Oxford, UK – 12/09/2024 – We are thrilled to announce that Mahmut Gunaydin, the Director of our Oxford branch, has been honoured with a prestigious award from BBC Oxford. This annual award, given across eight categories, recognises his exceptional work on the “Life of a Chickpea” project. This recognition celebrates the project’s important role in promoting British values and fostering strong community engagement.
The “Life of a Chickpea” project, initiated by the Dialogue Society, uses the journey of a humble chickpea as a metaphor to explore societal models, British values, and individual roles in a diverse community. Through creative seminars and workshops, the project aims to inspire students to actively promote democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.
Mahmut Gunaydin’s dedication and leadership have been instrumental in the success of the project in Oxford. His commitment to advancing social cohesion and empowering communities has not only earned him this prestigious award but also brought significant positive change to the local community.
In this competition, which included Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons among the jury members, our project achieved immense success. The award ceremony, attended by approximately two hundred distinguished guests, included athletes who have represented Britain in the Olympics and won medals, as well as prominent business figures and executives. Our project, which emphasised the theme of “living together, equality, and respect for differences,” received great interest and acclaim from all participants in the hall.
“We are incredibly proud of Mahmut Gunaydin, and the entire team involved in the ‘Life of a Chickpea’ project,” said Sadik Cinar, Executive Director. “This award from the BBC is a testament to their hard work and the project’s impact in promoting understanding and unity within our community.”
For more information about the “Life of a Chickpea” project, please visit https://www.chickpeastory.org
The news of the award: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jl2kn3kevo
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For press enquiries please contact info@dialoguesociety.org
Note to Editors
The Dialogue Society was established in London in 1999 by British Muslims of Turkish background who were inspired by the teachings and example of Fethullah Gülen. It aims to promote dialogue and advance social cohesion by connecting communities through discussion forums, courses, capacity building publications and outreach. The Dialogue Society is not a religious or ethnic organisation but rather aims to facilitate dialogue on a whole range of social issues, regardless of any particular faith or religion. It stands for democracy, human rights, the non-instrumentalisation of religion in politics, equality and freedom of speech. For more information, see: www.dialoguesociety.org.