Erdogan urges world to unite, fight Islamophobia

In the wake of the recent Christchurch shooting in New Zealand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on the world to fight against Islamophobia.

Comparing the threats of Islamophobia to anti-Semitism after the Holocaust, Erdogan urged people to fight it with the same determination, reported Anadolu Agency.

He went on to explain that the phenomenon does not only limit to politics, civil society or scholarship but also affects leaders' security forces and people in the streets.

Erdogan, while talking at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting, praised the empathy shown by New Zealand's government after the terror attack on Christchurch mosque that claimed at least 50 lives.

"New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's reaction to the terror attack, empathy, and solidarity with all Muslims should be a model for all the leaders," said Erdogan.

New Zealand on Thursday implemented a ban on the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatics across the country in the aftermath of the twin mosque shootings in Christchurch that killed at least 50 people.

At least five Indians, including three from Gujarat, died in the shootings.