Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has offered his condolences in the death of lawyer Tahir Elçi, who was the president of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, and the two police officers who were killed in a shootout in the southeastern province of Sur, which erupted as Elçi was making a statement to the press on Saturday.
In a letter of condolence, Gülen expressed his sorrow after learning of Elçi’s and the police officers’ death, and called the killing of the prominent lawyer an attack on Turkey’s unity. He also said he wishes for the perpetrators to be captured and brought to justice.
“I wish God’s mercy for the deceased Tahir Elçi and the martyrs, and I extend my condolences to the mourning families, to his loved ones and his colleagues,” Gülen said. He called on the Turkish people to protect peace and unity while condemning all kinds of terrorism.
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Fethullah Gülen is unusual in adding a distinctly Islamic voice to the calls for a non-violent approach to conflict resolution. But how well do Gülen’s teachings on non-violence lead to peaceful transformation on the ground? Is his a static and passive approach bounded by dogma, or are we witnessing an innovative, active and self-aware spirit of transformation which really can lead to a new way of defining Islam in action?
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Alp Aslandogan, President, Alliance for Shared Values* This week New York City hosts the United Nations General Assembly, the Clinton Global Initiative and the Education Nation conference. These massive events focus on international diplomacy and peace, societal problem-solving and improving classroom instruction. However, just a few blocks away from these grand assemblies, a smaller group […]
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