If it were not for what Muslims do to Muslims…

The funerals of those who lost their lives in the racist, Islamophobic terror attack in New Zealand, a country that according to many indicators has been, since 2008, always either first or among the first three among the most peaceful countries in the world, and which caused the deaths of 50 Muslims and the wounding of dozens more, were held yesterday. Perhaps as might have been expected, there was no participation from around the world comparable, for example, to that for Charile Hebdo. The world's reaction did not emerge with the same strength and in parallel. Evidently it was thought that the Muslims who died died only in their own bodies and that there was no aspect of it that concerned others. Yet the indifference displayed, and especially the open double standard in that indifference, is a deadly negligence that has penetrated to the very roots of contemporary civilization.

In contrast to this indifference, this incident was a very interesting occasion for the New Zealand government, and especially its prime minister, to make a difference.

The wise stance, rhetoric and approach that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern displayed from the outset showed the whole world that she is a leader in the true sense. So much so that the New York Times has already declared that in the person of Ardern it has found a hero who will save the ABD from the unthinkable racist, anti-immigrant, inhuman discourses in which it is drowning today.

Truly, some disasters allow certain people to distinguish themselves by their qualities. In fact every event is like a trial for people. In this trial, just as it is possible to give an extraordinarily positive performance, it is also possible to distinguish oneself by one's wickedness.

Ardern distinguished herself in the most beautiful and elegant way, through the strong empathy and solidarity she showed with Muslims from the beginning and the firm stance she took against racism. Her stating in particular that she would not utter the name of the criminal terrorist who carried out the racist attack and would not read his messages, but would instead choose to raise the names of her innocent citizens who lost their lives, was a very meaningful and clever stance against terror. Last week we too, saying "keep your baby-faced killer, what concerns us are the heroes, each of whom will rise a thousandfold by his stance, by his martyrdom, who greeted even their killer with 'hello, brother,'" had tried to stand against the zeal that the Western media displayed in spreading the terrorist's message. Ardern saw that sensitivity very well and did what it required in the most beautiful way.

Without doubt, the sincere and heartfelt approach that Ardern and the people of New Zealand displayed in solidarity with Muslims must both be used very well as an opportunity against Islamophobia and also serve as a sufficient warning against the danger of immediately clinging, in a zeal for retaliation, to the label of "Christian terrorism."

It must be recalled that in the Holy Qur'an generalizing expressions were never used about Christians and Jews. Even when general negative expressions are used about them, it must not be forgotten that strong and highly meaningful, cautionary references are also made to the "good people among them, or their good deeds." Muslims, precisely for this reason, have never been and cannot be racist or wholly opposed to a religion.

We had also said that the meaningful silence of the leaders of the Islamic World in the face of this incident is largely related to their own shared guilt. Truly, what are the leaders of countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the BAE and Syria, where people's blood, life and honor have not the slightest value, to say about violations of Muslims' lives and rights in other countries? If they did, who would take them seriously, and why?

While the funerals of those who lost their lives in the terror attack in New Zealand were being held, Turkey, in its capacity as Term Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, convened a summit of Foreign Ministers. One reason for this meeting was of course to think together about the measures to be taken because aggression against Muslims in the world had by now become an atmosphere. That some of the very countries mentioned attended the meeting, which began under the chairmanship of our esteemed President and in which strong messages were given with his effective speech, at the level of ambassadors rather than Foreign Ministers once again exposed this contradictory reality.

In fact, perhaps what should have been done with such a summit was to proclaim strongly that the greatest measure against attacks on Muslims in other countries begins with protecting and safeguarding, in a manner befitting human dignity, the security of people's life, property, religion, intellect and lineage, above all in Muslim countries.

In Islamic countries, states have put Islam at the center of their fears for their power. For example, as we had mentioned before, it is not the Americans or the Europeans but the rulers of these Islamic countries themselves who insist on putting some Muslim civil society organization opponents on the Westerners' lists of terrorist organizations.

This being the case, the contradiction of advising non-Muslim countries to avoid Islamophobia or hatred of Islam is unbearable.

Yet one must begin first by making the Muslim's life, property, intellect, religion and lineage very valuable in the Islamic world, by raising its value, by trembling over it. What makes Muslim blood cheap is, before anything else, the administrations of Muslim countries. Because there is no trace of human rights, there is not the slightest value of the human being.

The most meaningful message Turkey can give in this period must be to gather around the principle of observing, protecting and developing human rights in Islamic countries regardless of sect, race or political position.

The most effective struggle against Islamophobia in the world will be this respect that Muslims show for one another's rights and law.