JAKARTA, September 6 (IslamOnline.net) - Abbas Maddani, an Islamic leader recent release by Algerian authorities after 12 years under house arrest, underlined that the United States has become a threat not only to itself but also to the entire world.

In an exclusive interview with IslamOnline.net Saturday, September 6, Manani said the world super power had put itself in a dangerous situation.

"The U.S. is now in grave danger, a danger that it has created for itself and by itself.

"The Americans have put themselves in such grave dangers and none of their enemies would have been able to impose such dangers on them."

The vibrant political leader, who would have been at the helm of his country’s power had he not been placed under house arrest after winning the 1982 general elections in Algeria while heading the Front du Salut de L’Islam (FIS), said : "I am sad with this situation but the U.S. has become a danger to the world and to itself."

He expected that : "The American consciousness will take over; the people of America will wake up."

Speaking of terrorism, Madani clearly said that it was just a game of words used by those who wanted to tarnish the image of Islam.

"I do not like to use the word terrorists; it does not qualify the Muslims fighting for their freedom. Terrorism is a slogan used by the enemies of Islam," he said.

"With great piety, I would say yes I am a terrorist if terrorism means the struggle for freedom of the people against the crimes and injustices of some oppressive regimes. Then yes I would be a "terrorist."

"The same would apply to Nelson Mandela, the South African leader jailed for 32 years because he was struggling against apartheid and the same would also apply to the Algerians who fought against French colonialization. Then we all would be terrorists who fought for our freedom."

"If the fight for freedom, for liberation and for salvation of the people means ‘terrorism’ then let it be known that we are all ‘terrorists’," said the respectable leader with force.

Speaking in Arabic and in French he said the Muslim Ummah will be united if it went back to the practice of Islam, to the respect of the holy Qura’n and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.

"Then only the Muslims would be able to practice Islamic brotherhood, which is complimentary in Islam. Rasulullah (prophet) has said Muslims must give an example in unity, like one single body and if one part of the body is wounded the entire Ummah suffers,

"He said Muslims are like a construction. It is interlinked and holds together firmly. The time for this unity is here and the Muslims must be up to the heights to grab this great occasion, " Madani said.

"The Palestinian people are one example in the struggle for the liberation of Muslims against oppression. The problem in Palestine is the core of the problem that is affecting the entire Ummah.

"The people of Palestine has all my respect and they are the winners in this struggle because oppression is not something of the present, it belongs to a dark past. Colonialism is not the future, the future is in the camp of Justice, " he said.

Maddani, who remains an authority in the Muslim world, said time is ripe for Muslims to wake up or it may be too late.

He earlier told the Muslims in South East Asia, where he is on a private visit and is being treated for his weak health, that unity is important and that it was time to put aside the differences, both political and religious, in order to achieve brotherhood.

"The enemy is at the gates, please let us not squabble, let us unite and be one as ordered by the Prophet of Islam," was Madani’s message to the Muslims of Asia and of the world.

"The recent events in Afghanistan and Iraq have opened the eyes of the Muslims. These and the events in Palestine are altogether an awakening of the consciousness of the Muslim Ummah, the people are now aware of the dangers that is overlooking it," he underlined.

"The world is now a smaller place and all the elements such as communication and other means of reaching each other are favorable to the Muslims.

"The people are ready, yet the problem now remains with the leadership, the Ulama (scholar) and the elite of the Islamic world," added the Muslim leader.

He said scholars were a clear example which showed that events are taking them by surprise and they are unable to react swiftly to prevent outbursts and negative reactions against Islam.

The same goes for the leaders of the Muslim communities around the world, who instead of creating the events around them, were effectively being overtaken by such events.

"The leaders of the Muslims are too slow to react to what is happening around them, they are not up to the task and they are overwhelmed in a sense," Madani said.

"The leaders do not understand the needs of the people anymore, the people of Islam are not understood by the leaders and this can explain the situation in the world of today," he added.

"There is a complete miscomprehension of the potential and capacity of the Muslim population by the leaders of the Muslim world, " insisted the leader.

The Algerian opposition leader told IOL that events around the world showed that the Muslims were now being given fresh opportunities to regain their legitimacy.