Fethullah Gulen Condemns the Terrorist Attack in Lahore, Pakistan and Extends Condolences to Relatives of Victims

Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pa. Gulen is charged in Turkey with plotting to overthrow the government in a case his supporters call politically motivated. (AP Photo/Selahattin Sevi)
Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pa. Gulen is charged in Turkey with plotting to overthrow the government in a case his supporters call politically motivated. (AP Photo/Selahattin Sevi)


Date posted: March 29, 2016

I have learned with grief about the horrible terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan that took 70 lives, majority of whom women and children, and injured over three hundred people on a children’s playground. I condemn this attack in the strongest terms and on this sad occasion I reiterate my condemnation of all forms of terror regardless of their perpetrators or their stated purposes.

Every human being is created with dignity by God Almighty and human life is sacred. Each terrorist attack is a murder; a violation of the sanctity of life and deserves nothing but unconditional condemnation in the strongest terms. This particular attack, because it targeted innocent women and children in a park is a cruel mass murder.

The possibility that the attack was aimed at members of Pakistan’s Christian minority celebrating Easter should alarm all Muslims and move them to become more sensitive about protecting religious minorities among them and take action toward that end.

Regardless of who claims ownership for the attack and their stated identity, they should be seen as monster-like beings that lost touch with their humanity.

I send my condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the attack, and to the people of Pakistan, starting with President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. May God the Most Compassionate grant patience to the relatives of those who lost their loves and heal the wounds of the injured.

About Fethullah Gulen
Fethullah Gulen is an Islamic scholar, preacher and social advocate, whose decades‐long commitment to education, altruism and interfaith dialogue has inspired millions in Turkey and around the world. Gulen is the honorary chairman of the Foundation of Journalists and Writers, Istanbul, Turkey and Rumi Forum, Washington DC.

About Alliance for Shared Values
Alliance for Shared Values is a non-profit that serves as a voice for dialogue organizations affiliated with Hizmet in the U.S. (also known as Gulen movement). The Alliance serves as a central source of information on Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet. For more information, please visit www.afsv.org.

Source: The Alliance for Shared Values , March 28, 2016

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Would Gülen want to return to Turkey?

Mehmet Ali Birand  June/16/2012 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has invited Fetullah Gülen “Hodja,” who has been living in the United States for years, back to the country. He said, “this longing should come to an end.” In particular, the timing of the speech at the closing of the “Turkish Olympics” was a nice, well-thought-through […]

Gülen Community and Gülen’s Reminder

Hadi Uluengin, April 13, 2011 Last week in this column I wrote that large masses whose common denominator is to adopt Fethullah Gülen’s spiritual leadership cannot be referred to as a ‘cemaat’ or religious community or brotherhood. I made this claim because the Gülen Movement’s (aka Hizmet movement) pluralism in quantity and diversity in quality […]

Turkey’s New Anti-Americanism (NY Times Editorial)

The Turks need to be reminded that Mr. Gulen has a legal right to be in the United States, and that the Justice Department would have to go through a rigorous process before deciding whether he could be handed over, especially to a country where due process is increasingly unlikely and torture is reportedly used against detainees.

Turkey detainees tortured, raped after failed coup, rights group says

JASON HANNA and TIM HUME Captured military officers raped by police, hundreds of soldiers beaten, some detainees denied food and water and access to lawyers for days. These are the grim conditions that many of the thousands who were arrested in Turkey face in the aftermath of a recent failed coup, witnesses tell Amnesty International. […]

Gulen’s peace award: Upswing in Islam’s global image?

For centuries, the relationship between western and Islamic civilization has been edgy, due largely to the misconceptions that each of the two civilizations have for each other. Series of international debates have been held across Europe, Asia and Africa on the conflict of between Islamic and other civilizations.

Turkey crackdown: deep unease in Fethullah Gulen’s home village

“They were a family of thinkers,” said a dairy farmer in the village who asked not to be named as he feared repercussions from the authorities. “They were good people. They came from nowhere, they had no water, nothing,” he says, pointing out the Gulen family’s former home, made from clay and rocks.

Latest News

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

After Reunion: A Quiet Transformation Within the Hizmet Movement

Erdogan’s Failed Crusade: The World Rejects His War on Hizmet

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

In Case You Missed It

Turkey Coup Attempt Explained

Filipino student wins Turkish international schools contest

Uganda president praises Turkish schools’ success, calls for deeper cooperation

Obama meets Turkish school’s award-winning students

Tevere Institute organized an Iftar Dinner for Diplomats in Vatican

You Cannot Understand the Servants!

New York Times urges Obama not to deport Gulen

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News