An international panel organized by HÜDA PAR in Şanlıurfa under the theme “Saladin’s Al-Quds” brought together prominent figures from Türkiye and abroad, who called for greater Islamic unity and solidarity in support of Al-Quds , Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestine.

Speakers at the International Saladin and Al-Quds Panel said the legacy of Saladin Ayyubi offered important lessons for Muslims today, particularly the need to overcome sectarian, ethnic and political divisions and unite around the cause of Al-Quds .

They argued that internal divisions have weakened the Muslim world and stressed that Muslims must set aside their differences and strengthen the bonds of Islamic brotherhood.

‘We must put the unity of the ummah first’

Sheikh Molla Ahmet Kadiri described the gathering as particularly significant at a time when, he said, the Muslim world had become increasingly detached from the Palestinian cause.

“I found this event very meaningful,” Kadiri said. “Especially at a time when the ummah has fallen into heedlessness, holding an event to highlight Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque and to promote efforts toward Islamic unity pleased me greatly.”

Kadiri said the life and struggle of Saladin should serve as a model for Muslims seeking to restore unity.

“The mission of Saladin Ayyubi should serve as a lesson for us in this era,” he said. “We need to draw many lessons from him because he is a figure who can guide us toward the Islamic unity and brotherhood that we need today, as well as the struggle of Muslims united around Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

He urged Muslims to place the interests of the ummah above factional, regional and sectarian differences.

“We must abandon division and discord,” Kadiri said. “By leaving behind factionalism and regionalism and embracing Islamic brotherhood, we must recognize Muslims as one community and work for Islamic unity.”

He warned that continued fragmentation would leave Muslims vulnerable to external forces seeking to exploit their divisions.

“Instead, by embracing the mission of the ummah taught by the Prophet, we must unite the Ummah of Muhammad,” Kadiri said, adding that Saladin had first established unity before pursuing the struggle for Al-Quds .

“May the Lord make this program a means of unification,” he said.

‘The ummah must unite around Al-Quds ’

Attorney Emin Güneş thanked HÜDA PAR for organizing the event and stressed the importance of understanding Saladin's role in the history of Al-Quds .

“For the freedom of our Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has been under occupation for approximately 75 years, Sheikh Saladin Ayyubi must be well known,” Güneş said.

He argued that the history of Al-Quds  demonstrated how divisions among Muslims could weaken their ability to defend the city, while unity could strengthen their struggle for its liberation.

Güneş said Muslims should set aside political rivalries, sectarian disputes and ethnic divisions and focus on what he described as their common objective: the liberation of occupied Palestinian lands.

“Until our Al-Quds , that is, our occupied lands, is liberated, the entire ummah must have a single goal,” he said.

He called on Muslims to end internal disputes and “become one body,” arguing that the Palestinian cause should take priority over political and sectarian differences.

‘Saladin brought different peoples together’

Müslüm Muhammed, a representative of Syrian NGOs who attended the panel from Syria, praised HÜDA PAR for organizing events addressing both the history of Al-Quds  and contemporary challenges facing the Muslim world.

“Saladin was a leader, of Kurdish origin, in an Islamic process,” Muhammed said, arguing that Saladin's success lay in his ability to bring people of different ethnic and national backgrounds together.

“He did not say, ‘This is an Arab, this is a Kurd, this is a Turk,’” Muhammed said. “He worked as a whole, as a brotherhood among all nations, in unity and solidarity.”

Muhammed said Islamic brotherhood was among the most pressing needs of the Muslim world today.

“If Saladin’s mindset had continued today, I think the situation of all religious communities and today’s Middle East, and perhaps even the Islamic world, would be different,” he said.

Referring to Saladin's period of rule, Muhammed said Damascus and Egypt were brought together and that numerous territories were united under his leadership.

The panel concluded with a common call for Muslims to overcome internal divisions and strengthen Islamic brotherhood, with Al-Quds , Al-Aqsa Mosque and the liberation of Palestine remaining at the heart of the discussion. (ILKHA)