The Niagara Foundation deeply saddened by the tragic shooting incident, which took lives of 26 civilians, mostly children, at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost a loved one during the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Niagara Foundation’s Honorary President Fethullah Gulen expressed his sorrow with the following statement:
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic shooting incident at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. It took the lives of 26 innocent individuals; mostly children who were only at the beginning of their precious lives, and also the teachers who had dedicated themselves to nurturing and educating their students. I wish to express my deepest and heart-felt condolences to all the aggrieved families and loved ones, as well as to the American people.
This deplorable act of violence, like its precedents that happened over the past several years, starkly raises the question of what turns a troubled person into a monster that pours death onto other fellow human beings.
I hope that the visionary leaders and caring parents will strive to find the strength to illuminate both hearts and minds of their sons and daughters with the love, respect and compassion for others, and do whatever is in their power to help prevent the reoccurrence of such tragedies.
Once again, I deplore this tragic incident, and pray that it happens never again.” Fethullah Gulen.
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About Fethullah Gulen
Mr. Fethullah Gulen is known and respected among Turkish Muslims as well as Muslims and non-Muslims from around the world as an authoritative mainstream Muslim scholar of the Sunni tradition, to which 87–90% of the world’s Muslim population belongs. He was among the first influential Muslim figures to publicly condemn the 9/11 attacks. He is also a thinker, a poet, a prolific author, an educational activist and an opinion leader. His readership in Turkey is estimated to be millions. His influence outside Turkey is growing daily as his works are translated into many languages including English, Arabic, Russian, German, Spanish, Urdu, Bosnian, Albanian, Malay and Indonesian. He recently received the 2011 Peace-building Award from the East West Institute in New York.
About Alliance for Shared Values
The Alliance for Shared Values, is a non-profit umbrella organization serving as a centralized collaboration platform, and a unified voice for its member dialogue and cultural organizations in the United States. The Alliance is composed of a diverse set of organizations dedicated to promoting philanthropy, community service, intercultural and interfaith understanding to elevate humanity and bring greater peace. The Alliance for Shared Values works to promote projects and initiatives for community enrichment by facilitating networking, the sharing of best practices and augmenting local resources of its member or partner organizations.