Erdoğan ‘values’ Facebook founder’s Islam message

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has responded to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s message on Islam via his official Facebook page on Dec. 10, appreciating the emphasis on the difference between Islam and terrorism in Zuckerberg’s message.

“As I always express on different platforms, Islam is a religion of peace. Murderous networks that abuse Islam for their self-serving goals are massacring innocent people every day, particularly Muslims. These shady structures, called Daesh [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant], al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and Al Shabaab are pawns, serving plots against the Islamic world. A terrorist cannot be a Muslim. A Muslim cannot be a terrorist,” Erdoğan’s Facebook post read.

“I would like to express that I highly value Mark Zuckerberg’s message to point out the profound difference between Islam and terrorism, since these two concepts are often mentioned in the same breath these days,” the post concluded.

Zuckerberg wrote on his personal Facebook page on Dec. 9 that he wanted to assure Muslims they were welcome on Facebook, saying, “We will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you,” over Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s proposal to bar all Muslims from entering the United States.

“As a Jew, my parents taught me that we must stand up against attacks on all communities,” he said.