Editorial

In our political culture, discussions on concepts such as freedom and
democracy are based on at least 150 years of history. Nevertheless, the political
and social scenes emerging in our country and in the Islamic world
show that these concepts cannot find enough applications, and this leads
to same discussions.
It is important to get to the roots of political and sociological realities
which are effective in the formation of this result, to disseminate the culture
of democracy in this context, to bring human values to life on social ground
and to develop the Islamic world in every field. Restrictions on fundamental
rights and freedoms via the various approaches used as a tool of despotism
and oppression, failure to abandon the authoritarian tendencies, and
negative practices endangering social togethernes prevent not only the development
of our democracy but also the desired progress in all areas.
One of the most prominent concept in democracy debates in Turkey
is undoubtedly freedom. The concept of freedom, which refers to a lot of
personal, legal and political fields, has been the subject of various debates
and practices throughout the history of Islam. The approaches of Bediüzzaman
Said Nursî regarding freedom, which is the main subject of discussions
in the Constitutional Monarchy period, are remarkable and guiding.
It is very important that Bediuzzaman Said Nursî -who considers freedom
as a feature of faith and who emphasizes the importance of freedom in social
and individual life saying “I cant live without bread but I can not live
without freedom- asseses the despotism as the main reason of the deviation
from the fraternity principles, of disputes and of the separation of the
Islamic world.
In the words of Bediuzzaman Said Nursî, despotism is the annihilator
of humanity. Despotism, the basis of the persecution, kills human’s specific
values, opens the door of abuses, lowers the man who is potentially worthy
of the highest degree, and backwards the societies. It is not possible to
talk about the development of Islamic brotherhood and progress on the
grounds that there is no liberty accepted as the basic dynamics of individual
and social development.
At this point and in terms of the objectives to reinforce the Islamic
brotherhood; the meaning of the the freedom, the definition of freedom,
the importance of restoring the democratic government of the Islamic
world, the obstacles to the settlement of the democratic and legal values,
the relationship between Islam and democracy, Turkey’s democracy’s fundamental
problems and the problematic of getting human rights, democracy
and state of law settled in the Islamic world; Bediuzzaman’s approach to
this issue is waiting to be discussed.
In our previous issue, under the title of Islamic Brotherhood, we have
included some of the communiqués presented at the 13th Risale-i Nur
Congress titled as “Islamic Brotherhood and World Peace in the Axis of
Freedom and Democracy according to Risale-i Nur”. In this issue, we continue
to share the communiqués of the table “Freedom, Democracy and Islamic
Brotherhood” in the same congress. While leaving you alone with
our magazine, we hope to be with you in the next issue discussing the concept
“Europe”.