'Islamophobia virus' spreading very fast: Erdoğan

NEW YORK

Turkey is taking a leading role in the fight against Islamophobia on international platforms, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Sept. 19, resembling Islamophobia to a “provocative, deadlier” virus.

“As humanity, we are fighting against the COVID-19 virus, as well as another virus that is more provocative, deadlier and more insidious. The name of this virus is the ‘Islamophobia’ virus,” Erdoğan said in his speech at a conference titled “A Fairer World Is Possible,” organized by the Turkish-American National Steering Committee (TASC) in New York.

This virus is spreading very quickly in countries that have been “portrayed as cradles of democracy and freedom for years,” Erdoğan said, adding that Islamophobia has turned into a trend that disrupts Muslims’ daily lives and threatens social peace.

Expressing that they see this ideological fanaticism, which is no different from ISIL in terms of mentality, taking root in different layers of society, Erdoğan said that Turkey has been working with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the U.N., among others, as part of the efforts against Islamophobia.

“We are backing every kind of effort to eliminate all threats to our religion and our Muslim brothers,” the president said while calling for support from American Muslims in Turkey’s fight.

Erdoğan also elaborated on the issue of terror groups - the PKK, YPG and FETÖ - and called on members of the Turkish American community to continue to inform their American counterparts about the true face of these terror organizations.

“No matter how big it is, no lie can stand against the sun of truth,” Erdoğan said while stressing over the need for unity against such groups.

The president arrived in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly’s 76th session, where world leaders will give their annual speeches.

Before his address, the president briefly visited the soon-to-open Turkevi Center located at 821 First Avenue in Manhattan across from the U.N. headquarters.

He said that the 36-story skyscraper is a “monument of pride” that would function not only as a home for Turks but also for the Muslim American community.

The building, which uses traditional Turkish architectural motifs, especially from the Seljuk Empire, rises to the sky in the shape of a tulip and can be seen from downtown Manhattan, the East River and Long Island.