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Address poverty, overcome terror
WESTERN nations can overcome Islamic extremism if they address the root causes of terrorism — poverty, anger and frustration — and discard their prejudice against Muslims, Malaysia's prime minister has declared.Abdullah Badawi told a conference in Sydney tonight that some Western countries needed to reassess their foreign policies, while urging Muslim countries to embrace "reform and renewal". He condemned the killing of innocent people and said it was sad that terrorists had murdered civilians in the name of Allah. Mr Abdullah cited Malaysian experience in dealing with extremists as evidence the war on terrorism could not be won with tanks and bullets alone. He said his Government had implemented reforms to bring about greater openness and to deliver economic prosperity, particularly to the needy and those in predominantly Muslim rural areas. "We have demonstrated that we can roll back the Islamists, not by engaging in a holier-than-thou contest, but by addressing the root causes of anger and frustration," Mr Abdullah told the Asia Society of Australia. Muslim nations were becoming more open but changes had to coincide with a change in Western foreign policy, he said. "Some are embracing the initiatives towards good governance and an intellectually more open and vibrant Ummah (Islamic society)," Mr Abdullah said. "But these steps cannot be taken in isolation. Reforms in the Muslim world must be accompanied by visible and meaningful changes to the foreign policies of key western countries. "The non-Muslim world, especially the West, must be prepared to discard their prejudices against Islam and be willing to engage in genuine dialogue. "At the same time, Muslims, too, must be prepared to begin a process or reform and renewal in their respective Muslim countries." Mr Abdullah said Malaysia was a country of Islam Hadhari — progressive, "civilisational" Islam — and had embraced reform. "Different countries need different solutions to their problems but I do believe that Malaysia can be a showcase of what it is to be a successful, modern Muslim country," he said. During his speech, Mr Abdullah also called on Australia to play a greater role in helping to eliminate poverty in the developing world. Posted by: God Save The World 2005-04-08 |
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