By Zehra Nur Duz <br>
ANKARA (AA) – The works of Pakistani poet Muhammad Iqbal and Turkish poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy were instrumental in the intellectual revival of the Muslim Ummah and showing them a new direction, said Azad Kashmir President Masood Khan.
He made the remark during an international symposium organized by the Urdu department of Istanbul University.
The event, titled “Two Great Poets of the East: Muhammad Iqbal and Mehmet Akif Ersoy”, was held April 29-30 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence.
It was also attended by Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and distinguished scholars and literary figures from Pakistan, Turkey and various parts of the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Khan said that both Iqbal and Ersoy dedicated their poetry to reviving the spirit of resistance against colonialism and intellectual imperialism.
He also thanked the government and people of Turkey for their steadfast support for the just struggle for self-determination of the Kashmiri people.
In particular, he thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for being the voice of the Muslim Ummah and his role in highlighting the plight of the Kashmiri people.
Qazi, for his part, highlighted Iqbal’s association with Turkey and its leading literary figure Ersoy.
He said Iqbal and Ersoy, through their writings and poems, encouraged their compatriots to participate in their national liberation struggles.
Highlighting the similarities between the two great poets, Qazi said both wanted to unite Muslims and liberate them from Western imperialism and struggled for an Islamic renaissance.
During the event, numerous research papers were presented highlighting their poetic works and philosophies.
