A conference titled “The Spirit of Ramadan against the Rhythm of Modern Life” was organised by the Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) Islamic Civilisation Application and Research Centre, in order to share the spiritual atmosphere of the month of Ramadan and to rethink the meaning of Ramadan against the pace of modern life.
The programme, which began with a recitation of the Holy Qur’an and continued with a ney recital, was attended by HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan, Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Latife Özaydın, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Mehmet Hanifi Aslan, HKU Dean of Students Asst. Prof. Dr. Özgür Osman Demir, Director of the Vocational School Asst. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Bilir, Director of the HKU Islamic Civilisation Application and Research Centre Asst. Prof. Dr. Murat Erkoç, students, and, as the invited speaker, Dr. Ayşe Nur Özkan, Female Preacher at the Kadıköy Office of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.
“Ramadan Is a Break from the Wheel of Consumption”
As part of the programme, Dr. Ayşe Nur Özkan gave a conference titled “A Pause in the Age of Pleasure and Speed: Ramadan and Meaning”. Addressing the effects of speed and consumer culture on human psychology and social life in today’s world, Özkan emphasised that the month of Ramadan is a “point of pause” for modern people.
Özkan said in her speech: “Modern life constantly forces us to rush somewhere and to consume without stopping. In this spiral of ‘speed and pleasure’, people neglect their own souls the most. Ramadan is precisely a tremendous break in which we can resist this merciless rhythm and rest our souls. Fasting is not only going hungry; it is also a process of slowing down the tempo of life and seeking an answer to the question ‘who am I and where am I going?’ This month invites us to step out of being a cog in the wheel of consumption and into the peace of sharing and contemplation.”
Noting that the month of Ramadan offers a unique opportunity for individuals to turn inward, to reassess the tempo of life and to strengthen their search for meaning, Özkan advised students to rise above the noise of the modern world and listen to the silence of Ramadan.
At the end of the programme, HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan presented Dr. Ayşe Nur Özkan with a tree-planting certificate in commemoration of the day.
