ERZURUM, Turkey
Daesh does not represent Islam and Muslim countries must cooperate to fight the terror group, the head of the D-8 intergovernmental group has told Anadolu Agency.
Seyed Ali-Mohammad Mousavi, secretary general of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, was speaking in Erzurum, Turkey on Tuesday.
Mousavi said: “It [Daesh] does not represent the true face of Islam, but it rather destroys true, peaceful and clean Islam.
“Daesh is a fake Islamic group, and nobody will ever remember it. This is not real Islam. True Islamic life will continue to exist in this land,” he added.
The D-8 is an organization which aims to develop cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey and improve member states’ visibility and status in the global economy.
Mousavi was speaking ahead of a major D-8 event in Ankara this week on developing agricultre in member states.
The D-8 head emphasized that it is Muslim communities which must fight Daesh: “In order to deal with these crooks, Muslim countries must cooperate more because this threat harms all of us.”
He said that Muslims should not rely or wait for Western countries: “We should unite and fight this group ourselves. To combat Daesh, D-8 members must work in collaboration," he added.
Referring to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, Mousavi said: "Bombing the country will not solve the problem. The problem can never be solved with guns.” he
Mousavi said the D-8 has to ensure peace in the region. For a solution to this issue leaders will meet and focus on the issues of the Middle East and take necessary measures.
