Three months ago, I have been elected as the new President of Turkish Green Crescent Society upon special encouragement and request of Prime Minister Br. Tayyib Erdogan. As you see in the website of the Society, The Green Crescent is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions against different kind of addictions including alcohol, tobacco, drug, gambling etc. The Green Crescent was established in 1920 and given the status of Public-Beneficial Society (public beneficial society status is given to the organizations that serve for public benefits) by the Turkish government in 1934. I have been the 18th president of the Society in its history of almost one century.
Arabic website: http://www.helalalakhdar.org/
English website: http://www.greencrescentsociety.org/
During the visit of Prime Minister Erdogan to our Society we discussed several issues and he made some recommendations regarding our future plan. http://www.greencrescentsociety.org/news/prime-minister-recep-tayyip-erdogan-visits-green-crescent/ Parallel to our national fight against addiction, we intend to widen our scope and promote establishment of similar institutions worldwide. Of course the first step should include our natural hinterland (i.e. Islamic countries). As a beginning we have recently signed a MOU with Br. Dr. Basim Naim to make cooperation to open a Green Crescent Society in Palestine.
http://www.greencrescentsociety.org/news/green-crescent-branch-in-palestine/ If you kindly accept to go forward, you will most probably be the pioneers of Green Crescent movement in your respective countries to make our world smoke-free, alcohol-free, drug-free and to protect our next generations from all kinds of addictions which are evils of the modern world.
Our History
Turkish Green Crescent Society was founded by patriotic people and intellectuals (Ord. Prof. Mazhar Osman and his friends) from a diverse set of backgrounds in 1920, response to the British attempts to distribute booze and drugs free of charge in Istanbul in an effort to undermine the resistance against the occupation. The founders sensed the upcoming dangers of alcohol and drug addiction that resulted decline in the resistance against the occupation. The patriotic intellectuals established the “Green Crescent”, “Hilal-i Ahdar” in Istanbul in order to warn Turkish society. The official name of the association is “Türkiye Yeşilay Cemiyeti”, “Turkish Green Crescent Society”.
The Green Crescent is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions against different kind of addictions including alcohol, tobacco, drug, gambling etc. The Green Crescent was established in 1920 and given the status of Public-Beneficial Society (public beneficial society status is given to the organizations that serve for public benefits) by the Turkish government in 1934.
Today, the Green Crescent has become a trademark in fight against addictions within the country by 24 branches and 104 representatives operating in numerous cities.
Message of the President in our website:
( http://www.greencrescentsociety.org/about-us/message-of-the-president )
A century ago, Turkish Green Crescent Society was established in the hard times of our country by people who were considering the future of the nation. Today Turkish Green Crescent Society continues struggle and effort with volunteers and organization that spread over the country for protection of our people from all kind of harmful habits and making our society healthier and more productive in line with purposes that specified in the constitution.
On behalf of Turkish Green Crescent Society 70th Executive Board, I appreciate all the friends of Green Crescent who committed to the ideal of the organization, participated in Society bodies, spent their knowledge, time and power to protect people from harmful habits.
Dear friends of Green Crescent,
When it was established, Turkish Green Crescent Society has been active on the purpose of fighting all harmful habits that harm the youth and the community and growing generations. Green Crescent has been fighting all evils that cause physical and moral collapse by embracing all segment of society with relationship beyond laws and rules.
Green Crescent carried out many activities to protect people and youth from harmful habits and addiction. Now, we are as new board of Turkish Green Crescent Society turning a new page that will make a real understanding which is more active, more global and more effective in the changing world.
We are all aware that evil and addiction can reach most remote points of our country faster than voluntary agencies like Green Crescent. Obtained statistics and reports show increasing rates of evil and addiction every year. Supporting Green Crescent to be more active against addictions, is initial condition instead law enforcement. Therefore, an organizational structure, which is less bureaucratic constitutes the most important part of mobilizing our existing potential. The initial object of Green Crescent is the prevention of evil and addiction before they happen. Hence, the greatest opportunity of Green Crescent is existence of countless people who are complaining from the situation and want to take action. We believe that our volunteers, who spread across the country to mobilize sensibilities and conscious of our nation, make Green Crescent more dynamic and strong. Accordingly, one of our priorities is an organizational structure which is loyal to vision and mission of Green Crescent.
One of the most important requirements for prevention evil and addiction is to fight against industrial powers, which encourage addiction, with scientific methods. We know that addiction industry reach our people and youth every day in different ways. We also realize that it is hard to stop this industry with stereotyped mottoes and methods. Therefore, in the new period, the most important activities of Green Crescent will be carrying out serious scientific studies about the ways of how problems occur and how to cope with, manifestation of those scientific studies, and examination of how to fight and to prevent addiction at the international and national meetings.
The problems that related to addiction do not arise from only our social, executive and moral structure. Today, a structure, which is expanding its influence, has emerged all over the world through mass media and tools and carriers of global culture. We initiate a more active period in the international arena with purposes that act with conscience of the world. Evil do not arise from our inner structure and the solution is not a process that we can overcome by ourselves. Hereby, we want to accelerate our relations and activities with international organizations, which carry out studies in this field and have more experience. We believe that there are lots of things to do for areas where addiction and production of addictive drugs are prevalent. Therefore, Green Crescent will carry its experience to international area in the new period and will struggle for awake to conscience of humanity.
We adopt an understanding beyond ordinary philosophical and political arguments for carrying social life and healthy family structure to the future through generations who physically and mentally well. In addition to its historical mission we intend to make Green Crescent more effective and more active both in national and international level.
I believe that my colleagues and staff will work hard in the direction of ideals and objectives of Green Crescent. Volunteers constitute the most important part of new period and our new vision. In that way, which we wish it to be an obligatory movement beyond the willingness; I trust that everybody will put hands on the heart, and then take on the responsibility. I believe that, for our accretion and energy which we aim to transfer it to the international arena, our youth, who are forming the group that we believe and trust most, will be on the frontline actively in the coping by addiction as they protect themselves from such evils and addiction. Our greatest target is the growth of a healthy generation that protects their own future.
I hope for the best for our new period and new administration.
With my respect and best wishes.
November 1, 2012
Prof. M.Ihsan Karaman
President of Turkish Green Crescent Society
