The decision, “East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine,” will have a major political, mental and emotional impact on the Muslim world. We will see its effects not only in the Muslim world, but also in relations with the U.S. and Europe. However, this decision must not stop at this, because the real challenging process starts from now onward. In this difficult period, besides the state, Muslim nations also have a great responsibility.
It is wrong to burden the states, ruling governments and leaders alone with the responsibility and watch from the sidelines. The responsibility to Jerusalem is a duty on the shoulders of each and every Muslim.
Despite having such a strong sense of Jerusalem’s problem, if you remember, I had written in my Dec. 7, 2017 article that Turkey does not have a single Jerusalem or Palestine research center. After that article, Ankara University of Social Sciences and Istanbul Medeniyet University announced that they will be establishing Jerusalem research centers. They deserve to be applauded. But this alone is not enough. We need very strong Israel research centers, academies that will carry out studies on Judaism and a Middle East research center. Universities need to wake up and take action.
Do you know why the private sector is not leaning on this matter? It is because they are apparently waiting for an instruction from the president.
As a result, Muslims need to unite, build alliance and become one. Most importantly, establishing independent control mechanisms that will prevent the degeneration of ruling governments is critical.