It is the Turkish Government that Prepares the Foundation for the Racist Attacks against Women and Children

Press Release

On the evening of 5^th of October 2019, a man called Nadir Kızılbulut publicly struck a 5-year old Syrian child in a brutal manner due to racist motives. He also attacked the boy’s mother and 15-year old sister physically and verbally, punched his father in the face, and attacked their home and broke their windows. The video footage of the attack was spread on twitter under the hashtag #Mersin, which remained in the first rank for hours. Not limited to this person’s behaviour, racism that drove this attack was also reflected in the actions of the police and law. This racist assailant was not arrested after the family’s complaint but only after an uproar on social media, while the father was taken into custody. Despite footage of the attack and assault, a deportation procedure was initiated against the Syrian family with Jordanian citizenship.

There is an explicit rise in the number and severity of racist attacks in Turkey. Only two days ago, a 9-year-old Syrian child, named Wail Al-Suud, hung himself at the entrance of a cemetery in Turkey’s Kocaeli district, due to the unbearable racist bullying he endured from his teacher and schoolmates. Recently, the people of Adana were incited against Syrian refugees after Syrians were blamed for a sexual harassment conducted by a man of Turkish origin. Also it has been only a few months since a group of racists deliberately slandered a 12-year old innocent Syrian boy, accusing him of abusing a young girl. Following the slander, racist masses stormed the streets of Istanbul and violently attacked Syrians and other foreigners. Alongside this, the term ‘violence’ seems to be very pliable, since none of those who oppose violence against children and women, and call for children’s rights and women’s freedoms has uttered a single word in face of this violent attack. There is not a single comment from the secular, liberal, feminist, democratic persons, organisations and institutions, nor the Family Minister, or any of the AKP ministers or deputies who recently promised a new human rights action plan.

These innocent women and children chose Turkey as a safe sanctuary when fleeing the brutal war, believing that Islamic brotherhood is stronger than blood ties. They sought refuge with their co-believers and not co-race, not knowing that Turkey’s rulers restricted their Islam to their speeches, Friday and Eid prayers, and head-scarves, and exchanged their Islamic brotherhood for the nationalism and patriotism of the colonialist Sykes-Picot frontiers. While the Muslim people strive to be of the calibre of the Ansar, it is not only the Kemalist opposition who alienated the Islamic values and prepared the foundations for the revival and spread of the malign, unscrupulous, racist Jahiliyyah, rather it is the politicians of the current ruling AKP government, which banned signboards in Arabic language, promised to deport 50,000 Syrian refugees in addition to those thousands it already illegally deported, and equalized the immigration issue with the terror and drug problem in a single sentence.

O Rulers of Turkey! In particular, the president, ministers and deputies of the AKP! This secular, nationalist, non-Islamic politics which you embrace, spearhead and implement so fondly, does not only estrange yourselves from Islam and the Islamic brotherhood, but also those who follow your path. And it foments and unleashes those poisoned with racist mentalities like wild dogs, even against defenceless children and women. Any oppression and brutality that results from this kufr nationalistic system and its racism is also billed to your invoice in the Hereafter. Are you still not aware?

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «ليس منا من دعا إلى عصبية وليس منا من قاتل على عصبية وليس منا من مات على عصبية» “He is not one of us who calls to tribalism. […]” [Abu Davud, Ibn Majah] And he (saw) also said: «وَمَنْ دَعَا إِلَى ضَلاَلَةٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الإِثْمِ مِثْلُ آثَامِ مَنْ يَتَّبِعُهُ لاَ يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آثَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا» “[…] “And whoever calls to misguidance, then he receives of sin similar to the sins of those who followed him, without that diminishing anything from their sins.” [Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]

Women’s Section in The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir