Fethullah Gulen’s Message of Condolences and Condemnation for Terrorist Attack Against Mosque in Egypt

Fethullah Gülen

I grieve for the loss of lives as a result of the treacherous terrorist attack against a mosque in the city of Al-Arish in Egypt’s North Sinai region.

This terrorist attack that took place during a prayer on a Friday, a sacred day for Muslims, shows that the curse of terrorism has no respect for anything sacred, whether a church or mosque. Islam cannot be related to any such murderous acts. A true Muslim cannot be a terrorist and a terrorist cannot be a true Muslim. I make this statement in regards to any claims that these acts are done in the name of Islam. The religion of Islam and its followers have no connection to criminals who commit these acts.

On this sad occasion, I share my deepest condolences with the Egyptian people and government. I pray to God to grant forgiveness to those who lost their lives, to give patience to their relatives and friends and for the quick recovery of the injured. May God help the Egyptian government and the security forces in their efforts against criminals who commit murders that cannot be associated with any religious or ethical ideology.

This is not my first message of condolences for the Egyptian people. Just recently, these treacherous terrorists had targeted the Christian Coptic community during their prayer in a church on a holiday. Today, they carried out the same kind of horrendous act against Muslims who gathered for a Friday prayer. This shows that the victims of these criminals are all of humanity, whether they are Muslims or not. I’m afraid that these crimes against humanity will occur again in different places and different times if all of humanity do not stand in solidarity against these murderous organizations who commit crimes while using religion as a pretext.

In this regard, the main goal should be to strengthen the defense mechanisms of our youth against extremist and radical ideas. This can be achieved through education as well as providing alternative ideals to young people through positive projects. We appreciate the efforts by the Egyptian government who contribute to this goal and we support them against their consistent struggle against terrorism and extremist ideologies.

Once again, I relate my condolences to the Egyptian president and the Egyptian people and I pray to God the Almighty to bring peace, security, and tranquility to Egypt, the Muslim world and to all of humanity.

Published on Alliance for Shared Values, 24 November 2017, Friday