Barack Hüseyin OBAMA made his first official visit to Turkey on 7 April 2009 after becoming the President of the United States of America. President OBAMA was hosted by the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr Abdullah GÜL, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Mr Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, in the best way possible.
After visiting the Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia mosques in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Mr OBAMA met with university students at the Tophane-i Amire in the Tophane district of the Beyoğlu district, it was before the noon call to prayer and the President said, “I hope to complete my remarks before the adhan is called”. This statement of his (saying that he would not continue his speech during the adhan) evoked in us a statement of respect for the people of our country and even for the Muslims of the world. With the thought that this gesture would be a gesture in return for his gesture, my muezzin friend and I performed the adhan, which we recited in Ottoman style from time to time, on time.
The adhan had already started when the TV channels and the world press, which were in front of the mosque at that time, turned their cameras towards our mosque and the minaret and broadcast the Istanbul adhan from Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque to all the people of the world by connecting live. Because the adhan of Istanbul is famous in the world. This is also mentioned in the world literature in this way. As soon as this magnificent adhan duet was over, the residents of Tophane and the people in the neighbourhood rushed to the mosque to attend the prayer with admiration, amazement and curiosity. After the noon prayer was performed in awe, hearts soared and energy turned into synergy. Later, we were informed by the residents of the neighbourhood that this double adhan (contracted) was very much appreciated and that they had applied to the mufti’s office and requested that the adhan be read in this way, which was confirmed by the institution.
The arrival of Barack Hussein OBAMA was blessed. Our mosque was filled with congregation and hearts were filled with light.
One of the richest treasures of the world cultural heritage with all its splendour and spirituality, the Captain-i Derya Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque reminded the guest and all the people of the world in his person of Islam and the divine word and left a deep mark on the memories.
This event, which took place in the observation of the Captain- Derya Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque, the legacy of Captain- Derya Kılıç Ali Pasha, with its world-famous voyages and victories, is once again a record of how important it has been built in terms of witnessing history.
I hope that the sons of this nation, the descendants of Kılıç Ali Pasha will be able to accomplish many more beautiful works…
