ANKARA

The head of Diyanet, Turkey's directorate of religious affairs, on Sunday slammed the Greek archbishop’s insulting remarks against Islam and Muslims, calling on Christians to oppose this “sick mentality."

Ali Erbas strongly condemned Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and Greece, who, in a televised speech on Saturday, said Islam is not a religion but a political party and pursuit, and its followers are people of war.

“The most important duty of the clergy, who should strive for peace and tranquility, should be to contribute to the culture of coexistence,” Erbas said in a statement.

"The Christian world must oppose this sick mentality. This kind of discourse aiming to marginalize Muslims feeds the racist perspective against them, and leads to attacks on their lives and places of worship," he added.

He said that the archbishop's statements provoked the society, and could lead to rise in hatred, hostility and violence against Islam.

Erbas said Islam is a religion of peace, and the Islamic civilization has always enabled people to live together for centuries, irrespective of their beliefs, religion and culture./aa