Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, established within Ankara Science University Türkiye's first Center and Institute for Combating Islamophobia (CENTERCIF) made important statements at the opening ceremony. Ersoy, The fight against racism, discrimination and marginalization is vital for the future of the world. He stated that the West's thousands of years old superior race understanding has been turned into a political, economic and social tool under the discourse of Islamophobia. He emphasized that if this understanding is not neutralized, a world without conflict will not be possible.
Historical Roots of Islamophobia: Conflict Between Faith and Power
Minister Ersoy touched on the historical roots of Islamophobia in his speech, explaining that during the Roman Empire, faith was used as a tool to strengthen power, and that this led to oppression of societies that adopted different beliefs. Ersoy expressed the following about the consequences of this understanding:
“When we look at the results of this understanding, we see that at first, an unimaginable massacre was carried out against Christians. In order to understand the magnitude of the horror, it is enough to look at the enormous underground cities in the geography of Cappadocia and to know the stories of people who had to go underground to survive. Unfortunately, when the victims took power, the oppression did not stop, it changed direction and turned into a movement that included societies with different beliefs in a much wider geography. There is no need to go into detail here, but for example, the history of pagan societies in the Germanic and Scandinavian geography leading to Christianity is a very painful journey. What followed was the recorded and terrifying history of Europe and colonialism.”
Noting that the history of colonialism, which stretched from Asia to Africa and America, was also full of cruelty and savagery, Ersoy said, “It is obvious that belief has always been a tool to direct people towards a goal and to eliminate the other side by alienating them; while gaining political, economic and social power was the main and only purpose. The other side was bigoted, ignorant, barbaric and primitive… According to this distorted mentality, their destruction was for the benefit of humanity.”
“The Persecutions inflicted on Different Beliefs Yesterday Are Being Applied to Muslims Today”
Minister Ersoy stated that in his speech he mentioned different beliefs and cultures, very different periods that are hundreds of years apart, and geographies that are thousands of kilometers away from each other, and continued his words as follows:
“The only thing they have in common is the mentality that does not care about the beliefs, lands and cultures in question and uses them for its own interests. An elitist minority that derives power from these, tries to shape the world according to its own vision and always directs it in the direction it wants. Those who see difference, originality and freedom as threats to their own existence, which they believe is superior and more important than everyone else. The target of that mentality today is the Islamic world, and the tool they use is Islamophobia. Khojaly, Karabakh, Srebrenica, Arakan, Gaza… What was done to Christians, Jews, Pagans and natives yesterday is done to Muslims today.”
Ersoy emphasized that blaming Islam and Muslims and making excuses for Islamophobia is playing into the hands of those who feed off of conflicts. He stated that the main focus should be on discussing and eliminating the issues and facts that these circles spread, support, fund and gain power through. He stated that issues such as secularization, racism, xenophobia, political and geopolitical approaches, religious perceptions and understandings should be combated.
The Importance of Social Consciousness and Resistance
Minister Ersoy, who drew attention to the importance of raising awareness in societies in the fight against Islamophobia, stated that struggles that remain outside of society will fail. Ersoy, who gave the example of the resistance of the Palestinian people, said, “Islamophobia is actually hostility towards humanity. Therefore, masks should be removed and people should be made to see their enemies. Those who doubt whether this can be done should look at the noble people of Palestine and the heroes of Gaza.”
Stating that they, as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, are actively working in the field of public diplomacy, Ersoy said that they are raising awareness in the world through the projects of TIKA, Yunus Emre Institute, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities and the General Directorate of Foundations.
The Role and Goals of the New Center
Minister Ersoy expressed his hopes for the activities of CENTERCIF and said, “I believe that the Center for Combating Islamophobia, which sets out with the goals of directly intervening in the fundamental pillars of the problem such as Scientific Research, Monitoring and Prevention, Cooperation Network and Support for Victims, will make very serious contributions to this cause. Hopefully, this center will be an umbrella organization that brings together national and international stakeholders in its field.”
Ersoy concluded his speech by thanking those who supported the establishment of the center.
The center will operate to scientifically investigate the causes of Islamophobia, monitor, report and prevent Islamophobic actions through national and international collaborations, provide support to victims and raise awareness on this issue in society.
Ankara Science University Rector Prof. Dr. Yavuz Demir, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. Dr. Burhanettin Duran and President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş also attended the ceremony.
