Kuwait City (AsiaNews) – After a two-day conference of foreign ministers of Islamic countries, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement yesterday condemning the major jihadist groups operating in Syria and Iraq and called for a plan to develop an effective strategy against "terrorism and extremism."
"We condemn the gruesome atrocities committed by all terrorist organisations including Daesh (Arabic for the Islamic State group), al-Qaida and al-Nusra Front (its affiliate in Syria)," said the OIC final communiqué. However, the groups named are all Sunni; no Shia organisation was mentioned.
Calling for joint "regional and international efforts to fight terrorism and extremist thought," the statement warned that "The escalation of violence and terrorist crimes threatens regional and international security”.
The OIC is the largest grouping of Islamic countries in the world (with 57 members from every continent). Held in Kuwait, the conference was attended by heavyweights Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Delegates discussed strategy and stressed the need "for drying up the sources of funding of terrorism." Still, OIC secretary general Iyad Madani, a Saudi, admitted without elaborating that there were "differences between member states" on strategy despite "general agreement."
He also said that the meeting focused on tackling "sectarian fighting, which is the biggest danger to Muslim countries."
Bloody Sunni-Shia fighting is raging in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. In predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia, Sunni extremists attacked a Shia mosque killing 21 people just last week.
The OIC also declared support for Yemen's UN-backed President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi and welcomed a Saudi-led operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
