The Great Figure of the East Turkestan Cause, Mehmet Emin Buğra, Commemorated at IZU

Mehmet Emin Buğra one of the most prominent leaders of the East Turkestan cause and the first President of the East Turkestan Islamic Republic founded in 1933 was commemorated at a symposium held on the 60th anniversary of his passing. The “International Mehmet Emin Buğra Symposium,” supported by numerous NGOs, addressed Buğra’s role in the East Turkestan struggle, his intellectual world, and his spiritual legacy.

A symbolic figure of the East Turkestan independence movement statesman, scholar, poet, and thinker Mehmet Emin Buğra was commemorated with an international symposium hosted by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU) on the 60th anniversary of his death. Organized by the IZU Silk Road Civilizations Application and Research Center in cooperation with the Yunus Emre Institute, Farabi Education and Culture Association, Buğra Academy, East Turkestan Scholars Association, Digital Memory Association, and Taklamakan Publishing, the “International Mehmet Emin Buğra Symposium” was held at the Abdullah Tivnikli Conference Hall. Attendees included Istanbul Deputy Governor Yücel Gemici, IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Nihat Erdoğmuş, heads and representatives of civil society organizations, academics, students, and many supporters of the East Turkestan cause.

ACAR: THE TURKIC WORLD HAS LOST ITS BEARING
In his opening address, IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar stated that following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the abolition of the caliphate, the Turkic world had, in effect, lost its way. Emphasizing that Mehmet Emin Buğra founder and first President of the East Turkestan Islamic Republic established in 1933 waged an exemplary struggle, Acar said:
“When a civilization loses its concepts, its thinking also changes direction. This is precisely the situation experienced by the Turkic world spread across a vast geography. We must rediscover our values and concepts and strengthen our unity by embracing our differences as richness. If we succeed in this, I believe East Turkestan will attain its freedom as soon as possible.”

BOLAT: POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS ARE TAKING PLACE IN THE TURKIC WORLD
Dr. Mehmet Ali Bolat, Director of the IZU Silk Road Civilizations Application and Research Center, expressed his satisfaction that IZU was hosting such a meaningful symposium. Bolat said, “There have been positive developments in the Turkic world in recent years. The Organization of Turkic States was established in 2021. I hope these steps will also bring good outcomes for East Turkestan.”

A STATESMAN COMPARABLE TO ALIJA
Stating that Mehmet Emin Buğra poet, veteran, mujahid, and leader of the East Turkestan people could be likened to Alija Izetbegović in terms of being an intellectual leader, Abdullah Karakaş, President of the Farabi Education and Culture Association, noted that through their association they have been active internationally for the East Turkestan cause inherited from their teachers. Karakaş said, “We are trying to fulfill our teachers’ advice that at least some of our students who go abroad should work on the materials we need. For now, we cannot send our work back home,” adding that they hope such efforts will yield promising results in the future.

ALİOĞLU: HIS CONCERN WAS THE NATION; HIS CAUSE WAS FREEDOM
Muhammed Ali Alioğlu, President of the Buğra Academy Center, emphasized that their efforts to highlight Mehmet Emin Buğra were not due to familial ties. Alioğlu stated, “Mehmet Emin Buğra is the emblematic name of a nation’s, a country’s, and a region’s struggle for freedom. His concern was the nation; his cause was freedom. He understood that without freedom, neither a nation nor a religion can survive.”

“IF TRUTH IS NOT ORGANIZED, FALSEHOOD WILL DEFEAT IT”
Âlim Can Buğdan, President of the East Turkestan Scholars Association, drew attention to Mehmet Emin Buğra as a scholar who waged great and significant struggles for the freedom of East Turkestan. Hamdi Arslan, a faculty member at the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, noted that the East Turkestan issue of which he became aware at a very young age is among the most pressing problems of the Islamic world. Arslan said, “Mustafa Sabri Efendi has a saying: ‘If truth is not organized, falsehood will organize and defeat it.’ Our brothers involved in the Turkestan cause must understand this principle very well.” He expressed his belief that merit-based efforts carried out in line with this principle would certainly bear fruit.

HARB: WE INTRODUCED EAST TURKESTAN TO THE ARAB WORLD
Prof. Dr. Muhammed Harb, a faculty member at IZU’s Faculty of Islamic Studies, stated that he considers himself East Turkestani and shared memories from the years he served as an assistant to Isa Yusuf Alptekin. Harb said, “The Arab world did not know about the East Turkestan cause. We brought this issue onto the agenda of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Since then, East Turkestan has had a seat and representation within the organization,” expressing pride in his efforts for the East Turkestan struggle.

Following the opening program, sessions were held on the topics “Mehmet Emin Buğra’s Years of Struggle in East Turkestan,” “Mehmet Emin Buğra’s International Struggles,” “Mehmet Emin Buğra’s Intellectual World,” and “Mehmet Emin Buğra’s Traces and Spiritual Legacy.”