- life and property on both sides. New developments re- dent state community. The aim of Russia with this union garding the course of the war are being followed with was to maintain its influence and to keep other countries great attention . dependent on its natural gas supply. But despite Belarus forming a close alliance with Moscow, Ukraine turned its direction to the West.The cold relations between the two countries intensified with the annexation of Crimea byRus- sia in 2014. As a result of the battles between the pro- Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army in Donetsk, the people living in Ukraine were divided into polarities as proRussian and pro-Western. Then, in 2014, a war broke out in the Donbas region between the Russian-backed Fe- deral State of Novorossiya and the Ukranian Armed Forces which is continuing . Melike Yeşil / 10-A THE REFUGEE CRISIS HAS TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST HUMANITARIAN CRISES •There are 26 million refugees globally •Half of the world’s refugees are children •85% of refugees are being hosted in developing count- ries Refugee crisis around the world is still a major concern. As a matter of fact, the number of refugees recently doub- led when compared to the figures in 2010. 68% of the world’s refugees come from just 5 countries; Syria, Vene- zuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. Syria has been the first country of origin for refugees since 2014 and there are 6.7 million Syrian refugees and they are hosted by 126 countries worldwide. The number of Syrians displaced within their own co- untry is equal to the figures of refugees. The war has driven more than 6.6 million people from their homes. Afghanistan continues to be the country of origin for the second-largest refugee population. Approximately, 2.6 million refugees are Afghan by birth. More than 88% of Afghan refugees are hosted in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. Whether on the way or borders of Europe tragic consequences have been lying in wait for .refugees . Şevval Aygündüz / 10-C

INTERVIEW WITH OUR TRADITIONAL ARTS TEACHER, FATMA HİLAL ÇAKMAK Could you please define the term Turkish Islamic Arts? Hilal Çakmak: Civilization manifests itself in the arts. Turkish Islamic Arts such as calligraphy, orrnamentation, and paper marbling originate from the Islamic civilization. The Holy Qur’an is the absolute source of our traditional arts. If you cut off these arts from the roots, they lose their identity, ultimately their spirit. As a result, they turn into regular visual arts. In terms of these arts what is the importance of the department founded within our school? Hilal Çakmak: Just like for other forms of arts what makes traditional arts live and improve is the infrastructure and the culture behind them. Having regard to its history and culture. Konya A.İ.H.L is the best platform for Turkish Islamic arts to flourish. How can you define “success” in traditional arts? Hilal Çakmak: We don’t learn and teach these arts just to ornament papers, walls, or wood. Our main target is to adorn and polish our souls. Mina Özülkü / 9-S INTERVIEW WITH İBRAHİM ÖZTÜRK We interviewed about the conference series started by İbrahim Öztürk. What is the purpose of the conference series you have started? İbrahim Öztürk: Searching for a way with prophets. To keep the history of the Quran and its heroes up to date in our lives. Saying “throw a stone“ means looking at the Quran, telling a ver- se, thinking about it, and taking a serious stance on life against Islam. Why did you choose the name ‘’Throw a Stone’’? İbrahim Öztürk: The prophet David showed his reaction to the cruelty of his era by reaching for the stone with his tiny hands. Therefore, we aim to make tiny hands, our children and the younger generation have a stance in the Prophet David model. Fatıma Zehra Keman / 10-A NOUMAN ALI KHAN Nouman Ali Khan is the muslim speaker and the founder of Bayyinah school of Arabic and Quranic studies. He is also the lead instructor of a number of Bayyinah courses comprising the ‘Fundamentals of Classical Arabic’ and ‘Divine Speech’. He worked as professor of Arabic at Nassau Community College until 2006 and has taught Modern Standard and Classical Arabic on various occasions for nearly 7 years . He studied with over 10,000 students nationwide. In his video lectures he discusses lots of crucial issues such as Islamophobia, hypocrisy, parenting and misconceptions about Islam. He has also ta- ught many classes of Quran tafseer / interpretation. His video lectures are being followed by many muslims and non- muslims. In today’s world he is one of the most influential figure in conveying the message of Islam. Here are some quotes and sayings from Nouman Ali Khan; -The Heart is like a fuel tank, that you always have to keep filling up with Imaan . -The question is grateful to who? You would think grateful to Allah, but Allah didn’t mention Himself. So it could be grateful to Allah, grateful to your parents, grateful to your teachers,grateful for your health, grateful to friends. Grateful to anyone who’s do- ne anything for you. Grateful to your employer for giving you a job. Appreciative. Gra- teful is not just an act of saying Alhamdulilah. Grateful is an attitude, it’s a lifestyle, it’s a way of thinking. You’re constantly grateful. Ayşe Şule Zeybek & Hatice Kübra Köroğlu / 10-E

IRANIAN CINEMA ASGHAR FARHADI Apart from being a part of popular culture, today cinema is very important in the formation of social memory and transferring the culture to the next generations. What makes special Iranian cinema in this industry is its simple and realistic narration . It leads people to question life. Iranian cinema owes its uniqueness to its ability to make films with a small budget but huge humanity, sincerity, and honesty.It tells from life. Iranian movies tell stories that we know can happen to any of us at any time. They are emotional and honest with their minimalism, rich in allegorical and art of allusion, social dramas, and political messages,despite their minimalism. Iranian filmmakers use traditional elements to convey the intended message better. When it comes to movies shot by Iranians, of course, we should talk about Abi and Rabi directed by Ovanes Ohanian and Lor Girl directed by Ardeşir Irani also known as Iran of Yes- terday and Iran of Today. Especially Lor Girl is important for Iranian cinema. Because it is was the first sound film ever to be produced in the Persian language. Big names of the cinema include Ali Hatami, Several Iranian actors and actresses have had a lot of success. Here are some names: Ezatollah Entezami, Ali Nassirian, Motamed-Aria Fatemah, Leila Hatami, ShahabHos- seini. Of course, all of them are very important directors and actors, but Asghar Farhadi has special importance for Iranian cinema. Farhadi's family drama A Separation (2011) won the 2012 Academy Award for best foreign-language film, and five years later the 2016 film The Salesman won the same award. Farhadi came to the cinema from a theatrical backgro- und, and his films continue to be deeply dramatic theatrically. Four Iranian films are among the top 100 in BBC Culture In's latest poll for the best Abi va Rabi 1930 foreignlanguage films. By Asghar Farhadi, A Separation entered the top 25 on the list. Finally, Iranian cinema is one of the best developing cinema sectors in the world. Ebubekir Özcan / 10-F Iranian movie poster A SEPERATION THE SALESMAN \"A Separation\" is a 2011 Iranian film directed by \"The Salesman\" is a 2016 Iranian-French drama film di- Asghar Farhadi. Simin, one of the main characters of the rected by Asghar Farhadi. The film is adapted from the play movie, wants to move abroad for a better life for her of Arthur Miller which is called, \"Death of the Salesman\". daughter and herself. However, her husband, Nader, The film is based on a story of the individual's struggle for refuses it because he has to take care of his father, who survival and his disappearance of the values the believed in a has Alzheimer's disease. The rest of the movie is about society where money, success, and dignity are highly valued. the events that develop after Simin files for divorce from her husband. With an estimated budget of $500,000, the The movie won the film was a seri- Best Screenplay award ous success, and it was also Iran's grossing $22 nominee for the Best million worldwi- Foreign Language Film de. At the same section of the 89th Aca- time, the film demy Awards. was awarded one of the Best Fore- ign Language Film at the Aca- demy Awards.

THE THREE HOLY MONTHS T he three holy months; Rajab, Shaban, and Ramadan are the months in which Allah's compassion and blessings are in abundance. These three months, during which a spiritual period reigns every year in the Islamic world and ends with Eid al-Fitr provide Muslims with the opportunity to question, renew and enrich their daily lives accompanied by religious feelings and intensity of worship. Muslims are more involved in worship, prayer, chanting,charity and act with more intense religious feelings becau- se the night of Raghaib, Miraj, Bara'at, and Qadr, which is considered, blessed and ce- lebrated, takes place during these months. Especially a lot of fasting is observed. Cha- rity is given and poor people are helped. According to the narrations, our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said ''Rajab is the month of Allah, Shaban is my month and Ramadan is the month of my ummah.'' (Süyûtî,page 114) ''O my Lord! Make Rajab and Shaban blessed for us and bring us to Ramadan!'' He used to pray in the form of. (Taberani,el-Mu'cemül-evsat,IV,1 89;Ebu Nuaym,VI,269;Müsned,I,259) THE ROAD TO MECCA ABOUT THE AUTHOR Previously named Leopold Weiss was an Austro-Hungarian-born Jew. Af- ter academic education progressed in various branches, he started journa- lism in 1921. While traveling in a lot of different countries and cities aro- und the world including Jerusalem and Cairo, he was deeply impressed by the completely different Islamic lifestyle. Before long, he and his wife embraced Islam in 1926. During his 6 years-stay in Arabia, he increased his Islamic knowledge. In 1947, Asad received Pakistani citizenship and later served at several bureaucratic and diplomatic positions. And in 1959, he left Pakistan and dedicated the rest of his life to scholarly research and studies. Known as a philosopher as well as a politician and journalist, he stated an irritation because of the extreme actions in the Islam world. He defended that Islamic law cannot be applied in this way and that it must be systematized. The Road to Mecca is the autobiography of Muhammed Asad, which tells his whole life in view of his journey through the deserts of Arabia, his travels from the Pamir plateaus to Libya deserts and Istanbul, and the change he has experienced since the early years of his life. In the West, ‘The Road to Mecca’ rose to prominence as the bestseller autobiog- raphy. The book was translated into Turkish by Cahit Koytak . ‘’ Finally I'd like to say that vividness of the experiences in the book occa- sionally made me cry. Towards the end, the cry ’Lebbeyk’ was echoing in my own heart. ‘’ Fatımatüzzehra Uslu /12-F Editor’s Note We are delighted to introduce Konya A.İ.H.L' s new journal, Know-More(Voice of Konya A.İ.H.L) The bulletin offers the readers a wide range of short articles produced by our students.We should thank our headmaster Mr. Süleyman Eşit for his endless support and our editor in chief Melike Yeşil for her intimate effort and patience .We hope you enjoy reading.