Türkiye’s HÜDA PAR will host an “International Saladin and Jerusalem Panel” in Şanlıurfa on Friday, bringing together scholars, academics and civil society representatives to discuss the Islamic heritage of Jerusalem, the legacy of Sultan Saladin and the ongoing situation in Gaza and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu is scheduled to attend the event, which will take place at 2 p.m. local time at the Conference Hall of the Haliliye Municipality Youth and Culture Center.

The panel is being organized to mark the anniversary of the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem under Sultan Saladin Ayyubi, whose leadership and recapture of the city in 1187 have an important place in Islamic history.

The event will examine Jerusalem not only as a historic city but also as a place of religious significance in Islam, with particular attention to Al-Aqsa Mosque and developments in Gaza.

The panel will be moderated by Süleyman Kızılçınar, president of the Free Jerusalem Platform (Özgür Kudüs Platformu).

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ağırakça, an academic and author, will discuss the international system and the situation in Gaza in a presentation titled “Saladin’s Justice in Jerusalem and the Gaza Test of the International System.”

Azzam El-Eyyubi, secretary-general of the Adalet ve Demokrasi Forumu, will focus on the role of education and youth in preserving Islamic values and developing exemplary personalities. His presentation is titled “Building a Liberating Generation: Education, Youth, and the Model of Raising Exemplary Personalities.”

Dr. Mervan Ebu Asım, president of the Gaza Scholars Association, will address developments surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque and what he describes as efforts affecting the demographic character of Jerusalem.

Prof. Dr. Ziya Polat of Mardin Artuklu University’s Department of History will examine Saladin’s personal qualities, including his morality, asceticism, generosity and leadership, highlighting the historical figure’s place in Islamic political and social memory.

Organizers said scholars, opinion leaders, academics, researchers and representatives of civil society organizations from Türkiye and abroad had been invited to the gathering.

The panel will also provide a forum for discussions on the historical and religious significance of Jerusalem, the contemporary situation in Gaza and Al-Aqsa, and the lessons that organizers say can be drawn from Saladin’s leadership and character. (ILKHA)