Indianapolis, IN

Bilal Eksili was born in Anytalya, Turkey in 1976. He lived there until he was 18 years old then he went to Russia in 1994 and studied Russian, German, and English. After completing his education in Russia, Mr. Eksili moved to Chicago, Illinois in 2000. Since April 2007 he has been in Indianapolis working as Executive Director for the Holy Dove Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to serve societal peace, love, and friendship by striving to bring forth the common values of humanity—values such as tolerance, respect, and compassion.

Mr. Eksili, through the Holy Dove Foundation, organizes a multitude of events for the Indianapolis community such as friendship dialogue dinners and luncheon forums. Mr. Eksili personally hosts trips to Turkey as yet another means of building bridges and strengthening friendships between the Muslim world and the West. Though hailing from different religious backgrounds, participants of all of these events find common ground by committing to a global ethic of dialogue and mutual understanding.