ISTANBUL
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged for seeing beyond sectarian differences among Muslim countries, saying that the Muslim world's sole religion is Islam.
"We do not have such a religion as Sunnism or Shism; our sole religion is Islam," said Erdogan addressing a crowd that gathered to commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad in Istanbul.
Erdogan said humanity had been going through a period in which oppression, massacre, terror, torture and other acts banned and criticized by Prophet Muhammad are taking place "everyday, every moment" across the world.
"Islamophobia, increasingly spreading in the West, is turning into a total attack aimed at our holy book Quran and the Prophet," said Erdogan.
The president also stated the sectarianism triggered "critical" issues in the Islamic world, which he said was in trouble with those who “deem their sects their religion.”
Touching on damage dealt to the Muslims world by terrorist organizations, Erdogan cited Daesh and said such groups did nothing other than bring a "negative" impression on Islam.
"We also witness with sorrow that western societies, experiencing a serious faith crisis, have entered a very wrong path while seeking a way out (of terrorism) by targeting Islam and Muslims," Erdogan added.
