ISTANBUL - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called for boosting consultation among Muslim nations.
Problems which Muslim nations faced stemmed from the lack of consultation, Erdogan said at the 2nd Summit Meeting for Religious Leaders of Muslim Countries & Communities of African Continent held in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city.

"I believe that unbiased and sincere consultation would be a lasting remedy for the issues our countries, nations and the entire Muslim geography face today," Erdogan said.

He said that meetings such as the Istanbul gathering could act as "a perfect platform" for boosting consultation among Muslim nations, and for speeding up solutions to political, economic and social issues.
Erdogan also warned against Islamophobia, which he described as "a threat of equal severity with racism and anti-Semitism, which needs to be shunned as a crime."

"Today's worldwide negative perception of Muslims is not the fault of the religion itself but this very perception is fostered by those who misinterpret Islam," the Turkish prime minister said.

He also rejected what he described as "a black campaign to besmirch Muslims by picking out marginal examples" with an eye to associate Islam with terror, conflict, intolerance and poverty.

"Any wrongdoing committed by a single person cannot be generalized to an entire religion or a society.

Any particular fault committed by a Muslim cannot be showcased as an evidence to blacken Islam," he said.

The five-day summit, hosted by Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs, brings together religious leaders from Muslim countries and communities in Africa. (Xinhua)