Turkish NBA star and human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom received a warm welcome in Israel over the weekend, visiting the country and holy sites of Jerusalem, hanging out at Mahane Yehuda, the city’s hottest hotspot, A longtime dream of a basketball camp in the capital for Muslim, Jewish and Christian children.
“It’s hard to put into words how I feel about being here,” said Freedom, a practicing Muslim. Jewish insider In an interview on Sunday after an early morning prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place in Islam.
“This is the most sacred place I’ve ever been,” continued Freedom, before visiting the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Friday, where Christians believe Jesus was buried. Freedom said visiting each sacred site was a deeply moving and spiritual experience.
“Everywhere we went, people were so warm and friendly to me,” added the 6ft 10 center.Different faiths unite and open their hearts to each other .
Freedom, 30, who played for five NBA teams (Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics) over an 11-year career, has been a vocal critic of governments such as China and Turkey. , has made international headlines. Allegations of their human rights violations. He also works in the United States to educate the Muslim community about the Holocaust and is a frequent voice for Israel.
Freedom was dropped from the Houston Rockets earlier this year. This follows a series of actions criticized by China for systematically abusing Muslim Uyghurs. Liberty mentioned To the Beijing Olympics as “Genocide Games”.
“I have to keep speaking out,” said Freedom, alleging the NBA is hypocritical about continuing business deals with the Chinese government. I fired them, but none of the teams had the courage to call me.This shows how deeply involved they are.
“they [the NBA] He’s kicking me out, but he can’t keep dribbling basketball when millions of Uyghurs are being killed.He’ll never stop opposing them.
Freedom, who grew up in Turkey, immigrated to the United States in 2009 and officially became a US citizen last November. To celebrate, he added “freedom” to his legal name. statement at the time: “America has taught me a lot. Here people should feel privileged. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press.”
Freedom is affiliated with the Gulen Movement, led by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who accuses the Turkish government of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt, and is a staunch critic of the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Yes, he uses his fame to raise awareness of human rights. Abuse in the country of origin.
However, his outspokenness turned him into an ungrateful persona in Turkey, and in 2017 the Turkish government revoked his citizenship. I’ve seen people lost their jobs, arrested, and accused of terrorism from afar.Liberty hasn’t returned to Turkey for years and his game do not broadcast in the country.
Freedom visited Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Memorial Center, during a trip to Israel, the first Jewish state. He told his JI that this experience made him speak out against anti-Semitism and work harder to help his fellow Muslims better understand Jews and Israel. said.
“I’ve always known about the Holocaust and the six million people killed, but I never knew it was this deep. And now more than ever about the fight against anti-Semitism.” Ambitious.
“Growing up in Turkey as a kid, anti-Semitism was rampant,” Freedom recalls, explaining that as a child he witnessed neighborhood friends burning American and Israeli flags. Did. “My mother always told me before we met that she didn’t hate anyone, so I promised I would, and I’m really happy to hear what her mother said.”
It’s this hatred rejection that inspired Freedom to launch his basketball camp in Israel last week. The goal is not only to improve basketball skills, but also to learn faith-based values and life skills.
Freedom said it was “wonderful” and explained how his vision for peace was strengthened on Sunday as one of Israel’s children after making a basket during a 5-on-5 friendly I witnessed a high-five with a Palestinian player.
“I believe that through basketball, we can promote tolerance, respect and coexistence. I believe that by bringing children together on the basketball court, we can show them the importance of respecting each other,” he stressed. .
The camp was started by the American nonprofit Bnai Zion, the anti-Semitism nonprofit Athletes For Israel, and a group of young Israeli Arabs determined to make a difference in their lives Together Vouch Underwritten by for Each Other US. Community – is run by Tamir Goodman, an American-Israeli former professional basketball player.
Ravi Ali Ram, chief executive of Bnai Zion, who accompanied Freedom on their trip, told JI, “Pop culture in general is a great equalizer.”
“Whatever your background, we can all agree that Kendrick Lamar is great, Lionel Messi is great, but what makes a sport like basketball so special. The point is, if you don’t come, we can’t win. Together, let’s build something bigger than ourselves,” he said. “In basketball, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time, but he is nothing without a great team. is.”
Freedom told JI that the summer program is just the beginning of what he wants to do. said it dreamed of including participants from across the Middle East. come here every year. ”
