Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Muslims should not give up their language, culture or roots while participating in the societies where they live. Erdoğan said integration must be distinguished from assimilation, declaring, “Yes to integration, no to all forms of assimilation.”
Erdoğan made the remarks during a speech at an event held at Gotham Hall in New York on Wednesday. Saying that Muslims in many parts of Europe were expected to assimilate rather than integrate, Erdoğan stressed that participation in society does not mean abandoning one's identity and culture.
Participation of the Turkish community in the United States
Erdoğan said that learning the Turkish community's language and culture and maintaining ties with the homeland do not prevent integration into society. He called for stronger representation of Turkish Americans in political, economic, academic, cultural and artistic life.
Calling for individual achievements to be transformed into strong institutions and lasting structures that can be passed down from one generation to the next, Erdoğan said stronger communities could contribute to the fight against anti-Muslim sentiment, xenophobia and discrimination.
Call to exercise democratic rights in U.S. midterm elections
Referring to the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, Erdoğan called on citizens to exercise their democratic rights and show their will as strongly as possible at the ballot box.
Erdoğan also said communities in the United States should continue their activities in a spirit of unity, solidarity and brotherhood. He said support for the Turkish community would continue at the event organized by the Turkish American National Steering Committee, the Union of International Democrats, the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association, and the Council of Muslim Organizations in the United States.