When the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power riding on a tide of popularity in 2002, the party stressed that it was not an Islamist party despite its members predominantly being devout Muslims. Thus, those devout Muslims led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu have been promoting Islamic values around the world and are actively helping those who want to spread the peaceful and compassionate messages of Islam around the globe.

Meanwhile, Turkey has devised an exemplary model where its Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) is not only providing religious services throughout the country but also provides religious education and services to Turks living abroad as well as helping Muslim minorities around the globe. Turkey seems to be the leading country in the world when it comes to making an extra effort to show the world the true face of Islam, which is peace, moderation, goodwill, compassion and forgiveness. That is why many Muslims around the world from Somalia to Haiti look to Turkey as the source of hope and salvation in a globe where the image of Islam has been tarnished by extremists and, unfortunately at times, by terrorists, while Islamophobia is growing, especially in Europe and the United States.

However, it seems religious extremists and some Western powers are not at all happy with the good work Turkey is trying to carry out.

It is understandable for extremists like the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and al-Qaida to hate Turkey and feel it is an obstacle for their plots to ruin the good name of Islam and create disinformation about the faith. Yet, we are having serious difficulty understanding the attitude of Western states when it creates obstacles for Turkey and helps the hands of the extremists.

The latest example is Austria. The Austrian parliament has passed a bill that has a sugar coating and yet is bitter for Muslims in general and Turks in particular. The law wipes away all the gains of Muslims from the past century when in 1912 Austria officially recognized Islam. It prevents Muslim Turks from receiving services from DİB. It threatens to throw out the moderate peaceful imams sent by DİB to mosques in Austria and replace them with local clergy who may well be the radical imams that have encouraged young Muslims to join the ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria. It also prevents mosques from receiving financial aid from DİB and thus throws them into the hands of extremists who may finance these temples through clandestine means. Thus the law promotes clandestine activities, extremism and radical Islam. It seems the Austrian government is now on the path to promoting extremism for the sake of a global effort to destroy Islam.

The German government seems to be watching the Austrian example closely. They too want to legislate similar laws and restrict the movement of Turkish institutions to help the millions of Turks in Germany receive proper religious services and education. What the Germans and Austrians seem to miss is the fact that by introducing restrictions they will not halt Islam, and all they will do is alienate millions of Muslims in Europe and throw them into the hands of extremists. Is this how Europe wants to commit suicide?

They should not fear Turkey. They should not fear the true messages of Islam, which is peace and moderation. On the contrary, they should help Turkey spread the true messages of Islam for their own sake.