Turkey's President Erdoğan: Terrorists have no place in Islam

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Europe of not doing enough to help refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq, suggesting it was responsible for people "drowning in the sea".

Turkey, which has taken in some 1.8 million Syrian refugees since the conflict started in 2011, has repeatedly said that it has been left to shoulder a disproportionate burden as Western states stand by.

Erdoğan has championed an "open-door" policy toward Syrian refugees.
"This is the type of country that we are," Erdoğan said and added "But when you look at the whole of Europe, what you find is that they have not been able to welcome a mere 200,000 refugees in their countries.

"What's more, when there are those who tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to get into Europe, the attitude they have or the groundwork they lay is such that these people end up drowning in the sea," he added.

The outspoken president has not been alone in criticising the West on refugees, with the UN's refugee chief urging countries to follow Turkey's lead and open up their borders.

Erdoğan said this week the formation of a safe zone inside war-torn Syria, free from ISIS, would help 1.7 million refugees return home.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Europe of not doing enough to help refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq, suggesting it was responsible for people "drowning in the sea".

Turkey, which has taken in some 1.8 million Syrian refugees since the conflict started in 2011, has repeatedly said that it has been left to shoulder a disproportionate burden as Western states stand by.

Erdoğan has championed an "open-door" policy toward Syrian refugees.

"This is the type of country that we are," Erdoğan said and added "But when you look at the whole of Europe, what you find is that they have not been able to welcome a mere 200,000 refugees in their countries.

"What's more, when there are those who tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to get into Europe, the attitude they have or the groundwork they lay is such that these people end up drowning in the sea," he added.

The outspoken president has not been alone in criticising the West on refugees, with the UN's refugee chief urging countries to follow Turkey's lead and open up their borders.

Erdoğan said this week the formation of a safe zone inside war-torn Syria, free from ISIS, would help 1.7 million refugees return home.
Erdoğan on Friday said that terrorists like ISIS have no place in Islam, as highlighted that Islam is a religion of peace.

President Erdoğan spoke in Indonesia at the National Security Academy and stated that terrorist organizations who commit crimes and arouse hatred under the guise of Islam disregard the fact that Islam is a religion of mercy that encourages peace.

"In our faith, unjustly killing one person is regarded as killing humanity as a whole" he said, while he noted that terrorists like ISIS exploit sectarianism and create hostilities and more violence through it.

He added that sectarianism, violence and terrorism seriously damage Islam.

"We have to demonstrate that we have the will to categorically refuse terrorism, without legitimizing it regardless of the source or identity of terrorism," Erdoğan said.

"Turkey will continue to fight terrorism even if we are left isolated," the Turkish President said, adding that some circles insist on fabricating propaganda claiming that Turkey supports this terrorist organization.

"Turkey has never provided such support," he added.

Erdoğan also noted that the violent images released by terrorist organization ISIS are being intentionally served to the world in order to damage the perception of Islam and Muslims. He stated that everyone should stand against this alongside Turkey.

Turkey shares an 800-kilometer (500-mile) border with Syria. Turkish officials have repeatedly said that they are cooperating with other countries to stop the flow of foreign fighters into its volatile neighboring countries.

Erdoğan also stated that there must be closer cooperation against xenophobia, discrimination and Islamophobia.

"Recently, discriminatory actions in Europe against Muslims worry us. Turkey, which has five million citizens living in Europe, is the country most affected by such negativity," he added.

The Turkish leader also highlighted that with the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, the Mediterranean Sea "has become the most problematic area in the world, instead of being a sea of peace".

The Turkish president is currently paying an official visit to Indonesia, following his three-day visit to China.