Falun Dafa in Europe: Falun Dafa is Deeply Rooted in Turkey

Straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey is situated at the juncture of the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. Such a unique geographic location makes Turkey a melting pot of various cultures and ethnic groups. “Turkey” stands for “country of the brave”. Historically Turkey possesses splendid culture through thirteen different historical periods. To this day, the country is still regarded as the “cradle of civilization”.

Falun Dafa was formally introduced into Turkey in 1999. In the past few years, despite strong resistance from the indigenous religion, which presented barriers to the spread of Falun Gong, many people with predestined relationship attained the Fa and started cultivation. There were many cultivation stories full of mystery and wonder.


Falun Gong exercise practice in Turkey

A female Falun Gong practitioner was plagued by sinusitis since childhood. As the disease affected her blood supply to the brain, she had suffered from headaches for over twenty years. Visiting the hospital, going into x-ray, receiving injections and taking medicine had been the routine as she was growing up. In early spring 2003, she ran into a few Falun Gong practitioners by chance in a park where they were doing the exercises. Since then she also joined the group to practice in the park.

After she learned that the first draft translation of the Turkish version of Zhuan Falun and The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa were available, she insisted on reading them right away. A miracle happened when she was reading Zhuan Falun with great eagerness — she felt her nose was slowly getting unblocked and the headache was getting better and better day after day. When she finished reading Zhuan Falun the nose that made her suffer for twenty years was completely clear. Headaches also disappeared. Not believing in such a miracle, her family took her to the hospital for a check up. The results surprised doctors who had known her for many years. When asked what magic drug cured her, she announced, “It was Falun Gong.”

There are many examples like this where diseases were cured as a result of practising Falun Gong. Furthermore, nearly every Falun Gong practitioner in Turkey had extraordinary experiences in cultivation. Through translating Zhuan Falun, a near-sighted practitioner’s eyesight returned to normal and hence got rid of glasses. An illiterate senior practitioner in the seventies read through the entire book of Zhuan Falun within the space of a year. For many, Falun Gong brought along new lives, elevated morals and revealed the true meaning of life.

In the past few years veteran and new Falun Gong practitioners made a lot of effort to clarify the truth about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Gong to various Turkish government agencies.

In July 2001 a Chinese practitioner who had been in Turkey for less than a year and had limited Turkish learned that some CCP officials would visit Turkey. At the time there was no other practitioner in her city; she went alone to Turkey’s supreme legislative power the Grand National Assembly. Perhaps her sincerity touched the staff there; the President of the Human Rights Council of the Grand National Assembly received her in person. Furthermore, the President spent more than half an hour with her listening intently to her statement about the persecution Falun Gong suffered in China. Under the support of this president, one of Turkey’s largest newspapers, the National Daily, published a report the next day entitled “The Truth of Falun Gong”. The article detailed Falun Gong’s benefits to mind and body and its popularity in numerous countries. The report also clearly called out the persecution Falun Gong suffered in China. Later this article was reprinted by many other media, which ended the CCP’s one-sided slander against Falun Gong at the time.

A screenshot from a TV report about Falun Gong

At the end of September 2005, jointly hosted by many United Nations organisations, the International Local Governments Peace Conference was held in Cappadocia, Turkey. Over 1,200 people attended the conference, including many United Nations officials, local government heads from forty-five nations and regions, some representatives from Non-Governmental organisations and officials from many Turkish provinces and cities. Upon hearing the news about the conference, three Falun Gong practitioners with Turkish residency rushed several hundred kilometres overnight to the conference venue. But without invitation to the conference, they were stopped outside of the venue by security staff. Not discouraged, the three practitioners clarified the truth to all the staff separately. Moved by their efforts and their perseverance, the conference staff made an exception to allow the practitioners to attend the meeting.

Practitioners attended a UN conference to talk with people about the persecution

During the conference, Falun Gong practitioners made wide contact with many participants including UN officials, telling them the truth about the brutal persecution Falun Gong has suffered in China. They also distributed introductory material about Falun Gong (written materials, Video-CD and leaflets). Nearly all the conference participants, UN officials and international organisation representatives alike, voiced condemnation against the CCP’s brutality and expressed great concern for the persecution suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China. Through telling the truth at this large-scale international conference, practitioners helped conference participants truly understand the genocide against Falun Gong practitioners in China. Meanwhile they won a wider range sympathy and support.

Along with her practitioner husband, a practitioner who started to practise in 2001 used fax and post to distribute material to the public in mainland China, who are deceived by the evil lies. Meanwhile she also explained the facts to local Turkish residents. During New Year 2005 she designed and printed at her own expense three thousand copies of beautiful desk calendars, which spread Falun Gong and exposed the CCP’s persecution. As a result, three thousand lucky Turkish people could see and feel the beauty and peace of Falun Gong three hundred and sixty-five days a year.

A Falun Gong practitioner who started practising in 2001 had been living in Australia with her Australian husband and son. The couple taught at a famous University, making a comfortable living. Soon after starting to practise Falun Gong in 2001, her severe heart disease was miraculously cured. After such mental and physical benefits, she kept thinking about friends and relatives in her hometown. In 2003 she managed to persuade her husband to give up favourable positions and return to the much-missed homeland. Through her sustained efforts, quite a few hometown folks attained the Fa and started practising cultivation. In the autumn of 2005 the city government of her hometown, Mersin, invited Falun Gong practitioners to attend the annual Mersin Festival. To show its support for Falun Gong, the city government especially prepared colourful Falun Gong fliers and large banners reading “Falun Gong” and “Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance”. Falun Gong practitioners worked together to leave a lasting impression of the beauty of Falun Gong in the hearts of the Turkish people.

Following the spread of Falun Gong in Turkey, more and more Turkish people started to come into touch with, learn more about and practise Falun Gong. In the near future, more Turkish people with predestined relationships will start cultivation. Falun Gong has been deeply rooted in this land and the heart of this nation.