STRASBOURG, France: King Abdallah II of Jordan urged Europeans on Tuesday to fight hostility toward Islam that he said was fueling extremism among Muslims, including those drawn from Europe to fight in the Middle East.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Abdallah praised Europe’s “unbeatable courage” in responding to attacks such as those in Paris in January and likened Islamic State to Nazism — “an expansionist ideology based on hatred.”
But in calling for cooperation to combat Islamist violence, the king, who attended commemorations for the slain French satirists of Charlie Hebdo but criticized the paper’s use of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), said that European governments must promote “mutual respect” and an “inclusive society.”
“Insulting other peoples and their faiths and their convictions, this is no way forward,” he told a chamber that includes dozens of far-right members critical of Muslim immigration.
“Europe is an important partner in this effort, especially in helping to stop the global rise in Islamophobia.”
(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald)
Jordan's King Abdallah urges EU to fight "Islamophobia"
Jordan's King Abdallah urges EU to fight "Islamophobia"
Erdogan postpones UAE visit, saying leader has ‘health problem’
- Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced he was postponing a visit to Abu Dhabi because Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a “health problem” — then deleted the message
ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced he was postponing a visit to Abu Dhabi because Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a “health problem” — then deleted the message.
The message, posted by Erdogan’s team on X, said he had talked with Al Nahyan by phone.
“During the course of the call, President Erdogan expressed his sadness over the health problem experienced by (President) Al Nahyan and wished him a prompt recovery,” said the three-paragraph message.
Erdogan would travel to the United Arab Emirates at a later date, still to be determined, the message added.
Although the message — of which AFP has a screen grab — was quickly deleted from the account, it had already been picked up by official Turkish media.
Turkiye’s state broadcaster likewise took down its article on Erdogan that mentioned the Emirati leader’s health problem.
The official Emirati news agency, WAM, reported on the telephone conversation between the two leaders, but did not mention that Erdogan’s visit had been postponed.
Contacted by AFP, neither the Turkish presidency nor the Emirati authorities — who have themselves made no statement on their president’s health — have yet answered.
The Emirati leader’s team on Saturday evening released photos taken the same day showing Al Nahyan, known as MBZ, smiling and apparently in good health, with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.
