President Erdoğan, in an interview with Saudi Arabia’s El-Arabiya channel, was asked the question, “You combine Islam and secularism very well. What is your advice to the Arab world on this?”, which he answered by saying, “I have difficulties in understanding why the Islamic world retarded in connecting these so much. We do not see secularism as ‘LA deeny’, as religionlessness. A person does not become secular, the state does.” And he answered the question of “Do you have a dream such as bringing back the Khilafah?” with “…Turkey is heading towards a referendum. In this election for the presidential system, there is nothing in the kind of your question. I mean the Khilafah is not on Turkey’s agenda whatsoever.”
These ill-fated and dangerous statements do nothing but confuse the minds of the Muslims and verify the truth of the word, “If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing!”
O Erdoğan! Secularism is not a concept you can define with fallacious words like “a person cannot be secular, the state can”, because the whole world knows what secularims is. Walking around the problem without touching the essence of the problem means that you are trying to hide this poison from the Muslims and seek to success in what the CHP failed, namely to make the Muslims embrace secularism. These efforts are in vain! Because the Muslims know very well what secularism is. Secularism is distancing religion from the state, the society and life. Secularism is disavowing Allah His dominance and rebelling against Him. Actually it is disavowing the commandments of Islam, which He has obliged to be implemented by the state.
O Erdoğan! So according to you –Allah forbid- Allah Azza wa Jall can interfere with the man, with life but cannot interfere with the state, is that so? Also, according to you, did Rasulallah ﷺ -Allah forbid- govern the first Islamic State he established in Madinah by secularism? In order to present secularism, the Aqeedah of capitalism, like a part of Islam; one either has to be ignorant of secularism or of Islam. Or you are talking like this in order to look cute in the eyes of the West and the Kemalists in face of the upcoming referendum, like you always did before every election. If that was not the case, you would be concerned about the Khilafah which is the governmental system of Islam instead of democracy, which is imported from the West and imposed upon this people by the CHP. The Khilafah is not simply a fantasy on television series. On the contrary, it is the undeniable reality of our glorious history, the command of Islam, Allah Azza wa Jall’s promise, and the shield behind which the Muslims are protected. Therefore; being an Ottoman descendant is not defending Western imposed democracy and secularism in exchange for the destruction of the Khilafah, rather it requires defending and being concerned with Islam and the Khilafah.
O Muslims and O Scholars! Secularism which is the Aqeedah (creed) of Capitalism is diametrically opposed to Islam’s Aqeedah of “لَا اِلَهَ اِلَّا اللهْ مُحَمَّدُ الرَّسُولُ اللهْ“. Just like democracy is diametrically opposed to the Khilafah. You know that secularism and Islam are absolutely incompatible. So why do you keep silent and don’t say the truth? Why don’t you shout out that secularism is religionlessness? Why don’t you speak out against the President, who seeks to achieve with a few decorated and heroic words what the CHP could not achieve with gallows? Why don’t you account your leaders for their words, and reveal the truth?
وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].”
(Al-Baqara: 42)
Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Turkey
Monday, 23rd Jumada I 1438 AH
20/02/2017 CE
No: TR–BA–2017–MB–TR–001