Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

We have gathered here today to intervene in the racism that has escalated to such extremes that it leads to the deaths of Syrian children who have taken refuge in Turkey, forcing them to hide in their homes as if from a bomb. We are here to declare the existence of our will that has decided on this intervention and to announce the Medina Declaration, which is the embodiment of this will.

Man, with the power of memory, secures the ability to distinguish himself from others. We are in the year 2024 and in the city of Istanbul. Two centuries have passed since the French Revolution, and 185 years have passed since the reading of the Tanzimat Edict. A century has passed since the signing of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which drew today’s borders in the Middle East after World War I. It has been 79 years since Syria was freed from the French mandate, and 47 years since the Middle East was divided into small states based on ethnic and sectarian foundations, making these states economically dependent on Israel, the American aircraft carrier in the region. Thirteen years have passed since the massacre committed by the forces of the Captagon regime in Syria against the people. After this massacre, as of 2022, the official death toll was reported as approximately 306,000, with a note that the actual figure is much higher. Following this, a portion of the people forced to flee Syria sought refuge in Turkey.

Why do we list these dates? Why are we here today? The sequence of these dates creates a pattern of meaning that speaks for itself. We are here today because the issues we are facing are directly related to the time and place we find ourselves in. Today’s issue is not merely one of racism. The issue concerns how people, on this land and across the world, have begun to differentiate themselves from one another. The issue at hand is whether Istanbul can be a civilized and safe city. Since the beginning of Europeanization in history, the world has gradually been introduced to death and ugliness. So, what is happening in our country today? History has witnessed many forms of racism. While racism did not originate from the concepts introduced by Western Europe, it found form through these concepts and has manifested once again in today’s examples, such as the experiences of Syrians seeking refuge in our country. The “class” of racists is as old as human history itself, and its members are bound to each other by ties stronger than blood, transcending time. In fact, they accept anyone who wants to join them, regardless of religion, language, or race. Therefore, speaking of being a racist is actually inaccurate. Just as there is no such thing as a pure race, there is no such thing as racism. So, the real questions to ask are: What are these people’s weaknesses? What do they truly need and desire? Is racism in Turkey linked to the dollar for some? Or rather, under what conditions do people hide their racism, and under what conditions do they feel it’s easy to express it? These questions show that racism is not a primary cause. Therefore, it cannot be eradicated. Instead, it is continually reinvented when needed, pointing to people’s weaknesses and real desires. Although the idea of the nation was known until the 19th century, it played no role, and it was not the Franks who taught the East this idea. However, what they taught was the thought that this idea “could be useful.” As a result, everyone began to invent it retroactively when the need arose. Once, Turkey was a country of immigrants, but today, an Algerian girl looks at the idea of seeking asylum in Turkey from France with skepticism regarding its guarantee of her life. All politicians in Turkey are aware that they cannot run an explicitly anti-Islamic political program, so people opt for indirect methods to do so. This is because opposition to an idea is always done either by defending it, by representing its worst aspects, or, as in the example we have today, through its weakest members.

These classes are undoubtedly fictional, but they are a painful reality. Behind our words today, and our declaration of our struggle against these concepts, are the sufferings of people. Racism is such that if you oppose it rashly or hastily, you will fall into another form of racism. Those who act with the thinking habits that Western Europe has taught people and try to benefit from these concepts are today judging all Syrians by reducing them to a single fictional category. Today, the proponents of this thesis in Turkey are trying to make people say the exact opposite of what they believe. When someone uses the names given by those they fight against and especially refers to specific classes in the struggle, they submit to this language and its gods. Racists, by imposing their reductionist attitude, try to make people like themselves, but from the opposite side, even if it is a contradiction. And so, this will serve them. Today, what those in Turkey who say “Syrians should leave” want most is for someone to shout, “Syrians should stay.” Because there is nothing that unites them except the fictional enemy they have created and the hatred they harbor for them. That is why we reject this language and all its idols. Because no one can be held responsible for another’s sins. Because “No one bears the burden of another.” And there is no superiority of white over black, nor black over white. Superiority is only in piety and the fear of God.

First, we address the government:

We know that you are unlawfully detaining migrants in deportation centers to quickly meet public expectations regarding the migrant issue, which is a byproduct of your wrong policies, thus removing Syrians from public view and forcing them into “voluntary” returns. We also know that you are sending these detained individuals to regions you are fully aware are not safe, where people are in severe financial hardship, and the majority are living in camps, all done arbitrarily. You have been doing this for months, and now, if you don’t take steps toward a stable program, innocent people will once again have to pay the price for your ongoing mistakes. Due to the consequences of your wrong policy, and the ease you found in the absence of anyone to defend them, you have detained women and children in these vile prisons for months. A generation has grown up under the “Temporary Protection Status” with unplanned programs. Many have faced discrimination in schools from their peers and teachers and have been treated unjustly in courts. Now, acknowledge the responsibility you bear in these mistakes and recognize the duty of governance entrusted to you. Call upon the dozens of civil society organizations in Turkey working or ready to work on this issue. Work together. Bashar al-Assad is a murderer, and no one has the right to forgive him. Now, stop the atrocities you are committing against people in deportation centers, especially women and children, and put an end to the detention and deportation practices that violate even your own laws, each of which constitutes a separate crime. It’s time to move away from easy, temporary, and quick fixes and take steps towards a realistic and stable solution.

Now we address those in Turkey whose thoughts are not enslaved and who aspire for privilege:

The racism virus we face is highly contagious. Like all viruses, it seeks hosts. This epidemic is beginning to spread through the weakest individuals in society. Since only those who speak the same language can understand each other, and since we have already fended off a racist language once, by natural consequence, we have eliminated the possibility that this declaration could speak to a weak host. Let this be declared once more among us, in these pure words, with the hope of addressing only privileged minds. Thus, within this declaration, with words that are the fruit of a strong host, we declare among ourselves: At this moment, we know from our immediate surroundings that thousands of Syrian women and children are hiding in their homes as if from a bomb. Today is a threshold. Perhaps tomorrow, the tension will ease a bit; then the virus will go dormant again. After some time, the sounds of bombs will once again be heard outside. This is not a metaphor. There are people outside today, ready to kill them if they get the chance. And people will inevitably forget tomorrow that a child died today because of the words and actions of some. But we have a memory. And today, the dominant thought represents the idea of hatred against immigrants. This comfortable discourse area, growing as a space of authority that exposes the weaknesses within people, provides an environment in which people can comfortably harm immigrants. Opposition discourses have attributed the poor economic situation to immigrants, serving anti-immigrant programs with the emphasis that this is an easily achievable offer, and they have awakened racism within people with the promise of bread. Thus, racism in Turkey has become pegged to the dollar. And even though these programs, which produce hatred, cannot achieve their aims, they have served to ensure that all political thresholds, regardless of their political winners, always end up against immigrants. Today, all political focuses view the immigrant issue either as something to be defended or criticized, and like an invasive species that ravages every place it touches, it leaves behind an environment that is even harder to repair than before. And again, all focuses will choose to forget this issue until a new event arises that can be subject to their rhetoric. The producers of this impotent context, which permeates all issues, have, with the way they have handled this issue for political points, once again scattered the topic. We are here today to bring it back together.

In the Quran, it is stated that “The believers are but brothers.” Today, this racist atmosphere directed at our brothers, whose blood is made equal to ours, has allowed for their detention in concentration camps, a systematic increase in hatred, especially during election periods, their eviction by some landlords during periods of price increases, and, generally, the mass and ordinary execution of this ugliness by various people who have the power, great or small, to carry out the evil they harbor within. This dominant thought has repeatedly realized itself by staining its hands with blood and continues to do so.

This is why we are proud of the people who are here today. Because not being a racist requires courage. And then, because

they declared their loyalty only to the truth, meaning they did not leave their values at the mercy of the fluctuations of the dollar. Because they entered the war on the losing side. That is, they rejected the assurance and guilty comfort that could be provided by a thought that derives its rootless legitimacy solely from the majority of the crowds that support it. Moreover, they did not hide the truth within themselves, and they refused to settle for hating with their hearts alone. Today, we all declare that by identifying ourselves with our brothers, who have been blamed for all crimes, we are willing to shoulder the burdens they have been made to bear. An additional detail about some of the people who claim to be against racism is that they are not against all forms of racism but only certain types. Even their choice of which racism they oppose reveals what they are hiding within themselves. Today, we oppose all forms of racism, through the specific example of this crime that has found its most violent manifestation against immigrants.

And now, we address our Syrian brothers:

نحن نخاطب الشعب السوري من هنا، الشعب التركي يريد أيضًا سقوط نظام الأسد. أنتم لم تتركوا وطنكم بإرادتكم بل أُجبرتم على الهجرة. يجب علينا أن نعمل معًا بجد لإنقاذ هذا البلد. نحن هنا لنعلن أننا لا نوافق على المظالم التي تحدث لكم، وأننا بجانبكم. لا تخافوا! نحن لسنا عنصريين، نحن معكم وكلنا واحد

(The Turkish people also want the fall of the Assad regime. You did not leave your country by choice, but were forced to migrate. And we must all work hard together to save this country. Today, we are here to declare that we reject the injustices that have befallen you, and that we stand by your side. Do not be afraid! We are not racist! We are with you. And we are all one.)

Thus, in accordance with the command “Enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong,” we declare the Medina Declaration among ourselves. Let the Medina Declaration be known to all.

Within this pact, we proclaim that we are intensifying our determination to stand united as one body against all forms of racism, starting with our Syrian brothers. We invite everyone who adopts this anti-racist program, which we initiated by combating racism within our own environment, to carry it out with us or within their own organizations.

The Medina Declaration encompasses three actions:

1. Guardianship: As Turks in this country, we declare our intention to intensify our responsibility as protectors and guardians. First, we will get to know our surroundings and make ourselves known to those around us. We will hold everyone accountable for their actions. Then, we will support the Syrian families who live around us and who have been or may be wronged, and we will speak the best words to them. Finally, we will take them under our protection and care. Thus, we declare to everyone that they are under the protection of the Turks.
2. Communication Force: We declare that we continue the communication force movement we started to sustain an anti-racism program. Under this heading and within our own organizations, we will continue to share the stories of those who have been wronged through various channels. We invite everyone who wishes to join our efforts and all other civil society organizations to undertake this initiative within their own capacities. We also invite all individuals to continue their struggles in social media with more courage and commitment, especially in the war of semiotics and accurate information related to fighting racism.
3. Racism Hotline: We announce the racism hotline we will manage under the Communication Force heading: We invite all victims of racism, especially Syrian refugees, to use this hotline, whether openly or secretly, in any way they choose. Through this hotline, we declare that we will strive to support them during these times, uncover wrongdoings, and work to end them.

We reiterate: Within this pact, we once again declare that we are intensifying our determination to stand united as one body against all forms of racism, starting with our Syrian brothers. And in accordance with the command “Enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong,” we declare the Medina Declaration among ourselves.

Are you witnesses?