Tragically, Sacit Pişgin lost his life in the stabbing attack, while Salih Demir was seriously wounded.

On the first anniversary of Sacit Pişgin’s martyrdom, his companions remember him with deep longing. HÜDAPAR Adana President Salih Demir and Sacit’s close friend Vedat Aktaş shared their memories and reflected on the impact of his loss with ILKHA."

Demir expressed the enduring pain of losing Sacit Pişgin and highlighted the importance of understanding and honoring the lives of martyrs. "A whole year has passed. There are many things to share and talk about the moment of the incident. We lost our brother, a martyr. I was injured in that process, which was unexpected, happened all of a sudden. This was Allah’s will, thus we still have martyrs among us. We should say this is Allah’s providence, His mercy. May Allah have mercy on him,” he shared.

Salih Demir

Reflecting on the day of the attack, Demir recounted: “That day we had a youth event. When we came to pray in the masjid, we could not imagine that such an incident would happen. We started our prayers. The fact that this incident took place in this way while we were in the middle of our prayers really haunts me and will never leave my mind. We will always feel the pain of our brother, the smell of his martyrdom deep in our hearts. May Lord have mercy on him.”

Emphasizing the need to raise future generations with an understanding of the lives of martyrs, Demir stated: “It is the anniversary of Sacit’s martyrdom. Martyrs should be understood, lived like and be thought about a lot. Especially if this martyr is a martyr of prostration, we need to raise our youth in that perspective. Indeed, our martyr, our Sacit, met his Lord in a beautiful way. May Allah grant us all such a martyrdom. His path is our path.”

Vedat Aktaş, who had been a friend of Sacit Pişgin for nearly 10 years, spoke about the profound absence felt after Sacit’s martyrdom. “I am a friend of Martyr Sacit in the same cause. We were with Martyr Sacit for about 10 years. Sacit was a very good friend in our cause. His communication with us was very strong. Whenever we had any problems, I would go to him more than anyone else. Whether it was private, general, or matters to be consulted, I would go to him. I would consult him because he had a maturity far above his age. He was very merciful and compassionate towards us. It didn’t matter what time it was and where we were. If we had the slightest problem, he would come to take care of us.”

Vedat Aktaş

Reflecting on the first anniversary of Sacit’s martyrdom, Aktaş said: “Although a year has passed, it is noticeable that he is not with us. He had such an impact on us that although a year has passed, he is on our minds almost every day, we cannot forget him. His absence is very obvious in every environment and event we go to. We feel like orphans after him. Because he would lead us and help us in every environment we went to. When our memories of our martyr for a year come to mind for some reason, it is as if we are experiencing the joy of finding something we have lost.”

Aktaş also noted Sacit’s strong social relations and his ability to connect with people. “He was a foresighted person; he knew very well what to say. He would cheer up every environment he went to. We were very happy when we saw him. We miss our martyr brother. We feel sad when we think of him. But since martyrdom is a rank that everyone wants very much, we are happy and proud for him in this respect. Of course, we will all die one day. It is not possible for everyone to reach this blessed rank; our martyr brother deserved it, and Allah gave it to him. We are not strangers to martyrdom; I hope that my Lord will grant martyrdom to us and Sacit’s companions.” (ILKHA)