Islamophobia a product of Taliban, ISIL: Erdoğan

KONYA

A Pakistani photographer shoots a bullet-riddled wall at an army-run school a day after an attack by Taliban militants in Peshawar on Dec. 17, 2014. AFP Photo

The Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are to blame for paving the way for Islamophobia in the world, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

Drawing attention to the recent Taliban attack in Peshawar that killed 130 children, ISIL violence in Iraq and Syria, Erdoğan said there could be "no such Islam."

“There is no such Islam. Islam is peace. You are casting a shadow on Islam,” Erdoğan said at a rally in Central Turkey on Dec. 17, at an event to inaugurate a high-speed train between Konya and Istanbul.

“Islamophobia in the world started because of you,” he said, addressing the violent jihadist organizations, adding that people do not kill defenseless people in Islam.

The president stated that Turkey has and will continue to cooperate with Pakistan, which is determined in its struggle against terrorism.

“I hope this painful incident will lead some countries in the region and the whole world once more to see the dark face of terror,” he said.