Rouhani says Muslim states should fix Islam’s public image

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday (December 27) called on Muslim countries to unite and strive to improve Islam’s public image.

Rouhani accused Saudi Arabia of promoting poverty and terrorism by bombing Yemeni rebels and supporting armed rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad.

While speaking on the recent developments, he has approached the Muslims to teach the real positive side of the religion in order to establish peace, He said “Did we ever think that, instead of enemies, an albeit small group from within the Islamic world using the language of Islam, would impersonate it as the religion of assassination, violence, whips, extortion and injustice?”

In a veiled reference to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, he also criticised nations which had bought USA weapons and fired them at fellow Muslims. “If you distributed the money among the Muslim poor, no one would have slept on empty stomach”.

Most “violence, terror and massacres, unfortunately, take place in the Islamic world”, he said.

“Terrorism can not be wiped out with bombs….”

“If some groups like Da’ish can recruit soldiers, the reason is financial and cultural poverty”, Rouhani said.

” “For years and years, we have talked of unity”.

Speaking about Israel, Rouhani stated that the Jewish State is the only country that is “pleased by Syria’s destruction” and that “the Islamic world is not going to stop looking at the Zionist regime as the main aggressor”, IRNA reported.

He said violence can not originate from Islamic text, adding that Takfiri extremism stems from narrow-mindedness and lack of moderation.

Rouhani said the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are allegedly backed by Iran, had prompted a humanitarian crisis.

The Yemen conflict pits President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a U.S. ally, against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis – who control the capital, Sanaa – and military units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.