Turkey's prime minister at Paris march

The violent attack against Charlie Hebdo has shaken the entire world. One does not need to share the same view, religion or political tendencies to feel sorrow for the murder of individuals. Rather, it would be more appropriate to interrogate the humanity of those who harbor such inclinations. When violence occurs, there are all kinds of differences of opinions to process, while discourse can veer away from common sense. Violence takes the stage like a kind of deus ex machina, which spoils the play and reduces it to an absurdity. Resetting the play and adopting a common attitude against irregularities is crucial.

About 40 statesmen, representatives of various religions and about 1.5 million French citizens from all sections of society took part in the march organized in Paris on Sunday. Marches did not just happen in Paris; other marches were simultaneously organized in other French cities that day.

Both the symbolic meaning and the potential political effects of this message are crucial. The will to live together and a common and determined attitude against both terrorism and racism constitute a source of legitimacy and morale for political leaders who do not want to lose these values. It would be a great misfortune if a country like France were to be caught in a post-9/11 hysteria of insecurity and allowing it to spread to the rest of Europe. Such a tendency would mean the rise of radical right parties and movements such as the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA), a situation that would undermine the European project.

Not only would there be changes in the measures states take to combat the threat, or perceived threat, but on a practical level, there would be serious concerns.

Harsh condemnations also came from Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu issued condemnations against the attack and made statements of solidarity with the French public. Also, Turkey participated in the march at the prime ministerial level.

Turkey acts as a unique bridge between Islamic and Western states, societies and cultures. On the one hand, Turkey belongs to the European geographical sphere and has shown a determined effort to gain EU membership. In cultural terms, it is a democratic Muslim country that has common ties with both geographies. A religious and secular party in the country has been in a significant democratization phase for 12 years. While compensating for the social vulnerabilities created by the former state, and ending the human rights violations against its citizens, it also created a unique economic welfare that had not been seen in the country before.

Political, civil and peaceful methods of resolving legal problems in Turkey have gained a considerable reputation over the last 12 years, a situation that is regarded as the antidote to radicalism. Moreover, the 150-year-old Kurdish issue and the conflicts with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), of which a resolution has yet to materialize, is about to be resolved thanks to ongoing negotiations. Also, the non-Muslim communities have been met with respect and tolerance during the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) terms in power, despite Kemalists, who regard themselves as secular, being yet to display respect and tolerance in the opposite direction.

As a democratic role model, Turkey constitutes an antidote to the radicalisms that beset the Middle East, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and al-Qaida. Davutoğlu's presence in Paris and Erdoğan's strict condemnation of the latest attack signify a significant support for Europe as well.

Europe's ability to see the mistakes it has made in the relations it has formed with its own "Others" and the Middle East cannot be thought of independently from getting rid of the double standards in its relations with Turkey. By regarding Turkey as an equal and as a valuable democracy, Europe can establish a new relationship with the Islamic world through Turkey. In this sense, the U.S. and the EU's inability to recognize the coup in Egypt was a mistake. Such mistakes need to be discussed in a much more serious manner in Europe from now on.

The world is on the brink of a new paradigm. And the true path points toward calmness, reconciliation and cooperation.