The foreign minister said the spread of Islamophobia, extremism and terrorism can be prevented through international cooperation.
In an address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Mohammad Javad Zarif called for an international effort to stop "expansion of Islamophobia" and to fight against "extremist views" and "terrorist groups."
"Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) does not represent Islam and the root (causes of the formation) of this terrorist group should be identified," he noted, saying there are some important questions to address: "Why have such a large number of western nationals joined terrorist groups? Why have so many second-generation western Muslims, that is, those who were born, raised and educated in the West, joined such groups? Why are those who commit such heinous crimes as decapitation native speakers of western languages?"
Terrorist groups emerged as a result of the plots "certain powers" implemented to make structural changes in the region, in a move to weaken some countries which they did not see as "friends", Zarif said, emphasizing that all nations should be treated equally.
The foreign minister held separate meetings with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders on the sidelines of the UN meeting.
Caption: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif delivers a speech during the 28th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
