Türkiye vows to promote principles against Islamophobia, monitor hate crimes

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye will exert maximum effort to advocate for a set of principles and actively monitor their application in countries where anti-Islamic hate crimes occur, Turkish diplomatic sources said in a statement Monday.

The statement came as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a video meeting organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“Türkiye will share its existing acquis on this issue with OIC members in organizations such as the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Commission against racism and intolerance,” the statement added.

The OIC also welcomed the distribution at Kuwait’s expense of 100,000 copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in Sweden which have been translated in local languages.

"Member countries are called upon to demonstrate their reactions to the incidents that occur in countries where Quran burning actions take place, taking into consideration their bilateral relations, in the context of their political, economic and cultural ties,” said the statement.

The organization also called for the designation of a special envoy to combat Islamophobia utilizing the organization's current resources.

OIC members also submitted a request to the UN to appoint a special rapporteur with the aim of addressing Islamophobia.

During the video meeting, many members’ ministers stressed the importance of reaching out to Western nations and international bodies, especially in Europe, to closely monitor the situation.

The OIC addressed the recent attacks against the Quran in two Extraordinary Executive Committee meetings held at the level of permanent representatives on Jan. 31 and July 2.