Democracy should prevail in Muslim world: CHP

Aziz Özen - İSTANBUL

AA Photo

Democracy, secularism, the social welfare state and the rule of law are key elements for the improvement of the Islamic world, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader has said, citing the lack of these notions as the main reason for the rise of terror in the name of Islam.

“Why is there bloodshed in the Islamic world? What for, in what reasons? We will use our mind, we will discuss the issues and create solutions,” CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said Oct. 10 in Istanbul in a speech at a symposium on problems and solutions in the contemporary Islamic world.
“To what extent does the Islamic world give importance to justice? How just, how right are the rulers in the Islamic world?” he asked, adding that the state of law was one of the key elements that needs to be improved in the Islamic world.

“Justice is considered as a keystone of Islam as well as other divine religious. It is a noble concept, justice. Justice is defined, in a way exceeding the very definition of itself, as divine and humanitarian equality, honesty, impartiality, ending injustices and the triumph of the truth,” he said.

‘Prophet one of biggest revolutionaries’

Kılıçdaroğlu underlined the importance of addressing issues in the Islamic world, saying that as a witness to the problems at hand, the problems should be discussed and possible solutions should be proposed.

“In my opinion, our prophet was one of the biggest revolutionaries in our world. He abolished slavery, accomplished gender equality and paved the way for many transformations and changes. Islam and an Islamic understanding are discussed with blood, and they call it Islam. We have to discuss this in detail. The discussion should be a mutual effort by everybody who stands for the interests of this country, not just party A or B,” he said.

Proposing democracy as one of the most important elements to address the issue, Kılıçdaroğlu said that in democratic countries, politicians were accountable to people and were held responsible for any corruption. The CHP leader also emphasized the importance of freedom of thought and faith, underlining that secularism guaranteed freedom while states must remain at an equal distance to all faiths in a secular system. 

“A welfare state struggles against unemployment and poverty. And struggles against poverty and the welfare state protect human dignity,” he said.

Why are terrorists using Islam’s name?

Kılıçdaroğlu also referred to the Ankara attack conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) one year ago on Oct. 10, 2015, which killed more than 100 civilians. “The perpetrators of the bombing at the Ankara train station one year ago were terrorist organizations using Islam’s name. We said we are prepared to do everything that is expected from us to end terror. Today, we prepared this meeting. Who was the terrorist group? It was ISIL. In other words, a terrorist organization which call itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which exploits Islamism,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.

Kılıçdaroğlu, meanwhile, was subjected to a protest at the event when members of the Halkevleri (People’s Houses) rose to commemorate the victims of the Ankara Massacre and criticize the CHP leader for choosing to appear at a conference on Islam instead of appear at a ceremony to mark the incident in Ankara. Police dragged away the protesters, detaining them.