In a message he sent to the Workshop on “Strengthening Humanitarian Values and the Dangers of Alienation,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “Every day, it becomes clearer that materialist ideologies, which have been presented to humanity for years as a prescription for salvation, are not a panacea; on the contrary, they lead humanity to economic, political and moral disaster.”
The workshop, Strengthening Humanitarian Values and the Dangers of Alienation, co-sponsored by the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture and the Association of Afro-Asian Universities, began at the foundation’s headquarters.
President Erdoğan sent a written message to the workshop in which he stated that the global coronavirus pandemic, which has deeply shaken the entire world for the last three years, has once again highlighted the importance of humanitarian values.
President Erdoğan stated in his message that despite all of the development and economic prosperity in this process, they saw serious shortcomings in protecting human values, saying, "The pandemic, which should have brought us closer together and stimulated our feelings of empathy, on the contrary, sharpened global injustices. The heart-breaking images reflected from hospitals, nursing homes, and streets were imprinted in our minds as a sign of shame and a lesson." President Erdoğan stated the following in his message:
"In today's world, we see that the basic characteristics that distinguish humans from other living beings are severely harmed. Islamophobia reaching frightening levels, social and political turmoil, and bloody acts against innocent children are the most visible manifestations of this. With the support of global powers, deviant movements that disregard human nature are spreading, the family institution, which is a pillar of society, is losing ground, and substance and screen addiction is capturing the youth. Materialist ideologies, which have been presented to humanity for years as a prescription for salvation, are not a panacea; on the contrary, they lead humanity to economic, political and moral disaster. Without a doubt, the only prescription that will bring humanity out of the shadows and into the light is to embrace ancient values, to remember and resurrect the qualities that define us."
President Erdoğan concluded his message by expressing his belief that the workshop would open new horizons and thanking those who participated in the event’s organization and contributed to its content.
Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, Minister of Treasury and Finance Nurettin Nebati, and AK Party Deputy Chairman Numan Kurtulmuş also sent messages to the workshop.