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Archbishop Of Canterbury Says Conflict "Not War On Islam"
DOHA, Nov 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, has urged Muslims not to view military action in Afghanistan as a war on Islam, in a statement to the Qatari-based Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel, news agencies reported.
The head of the Anglican Church appeared on Al-Jazeera on Monday, during a visit to the Gulf state of Qatar, reported BBC's online news agency.
He sought to counter calls from Osama bin Laden, previously broadcast by the channel, for Muslims around the world to "widen" the Afghanistan conflict.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today program, Carey said military action was "necessary".
But he insisted, "This is not a war between two great world faiths."
Asked about British Muslims wanting to fight for the Taliban he said, "We want young Muslims to feel at home in our country, to be part of our great nation and to make a contribution to it."
"The message we must give," added the Archbishop, is to "communicate to young Muslims throughout the world that we are not attacking Islam."
Carey said Muslims and Christians had a duty to maintain a strong dialogue and work together to solve problems, such as poverty, which could fuel terrorism. The BBC reported that Carey's visit to Qatar was arranged before the terror attacks on America.
"We want nothing more than the best relationship with Muslims," said Carey, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). "It is a war against terrorism. Islam is not responsible for the terrible events of September 11."
Carey met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on Sunday and underlined "the importance of peaceful coexistence between religions" in the aftermath of the attacks on the United States.
Spiritual leader of around 75 million Anglicans, the Archbishop also met with Sheikh Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa, the emir of neighboring Bahrain during a three-day visit on Saturday.
In January 2000, Bahrain decided to establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican.
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