08.05.2025 15:34
President Erdoğan reacted to the lists of demands presented to young people considering marriage. Erdoğan stated, "We are struggling against the false perceptions, misconceptions, and habits that are spreading in society day by day due to the influence of digital platforms. Whether it is under the pretext of customs, traditions, or current trends, we never find it acceptable to make marriage more difficult."
President Erdoğan spoke at the Foundation Week Opening Ceremony at the Presidential Complex. Erdoğan, who expressed his anger towards the wish lists that have recently become a trend among young people considering marriage, stated, "We do not find it right to make marriage more difficult."
THE LIST HAD CAUSED A GREAT DEBATE
One of the lists that President Erdoğan reacted to was shared on social media a few days ago and went viral in a short time. Here is that list;
ERDOĞAN MADE STRIKING STATEMENTS AT THE CEREMONY
Highlights from President Erdoğan's statements: "I am pleased to be with you on the occasion of Foundation Week 2025. Welcome to the Presidential Complex, the home of the nation, this revered place. You have made us happy. I thank each of you individually. I wholeheartedly congratulate our Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of Foundations, and every brother who contributed to this program. I congratulate the Foundation Week of all the foundation people and benefactors who preserve our foundation heritage in all its glory across our country and cultural geography.
This year's theme for Foundation Week has been determined as "Foundation and Family." I hope that the events to be held throughout the week within this theme will be beneficial for our foundation community, our country, and our nation. I would like to express here that I find it extremely appropriate for this important week to be understood in the context of the two pillars of our civilization, which are foundation and family. As we emphasize at every opportunity, we as a nation truly have a dazzling foundation tradition. Undoubtedly, we are among the few countries in the world in this field. We take pride in inheriting such a rare heritage. The task of preserving, enriching, and passing on our deep-rooted foundation tradition has been carried out by our General Directorate of Foundations for 101 years. I congratulate the 101st anniversary of our General Directorate, which fulfills a very heavy responsibility in terms of our history, memory, identity, and future. I send my greetings and love to all the employees of our General Directorate of Foundations, who take care of the works inherited from our ancestors with a great sense of duty, and I pray for success for each of them in their duties.
"WE ARE HOLDING THE JOINT OPENING OF 101 FOUNDATION WORKS"
We are making this meaningful anniversary even more significant with the works we are inaugurating. Today, we are holding the joint opening of 101 foundation works whose restoration has been completed in Turkey and abroad within the last year. We will soon conduct the opening ceremonies of our Gökmedrese in Tokat, our Kurtuluş Mosque in Gaziantep, our Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia, and our Shkodra Mosque in Albania via live connections. I sincerely thank all our institutions, contractors, and every brother who contributed to the revival of these esteemed works, from the workers to the architects and engineers. May these works, which have been put into service after a meticulous restoration process, be beneficial and auspicious for our country, our nation, and our friends in our heart geography. May Allah grant us the ability to take care of the works inherited from our ancestors and to pass them on to future generations in the best way. I remember with mercy and gratitude all the architects, founders, patrons, and all the great ones who have laid stone upon stone for these structures, each of which is the product of a high aesthetic understanding.
I want to emphasize this point. Our civilization fabric, which we have intricately woven with our identity, culture, and national and spiritual values for centuries, is so beautiful, profound, and distinguished that no other nation will ever be able to experience it. The frame of this fabric encompasses every inch of our civilization geography, from the Balkans to Turkistan, from Africa to South Asia, from Anatolia to Hijaz. Our mosques, madrasas, soup kitchens, hospitals, inns, caravanserais, aqueducts, and many other works are unique notes left by our ancestors in history. We cannot think of the Gazi Hüsrev Bey Madrasa in Sarajevo, the Nizamiye Madrasa in Baghdad, the Hamidiye Fountain in Beirut, the Idris Baba Fountain in the city of Pécs in Hungary, the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia, and the Babül Kantara Bridge in Algeria, separately from the Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren, the Selimiye Mosque, and the Süleymaniye Mosque.
"WE ARE A NATION THAT HAS OPENED BRAND NEW HORIZONS"
All of these structures are reflections of a shared spirit of brilliance, a high culture, and architectural vision. I also find it beneficial to note this. We are, with all our qualities, a foundation civilization. You will never attain goodness unless you spend from what you love in the way of Allah. We are a nation that has opened brand new horizons in goodness, beauty, and charitable deeds by taking the verse "Whatever you spend, Allah knows it" as our guide. The fundamental principle that directs our lives has been determined by our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with these hadiths. Our leader, our sultan, who sets an example for every stage of our lives, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When a person dies, their deeds cease except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them."
For us, foundation is ongoing charity. It is a golden key we carry to gain Allah's pleasure, to attain eternal happiness, and to do beneficial works for society and humanity. It is the brightest symbol of our spirit of solidarity, our awareness of helping one another, and our consciousness of unity and togetherness in social life. It is the careful and compassionate application of an encompassing idea of goodness, which does not neglect even the birds on the migration path. In summary, foundation is the reflection of our civilization ideal's perspective on life and the hereafter in this world. I especially want to draw your attention to this delicacy. Foundations that provide warm water to those who perform ablution in winter, that go around the streets in hot days to put ice in water fountains, that plant willows by the rivers, that build pigeon houses, that protect storks are tokens of that delicate spirit of compassion, love, kindness, and altruism that we carry.
The late Evliya Çelebi expressed the wealth of foundations in the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century with the words, "I traveled to 18 sultanates and kingdoms in 50 years. I have not seen such charity anywhere." This exceptional culture continues to thrive strongly today, thank God. Nearly 70,000 foundations are currently active in areas such as health, social services, social assistance, education, research, culture, art, sports, development, law, human rights, and the environment.
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Our General Directorate of Foundations, which has inherited such a deep-rooted and powerful legacy, has been successfully continuing its work both domestically and abroad for 101 years, thanks to Allah. In line with the will of the founders, we are preserving and strengthening our foundations in accordance with contemporary conditions, striving with all our might to ensure that our cultural heritage is passed on to future generations. We take care of every kind of foundation work, from prayer places to primary schools, from public kitchens to birdhouses, repairing and revitalizing them.
"THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF FOUNDATIONS CONTINUES ITS CHARITY SERVICES WITHOUT INTERRUPTION"
In the last 2 years, 166 foundation cultural assets, including the Bitlis Hazohan Suleymaniye Complex Hospital, Tokat Gökmedrese, and Muş Central Muratpaşa Mosque, have been restored. The repair processes of exactly 377 artifacts damaged in the disaster of the century were initiated without any delay. The restoration of a total of 20 structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, and Northern Cyprus has been completed. A total of 40 projects in the lands inherited from our ancestors have been successfully completed. Three projects that are expected to be completed soon are still ongoing. Look, I would like to share these figures with you, especially. While only 46 artifacts were restored in 2002, the number of revitalized foundation cultural assets has reached 5,927 in the last 23 years. A total of 12.3 billion lira has been used in these efforts. Detailed explanations were provided in the speeches made before us. From educational support to monthly allowances for the needy, from soup kitchen activities to volunteer work, the General Directorate of Foundations continues its charity services without interruption. For all these services, I congratulate our Ministry of Culture, our General Directorate of Foundations, and all our employees individually. I express my gratitude on behalf of myself and my nation to all our institutions and organizations that uphold our foundation culture, to our philanthropic individuals who do not recognize limits in kindness, aid, and solidarity, and to all our benefactors who have dedicated their lives to good deeds.
"MARRIAGE SHOULD BE FACILITATED AND ENCOURAGED"
On this occasion, I congratulate each member of our Mehir Foundation, to which we will present the Foundation of the Year award, for their dedicated efforts. The Mehir Foundation, which facilitates our youth in the earthquake zone to establish homes, has provided wedding and dowry support to over 20,000 couples who have entered into marriage in all 81 of our provinces. I say may Allah be pleased with our Mehir Foundation, from which I have received the good news that it will expand its efforts towards Gaza, which has been showing an epic resistance against Israel's brutal attacks for 19 months. Within the scope of the 2025 Family Year, we have increased our support for young people who will establish homes with the Family and Youth Fund, which we promised to our nation in the elections. Additionally, we have significantly increased the birth assistance payment amounts. We are fighting against the wrong perceptions, influences, and habits that are spreading day by day in society due to the effects of digital media. Whether it is under the pretext of tradition, custom, or current trends, we do not find it right to make marriage more difficult. Especially in the current period, marriage should be facilitated, encouraged, and the obstacles in front of it should be removed. We need to give importance and priority to this issue. I call on our foundations and philanthropists to provide more support for young people to establish homes.
We witness this truth on every occasion. "The best among you is the one who is most beneficial to people." Many of our organizations, many of our associations, and many of our citizens, who have submitted to this command, often carry out valuable services without advertising. Many of our philanthropists, who act with the awareness of not letting the left hand know what the right hand gives, continue to spend what God has given for the people. We take pride in all our brothers and sisters who work and strive to caress the head of an orphan, to hold the hand of the needy, to embrace the oppressed, to touch a sad heart, to be a balm for a wound, and to help those in need, hoping for a reward only from Allah. If the world is still standing despite all the oppression, evil, and brutal images that embarrass humanity, it is because of these beautiful people and organizations. As we have done for the past 23 years, I would like to express here that we will continue to stand by our foundations, associations, and civil society organizations with all our means.
"I CORDIALLY CONGRATULATE FOUNDATION WEEK"
I pray that Allah makes us among those who leave a mark in this world, who will always be remembered with good prayers. With these thoughts, I wish the 101 foundation works that have been restored to be beneficial and auspicious once again. I sincerely congratulate all our brothers and sisters who preserve our foundation culture and selflessly continue their good and charitable activities, starting from the foundation people who honored this hall. I greet you all once again with respect and love. Thank you, be well, and may Allah protect you. Stay healthy.
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