DHAKA: King Abdullah of Jordan urged Europeans on Tuesday to fight hostility toward Islam that he said was fuelling extremism among Muslims.

He also included those drawn from Europe to fight in the Middle East, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Abdullah praised Europe’s ‘unbeatable courage’ in responding to attacks such as those in Paris in January and likened Islamic State to Nazism “an expansionist ideology based on hatred”.

But in calling for cooperation to combat Islamist violence, the king, who attended commemorations for the slain French satirists of Charlie Hebdo but criticised the paper’s use of cartoons of the Prophet Mohmmad, said that European governments must promote ‘mutual respect’ and an ‘inclusive society’.

“Insulting other peoples and their faiths and their convictions, this is no way forward,” he told a chamber that includes dozens of far-right members critical of Muslim immigration.

“Europe is an important partner in this effort, especially in helping to stop the global rise in Islamophobia”, he added.

BDST: 2025 HRS, MAR 10, 2015