The Union of European Turkish Democrats UK (UETD) held a discussion and performed the Morning Prayer on the first day of 2017. The prayer was held for the end of terrorism and for the citizens who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks that took place in Reina.
The UETD UK members, who were mostly youths, performed the traditional morning prayers and gave speeches at the Diyanet Mosque on the first day of the year. Once the Morning Prayer was complete, they continued their discussions whist having soup.
The prayer was lead by the Imam of the mosque, Isa Karadere. The Imam expressed the importance of morning prayers and gave advice to the youth. His advice was along the lines of:
- We must motivate ourselves by creating feasible goals that we can reach in 2017.
- We must produce a positive image for ourselves individually in order to represent Islam and Turkey as a whole.
- We must continuously read different sources on the Prophet’s life and use it as an example for our own.
Imam Isa Karadere gave his condolences and said that the prayers were in memory of the citizens who had lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in Reina, Istanbul.
The head of the UETD UK, Turhan Ozen, said that rising with a morning prayer makes our day more productive, effective and satisfying and gives people a true feeling of peace and happiness.
Referring to the terrorist attack in Reina, Ozen said that terrorist organisations, without even knowing the people or places that they attack, aim to create segregation among different sects and religions by creating a horrifying atmosphere.
Ozen stated that terrorists, who try to challenge our common sense, will never fulfil their goal in destroying our country’s unity and solidarity. As part of the UETD UK, he gave his condolences to those who lost their lives in Reina and wished for urgent health to the injured.
