ANKARA
Terrorism is harming Islam the same way it is harming people in our region, Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek said Thursday.
Cicek made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Ibadi and his delegation in the capital, Ankara.
"Deplorable and displeasing incidents are occurring in our region," the speaker said.
He also condoled with the Iraqi premier over the death of around 50 people in a blast in Baghdad Wednesday.
Cicek said Muslims too were getting killed in terrorist attacks that also tarnished the name of Islam. He added that some countries and societies were now wrongly linking Islam with terrorism in the world.
"Terrorism does not have an identity, a religion, ethnic origin or country," the parliament speaker said.
He called on all Muslim countries to take a strong stance against terrorism to protect Islam's image around the world.
All terrorist organizations commit crimes against humanity, he added.
He called on the international community to cooperate more in the fight against terrorist organizations. He warned that new terrorist threats and organizations would emerge if there was not more cooperation.
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