Turkey's top cleric sends letter to G20 leaders

Head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Gormez has sent a letter to G20 leaders, telling them that terrorism can be fought only through peace and tolerance. 

"We have once again been shaken by the French terror attack while we could not overcome the bitterness of the massacre which left over 100 dead a few weeks ago in Ankara. I believe that no one can be acquainted with this pain as much as us," Gormez said.

Stating that the attacks did not only target France, Europe or the West, Gormez said: "It does not matter what their religion is or whether they believe or not, this attack actually targeted all the people in the world who care about peace.

"As a member of a religion which glorifies peace as an intrinsic value and as head of Turkey's religious affairs, I would like to express that I am deeply sorry. Above all, I strongly condemn this attack and share the pain of all humanity, particularly the French people.   

"The perpetrators of this attack and those who directed them [the attacker] and used them clearly only as a tool cannot have any faith and respect to God or any devotion to a society or an affiliation to a religion. Today, all humanity should refocus on the paradigms that have convinced the terrorist organization to carry out despicable goals only by violence and ferocity," he said.

Gormez said that those lands had been growing, developing with faith, knowledge, and philosophy since the humans came to life on this planet.  "All the messages that God sent humanity via Adam occurred on these lands. This land used to be the center to build ancient civilizations and cultures," he said.

Addressing the G20 leaders as "the heads of the developed countries that lead the whole world with the cultures and values you represent," Gormez said: "The quality you have, the power you use, the economy you control and the political problems you govern increase your responsibility on the fate of each of us".

"The honorable leaders of the G20 countries cannot be aloof of the fact that millions of people throughout the world are suffering hunger and poverty. They cannot be deaf to the regional civil war and tensions that have increased the human death toll and has turned the Mediterranean into a graveyard of conscience and mercy. We should not be the only ones who ponder on how we ended up with this situation where the so-called 'blessed militants' are exploiting religion for extremist purposes," Gormez said.

He said that despite all the scientific and technological developments, humanity has faced a series of interventions and operations that ignore common moral values we have and the peace that we have embraced together by some sad implementations happened within a few centuries, Gormez said: "We have to confess that we are faced with a 'world idea' that will deeply shake all the humanity. Exploitation, oppression, cruel and humiliating perception management operations against the other have destroyed all the ancient rules which used to converge people".

Pointing out that "the world belongs to all of us," Gormez said: "I wish that the summit will result in the decisions that will be beneficial for all people."

Turkey is hosting leaders of 20 major economies in its southwestern province of Antalya on Sunday and Monday for the 10th summit, which will discuss the world's biggest political and security crises, including Syria and the mass migration of refugees.