Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 2
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva criticized contradictory approaches to Islamophobia, terrorism, and anti-Semitic actions.
Anti-Semitic statements are condemned, but one cannot fight such a phenomenon while on the other hand supporting Islamophobia, Zarif stated, Fars news agency reported March 2.
"We should thus join hands to contain, control and defeat Islamophobia as well as extremisms of other varieties," he said.
He also commented on the terrorist ISIL group and poised the question why a large number of the group's members come from Western countries.
Those who are fighting along ISIL now, used to be called freedom-seekers in the West not long ago, he said, reprimanding Western politicians for using human rights as a political tool.
We must abandon the thoughts that are characteristic of the Cold War and admit that all are equal, the Iranian FM said.
Iran has frequently urged global effort to tackle terrorism, especially in the Middle East region.
An international conference called World Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE) was held in Iran in late 2014 through a proposal made by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
At the opening session of the WAVE conference Rouhani said that a world without violence would be possible only through cooperation between governments.
Edited by CN