ANKARA
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah Isler opened Friday the 33th Turkey Book and Culture Fair, the second-biggest book fair in the country during the holy month of Ramadan, with 80 publishers participating.
Officials and book lovers attended the opening of the fair, which was organized by the country's Religious Affairs Foundation. The fair will end July 23.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Isler said a real Muslim cannot kill any human being in a brutal way as Islam doesn't permit it.
"In order to avoid this feeling we should read more, as the first word of the Holy Quran is Read! Read! Read!" he said.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.
"We aim to bring mosque-book-reader together at this fair, which has been organized for 33 years continuously," Onder Sancak, the director of the book fair, said.
Book lovers can join seminars, attend panel discussions, and go to autograph sessions from visiting writers. The fair can be visited between 11:00 a.m. and midnight every day.
The book and culture fair is being held in Kocatepe mosque, which is the biggest in Ankara.
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