Ulmer trip abroad aimed to bond Yuma Christian and Islamic communities

An Arizona legislator's trip abroad next month is designed to strengthen cultural bonds that may help the lawmaker better represent the diverse base of residents living in the Yuma area.

District 24 Rep. Theresa Ulmer, D-Yuma, will leave for Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 4 for a 10-day tour to broaden her understanding of the Islamic world and also to better represent the Muslims who live in her district, she explained.

The tour will include stops in eastern and southern Turkish cities of Izmir, Antalya and Konya. Pacifica Institute and the Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue, the two Tempe nonprofit organizations that are sponsoring the journey, invited Ulmer.

Accompanying Ulmer will be a dozen of others, including several from Phoenix, a TV news reporter from Tucson and Christian clergymen from California.

"I've always said it's a good idea to bridge different cultures to create better understanding," Ulmer said.

Ulmer noted there is a fairly large constituency of Islamic residents in Yuma. On June 28, she was invited by the Council on American Islamic Relations Arizona office along with the Islamic Cultural Center to their new mosque on 24th Street.

According to a previous article in The Sun, one of the center's missions was to exchange ideas with people of different faiths.

"It was a group of 50, just a meet-and-greet get together," Ulmer said. "They asked about education items in the state budget and about tort reforms. But the primary concern was how to bridge the gap between different nationalities and religion."

She went on that it was important for Muslim Americans to engage in the political process and encouraged her hosts to participate in community service, civic boards or in whatever capacity they are capable.

The upcoming journey will not be so much a political excursion as cultural, Ulmer said. While she will be visiting Turkish schools, one of the primary purposes will be to explore the possibility of economic development.

"Given the chance, I'm always networking for opportunities for our district," Ulmer said.

She said the next few years could be critical for Yuma to attract development. Yuma is in a unique position because it is centrally located near Mexico and California, and Yuma's real estate is more reasonably priced, she added.

The most likely businesses to expand in Yuma could be the biotechnology industry, Ulmer said, because of the long-standing agricultural base already in operation and the solar industry, which could take advantage of the intense year-round sunshine.

"We need to pass laws that make doing international business and business in general welcome here," Ulmer said.

In the effort to make Arizona a more vibrant business hub, the Arizona House in the most recent session increased tax credits for research and development, she noted. For the year 2010 the increase is from 20 to 22 percent for qualified expenses under $2.5 million, while credits rise from 11 to 13 percent for amounts over $2.5 million. And those same credits increase to 24 percent and 15 percent, respectively, for the years 2011 to 2017.

Ulmer said she will be spending her time in Turkey with host families and hopes to explore the area's ties to Christian roots.

"It's a bit of a pilgrimage. The first Christian church was established at Antioch, now called Yalvac. The apostle Paul was born in Tarsus in southern Turkey and did ministry there. There is an incredible amount of history in the area."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.