Terrorism, Extremism Threaten Muslim World

A deputy foreign minister sounded a warning over the grave repercussions of the rapid spread of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and North Africa for the Muslim world.

Addressing the 43rd ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Tashkent on Wednesday, Abbas Araqchi also urged Muslim countries to engage in a "genuine" fight against terrorism.

Araqchi blamed the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Syria on Wahhabism, an extreme ideological strand openly preached by Saudi Arabian clerics who have the blessing of the ruling Saudi authorities, IRNA reported.

"What is happening in Syria and the plight and hardships that Syrians are going through are the outcome of the propagation of takfiri and Wahhabi ideologies," he said. A takfiri is an extremist who accuses followers of some Islamic sects of apostasy.  

"Obviously, groups such as Daesh [an Arabic acronym for the self-styled Islamic State] and  al-Nusra Front [terrorists] and their supporters are responsible for the widespread bloodshed and massacre of Syrian children and women," he said.

Iran, along with Russia, has been a principal ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country's over five-year-old war, while Persian Gulf Arab states, Turkey and western powers have supported various militant factions seeking to dislodge him.

Russia and the United States, which represent Assad's backers and opponents in international Syria peace talks respectively, have failed so far to agree on a common strategy to end the conflict in the war-ravaged country, now in its sixth year.

Araqchi repeated Iran's call for an end to a Saudi-led air campaign that has been pounding Yemen's civilians and infrastructure since March 2015.

"The continued strikes on Yemen in violation of international laws and regulations should be stopped. This aggression has had no outcome but empowering terrorist groups and exacerbating the Yemeni crisis," he said.

Araqchi reaffirmed the Islamic Republic's stance that any proposed solution to the conflict would prove ineffective unless it undertakes inclusive dialogue between Yemeni groups.