OIC, GCC condemn Iraq mosque massacre

RIYADH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have condemned the heinous crime perpetrated by armed militiamen who stormed Mos’ab ibn Omayr Mosque in Diyala Province, Iraq on Friday. The attack caused the death of 73 innocent worshippers; scores of others were severely injured. The secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Iyad Ameen Madani, offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims and prayed for the swift recovery of the wounded. Madani denounced this and similar criminal acts that feed on sectarian strife. He pointed out that these senseless acts seek to inflame tensions and sow discord among the different components of Iraqi society. They also threaten the country’s already fragile social peace and harmony at a highly delicate juncture as Iraq scrambles to form a government which the OIC hopes to be all-inclusive, he added. Madani emphasized that firm measures need to be deployed to confront and hold to account the armed groups and militias that seem determined to unlock sectarian sentiments and fan denominational infighting. It is not just peaceful coexistence in Iraq that is being jeopardized by the atrocious practices of these armed militias; it is the very future of Iraq that is at stake, he added. Madani reiterated his appeal to the political leadership in Baghdad and to Iraq’s influential religious figures to work toward a sustainable reconciliation across the different components of Iraqi society. Madani further reaffirmed the OIC’s readiness to support Iraq by all possible means through this transitional phase in a bid to regain stability and security. GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al-Zayani called the attack a terrorist crime against all divine religions and on human value s and ethics. “The heinous crime exposed the moral decadence those militias have reached and how their sectarian approach has driven them to attack worshippers in houses of Allah,” he said. The GCC chief called for swiftly identifying those responsible for this brutal crime and demanded justice for the innocent victims. SAUDI PRESS AGENCY