Havva's Will Fulfilled

By Aydin Hizlica, "Soccer star Zidane, actor De Niro invited to Şeb-i Arus festival" - Today's Zaman - Istanbul,Turkey
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Konya: The Konya Metropolitan Municipality has invited a number of renowned international figures, including famous Hollywood actor Robert De Niro and French soccer player Zinedine Zidane, to attend Şeb-i Arus festivals scheduled to take place on Dec. 1-17 in Konya.

While no response has yet been received to the invitations, the municipality will honor the last wish of researcher Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch, who translated all the works by Mevlana Muhammed Jelaluddin Rumi and Muhammad Iqbal into French, and move her grave to the city.
A number of firsts will be seen during this year's Şeb-i Arus festivals. Metropolitan Municipality Cultural and Social Affairs Director Ercan Uslu said prominent individuals who have expressed an interest in Islam and Mevlana's works were invited to the Şeb-i Arus festivals this year.

These include domestic and foreign names, including artists, athletes and politicians -- of which De Niro and Zidane's invitations attracted the most attention.

Although no reply has yet come, Uslu said: "To make sure that the Remembering Mevlana ceremonies will be observed with great enthusiasm, our municipality is making the necessary preparations. We want foreign guests from all over the world to enjoy and experience this enthusiasm as well. It is for this reason that we invited a number of renowned persons who made great achievements in their fields to the ceremonies either through embassies or direct contact. We hope all invitees will accept and come to Konya to attend the ceremonies."

Notable figures often request a fee for their appearance, but this has not been the case with the invitees. "Individuals we invited have made no such request. We invited Robert De Niro, who has expressed interest in Islam and Mevlana, famous French soccer player Zinedine Zidane and a number of others in an attempt to promote Konya and Mevlana throughout the world," Uslu said.

Grave of Rumi translator to be moved to Konya
Great progress has been made in regards to the will of Vitray-Meyerovitch, who asked to be buried in Konya. The illustrious scholar is known for her commitment to translating Iqbal and Mevlana into French.

After convincing Vitray-Meyerovitch's family to fulfill the scholar's will, Uslu said: "Our efforts have paid off, and we have convinced Vitray-Meyerovitch's family. We will take her grave from the Paris cemetery to the Konya Üçler Cemetery, where it will lie in the shadow of Mevlana's mausoleum. A ceremony for this will be held on Dec. 17. Many individuals have worked to fulfill this last wish of the notable scholar, and I would like to thank all of them."

Who is Vitray-Meyerovitch?
Vitray-Meyerovitch was born in 1909 to an aristocratic family. She studied law and philosophy; her works primarily focused on literature, philosophy and Sufism. She served as administrator and expert at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), a renowned research institute.

She translated works by Iqbal and Mevlana into French and gave lectures and conferences at universities around the world, including at al-Azhar University in Egypt. She authored a number of books and articles.

Vitray-Meyerovitch, who viewed Mevlana as her guide, also loved Turkey and its people. She took the name Havva after converting to Islam. Professor Vitray-Meyerovitch died on July 24, 1999.