The world should be assured that, although there may always be some who exploit any religion for their interests, Islam does not approve of terrorism… - Fethullah Gülen

May God Almighty have mercy on those who lost their lives in this tragic incident; I hope that those whose property and property were damaged will be able to quickly compensate for their losses, and I hope that it will give strength and fortitude to the rescue teams responding to these fires. May God protect our country and all humanity from all kinds of disasters.

As the coup attempt unfolded, I fiercely denounced it and denied any involvement. Furthermore, I said that anyone who participated in the putsch betrayed my ideals. Nevertheless, and without evidence, Erdogan immediately accused me of orchestrating it from 5,000 miles away.

Democracy cannot be achieved or preserved by resorting to violence. Even if political leaders oppress their citizens by violating their basic human rights, their overthrow by anti-democratic means cannot be tolerated. Although they were subjected to oppression unprecedented in the history of Turkey in terms of the methods they used and the number of people they victimized, none of the Hizmet volunteers even raised a fist against the oppressors. Despite everything, they continue to strive through legal and peaceful means to get their rights. If, in the face of this situation, someone still doubts their commitment to the rule of law, tranquility and peace, this can only be explained by a fear arising from prejudice.