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


Related News

Turkey’s anti-Gulen campaign: Strengthening militants and jihadists

The dilemma for the Pakistani government is stark. Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim has warned that Turkey would be at war with any country that cooperates or aids the Gulen movement. Yet closing down schools that prepare their students for a modern society and economy is something Pakistan’s deeply troubled education sector can ill afford.

Renewing Islam by Service: A Christian View of Fethullah Gulen with Pim Valkenberg

Join us for a talk by Dr. Pim Valkenberg on his recent book “Renewing Islam by Service: A Christian View of Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement”. The talk will be moderated by Dr. Paul Heck.

‘A movement like the Hizmet Movement is very important for correcting misconceptions of Islam’

Dr. Lawrence Geraty is a Professor of Archaeology and Old Testament Studies at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He served as the second President of La Sierra University. He completed his PhD in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology at Harvard University.

Trustees decide to remove Gülen’s books from NT bookstores

In an explicit example of censorship, a panel of trustees who were appointed to Kaynak Holding last week in a government-backed move has decided to have copies of all books written by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen removed from the shelves of hundreds of NT Mağazaları bookstores across the country, Today’s Zaman has learned.

Love is A Verb – forthcoming documentary on the Gülen Movement

Love Is A Verb is an examination of a social movement of Sufi-inspired Sunni Muslims that began in Turkey in the l960s and now spans across the globe. The group is called Hizmet, the Turkish word for “service” or The Gülen Movement after its inspiration and teacher, Fethullah Gülen, a man TIME magazine named as one of the most influential leaders in the world in 2013 for “…preaching a message of tolerance.”

Kimse Yok Mu builds village in Pakistan in honor of Iqbal

A housing complex built by a Turkish aid foundation will be named after Mohammed Iqbal, the spiritual founder of Pakistan who led a nationwide campaign to help Turkey during World War I. In the wake of a flood that killed nearly 2,000 people and affected at least 20 million Pakistanis in 2010, the Turkish Kimse […]

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

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

In Case You Missed It

Turkey’s post-revolutionary civil war

The gravest-ever smear

Erdoğan receives harsh criticism from civil society over bid to close Turkish schools

‘Parallel state’ and ‘theft of national will’

Erdogan set up Maarif Foundation to seize Hizmet-inspired Turkish Schools

Kimse Yok Mu officials extend helping hand to Syrian refugees

German gov’t dismisses parliamentary question on Hizmet

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News