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

Fethullah Gülen is a Chance for Humanity: His Inclusive Perspective for Sustainable Global Triangulation

The basic values that mark the twenty-first century are modernism, pluralism, individualism, and religion. Some claim that modernity embraces individual and social life as a whole, and that it has created new forms of religious, cultural, and political pluralism. There is no doubt that the world today is in need of dialogue between cultures and civilizations more than at any other time; this is of the utmost urgency.

Gülen’s lawyers: PM’s only correct statement is that he visited Gülen

Lawyers representing Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen dismissed on Friday remarks made by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu that Gülen rejected an invitation from Davutoğlu to return to Turkey on the grounds that “it was not time yet.”

Sarıgül’s first election promise: to protect İstanbul’s historic skyline

When asked to address claims that he is supported by the Hizmet movement led by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, Sarıgül said he is at peace with all segments of society and that he would be grateful for the support of anyone who gives it.

Student from Pak-Turk school to represent Pakistan

A Pakistani-Turkish school student will represent Pakistan in an international science Olympiad in the US. Habibullah Hal Muhammad from Lahore’s Pak-Turk International School and College was named Intel grand winner in a project competition held on Tuesday as part of the Intel National Science Fair. His project, “Organic Battery,” will represent Pakistan at the International Science and Engineering Fair 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Turkish PM calls on Islamic scholar Gülen to return to Turkey

Self-exiled Islamic leader Fethullah Gülen should return to Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested last night without directly mentioning the controversial religious figure by name. “We want this yearning to end,” Erdoğan said. “We want to see those who are abroad and longing for the homeland among us.” Erdoğan’s remarks came after he was granted […]

Mississippi group, national officials denounce ISIS

The Dialogue Institute is a non-profit educational organization founded by Turkish-Americans and their friends. Its website says the group serves “to promote mutual understanding, respect and cooperation among people of diverse faiths and cultures by creating opportunities for direct communication and meaningful shared experiences.”

Latest News

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

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Fethullah Gulen’s Message regarding Rumors Circulated in Turkish Media about a Second Coup Attempt

I’m ashamed

Kimse Yok Mu launches campaign for Eid al-Adha with amusing banner

Int’l press organizations call for release of journalist Keneş, condemn arrest

Hakan Şükür’s resignation blamed on lack of intra-party democracy

Guinea-Bissau minister pay visit to Turkish school

GYV slams government attempt to silence critics with recent measures

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News