ABOUT US
Mid-Atlantic Platform (MAP) is a coalition of eight nonprofits inspired by Hizmet Movement located in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, DC. These members are signatories of a non-binding MoU that envisions enhanced collaboration, networking, and solidarity for the common good. Mid-Atlantic Platform is a member of the North American Civic Platform.
WHAT WE DO
Interfaith Dialogue
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Community Engagement
Youth Empowerment
Education
Why We Do It
Hizmet Movement
Hizmet is a transnational civil society initiative that advocates for the ideals of human rights, equal opportunity, democracy, non-violence and the emphatic acceptance of religious and cultural diversity. It began in Turkey as a grassroots community in the 1970s in the context of social challenges being faced at the time: violent conflict among ideologically and politically driven youth, desperate economic conditions and decades of state-imposed ideology of discrimination where the un-elected members of the state penetrated excessively in people’s lives and mandated a particular lifestyle.
Over the years, Hizmet has transformed from a grassroots community in Turkey to a wider social effort around the world where participants come from all walks of life — they are culturally, geographically, linguistically and religiously diverse.
Their work centers on:
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Promoting philanthropy and community service
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Investing in education for cultivating virtuous individuals
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Organizing intercultural and interfaith dialogue for peaceful coexistence
Hizmet is not a religious effort; it is open to every person who shares its core values regardless of whether their values are rooted in Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic, or any other faith. In fact, in areas where Hindu, Buddhist or other religions are a majority, Hizmet supporters include members of those faiths.
One of the core ideals of Hizmet is not just an emphatic acceptance of religious, cultural, social and political diversity, but actual celebration of this diversity because Hizmet participants consider this diversity as divine will.
Hizmet participants believe that such acceptance is not contrary to one’s devotion to religion, but indeed respecting and embracing fellow humans at the level of our common humanity is part of one’s devotion.
Hizmet participants are inspired by the ideas, life example and vision of Fethullah Gulen, who advocated for deeper personal spiritual devotion that is expressed in social work through the understanding that serving fellow humans is serving God.
What We Do
Interfaith Dialogue
MAP is based on a strong commitment to substantive interfaith and intercultural exchange. To that end, it hosts an array of activities that connect individuals and groups from different confessions. These activities particularly focus on;
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Facilitating person-to-person understanding through religious literacy programs, wherein diverse faith groups learn about one another, build rapport, and engage in lasting dialogue.
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Building, informing and mobilizing an active interfaith dialogue community through substantive speaker programs, book talks and panel discussions that feature renowned scholars and practitioners.
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Fostering exchange of knowledge and experience among leaders from all faiths through workshops, mutual learning opportunities, and academic publications.
Community Engagement
MAP’s community engagement work brings together a large spectrum of stakeholders around ideas and projects that serve the greater good in our region. These activities include art and culture, community service, charity, speaker events and education.
Youth Empowerment
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Youth programs constitute an important part of MAP’s overall work. Youth-oriented activities include academic support, program support, and peer tutoring. Moreover, a set of youth-led activities is carried on through publications, community work, and humanitarian projects. MAP partners also offer rich K-12 education programs that combine academic tutoring with character education.
Education
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MAP partners are involved in a variety of education activities that include K-12 programs, homeschooling, mentoring, and training sessions for college students. The overall goal of the education programs is to raise innovative thinkers who strive to be accomplished, independent learners while embracing responsibility and diversity.
