OIC strongly condemns French church attack

JEDDAH, July 27 (KUNA) -- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the killing of a priest and the taking of four other people as hostage by two armed men who stormed a church in a suburb of Rouen in northern France.
OIC reaffirmed in a statement, Wednesday, "the barbarity and brutality of the perpetrators of this act who attacked innocent civilians and assaulted the sanctity of a place of worship." The OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani strongly condemns this heinous terrorist attack, expressing OIC's solidarity with the French Government.
He also reiterated OIC's support for the international community in its efforts to root out terrorism and combat terrorist groups and those who disseminate extremist and destructive ideas threatening international peace and security.
Madani reaffirmed that "Islam is a religion of tolerance, peace and coexistence among different religions and that such criminal and barbarous acts attributed to groups, which claim affiliation to Islam, should not affect the true image of Islam." "These acts should be blamed only on their perpetrators who adhere to no values other than intimidation, violence and criminality." (end) nh.nfm