Speaking at an event held on the occasion of the "Mosques and Religious Officials Week", President Erdoğan said, "A society cannot maintain its existence if its ties to its civilizational values have been weakened just as is the case for a tree whose roots have been severed. Religion, wisdom, morality and justice are the load-bearing pillars that support us as a nation."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at an event held at the Presidential Complex on the occasion of the "Mosques and Religious Officials Week".

Expressing his happiness to host scholars and clerics at the Presidential Complex on the occasion of the Mosques and Religious Officials Week, President Erdoğan thanked all religious officials, who called on people to stand against the coup attempt with adhans and prayers on the night of July 15.

"We aim to boost our children and women's interest in our mosques"

Stating that the Presidency of Religious Affairs has long been working to highlight the mosques' importance in our social life, President Erdoğan noted that the first week of October has been celebrated as the "Mosques and Religious Officials Week" since 1986, and said, "We gladly follow these events, aimed at boosting our children and women's interest in our mosques."

"A society cannot maintain its existence if its ties to its civilizational values have been weakened just as is the case for a tree whose roots have been severed. Religion, wisdom, morality, and justice are the load-bearing pillars that support us as a nation," President Erdoğan underlined.

"We should encourage a mosque-centered life"

Pointing out that turning mosques into merely houses of prayer would be the one of the worst things that can be done to the mosques, President Erdoğan continued, "In my eyes, a mosque is empty without our children's joy, our youth's excitement, our elderly's experience, our women's grace, and dexterity. If we are to build the future, we should encourage a mosque-centered life."

"The language of sermons and khutbas should be updated, renewed and refined"

"The language of sermons and khutbas should be updated, renewed and refined for the youth to understand. Also, our religious officials should avoid otherizing and alienating expressions in all its forms and kinds," he added

Recalling that rows based on sects, dispositions, and ethnicity took place in Turkiye for years, President Erdoğan underscored that some circles have been trying to set people against each other by playing on differences, and said,  "A Muslim is not bitten from the same hole twice. We cannot let those dark and sorrowful days to happen again." (ILKHA)