News, October 2003, www.aljazeerah.info
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Muslim Scholars Call for Fairplay in Resolving Conflicts
Arab News, Agence France Presse
JAKARTA, 16 October 2003 —
Some 100 Muslim scholars from five Southeast Asian countries yesterday ended a two-day conference on tackling religious extremism, calling on powerful countries to be fair in resolving international conflicts.
A recent surge in radicalism and terrorism does not presage a clash of civilizations between the Muslim world and the West, said chief organizer Tarmizi Taher.
“We are calling on powerful countries to be fair in dealing with conflicts involving different religions, races and nations,” Taher, a former Indonesian religion minister, told AFP. “In this era of globalization, mutual respect among different religions and cultures is essential.”
Taher said the Jakarta conference also urged religious teachers to promote the true face of Islam, “which is a blessing for the universe.”
The conference was attended by Muslim leaders from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which is based in Indonesia, has staged a string of attacks or attempted attacks in the region in recent years.
JI is blamed for church bombings which killed 19 people on Christmas Eve 2000, the Bali blasts on Oct. 12, 2002 and August’s Jakarta hotel blast that claimed 12 lives.
Indonesia’s two largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammadiyah, have pledged to play a pivotal role in promoting the moderate face of Islam, Taher said.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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