The speech by President Rajab Tayyab Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey, at the scientific seminar organized by the Union of Afro-Asia Universities titled “Enhancing Common Human Values and the Risks of Classification and Exclusion”

President Erdoğan: It is Becoming Clearer Day by Day that Materialist Ideologies Are Not the Solution

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, “It is becoming clearer day by day that materialist ideologies, which have been presented as salvation recipes for humanity for years, are not the solution. On the contrary, they have led humanity into economic, political, and moral disasters.”

The international workshop titled “Enhancing Human Values and the Dangers of Otherization,” organized in collaboration with the Istanbul Science and Culture Foundation and the Union of Afro-Asia Universities, has started at the foundation’s headquarters.

In his message to the workshop, President Erdoğan noted that the global coronavirus pandemic, which has deeply shaken the world for nearly three years, has reminded us of the importance of human values.

Erdoğan expressed that despite the advancements and economic prosperity during this period, there have been serious shortcomings in upholding human values. He said, “The pandemic, which should have brought us closer together and stimulated our sense of empathy, has, on the contrary, further sharpened global injustices. The heart-wrenching images from hospitals, nursing homes, and streets have been recorded as a shameful and exemplary lesson in our memory.”

‘Materialist Ideologies Lead Humanity to Disaster’

In his message, Erdoğan also stated:

“We are witnessing severe damage to the fundamental characteristics that distinguish humans from other living beings in today’s world. The frightening levels of Islamophobia, social and political turmoil, and bloody acts targeting innocent children are striking examples of this. Deviant movements that disregard human nature, supported by global powers, are spreading, the institution of family, which is the foundation of society, is losing ground, and material and screen addiction is enslaving the youth. It is becoming clearer day by day that materialist ideologies, which have been presented as salvation recipes for humanity for years, are not the solution but rather have led humanity into economic, political, and moral disaster. Undoubtedly, the only prescription to bring humanity from the darkness it has fallen into back to the light is to cling to ancient values, remember and revive the qualities that make us who we are.”

At the end of his message, Erdoğan expressed his belief that the workshop would open new horizons and thanked those involved in the program’s implementation and content contributions.

The speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey, is delivered by Professor Saeed Yojue, Chairman of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Science in Turkey and a member of the Union of Afro-Asia Universities (UAAU), at the scientific seminar organized by the Union titled “Enhancing Common Human Values and the Risks of Classification and Exclusion.”