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TURKISH HEAD OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE COMMENTS ON HALKI THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL
By Areti Kotseli
Greek Reporter
http://eu.greekreporter.com/2012/04/17/turkish-head-of-the-religious-affairs-directorate-comments-on-halki-theological-school/
April 17 2012
"I believe it doesn't befit the grandiosity of the civilization
we built on this territory for Orthodox citizens to have to send
their children to Greece or for Armenian citizens to have to go to
Armenia to be educated as clergymen," says Mehmet Gormez, head of
the Religious Affairs Directorate in his interview with the Turkish
newspaper Today's Zaman.
Noting that he wouldn't think it proper to base matters pertaining
to religion, religious education or human rights on the issue
of reciprocity, the spiritual leader added, "the issue of Halki
Theological School should be settled by also taking into consideration
the opinions of the minority representatives."
Mehmet Gormez sharply criticized the extremist statements that Grand
Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh of Saudi Arabia recently made.
"Non-Muslim communities living in Muslim areas are entrusted to
Muslims, and no Muslim has the right nor the authority to betray
those entrusted to them," declared the head of Religious Affairs
Directorate in his interview.
In the interview he gave to Today's Zaman on April 14, Gormez stressed
that efforts should be made to eradicate firmly held hatred resulting
from Islamophobia and racism and condemned Great Mufti's "fatwa -
a religious order - in March, saying that further church building
should be banned and existing Christian houses of worship should
be destroyed."
"Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti reportedly called for the destruction of
all churches in the Gulf during a meeting with a delegation from the
Kuwait-based Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, in response
to a query about Shariah law concerning the construction of churches
in Muslim countries," reports the article in the Turkish newspaper.
"Such a statement has nothing to do with Islam's fundamental sources,
with the agreements the Prophet Muhammad signed with non-Muslim
groups," explained Mehmet Gormez, adding that "such a statement is
unacceptable, completely lacking any validity in Islam, and could be
described as contrary to the fundamental principles of the Prophet."
He also reminded everyone of Prophet Muhammad's original words:
"Those who persecute non-Muslims living under the authority of Muslims
persecute me. And who persecutes me, persecutes Allah."
According to Gormez, when a church, synagogue or any other place of
worship is subject to an act of wrongdoing, Muslims should feel as
uncomfortable as they do when confronted with racist remarks written
on the walls of mosques.
"This is just the responsibility our belief entrusts to us,"
he commented.
The head of the Religious Affairs Directorate complained that "extreme
interpretations of Islam have made themselves felt in the West, causing
Islam to be misunderstood," in a call for "well-being of minorities."
By Areti Kotseli
Greek Reporter
http://eu.greekreporter.com/2012/04/17/turkish-head-of-the-religious-affairs-directorate-comments-on-halki-theological-school/
April 17 2012
"I believe it doesn't befit the grandiosity of the civilization
we built on this territory for Orthodox citizens to have to send
their children to Greece or for Armenian citizens to have to go to
Armenia to be educated as clergymen," says Mehmet Gormez, head of
the Religious Affairs Directorate in his interview with the Turkish
newspaper Today's Zaman.
Noting that he wouldn't think it proper to base matters pertaining
to religion, religious education or human rights on the issue
of reciprocity, the spiritual leader added, "the issue of Halki
Theological School should be settled by also taking into consideration
the opinions of the minority representatives."
Mehmet Gormez sharply criticized the extremist statements that Grand
Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh of Saudi Arabia recently made.
"Non-Muslim communities living in Muslim areas are entrusted to
Muslims, and no Muslim has the right nor the authority to betray
those entrusted to them," declared the head of Religious Affairs
Directorate in his interview.
In the interview he gave to Today's Zaman on April 14, Gormez stressed
that efforts should be made to eradicate firmly held hatred resulting
from Islamophobia and racism and condemned Great Mufti's "fatwa -
a religious order - in March, saying that further church building
should be banned and existing Christian houses of worship should
be destroyed."
"Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti reportedly called for the destruction of
all churches in the Gulf during a meeting with a delegation from the
Kuwait-based Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, in response
to a query about Shariah law concerning the construction of churches
in Muslim countries," reports the article in the Turkish newspaper.
"Such a statement has nothing to do with Islam's fundamental sources,
with the agreements the Prophet Muhammad signed with non-Muslim
groups," explained Mehmet Gormez, adding that "such a statement is
unacceptable, completely lacking any validity in Islam, and could be
described as contrary to the fundamental principles of the Prophet."
He also reminded everyone of Prophet Muhammad's original words:
"Those who persecute non-Muslims living under the authority of Muslims
persecute me. And who persecutes me, persecutes Allah."
According to Gormez, when a church, synagogue or any other place of
worship is subject to an act of wrongdoing, Muslims should feel as
uncomfortable as they do when confronted with racist remarks written
on the walls of mosques.
"This is just the responsibility our belief entrusts to us,"
he commented.
The head of the Religious Affairs Directorate complained that "extreme
interpretations of Islam have made themselves felt in the West, causing
Islam to be misunderstood," in a call for "well-being of minorities."