International Iftar Program
March 2024
Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,
Distinguished guests,
We are experiencing the holy month of Ramadan of the year 1445. May it be blessed and auspicious.
This blessed month, whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness and whose end is deliverance from the torment of hell, in which the revelation of our exalted book the Holy Qur'an began and which contains the Night of Power that is better than a thousand months; the month of Ramadan, the sultan of the eleven months, will, God willing, bring peace and health to us all with its goodness and its abundance.
On this beautiful Ramadan evening, I would like to state that, for my own part, I am very happy that we are together on the occasion of this meaningful iftar.
We greet you all with respect and affection. Welcome, you have honoured us with your presence.
We believers must always renew our unity and our togetherness through iftar programs and through gatherings such as this. And we must turn these gatherings in which we come together into occasions of goodness. For we all know very well that the believer is the brother of the believer, and that we are obliged to relieve the difficulties of our brothers.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) says in one of his hadiths:
“The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. He does not wrong him, does not treat him unjustly and does not hand him over to the enemy. Whoever fulfils the need of his Muslim brother, God will fulfil his need. Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, God Almighty will relieve him of one of his hardships on the Day of Judgement. Whoever conceals the faults and shortcomings of a Muslim, God Almighty will also conceal his faults and shortcomings.”
The holy month of Ramadan, the month of abundance and forgiveness, will, God willing, make each of us a servant who competes in doing good.
Most distinguished guests, esteemed members of MÜSİAD,
A great genocide is taking place in Gaza. The people of Gaza, who are waging an unparalleled struggle, are being oppressed on their own soil under the massacre of the Zionist Israeli regime. Once again I condemn this massacre that Israel is recklessly continuing before the eyes of the whole world. Nor will we ever forget the heedless ones who raise no voice against this atrocity, who close their eyes and who turn their faces in other directions. In the face of these barbaric massacres of Israel, there is no way out other than for the Islamic World to act in unity and togetherness. For this reason it is essential that the reaction of public opinion does not come to an end and that these reactions continue to grow by keeping the issue constantly on the agenda.
By displaying a clear stance at every level on the matter of Gaza and on the Palestinian cause, Türkiye continues its diplomatic solution proposals and its humanitarian aid work without interruption. As MÜSİAD, we too have been taking concrete steps since the beginning of the crisis and we continuously organize aid campaigns for Gaza, and we support all work in this direction with all our organizations and members.
As you know, we first organized an auction for Gaza on 30 January and sent our aid to the region. We also launched our hot meal distribution aid for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Most recently, on 7 March, we launched the campaign “Let There Be a Parcel from You Too” together with the Turkish Red Crescent; this work of ours still continues.
On this occasion let us underline once more: our stance on the matter of Palestine is clear and our determination will never change. We will continue to struggle together with our government and our civil society organizations for the security and the freedom of our brothers and sisters, for the independence of Palestine, and for the perpetrators of this genocide to be brought to trial.
My dear brothers and sisters,
Despite many ordeals and disasters, Türkiye continues to be a safe harbour in its region as a country that stands on its own feet, that has attained political and economic stability and that is constantly growing.
The steps taken over the last twenty years are now bearing fruit, and from the defence industry to energy, from health to tourism, our country is making enormous moves. With its trained manpower, its flexible production capacity and its logistics capacity, Türkiye is on the eve of a period of great leap forward. If we are patient and determined, we will experience these historic moves all together and, step by step, with the vision of the Century of Türkiye, we will reach our goals one by one, God willing.
The world is passing through a critical and historic period. There is no longer a bipolar world. Nor is there a unipolar world. In our day, when there is a search for a new order in a multipolar world, Türkiye stands out as an order-founding country. Of course this has a price. Taking these steps in spite of terrorist organizations, regional actors and global powers is possible only with large and well-trained cadres, a sound economy and a strong political authority.
As the MÜSİAD family, we contribute to our country reaching these goals and increasing its commercial and economic capacity. For this reason the cause and the responsibility we shoulder are very great and vital.
As MÜSİAD, we will continue to stand by our state and our nation in this historic period with patience, with determination and with sincerity.
Let no one have any doubt about this.
Esteemed guests, my dear brothers and sisters,
On this occasion I would like to recall once more something we have often emphasized recently...
The most important thing that will make us strong is our being “one and together”. Not you, I, he; only if we are “We” can we bring out our own strength. Only if we are “we” can no power stand before us and can we become those who truly have a say.
God willing, the unifying quality and the abundance of the blessed month of Ramadan will also be a leaven that strengthens our togetherness.
For MÜSİAD means never departing from the pleasure of God.
For MÜSİAD means working so that Türkiye, as a strong country, takes the place it ought to hold in the world arena, and struggling for Muslims.
For MÜSİAD means being one, being united and being together.
Distinguished guests,
“The best of people is the one who is most beneficial to people...” Thus said our Prophet (peace be upon him).
Under his guidance we too must avoid useless deeds and shed the sweat of our brow for good works in a way that benefits humanity. And while doing this we must always have an understanding that gives hope, that instils hope and that does not fall into pessimism...
In the recent period, despite various negative developments, the upward trend in our economy instils great hope in all of us.
The Turkish economy, which grew by %4 in the last quarter of 2023, succeeded in growing by %4.5 in the whole of last year. Thus our national economy has carried its positive growth trend to the 14th consecutive quarter and continues to sustain the claim of the “Century of Türkiye”.
In 2023, when among the leading economies the USA grew by %2.5, Japan by %1.9 and the United Kingdom by %0.1, while the German economy on the contrary contracted by %0.3, the Turkish economy became the 4th fastest growing country of the G20 after India, China and Indonesia.
Despite the slowdown trend in the global economy, this performance displayed by the Turkish economy is a development worthy of appreciation. After the local elections to be held at the end of this month, we foresee that, God willing, the dynamism in our economy will increase even further.
As MÜSİAD, we believe that the growth rates in question will also be a very great source of motivation for the year 2024, and we reiterate our belief that our national economy's production-, export- and employment-oriented growth process will continue.
Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,
God is the All-Knowing and the All-Powerful. In our human state we can only strive to understand and to sense His wisdom...
In the 13th verse of Surah Al-Mulk, Almighty God says to us: “Conceal your word or proclaim it openly; (it makes no difference). Indeed, God knows fully what is in the hearts.”
I ask Almighty God that the month of Ramadan we are in may be a means for goodness to multiply and may increase the good in our hearts...
May God accept the fasts and the good deeds of us all...
I thank you very much for your participation and greet you all with respect and reverence.
May God protect you.
Mahmut Asmalı
President of MÜSİAD