ANKARA,
October 7, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, October 6, joined a
poor family in having Iftar (the meal that breaks the fast)
during the holy fasting month of Ramadan and urged his cabinet members
to follow suit.
Accompanied
by his wife Aminah and bodyguards, Erdogan had his Iftar in an
Istanbul slum with a five-member poor family, according to the Middle
East News Agency (MENA).
Happily
sharing a home-made meal, emotional Erdogan had a humble meal of soup,
beans, bread and sweet.
Finishing
their Iftar, Erdogan and his wife handed out presents to the
children of the poor family.
The
Turkish premier also urged his cabinet members and MPs of his Justice
and Development party to follow suit in having their Iftars
with poor families as a sign of solidarity with this cross-section of
Turkish society.
Caring
Erdogan
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A government employee distributing food among the poor in Istanbul.
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Erdogan
is known for his care for the poor, especially during the dawn-to-dusk
fasting month.
When
he was Istanbul governor, Erdogan used to offer food supplies and aid
packages to the needy in the city during Muslim occasions.
He
was also the first official in the city to hold iftar banquets,
which bring together a quite large number of people to break the fast
together.
Erdogan
has also been a staunch supporter to poor workers, visiting them at
work sites and dressing like them to send a message of equality.
The
government Aid Waqfs launched this Ramadan, which started in Turkey on
Wednesday, October 5, a nationwide campaign to distribute food
supplies to the poor families under the supervision of Erdogan.
The
campaign also included hading out food supplies the poor in African
countries, Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Erdogan
was chosen in December of last year by the readership of a European
weekly as the "European
of the Year."
The
Newsweek had further described Erdogan and Malaysian Prime
Minister Abdullah Badawi as shining examples of leadership in the
Muslim world.
