Published January 13, 2015
The Turkish government on Sunday ordered the nation's mosques to deliver an anti-terrorism message as authorities pieced together evidence to determine who was behind a string of suicide bombings that killed 57 people and wounded hundreds more.
The Directorate for Religious Affairs (search), which controls all mosques in Turkey, said the anti-terrorism sermon should be preached Tuesday, the first day of a three-day Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
"Terrorism, violence and anarchy have nothing to do with Islam," the sermon reads. "Our duty is to love one another, and to live like brothers in unity."
Separately, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (search) suggested the attacks occurred in Turkey because the nation is a democracy with strong ties to the West.
"It is meaningful that Turkey was targeted," Erdogan told the British Broadcasting Corp. "Turkey is a model country that has merged the culture of Islam and democracy together."
The prime minister linked his country's efforts to join the European Union with the fight against international terror, suggesting it would improve the image of the West among Muslims while aiding global law enforcement.
"Terrorism has an international, a global structure and the fight against it should also be global and we must do it all together," he said.
Erdogan also said officials have not yet confirmed Al Qaeda (search)'s participation in the attacks, but believe the orders for the attacks came from abroad. "Unfortunately, four Turkish citizens have been used in this incident as part of this group, which has international connections,"
Three groups with purported Al Qaeda links have claimed responsibility for the bombings Thursday at the British Consulate and a London-based bank, which killed 30 victims and the two bombers. On Nov. 15, attacks on two synagogues killed 23 victims and the two bombers.
More than 100 people crowded into Istanbul's tiny Anglican church Sunday for a memorial to those killed in the attacks on the consulate and the London-based bank, HSBC.
The Rev. Ian Sherwood, the British consulate chaplain in Istanbul, said not enough Islamic leaders have condemned the attacks.
"I'm appalled that I've not received any statements from a Muslim teacher anywhere in the world to express sorrow or reconciliation. It's a real weakness that has to be addressed," he said after the service.
Newspaper reports focused Sunday on reported failings by the intelligence services.
"The state's intelligence organizations had sufficient information on hand to prevent these attacks or at least to lessen the impact of the damage," columnist Murat Yetkin wrote in the newspaper Radikal. "However, preventive measures could not be taken because piecemeal information in the hands of the various intelligence units could not be put together."
The Milliyet daily reported that the National Security Council on Friday agreed there had been shortcomings in coordination and deficiencies in gathering intelligence.
The newspaper Hurriyet said Saturday that 18 people were taken into custody late Thursday, just hours after the near-simultaneous attacks at the consulate and HSBC.
Investigators have also identified the automobile dealership that sold pickup trucks used in the attacks, Hurriyet said.
Police and government officials have been reluctant to confirm reports of the investigation, saying leaks to the media after the synagogue attacks hampered the capture of suspects.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/turkeys-mosques-to-preach-anti-terror