The Gallant Voice of the New Turkey

What a pleasure it is to have the fast-breaking evening meal with the whole of Turkey. How nice it is to become a member of a large family and enjoy the delight of saying, "There is enough space for all of us at the table, so why should we fight?" The guests, invited from the 81 provinces of Turkey, gave voice to a meaningful message in the traditional iftar organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation amid sneak attacks and treacherous ambushes. "Whatever you do, you will not be able to break us apart and damage our unity. We will continue our gatherings in an atmosphere of affection. We will fight traps and ambushes with dialogue and tolerance. We will carry on backing stability, peace and democracy."

The Journalists and Writers Foundation, whose honorary president is Fethullah Gülen, has transformed into a nongovernmental organization capturing the depth of hearts with affection and becoming the center of dialogue, tolerance and compromise.

The foundation has one ideal: No one shall snub or criticize others because of their beliefs, opinions, lifestyle or attire. Every single individual should respect the other. The objective is to gather around universal and humanitarian values. Since we have to live together in the shrinking world, we should not stand in awe of sharing what we have been provided in order to preserve our identities.

This ideal was introduced during the Abant conventions, held in 1998. The tolerant and conciliatory message voiced in Abant aroused interest. This democratic and liberal message that extols humankind is the voice of the new Turkey. This gallant voice that does not consider differences as a threat or danger, but rather terms them "richness" did not forbear to face cold spells of February and then exceeded the borders of the country. Washington, Brussels, Moscow and Cairo lent an ear to this voice. And we believe that the spirit that sprang in Abant shall be welcomed in even more places.

The ideal of the Journalists and Writers Foundation is a project of affection and humanitarianism. Considering such services of dialogue and education reasonable with acumen equal to its greatness in history, our nation has backed and supported these services. As Gülen expressed, those who received one step toward themselves walked those paces toward the foundation. Since those who trust that a more secure place than the lap of the nation does not exist have never been mistaken, the path they adopted is on the straight line.

Such a humanitarian project could not have existed without affection, because affection is the most essential and the strongest element in every individual. A movement in the name of humanity in our era could only reach its target if it addresses hearts and it has one way: affection.

It is a kind of affection that mellows and eulogizes humanity. Those who are deprived of affection have never saved themselves from getting lost within the dark labyrinths of the ego. The life they lead is totally dull.

Leading a life for the good of other people is a feeling only identifiable by humankind. Its source is affection. Ideologies may affect individuals and capture humans, but acting voluntarily to address hearts means .liberty. The easiest way to address hearts is affection and the path of affection is the Prophet's path. Those who set off in accordance with this motto have always been welcome. Our path is the path of affection. Our style is to side with the constructive movement, dialogue and tolerance. We do not have time to grieve for disappointment and we are determined to go on our path to vanquish ill-doing with good deeds.