HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu has called for renewed efforts to realize the late Turkish politician and Islamic thinker Necmettin Erbakan’s vision of a just order based on Islamic principles, stressing that Muslims must play an active role in shaping society and establishing justice.

Yapıcıoğlu made the remarks at a commemorative event marking the 100th anniversary of Erbakan’s birth, organized by the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi) at the Karatay Youth Center in Konya under the theme "The Leader Who Shaped the Century is 100 Years Old."

Paying tribute to Erbakan, Yapıcıoğlu described him as a sincere Muslim who devoted his life to his beliefs and the cause of Islam. He also thanked New Welfare Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan and party members for organizing the event.

'Islam encompasses every aspect of life'

Reflecting on Erbakan’s understanding of Islam and its relationship with politics, Yapıcıoğlu said the late leader consistently opposed attempts to reduce Islam to formal acts of worship and religious rituals.

"Erbakan Hoca always objected to the understanding that regards Islam as consisting only of formal acts of worship and confines it to narrow molds," Yapıcıoğlu said.

He noted that Erbakan viewed Islam as a comprehensive way of life encompassing every aspect of human existence, from faith and morality to politics, economics, education and law.

'Muslims who do not care about politics will be ruled by politicians who do not care about Muslims'

Yapıcıoğlu recalled Erbakan’s efforts to encourage Muslims to become actively involved in political life, highlighting his famous warning: "Muslims who do not care about politics will be ruled by politicians who do not care about Muslims."

He said Erbakan urged Muslims with religious sensitivities not to remain indifferent to political affairs but to take responsibility for the administration of society.

Emphasizing that political engagement must go hand in hand with moral responsibility, Yapıcıoğlu said those holding public office, particularly positions of authority, must uphold Islamic values, defend justice and set a good example for society.

He also recalled Erbakan’s words: "There is no difference between not working for the supremacy of the truth and working for the supremacy of falsehood," saying the message underscored the responsibility of believers to actively strive for what is right.

Erbakan's legacy and the Republic

Yapıcıoğlu also recalled Erbakan’s historic speech in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, in which he challenged those who marginalized religious people and disregarded the nation's faith.

Quoting Erbakan’s words, "We are the owners of the Republic; you are its dross," Yapıcıoğlu said the late leader had stood firmly against attempts to exclude religious people from the country's political and social life.

He pointed out that Erbakan was born on October 29, the same day the Republic of Türkiye was proclaimed, and said the Republic's second century should be an opportunity to overcome the exclusionary mentality of the past and advance the cause of justice.

Yapıcıoğlu called on those who embraced Erbakan’s legacy to work with determination toward establishing the supremacy of truth, the cause to which the late leader had dedicated his life.

D-8 reflected Erbakan's vision of Muslim solidarity

Turning to Erbakan’s international outlook, Yapıcıoğlu highlighted his opposition to imperialism and Zionism, describing his political vision as rooted in solidarity among Muslims and support for oppressed peoples across the world.

He recalled Erbakan’s lifelong efforts to defend the causes of Jerusalem, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Kashmir and other territories suffering from occupation and oppression.

Yapıcıoğlu described the Developing Eight (D-8), established under Erbakan’s leadership, as a strategic expression of this vision and his pursuit of a fairer international order.

He argued that Erbakan’s stance against imperialism and Zionism made him a target of international Zionist circles and their local collaborators.

'We need living Muslims who uphold justice'

Yapıcıoğlu also recalled Erbakan’s famous analogy of a stuffed bird, which he used to criticize those who reduced religious freedom to the mere presence of open mosques and the performance of religious rituals.

In the analogy, Erbakan compared Muslims whose religious lives had been stripped of their substance to beautifully feathered birds stuffed with straw and displayed in museums. Although they retained their outward appearance, they were no longer alive.

Yapıcıoğlu said Erbakan used this example to emphasize the difference between outward religious appearances and a faith genuinely reflected in one's character and conduct.

He stressed that Muslims must embody justice so sincerely that even those who oppose them can find security and fairness in their treatment.

"Only when we free ourselves from being outwardly ornate but inwardly emptied, hollow Muslims, and become true Muslims in whose justice even those who intend to destroy us will find life, will we have truly understood our Erbakan Hoca," he said.

'Our cause is Islam'

Reaffirming the ideological foundations of Erbakan’s political struggle, Yapıcıoğlu quoted the late leader’s own words to describe the ultimate purpose of his movement.

"Our cause is Islam. Our aim is to gain the pleasure of Allah. Our goal is to establish the just order. Our desire is the happiness of all humanity," he quoted Erbakan as saying.

Yapıcıoğlu said Erbakan had also left behind a legacy of hard work and perseverance built on faith, sincerity, unity, consultation and steadfastness.

He recalled another of Erbakan’s well-known statements: "There is no happiness without Islam, no Muslim without consciousness, no Islam without jihad," saying it served as a reminder that believers must remain conscious of their responsibilities and continue striving for the cause of truth.

'The solution is the Just Order'

Concluding his speech, Yapıcıoğlu argued that the world's prevailing ideologies and political systems had failed to deliver justice, leaving billions of people struggling against oppression, exploitation and the concentration of wealth and power.

He said humanity was increasingly searching for an alternative to an international system that generates power but fails to ensure justice.

"If we do not lose our way or our direction, we can put an end to this distorted order that has been stripped of values, that produces only power but cannot produce justice," he said.

Yapıcıoğlu maintained that establishing the Just Order envisioned by Erbakan could offer a way out of the current crisis, bringing justice and hope not only to Türkiye but to humanity as a whole.

He concluded by stressing that realizing this goal required sincere and determined efforts, adding that Allah's promise was true and that believers must work with all their strength to contribute to this cause. (ILKHA)