“You cannot bring the words terror and Islam together. If you keep doing it, then we are condemning those who do it.”

This is a familiar sleight-of-hand. It is Islamic jihad terrorists who bring terror and Islam together. When they do that, Erdogan says nothing. But when non-Muslim foes of jihad terror point out that there are some Muslims who bring terror and Islam together, Erdogan cries “Islamophobia” and pretends that the non-Muslims are responsible for the equation. Erdogan is by far not the only one who employs this tactic.

“Erdoğan rejects reference to ‘Islamic terror,'” Anadolu Agency, December 6, 2019 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

A Muslim cannot be a terrorist and Islam does not produce terrorists, the Turkish president said on Dec. 5, once again rejecting the term “Islamic terrorism”.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said racism, discrimination and Islamophobia have spread like poison ivy in countries once seen as cradles of democracy.

Erdoğan’s remarks came at the inauguration ceremony of the Cambridge Central Mosque which he attended with first lady Emine Erdoğan and a group of high-level Turkish officials….

Erdoğan said workplaces, homes and places of worships of Muslims and foreigners are targeted by racists and fascist almost every day.

“Muslim women are abused only because they are wearing headscarves” in Islamophobic attacks, Erdoğan said, adding Jewish, black people and whoever looks different are targeted in similar attacks.

Especially attacks targeting places of worships have reached “incredible dimensions,” he added, recalling the mosque attack in New Zealand, church attacks in Sri Lanka and synagogues in the U.S….

“You cannot bring the words terror and Islam together. If you keep doing it, then we are condemning those who do it,” he added.

A Muslim cannot be a terrorist; Islam does not produce terrorists, Erdoğan underlined.

“We do not accept the Islamic terrorism etiquette, [a term] some insistently try to keep popular.”

Erdoğan said Turkey has been fighting ISIL more effectively than any other country, noting that 3,000 terrorists were neutralized only in Syria’a Al Bab town.

Erdoğan said he rejects any distinction of “good or bad” terrorist and all terrorists of ISIL, FETÖ, PKK/YPG, even Neo-Nazis are “bloodthirsty vampires”.

Speaking about Europe’s first eco-friendly mosque built in Cambridge, Erdoğan said the mosque will be the “best response to rising Islamophobia”….

Also attending the ceremony, British singer Yusuf Islam said the Cambridge Central Mosque will promote understanding.

Underlining that he became Muslim more than 40 years ago and his conversion was a “spiritual step forward”, Islam thanked the Turkish president and Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate for assistance in building the mosque….

The road to building Europe’s first eco-friendly mosque began back in 2008, when the capacity of local churches and houses was unable to meet the worship needs of local Muslims….

More than 10,000 people and groups donated money for the landmark purchase, with Turkish groups donating most generously. The Qatar National Fund also was among the donors.

Abdal Hakim Murad, together with Islam (also known as Cat Stevens), sought support for the project from Erdoğan, who was then Turkey’s prime minister….