Fethullah Gülen’s Message of Condolences and Condemnation of the Terrorist Attack in Istanbul


Date posted: December 17, 2016

I condemn, in the strongest terms, the cruel terrorist attack carried out beside the Istanbul Beşiktaş Football Stadium that cost the lives of 44 of Turkish citizens, the majority of whom are members of the security forces.

I pray for mercy and forgiveness for those who lost their lives during the nefarious terrorist attack, especially the martyred police officers. I extend my condolences to their families and relatives and to people of Turkey. I pray for the quick recovery of the wounded.

Regardless of the perpetrators or their stated purposes, I once more condemn all forms of terrorism. The expectation of all citizens is that the perpetrators of this nefarious attack are caught and brought to trial as soon as possible and that all measures are taken to ensure that those who aim to set our people against each other are not given the opportunity.

It is devastating that terrorist groups carry out these menacing attacks while members of the security forces and judiciary who devote their careers and lives to combat terrorism are incarcerated for political reasons.

I pray that God the Merciful bring to our blessed country and to the entire world an atmosphere of peace and tranquility as soon as possible.

– Fethullah Gülen

Source: Alliance for Shared Values , December 12, 2016


Related News

Pak-Turk school teachers to be deported as Erdogan visits Pakistan

“PakTurk International Schools and Colleges are deeply concerned over the abrupt decision of the Government requiring the Turkish teachers, management and their family members numbering to approximately 450 individuals including the school-going children, infants and ladies to leave the country within three days – an extraordinary time constraint – in consequence of non-approval of their requests for extension of visa.

Erdoğan Is Destroying Turkey’s Hopes for Democracy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s extra-legal roundup of scores of presumed supporters of the failed July 15 coup against his government is quickly taking its place in modern history alongside Stalin’s purges and China’s Cultural Revolution.

French editor says Gülen’s messages on anti-terrorism revolutionary

A French editor-in-chief has praised the anti-terrorism messages in an article written by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and published by a prestigious French daily last month, describing them as revolutionary and one of the “signs of hope” in 2015, which he said was marked by terror and fear.

Erzurum people call Minister Ala to apologize Gülen for his remarks

Gülen is highly respected both in Turkey and in many countries around the world for educational activities he has pioneered, along with his efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the globe. He is in self-imposed exile in the US, though there is no legal hurdle that prevents him from returning to Turkey.

Coup Commission members: Now is similar to Feb. 28 coup period

Members of the parliamentary Coup and Memorandum Investigation Commission, set up to investigate past coups, have said a number of anti-democratic moves begun after the launch of a wide-reaching corruption investigation, including the removal of thousands of civil servants and discrimination against members of a faith-based group, have said the practices are similar to what occurred in the run-up to the Feb. 28, 1997 unarmed coup.

Gülen: I hope they avoid the adventures of the Union and Progress Party

In his speech commemorating the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, the influential Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen spoke on the topics of the ongoing persecution of the Hizmet Movement, and major developments in Turkey’s agenda.

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

Liberal Turkish Journalists Champion Freedom of Expression, to a Degree

Angela Merkel, Meeting With Erdogan in Turkey, Emphasizes Free Speech

Kimse Yok Mu launches a bakery for Sudanese orphans

Turkey coup attempt: Number of people detained passes 26,000 amid international concern over crackdown

İstanbul hosts dialogue leaders to discuss tolerance in education

Pak-Turk Parents Association calls for immediate recovery of ex-principal, his family

Hizmet school in Bangladesh receives the International Arch of Europe Award

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News