November 16, 2015•Update: November 16, 2015
BERLIN
The Turkish Muslim community in Berlin has denounced Friday's Paris attacks, urged unity against terrorism and voiced concern over backlash against refugees and immigrants.
Representatives of nine Turkish Muslim NGOs paid tribute to the victims, laying flowers at a candlelight vigil outside the French embassy in Berlin.
"Terror knows no religion, color, origin or gender," Yunus Celikoglu, board member of Berlin Islam Federation said, reading out a joint statement.
"These attacks have targeted not only Western values, but also all humanity," he said.
The NGOs urged unity against terrorism, called for a stronger stance against those who incite hate and violence.
They also expressed concern over growing propaganda of far-right and populist movements against refugees and immigrants.
"We cannot allow these attacks to be exploited to incite hostility against asylum seekers or various groups," they said in the joint statement.
The largest union of Turkish immigrants in Germany, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) and Turkish Community in Berlin (TGB) have signed the joint statement.
Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in western Europe after France. Among the four million Muslims in the country, three million are of Turkish origin.
