The morning session of the panel about Rumi was held at Law School (Kennedy Hall 237 A and B) of Chapman University organized by the Center of Global Education and sponsored by the Pacifica Institute.
Director of the Center and Professor James Coyle welcomed the audience and introduced the speakers of the Pacifica Institute. The first speaker was Atilla Kahveci, the vice-president of the institute and his theme was “In the Footsteps of Mawlana”. Later on a theatrical play in Seattle before the Whirling Dervishes took the stage last April was put on screen. The skid explained the movements and the stages of the Whirling followed by the remarks of some of the audience who had come to watch the show in Meany Hall for the Performing Arts in University of Washington . A documentary about Sufism, Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes contained the scholarly viewpoints of the professors and interfaith activists. The Turkish Islamic Scholar, Fethullah Gulen added that Sems-i Tabrizi played a key role in the spiritual enlightment of Mawlana. After the documentary, John Ishvaradas Abdallah, the author of the book “A Sufi’s Ruminations on One World Under God” was invited to the podium to give his speech. James Coyle ended the morning session by thanking the Pacifica Institute for sponsoring the event.
The other sponsors were Chapman University, The Iranica Institute, Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture at UCI and Iranian Studies at UCLA. Morning and afternoon sessions were held at Chapman University , Orange , California and the evening session was at University of California , Irvine .
Last April, Pacifica Institute invited the Whirling Dervishes of Rumi to Seattle , Phoenix , Tucson , Irvine , Los Angeles , Reno and San Francisco . A raffle was held after each performance and one lucky winner will have a chance to spend ten days in Turkiye. They will also join the Performances of Rumi on the 17th of December. As is well-known, roughly a month from the 20th of October, will be the celebration of the day when Rumi had reunion with his Beloved. The day Mawlana ( Rumi is known as Mawlana in the east) passed away is called the Annual Celebrations of Seb-i Aruz (the day of reunion with the Beloved) and this year from the first until the 17th of December will witness the Daily Performances of the Whirling Dervishes to commemorate the 800th birhtyear of Rumi in Konya (The city, Rumi lived, taught and was laid to rest in 1273.). During the celebrations throughout the first half of December, 80 000 people are expected to watch the performances of the Dervishes in central Turkiye. The winners of the raffles from Seattle , Phoenix , Tucson , Irvine , Los Angeles , Reno and San Francisco will also join this spectacle.