Delhi: Syria's Grand Mufti Dr Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun has said the ISIS or Daesh, were killing people for money at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
He also said that Syria was being targeted as it was "much like the Indian republic"
He pointed out that Syria was the only country in the Arab region which had 25 different sects and called it the first secular country in the Middle East.
Hassoun said in an interview with India Today,"We are fighting against 100 different countries. I would like you to know where the Daesh is. It is in Torabora and Pakistan. They have trained them and were supporting them and gave them all facilities. And they have set them free."
"They are manufactured by the USA in Afghanistan and the Taliban is one part of them. There is the Saudi school of thinking, which is spreading throughout the world in the name of Islam, which is the main power that directs them where to go and how to move," he added.
"Syria always refused to be with one side engaged with the other. The PM of Turkey has visited Syria five times just to convince Syrian leadership to allow parties to be based on religious thinking to exist in Syria, but our leadership has always refused this. The prince of Qatar came and he told us 'You have to find the way, you have to go to the American interests; you have to do the American interests'. We have always refused. We were always with Jawaharlal Nehru's way and that of Indira Gandhi, to be with the non-aligned movement; to make peace in the Middle East region as India is doing now," the Grand Mufti further said.
At the same time, hailing Indians, Hassoun said, "I came to India to tell the Indian people that you are a wonderful people. The Indian people in Europe, in USA are proving themselves to be a very intellectual and intelligent people. Don't let the West misuse India to make it a poorer country. Take care of your own country."
Hassoun's son was among those killed by the ISIS.
