Israeli war crimes condemned at Institute of Islamic Thought conference

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel’s recent war crimes in Gaza were condemned during an Institute of Islamic Thought (IDE) conference on Friday in Istanbul, with one of the attendees calling the war on Gaza a "conflict that transcends the dignity of humanity on Earth."

Translator Aycin Kantoglu, speaking at the panel titled "Human Conscience at a Crossroads: Gaza," said "Except for Gaza, everywhere in the world is under occupation, we have all been occupied. This war is a conflict that transcends the surface of the earth in terms of human dignity. Because there is no place left on earth where dignity has not descended."

"They (the Palestinians) are not afraid! At this moment, I don't believe there is a nation on earth more fearless than them. For they are not afraid of death," Kantoglu said.

She stressed that Muslim unity is not achieved through assimilation but comes from the source, adding: "Today, we need to rid ourselves of the Western mindset that obscures our return to the source and unite."

People are facing a struggle similar to what the Palestinians are going through a hundred years ago, she said, adding that Türkiye “paid the price for the identity we have today a century ago. We must be able to revitalize our fundamental identity from its main source. Because if we lose our identity, we lose its meaning."

"In a world where children are being killed, there is no moral or a logical possibility to construct a sentence that begins with 'but’," she said.

She continued: "We still have hearts that can feel pain. Some do not ... Today, people around the world are standing up for these children. Of course, we label it the Israel-Palestine war in the usual manner, but if you ask me, it is a war opened to the surface of the earth by human dignity. Because there is no place left on earth where dignity has not descended."