LIGHTMILLENNIUM.ORG
Media Release - June 11, 2007, New York

Light Millennium Celebrated RUMI's 800^th Birthday in conjunction to its 7^th Anniversary:
RUMI's philosophy has had an increasing impact on American culture...

Mevlana Celaleddin RUMI (1207-1273), "To Unite - That is why we came", entitled program opened with a Power Point presentation by Bircan Unver. The Light Millennium celebrated the "2007 - International Rumi Year" in conjunction to its 7th Anniversary.

Since 2007 has been declared the "International Rumi  Year" by UNESCO, the  Light Millennium decided to celebrate  Rumi's 800th Birthday along with the  organization's 7th Anniversary.  Participants read either from Rumi's work or from their own work related to  RUMI's poetry and philosophy.

From left to right: Hasan Zongur,Turkish Cultural  Attache of New York, Bircan Unver, Figen Bingul,, Kamal Ayyildiz, Timothy Liu Back row: Ali Kahya, Ed Foster, Kalman Kamal ud DinAngus-Clark.	Ed Foster (center), co-producer and one of the presenters of the program among Figen Bingul, General Secratary of the Light Millennium, and Bircan Unver while slicing the cake in turn.

Bircan  Unver, the founder and the president of The Light Millennium, opened the program  by welcoming guests and showing a power point presentation about  the  organization. She mentioned that The Light Millennium provides a global  platform  for all which coincides with the vision of Rumi.

Kalman Kamal ud DinAngus-Clark	Timothy Liu	Madeline Millan	Nilgun Mirze

Andrea Libin and John High	Simon Pettet	Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Bircan Unver, and Ali Kahya	Chris Arabadjis and Ali Kahya

Sharon Olinka	TAMIR	Ugur Ugural	Light Millennium presented certificate to the presenters and the volunteer of the program.

- For the Brief Biographies of the Presenters>

Music was  provided by Ali KAHYA.

The  presenters of the program included:
Kalman Kamal ud Din  ANGUS-CLARK, Christopher ARABADJIS, Kamal AYYILDIZ, Russell DAISEY and Dr.  Judy KURIANSKY, Alberto O. CAPPAS, Sultan CATTO, Edward  FOSTER, John HIGH  & Andrea LIBIN, Michael LEVY, (via his poem, preented by Russell Daisey), Timothy LIU, Madeline MILLAN, Esra  MIRZE, Sharon OLINKA, Simon  PETTET, TAMIR, and Ugur  UGURAL..

The presenters included a very diverse  cultural background: American, Puerto  Rican, Spanish, Chinese-American, Greek,  Turkish, Turkish-American, and  English.

The program included Turkish  music performed by Ali Kahya and readings from Turkish translations of Rumi's  works by Ugur Ugural and Esra Mizre.  Madeline  Millan presented Rumi's  poems in English and Spanish.

Sultan Catto, presented his own poems during the program.	The above cake sybmolized the joint celebration of the 800th Birthday of Mevlana Celaleddin RUMI and the 7th Annviersary of the Light Millennium.	Mehmet Ali Erdem, Turkish Commercial Attache of Turkey, sliced  the cake as part of the joint celebration.

During the  intermission, a cake was cut for the celebration of Rumi's 800th  Birthday and  Light Millennium's 7th Anniversary. Each presenter and some guests sliced  the cake as part of the joint celebration.  The program was presented  primarily in English but also dealt with RUMI's Turkish background and his  mossellium in Konya, Anatolia, Turkey.

Ugur Ugural, Bircan Unver and Andrea Libin.	Ali Kahya, provided the music for the program.	Kalman :Kamal ud DinAngus-Clark, John High, Kamal Ayyildiz and Timothy Liu.	Robert Pollard, Rep. of Information Habitat to the UN, is talking with Mehmet Ali Erdem, Turkish Commerial Attache of Turkey.

Russell Daisey and Dr. Judy Kuriansky sang their joint music and song which entitled, "Stand Up for Peace."	Alberto Oscar Cappas contributed to the program with his "Educational Pledge.'

General scene with the guests of the program -1		General scene with the guests of the program -2	General scene with the guests of the program -3

The program reflected the fact  that RUMI's philosphy has had an increasing impact on American culture. 

Aysen Candener & Guest of the program	During the program...	Guests of the program: Abudallah Tansel, Funda Erol and Fatos Erol

Hasan Zongur, Turkish Cultural  Attache, and Mehmet Ali Erdem, Turkish Commercial Attache attended as well. Most  of the presenters and guests (approx 80)  were American but many other cultural  backgrounds were represented as well.

Rumi's poetry connected all the guestes and presenters who were mostly met as the first time during the program.	As the title of the program suggested, "To Unite - That is why we came" led to all the presenters and guests of the program into a warm environment, and they danced hand-in hand.

Rumi produced most of his works in  Anatolia, and is considered to be part of the Turkish culture.  

Volunteers who helped with the program included Aysen Candaner, Nivedita Chaprandra, Funda Erol, Petek  Mete, Annelle Sheline, Ilkan Taskin, and Baris Unver.

The  organization presented a certificate to each of the presenters and the  volunteers of the program as an appreciation of their participation and  contribution to the program. 

Figen Bingul, general  secretary of the Light Millennium proved a critical asset in accomplishing the  program.

The event was co-produced by Bircan Unver and Edward  Foster.

$333 was donated to the Light Millennium by the attendees of the  program.

The program ended with the song "Memleketim" (My Country), which refers  RUMI, as played and sung by Ali KAHYA, while most of the presenters and guests danced hand in hand around the hall.

The program celebrated the 800th Birthday of Mevlana Celaleddin RUMI and the 7th Anniversary of the Light Millennium in joy, with sharing and unity... Closing music titled, "Memleketim" (My Country) played and sang by Ali Kahya.

*Special Thanks to: Ismail Aral, manager of the Dervish Restaurant and Zeytinia Fine Food.

Organization: The Light Millennium - A Public Benefit Organization 
Web Site: _http://www.lightmillennium.org_ (http://www.lightmillennium.org/)
For more information: bircanunver@lightmillennium.org

Photo credits: Baris Unver, Annelle Sheline, and Ilkan Taskin, Light Millennium

- For the Brief Biographies of the Presenters>

- INVITE for RUMI ""TO  UNITE - THAT IS WHY WE  CAME" (June 8, 2007)

-CALL FOR PRESENTERS FOR A READING OF WORKS BY, AND ABOUT, MEVLANA CELALEDDIN RUMI

"The  Light Millennium, is a 501 (c) (3)  Charitable -Tax Exempt and Public  Benefit Organization & Associated with the Department of Public Information  of the United Nations effective on December 12, 2005.  http://www.lightmillennium.org_- http://www.turkishgreeksynergy.net_  Based in New York - On the Web since August 1999...  "YOU ARE THE  SOUL OF THIS GLOBAL PLATFORM. & WE ARE FOR THE GREATNESS IN  HUMANITY."


- This page design and updated by Bircan Unver on June 11, 2007.