Message on Ramadan Eid-al Fitr

H.E. President Abdullah Gül’s Message on Ramadan Eid-al Fıtr

My Fellow Citizens, We are happy to be enjoying another Ramadan Eid al-Fıtr.I hereby celebrate this festival with each of my citizens.

Festivals are the days that consolidate our unity and solidarity and when fraternity is felt, and joy as well as sorrows are shared most.

During festivals, fights, enmities and all other negative thoughts and feelings are forgotten and everyone enjoys an atmosphere of affection and tribute.

As such holy days remind us, we all should display the spirit of brotherhood, tolerance and sharing rather than wrath, hatred and fight in public.

Therefore, we should realize the worth of our festivals and appreciate one another. Let’s take advantage of this Eid al-Fıtr to end all adversities. Let’s take it as a means to understand each other and to fortify the tolerance, affection and respect among us.

We should adopt putting ourselves in another’s place, understanding him, respecting others’ thoughts and beliefs even if they are different from ours, thus consolidating social peace as a philosophy in life. As long as we can achieve all of these, we will be able to create a better future without breaking each other’s hearts.

I once again would like to underscore that every single person living in this country is equal. No man is more important or superior to another. No one can be segregated on the basis of thought, belief and ethnicity.

My fellow citizens,

We can solve our problems with mutual understanding and accordance by listening to each other and acting with common sense. I would like to emphasize once again that instead of using democratic means to solve problems, ignoring such means and exerting them due to political concerns are all the wrong actions to take.

Such a situation can demonstrate a Turkey that wastes its energy. I believe it would be beneficial for all to improve the culture of dialogue. We should not waste our future with artificial, pointless and nonsensical discussions.

I hereby celebrate the Eid al-Fıtr with all my citizens here and abroad and the whole of the Turkish and Muslim World and wish from God that these holy days will bring happiness and peace to our country, our nation and to the whole world as well.