Altruism Sparks a New Process
The recent Kurban Bayrami (Feast of the Sacrifice) was a very special and different one for eastern and southeastern Turkey. You must have watched the coverage on television.
Thousands of businessmen, well-off artisans and volunteers distributed meat from sacrificed animals by going from door to door in even the remotest of villages. They visited, for instance, a family of 10 who live in a single room, and they patted the children's heads with affection. They shared the joyful zeal of the religious holiday with those who thought they had long been forgotten. This was a festival mobilizing devoted souls, a campaign of compassion and an operation of volunteers. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lauded these selfless people who built bridges of mercy during the holiday at his party's group meeting the other day.
These festival celebrations point to a new process for all of Turkey as well as the East and the Southeast. A bleeding wound has for the first time been seriously treated instead of simply being bandaged. Why do these altruistic people do this? And where do the nonsensical ideas, like "Islamists have started getting their hands on the Kurdish issue; they will Islamize the region's people," stem from?
Each bleeding wound of Turkey concerns everybody who lives in this country. But just like in everything, people are divided between two groups when it comes to the solution – the sincere ones and the insincere ones; those who emotionally suffer and those who don't; those who exert real efforts to contribute to the solution and those who play along; those who advance in the right direction, and those who try to cripple the job, those after making a profit, and those who make the situation more complicated. It is always easy to say things like "We will not give even a pebble from the Southeast, and we will not let it be divided!" There have always been many who have made such remarks. However, it is not for everyone to mingle with suffering people on a religious holiday morning instead of spending it with one's family. Can those who have never done a favor for anyone and who consider it stupidity understand these acts of altruism?
A Muslim takes his first conscious step to compete with his fellow Muslims in doing good deeds and in benevolence and to prevent evil and dangers. These are preconditions for being regarded as a believer, apart from being a human. Seeing different intentions behind thousands of selfless volunteers running to the East and the Southeast only to please their creator and to win the hearts of impoverished people can be done only by those who always have negative presuppositions about people. He who looks with an evil eye sees only negative and ugly things.
On the other hand, why do these people criticizing the legal activities of those who open schools, dormitories and libraries in the region not carry out an alternative project? Is anybody preventing them from opening schools and dorms? Is anybody preventing them from going door to door in the most impoverished parts of the country instead of going to the most famous holiday centers of the world for the Feast of the Sacrifice? Why is every single thing they cannot do deemed dangerous? May God be pleased with Mr. Fethullah Gülen. He made a call before the Feast of the Sacrifice. Those who love him immediately responded to his call with hearts filled with the urge to help others. Other associations and foundations took part in this race to take as much aid to the region as possible. May God be eternally pleased with them all. They have opened blessed doors not just for the region, but for the future of Turkey.
A new process has begun in the region – a process of resolving all the troubles of the region by winning hearts and treating the bleeding wounds with fraternity and peace and by living together. This process will bring the end of separatism. It will close the era of those who think that using brute force, pressure and violence are a solution.
Please listen to people who went to the region on this recent holiday. This is what they commonly say: "Why did I not persuade four or five friends more to come with me? I didn't know the situation in the region. We must multiply the number of people who go to the region by fivefold next year!"
Our nation has proven its altruism and selflessness once again. Those who are close to God have shown once again that they cannot be distant from his people and have thus sparked brand new ideas.
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