90 percent of slain Muslims killed by 'brothers': Turkey's religious head

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency / Doğan News Agency

One thousand Muslims are being killed each day and 90 percent of the killers are also Muslims, the head of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has said.

"They are being killed by their brothers, not only in Syria and Iraq, but also in Libya, Pakistan, Africa and Myanmar," Prof. Dr. Mehmet Görmez said in his address to the participants of the World Islamic Scholars, Peace, Moderation and Commonsense Initiative conference in Istanbul on July 19.

Görmez cited "some studies," without elaborating on details.

The Islamic world needs to make a joint effort to revive the quintessential values of Islamic civilization, he added.
      
"Suffering, violence and conflicts in various parts of the Islamic world, including its storied cities like Baghdad and Damascus, wound every Muslim's heart profoundly," Görmez said.

Referring to crimes committed by radical Islamic movements such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Görmez said these incidents show us that "the common values of the Islamic civilization are fading in modern times," stressing that the Islamic world "needs to make an effort to revive these fading values."

A contact group of 10 people with the specific aim of promoting peace in the Islamic world has recently been established by the Diyanet, Görmez announced. This contact group will meet governments, parliaments, international institutions, religious groups, and academic and scientific circles to discuss and propose solutions to bring about peace in conflict-hit areas in the world," he added.
      
The Istanbul conference hosted prominent Islamic figures from 32 different countries from July 17 to July 19.