Iran calls for OIC meeting to discuss New Zealand attacks, Al-Aqsa assaults

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has called for holding an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), following a deadly attack on two mosques in New Zealand that killed dozens.

The call came during a phone call between Zarif and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu as Turkey currently holds the rotating OIC presidency.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Zarif called for “appropriate reaction of Muslim states to this heinous crime”.

At least 49 Muslims were killed when a gunman opened fire on worshippers during the weekly Friday prayers at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand.

The Grand Sheikh of Egypt’s Al-Azhar university, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyip, condemned the massacre of worshippers in two mosques in New Zealand, noting this indicates a dangerous spike in hatred and Islamophobia, while the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has called on non-Muslim countries to ban Islamophobia.

Read: Erdogan says New Zealand mosque attacker targeted Turkey

The top Iranian diplomat also called for discussing recent Israeli assaults on worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the OIC emergency meeting.

On Tuesday, Israeli police shut the Al-Aqsa compound on claims of an arson attack on an Israeli police station near the site, triggering clashes with angry Palestinians, which injured at least 16 Palestinians.

An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound’s Rahma Gate in East Jerusalem. Sunday’s ruling came amid tension in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the gate, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations.