Turkey's parliament head calls for concrete steps against racism, Islamophobia

Turkey's parliament speaker on Monday called for taking concrete steps against racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia.

“Today, we are all concerned about the disturbing rise of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and hate speech around the world and the grave threat it poses to the peace and harmony of our societies," Mustafa Sentop said at the seventh MIKTA Parliamentary Speakers meeting held virtually.

Established in 2013, MIKTA is an informal partnership consisting of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia.

Sentop said that Islamophobia has become one of the most common forms of racism in the last 20 years.

"For this reason, I call on all members of our parliaments to take concrete steps against discrimination, racism, Islamophobia and hate speech tendencies," he added.

Recalling that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) declared March 15 as the International Day of Solidarity against Islamophobia, Sentop said: "As the current chairman of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC, I think that it is important for the international community to recognize and commemorate this day in terms of our common struggle against this danger."