Who are we? How do we define ourselves? Where do we place ourselves within the context of current events and tribulations we face? While pointing to the changing dynamics of the times, this issue’s lead article calls on us to discover who we are and what we, as human beings, are meant to be so that we are not crushed between the teeth of time. We are lost, and we do not know where we should go. And living within systems of racism, and moral and economic egoism, Mr. Gülen writes that it is not easy to be optimistic. Yet, however difficult it may sound, Gülen believes that a new spirit of responsibility and a new code of ethics must be introduced. He draws our attention to many achievements, none of which should be underestimated, and urges us to not lose faith. Changing the world for the better requires us to leave our comfort zones and choose eternal joy over the temporary pleasures of the world.
The Erdoğan regime’s clampdown on the Hizmet Movement and many others who oppose his autocracy has forced tens of thousands of Turkish citizens to flee their homes and seek asylum in Europe, the US, and elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands of people have been detained in these purges; thousands more are waiting their turn, as their freedom to travel has been illegally curtailed by the Turkish government. What is their crime?