Turkish FM urges Islamic world to stay united against challenges

ISLAMABAD

The Islamic world should stand united against the challenges Muslims in every corner of the world face, including discrimination and Islamophobia, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told at a routine meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

He also called on the Islamic world to lend support to Muslim communities in Western Thrace, Cyprus and elsewhere in the world.

“We can overcome all sorts of difficulties if we can stand united as a single ummah,” Çavuşoğlu said in his address to the OIC meeting in Islamabad on March 22.

“There is a saying in Turkish: True friend tells the painful truth. Today we are among friends and we should self-criticize and focus on how to tidy up our homes,” Çavuşoğlu stated.

“Our world is passing through difficult days. The war in Europe affects everyone. We are in an era where interests override humane values with weakened ethic values,” he said, underlining that traditional capitals of Islamic civilization such as Jerusalem, Damascus, Aleppo and Kabul fell into ruins.

“In today’s world, many Islamic countries are associated with terrorism and war,” Çavuşoğlu said.

Muslim Turks in Western Thrace and Cyprus are deprived of their basic human rights, Uyghur Turks and other Muslims in China struggle for the protection of their culture and anti-Islam sentiments in Europe are on the rise, the top Turkish diplomat stressed.

“The war in Ukraine, which we all reject, also bluntly displayed a double standard. We have heard some saying, ‘This is not the Middle East or Afghanistan. Why is blood spilled?’ For us, the blood spilled in Kharkiv and Aleppo is the same,” Çavuşoğlu underlined.

“Who is responsible for today’s state of the Islamic world? The easiest thing is to put the blame on others. But what does it change when you blame others?” he asked, adding, “First, we should take ourselves into account.”

“The Islamic world from Sarajevo to Urumqi from Bakhchysarai to Saray suffers from different problems. Well, do we all feel their disturbance? Is it rightful for those who do not defend the rights of Muslims in Western Thrace and Cyprus just because they have disagreements with Turkey?” he asked.

Islamic countries should be able to use their good ties with host countries in order to better the conditions of Muslim communities, Çavuşoğlu said, recalling that the OIC’s mission is to voice the common cause of the Islamic world.