I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to all our people, especially the relatives of those who lost their lives. In additio… - Fethullah Gülen

I offer my condolences to our nation, especially to the relatives of those who lost their lives.

The reactions of the West and America to human rights violations in Turkey fell far behind expectations. We cannot say that they did not make any noise. Voices were raised from time to time from members of parliament, senators, ministry spokesmen and organizations within the European Union, but these mostly remained verbal and did not turn into sanctions. Unfortunately, short-term interests come to the fore in interstate relations. Europe's concerns about Syrian refugees and America's strategic relations with Turkey are among the main dynamics that shape the issue. Essentially, Turkey's embrace of Syrian refugees is not Erdogan's personal decision, it is the general attitude of the Turkish people. When we look at the issue from a security perspective, we can say that; Erdogan's taking all of Turkey's democratic institutions under his tutelage, one by one, drags the region into a tangle of problems. On the one hand, they are coerced into cooperating in the military and intelligence fields, while on the other hand, they are pursuing policies that pave the way for the continuation of violence and terrorism. A Turkey that moves away from being a democratic state of law is likely to be a part of radicalism and conflicts rather than being a representative of stability and peace in the region... As a matter of fact, we see examples of this.

This community cherishes every person, their differences are not a reason for fighting; It consists of people who have come together around high human values, such as considering everyone as an element of wealth, accepting everyone in their own position, and holding the hands of young people, especially through education. It consists of people who find it reasonable to serve these values ​​through educational institutions, hospitals, humanitarian aid organizations and dialogue projects, within a framework that we can call "Quranic reasonableness". It is an Islamic movement in a sense, as most of them are Muslims and takes their inspiration from religious sources, but it is also a humanitarian movement in the sense that it embraces all humanity and aims to serve. So far, people from different beliefs and nationalities in 160 countries of the world have embraced them and become patrons of these projects.

Each of us should take the extra time and space afforded by the pandemic's social distancing measures as an opportunity for further examination of our connection with God, our families and our core values. This time offers a mandatory retreat from the busy nature of our daily lives and a chance to turn toward God, deepening our faith, knowledge and practice. I hope that imams will offer reminders about these opportunities to their congregations.