Istanbul conference for justice and peace

Regardless of their differing political opinions, nationalities, religious beliefs or cultures, the achievement of justice and peace is a common desire amongst all people. Human history is also considered a history of the search for justice and peace. Derived from the Arab word “peace”, Islam has from the very beginning ordered us to uphold justice in all aspects of political, business, social and economic life, and urges us to be just with all people, beginning with the family, which is regarded as the nucleus of society. Throughout Islamic history, for almost 15 centuries, the most prominent feature of the Muslim countries established in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East has been to give significance to the upholding of justice and peace.

Despite this, we see today that the Islamic lands which should be symbols of these two pillars of life have become worlds severely lacking in both, including Syria, Iraq, central Africa, Libya, Palestine and Yemen. Millions of our brothers and sisters are fighting to survive and are desperate for peace, safety and human dignity.

Meanwhile, the ancient cities known for their works of Islamic civilisation, libraries, mosques, shrines and historical artefacts are being destroyed and turned into ruins before our eyes at the hands of terrorist organisations and brutal regimes.

Nowadays, the Islamic world is being crushed under the pressure of the most dangerous problems it has faced since World War One. Too many Muslim countries are being deprived of peace and safety due to armed confrontations, civil wars, collapsing societies and deteriorating political structures.

The problems not only pose a threat to regional stability, but also to world peace. As is the case in Syria, the intervention of foreign states that do not have even the slightest knowledge of, or empathy with, the society, cultures, values and history of the region, sees them use their military might and support illegitimate governments in order to serve their own interests. This has caused us to reach an impasse in terms of these problems.

In addition, sectarian incitement has led to the largest division in the ranks of the Muslims. Europe addressed and resolved this issue early on, in the seventh century, while the Muslim world is still prisoner to this in the 21st century. This is an issue to which we must give the utmost attention.

This dispute, which stems from political, not religious, reasons, was provoked in the name of political greed and short-term interests. In the meantime, the terrorist organisations and forces known for their hostility towards Islam benefit the most from these policies, which incite hatred and hostility between ethnic and religious groups, as well as people from various factions who have co-existed relatively peacefully for many centuries.

Some parts of society, especially the youth, now seek new values as a reaction to the sectarian and social tensions. They are prone to being exploited and taken advantage of by terrorist organisations such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda. The Muslim counties must not and cannot stand by idly in the face of this situation.

The problem of terrorism is no longer limited to specific countries and areas; it has taken on an international aspect, with most of the victims of the wave of terrorist attacks extending from Europe to south Asia, and from West Africa to the US, being Muslims. Despite the various names and ideologies adopted by these hateful forces, they all share a common goal; the destruction of the memory and values of Muslims, as well as their present and future.

The support for racism, discrimination and hatred of foreigners in Western societies has manifested in Islamophobia and resulted in the abuse and provocation of all Muslims. In many European cities today, mosques are attacked and set on fire, as are Muslim workplaces and buildings. Hence, it is imperative not to implicate Muslims and accuse them of matters in which they have no involvement whatsoever, and for which they are paying the dearest price.

As a country that has fought against a terrorist organisation for 30 years and sacrificed 40,000 of its citizens in terrorist attacks, Turkey is very aware of the goal behind terrorism and the destruction it causes. We are trying hard to convince the international community to take up a joint stand on this matter. However, we must say that, unfortunately, the required sensitivity and firm positions that must be taken have not materialised when it comes to terrorist organisations that are considered an enemy of all humanity.

The Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) operate as the Syrian branch of a terrorist organisation, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). They force our Arab and Turkmen brethren to leave the areas they have inhabited for thousands of years, committing acts of ethnic cleansing and torturing those Kurds who do not adopt their ideology. Despite this, they are still accepted and supported as trustworthy partners by many countries.

Regardless of the reasons, it is a terrible mistake to distinguish between terrorist organisations and try to combat “bad terrorists” with the help of supposedly “good terrorists”. This adoption of double standards encourages terrorists and undermines everyone’s efforts in the fight against terrorism.

The only way to defeat terrorist organisations is through enhancing and reinforcing cooperation and solidarity amongst the members of the international community, with Muslims in the lead. I believe that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members can play a leading role in this endeavour.

We Muslims must raise our voices against all forms of oppression, regardless of who is committing these acts and their source. We must stand by the victims, whoever they are, as the identity of oppressors and victims is not important. Based on this belief, Turkey opened its doors to the refugees who are trying to flee from the armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and we will not abandon them or leave them to the mercy of terrorist organisations or regimes which practice state terrorism.

Today, over 3 million of our Syrian and Iraqi brethren live in a number of Turkish cities and refugee camps as our guests; we will continue to care for them until the armed conflicts are put to an end and peace prevails in their countries once more.

This week, Istanbul is hosting the 13th summit of the OIC. Since its establishment nearly half a century ago, the OIC’s efforts in the member countries has made it the largest platform for the discussion and deliberation of the issues in the Muslim world, and it has become the place where the most important decisions regarding these issues are made.

The issue of Palestine and Jerusalem, which was the original reason for the establishment of the OIC, takes priority on the agenda. We believe that the prevalent problems in many of our region’s countries, especially in Syria and Iraq, are also considered the OIC’s top responsibilities.

I must stress, and emphasise specifically, that we are gathering in Istanbul on the 13th and 14th of April not as Sunnis and Shias, Africans and Asians, Easterners and Westerners, white or black, rich or poor, or individuals of this or that ethnicity, but rather in our capacity as leaders who shoulder the responsibility for 1.7 billion Muslims and the burden of the entire humanity. We are gathered as members of a civilisation that believes that humans are the most precious creatures and stipulates that the people must live if we want the state to live.

We are aware of the heavy burden that we bear during these trying times, and I believe we must share our problems by giving priority to the nation’s problems over our individual interests, and therefore leave our mark on the 21st century. We must not only work to be a protective force, but also to be a founding, constructive and guiding force. This issue is very important to the Muslims, who form a quarter of the world’s population, in order for them to assume the status and position they deserve within the international structure.

The adoption of the IIT-2025: Plan of Action, which outlines the goals for the next 10 years, during the Istanbul summit, will, God willing, be a very valuable step in this direction. During our leadership of the OIC, we will do everything we can to ensure the success of this plan.

I hope that the 13th OIC summit will enhance the hopes for peace and justice within a nation that has been exhausted by long conflicts. I would like to express my thanks to all of the leaders and guests who attended our meeting. I pray to God that the summit will serve the interests and good of all of humanity.

The author is the president of Turkey. Translated from Aljazeera.net, 14 April, 2016.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.