Turkish FM calls on US religious communities to unite

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON

Turkey’s foreign minister met with American religious leaders late Monday to issue a plea for unity in the face of terrorism seeking to divide people on the basis of faith and race.

Mevlut Cavusoglu called on religious communities to unite against extremism and discrimination.

“It is no coincidence that violent extremist and terrorist organizations such as Daesh, al-Qaeda and Boko Haram exploit ethnic and sectarian divisions to reach their evil objectives,” he said in Washington.

“Racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia are the main lifelines of these violent groups in Western countries. We must unite our forces to eliminate any perception of clashes among different cultures and religions.”

The minister, who is in the U.S. ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s five-day visit beginning Wednesday, said the actions of terrorists such as those responsible for last week’s Brussels attacks contradicted the teachings of Islam, “a religion of peace, harmony and solidarity.”

He pointed out that Turkey is the current co-chair of the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations initiative, which seeks to improve understanding and cooperation between peoples.

Drawing on Turkey’s experience, Cavusoglu said mosques, synagogues and churches had stood together in the country for centuries.

“Now with your support we are aiming to achieve the same understanding in this part of the world,” he said, asking the religious leaders to join America’s Muslim community at the opening ceremony of the Diyanet Center of America in Maryland on Saturday.

Their participation would send a clear message to those espousing intolerance and discrimination, he added.

The Brussels attacks have led to a fresh round of Islamophobic comments from U.S.politicians, particularly Republicans seeking their party’s presidential nomination.

Ted Cruz proposed stepping up police patrols in Muslim neighborhoods following the attacks that killed 35 in the Belgian capital while Donald Trump called for increased scrutiny at mosques and reiterated his plan to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.

“Social cohesion and harmony is an important precondition for peace, security and prosperity in today’s increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies,” Cavusoglu, who earlier met Secretary of State John Kerry, said “Nations get stronger when people with different culture and religious backgrounds engage with each other.”

Socially incoherent communities would be rocked by instability, poverty and chaos, the minister said.