Community Corner

Mayor Barnett Among Delegation Meeting With Turkish Officials

Mayor's trip to Turkey draws critics, supporters.

Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett currently is traveling in Turkey with a delegation of other local leaders in various fields in a community-building effort sponsored by the Niagara Foundation (read Patch's original story here).

Barnett joined officials from the Rochester Community Schools Board of Education, Crittenton Hospital, Federal Republic Bank of Germany, Rochester College and Lawrence Technological University on an invite from the Niagara Foundation, which organizes trips to Turkey to strengthen relationships between western and eastern parts of the world.

Rochester College organized the trip, according to Barnett.

Barnett told Rochester Patch in an email Thursday he was particularly interested in meeting with Turkish journalists to explore the relationship between media and politicians in the area, a particularly noteworthy subject, he said, given Instanbul's recent news-making public protests over the fate of a beloved local park facing redevelopment. On Saturday, Barnett said in an email the delegation had met with the region's leading newspaper and sent along photos and video from the group's trip. 

Trip has critics, supporters


The trip, which the Niagara Foundation funded minus the attendees' airfare, has drawn both critics and supporters in Rochester Hills, who weighed in when news of the trip was published Friday.

Rochester Hills resident Scot Beaton questioned the purpose of the trip and the Niagara Foundation's controversial honorary president, Fethullah Gulen, in a Patch blog

Indeed, Gulen, a Muslim religious leader from Turkey whose teachings of mutual respect and coexistence are the basis for the Niagara Foundation, has his share of both advocates—including former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright—and critics, but the Niagara Foundation claims no official ties to the religious leader.

2012 City Journal article states that Gulen's supporters claim they are inspired by Gulen's teachings, much as someone would, say, be inspired by Mother Teresa. A similar sentiment was expressed by the Niagara Foundation's assistant director in Chicago, Hakan Berberoglu, who told Illinois University in an interview that his group was merely inspired by Gulen's philosophies and that the leader has no official ties to the organization aside from the honorary title.

Gulen's teachings also have inspired a large network of publicly funded charter schools in the U.S., though Gulen has claimed no association with the schools, which are generally regarded as high-performing and secular in their teachings, according to a USA Today report.

Barnett did not make mention of Gulen in his email interview with Patch, but focused on the Niagara Foundation's outreach efforts between the U.S. and Turkey. He said he feels the trip offers networking opportunities between local leaders in similar positions on opposite sides of the world.

"It's interesting, but no matter where in the world you are, mayors still face the same general challenges," he said in an email. "Additionally, this cross-cultural experience will hopefully open the dialogue on future economic development opportunities as well."

Patch user "Frank," meanwhile, offered his support of the trip, stating in a story comment he felt it would lend a global perspective to how Rochester Hills conducts business.

"This trip is all about advancement, education, and enrichment," he wrote. "Exposure to global opportunities, such as this, benefits Rochester by broadening the city’s horizons. Rochester Hills is not an isolated island; it is well-connected with other domestic and international cities. Many great ideas come from diplomatic relationships with other local entities, whether domestic or international."


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