Page 30 - A Call for a Turkish-Islamic Union

A CALL FOR A TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION

that it will be a union of hearts, one of love and friendship. Muslims

have a duty to tell others of the indispensable nature of this union,
by way of love, knowledge and pleasant words. But there is no sense
in entering on such an initiative without basing it on the power of
faith, love for Allah, the moral values of the Qur'an and the Sunnah
of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). That is
because Allah would never permit such an initiative to be successful.
But, by Allah's leave, those who act honestly, with love for Allah and
the joy of faith and under the guidance of the moral virtues bestowed
by the Qur'an and the hadiths, will definitely enjoy success on this

path.
The way of this Union is love; its enmity is only for ignorance,
poverty, and strife. Non-Muslims should feel sure that this Union
attacks only those three facts. Our actions towards non-Muslims
consist only of persuasion, for we know them to be civilized. And
we suppose them to be fair-minded, so we should demonstrate that
Islam is lovable and elevated. The lax and negligent should know
that they cannot ingratiate themselves with the non-Muslims by
being irreligious, for they only show that they are unprincipled.
And no one likes unprincipledness and anarchy. Those who join
this Union after due investigation will not leave it by blindly imi-
tating such people. We present to public opinion the ideas, way,
and reality of the Muhammadan Union, which is Islamic Unity. If
anyone has any objections, let him voice them; we are ready to an-
swer them. (The Damascus Sermon / First Addendum / Third Part
- p. 81)
As Bediuzzaman describes with such wisdom, the Turkish-Is-
lamic Union will also protect and watch over non-Muslims. As is set

out in detail in the following sections of the book, the moral values
of Islam make it essential to treat people of other faiths and beliefs
with affection and compassion. A Muslim will preach Islam using

28