Tuesday October 14, 2008
Hope for better Muslim-US ties
KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister has expressed hope that the new United States administration will review policies relating to bridging the Muslim-United States divide.
“They will have to serve for the better interest of the US and all of us,” Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in his keynote address at the United States-Islamic regional forum yesterday.
Pleased to meet you: Abdullah shaking hands with Oman Ambassador Aflah Sulaiman Mohamed Al Taei after delivering his address at the forum yesterday. Looking on are (second from right) Qatar Embassy deputy head of mission Abdurahman M Al-Hamdan Aldoussari and UAE Ambassador Nasser Salman Al Aboodi. He said the Muslim world and the United States could not avoid addressing issues relating to Palestine and the invasion and occupation of Iraq, that fuelled disenchantment and unhappiness, if they had a genuine desire to bridge the divide.
Abdullah said political factors were the main causes to the problems faced by the Muslim world and the United States.
He said what actually led to problems between the Muslim world and the US were related to conflicts in the Middle East, the long standing Palestinian issue and the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
He said often it was convenient to blame religion for terrorism because it helped to avoid discussing the root causes.
“Religion can be employed to inspire and strengthen resolve, just as some use secular ideologies for their purpose. As with nationalism and patriotism, religion can be used to define identity when the adversary is of another faith.”
Abdullah said he believed that to effectively narrow the divide between the Muslim world and the United States or the West, both sides must work hard to nourish the strengths that united them.
“We need to focus on the many principles that we share, and the numerous interests that are common,” he said.
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