The reason for the collapse of the Ottoman Empire is not that it was inflexible. People wanted to leave the Ottoman Empire because it became a fundamentalist society. Nobody would have wanted to leave had it been a society based on the moral values of the Qur’an; they would have lived together in joy and happiness. For example, had it said to the Bulgarians, “Speak with whom you like, do what you like, talk with Europe if you wish…” But why should they want to stay together once faith had gone? Of course they will want to depart. For one thing, their religion was different. No value was placed on Christians within that traditional conception of religion; they were even regarded as enemies. One fabricated hadith even says, “When you see a Christian walking on the road, make him walk along the edge of it.” 

They quote this as a hadith. Everyone then knew about this supposed hadith. There is no arguing with it. If a Christian knew about it, he would certainly not want to live in such a place and such a community. He would not want to be despised.

Therefore, people wanted to leave the Ottoman Empire because it had a fundamentalist nature. Had the system been based on the moral values of the Qur’an, why would anyone want to leave? They would live in joy and happiness. Of course people will be terrified to live in a society in which they can be killed off for failing to do their prayers. According to the four schools, someone who does not pray, who is an apostate, should be killed. Yet people can lose their faith, may Allah forbid. They can lose it for a week or 10 days and then get it back. If someone was a non-believer first, he can become a believer later. He can lose his faith again later, but then come back to it. Why should someone be killed for that? But nobody will want to live in a society with such a fundamentalist nature as that. They will not feel safe. They will not want to live in a terrifying system with such awful punishments.  We must seek the real causes of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. 

Nothing changed for people, they were left free. The Ottoman Empire did not interfere with anyone. Had it done so, those people would have left. But why should they leave such a system? Because the Ottomans had an overwhelming military strength. But then they fell behind in science and everything else. They banned printing presses, and this and that; unbelievable policies were brought in. And in such a climate, people feel the desire to live by themselves. And the idea of tribalism, racism began spreading in those times. It was imposed on people. A socialist, communist logic began to develop. Then the Ottoman Empire ended up like this. I must make a pamphlet out of it so people can understand. I must explain it all on the basis of the available documentation, insha’Allah, because it is an important subject. It is not enough to talk about it a few times.

Now if you go to the Southeast with the same thoughts of setting people free and say, “Do as you wish, make whatever propaganda you like, talk as you wish, you are free,” then of course communism will follow. Communism will come and the area will break away. It will want to make you communist, as well. That will be the end result. But if you engaged in a powerful intellectual offensive, if you eradicate Darwinism and materialism, if you show them love and compassion, if you eliminate fundamentalism, if you eliminate some of the terrifying commands of the schools that are based on fundamentalism, then people will happily turn to Islam.

But if you say you are going to bury women in sand and stone them, and even insist the stones should not be too large, so they suffer more before they die, then that is a terrible thing. If you want to kill a woman, a young person, by throwing thousands of stones at her head, people will refuse to enter such a faith. That is a terrible thing to do. It is one of the awful ways of the pagans of putting people to death. Islam is based on love and affection. Forgiveness. Everyone will love Islam if those moral values are spread. Then everyone will want to live together with Muslims. (January 13^th, 2013, A9 TV)