No mention of Atatürk in Diyanet's November 10th sermon!

The Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), which has faced criticism for not including national days and holidays in its Friday sermons, did not mention the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in its sermon on the 85th anniversary of his passing.

Atatürk's name was also absent from the sermon prepared by Diyanet for the August 30th Victory of the Great Offensive.

Diyanet had previously become a subject of controversy for not including Atatürk in today's Friday sermon, as well as for failing to commemorate the October 29th Republic Day.

The Diyanet's Friday sermon is as follows:

“Our Prophet (pbuh) called all of humanity to believe in the one Allah and to be a servant only to Him. The polytheists of Mecca did not respond to his invitation. Moreover, they took a stand against him and showed hostility. They deemed all kinds of oppression and pressure worthy of him. However, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never gave up on his cause.

He never lost his faith, determination, or effort. Because he had a purpose. That purpose was to remind humankind, the most valuable creation on earth, that they were not left to their own devices and that they had responsibilities. Dear Believers! Today, the root cause of the troubles Muslims find themselves in is their failure to show sufficient determination and effort for the cause they believe in. It is their failure to give the necessary importance to moral, honest, principled, and disciplined work habits for this cause.

Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) says in a hadith: 'Allah the Almighty is pleased when one of you performs a task in the best possible way.'1 Precious Muslims! As the ummah of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), what falls upon us is to be a believer who possesses determination and effort for the sake of the Islamic cause. Determination is the resolve to remain committed to the life-giving messages of Islam. It is the desire to reach the good and the beautiful with a sincere intention. It is the will to keep morale high and hope alive despite all difficulties.

Effort, on the other hand, is the endeavor to put what one is determined to do into practice. It is to walk toward the goal with patience after embracing all material and spiritual means. It is to always struggle for the spread of goodness and virtue. It is to be able to remain good despite the evil of the wicked and to make goodness prevail. It is not to depart from truth and reality despite the oppression of the tyrants. It is never to fall into despair or show weakness on this path.

Allah does not like negligence and slackness,' he says. That is why a Muslim does not show slackness at any moment of their life, nor do they fall into complacency. They do not give up, they do not stop the struggle. Indifference, apathy, and carelessness do not befit a believer. A Muslim stays away from laziness. They know that they cannot earn without working, and they cannot achieve success without putting in effort and sweating.

One of the prayers of our Prophet (pbuh) is as follows: 'O Allah! I seek refuge in You from helplessness and laziness.'3 As believers who say 'Amen!' to this prayer from the heart, we are the ones who will embrace determination and effort to save humanity from injustice and oppression. We are the ones who will work for the peace and tranquility of humanity with the strength we receive from our faith. With our determination and effort, the faces of all the oppressed, especially our brothers and sisters in Palestine, will smile; sadness will give way to joy. Because our faith imposes this duty upon us; humanity expects this from us; our history invites us to this.

Let us accelerate our work in the light of knowledge, wisdom, and science. Let us fulfill our responsibilities for the development of the earth and the construction of a secure future. Let us do justice to every job we do; let us strive to do the most solid, the most correct, and the most beautiful. Indeed, our glorious ancestors, our dear martyrs, and our heroic veterans, who worked with such a sense of responsibility, strove with all their might to make these lands a homeland for us.

They achieved many successes. We remember each of them with mercy and gratitude. May their place be heaven, and their rank be high. Let us not forget that our Lord will never let the labor of any servant who works with determination and effort go to waste. I conclude my sermon with the meaning of the thirtieth verse of Surah Al-Kahf: 'Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.'"

News Source: 12punto