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Malaysia Hosts Islamic Conference On Terrorism In April
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| Mohammad:
“When we unite and cooperate, we can change the impression on
Islam.”
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KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Malaysia will host a conference on terrorism for Islamic foreign ministers from April 1 to 3, a government official said Monday.
All 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have been invited and some 1,000 delegates are expected, a foreign ministry spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The conference would be the first time the ministers would meet specifically to discuss terrorism, he said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that Islamic countries should close ranks in efforts to correct misconceptions that other parties have on Islam and to find solutions to all problems in the Islamic world, according to Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).
The Prime Minister said Islam currently faces a cruel media because the Islamic world lacks unity and solidarity despite its wealth and great potentials.
"When we unite and cooperate, we can change the impression on Islam. We are capable of clarifying issues better and be together in settling every problem," he said.
Mohammad said Malaysia hoped that at the meeting Islamic nations could reach agreement to come together and defend Islam and correct the misconception that Islam is synonymous with terrorism.
"We hope that the conference to be held next year can come up with a more concrete decision by Islamic countries to overcome the problems of Muslims throughout the world, particularly the allegations that Muslims are terrorists, are irresponsible and are not capable of developing a country," he said.
Speaking to Qatari Satellite News Channel, Al-Jazeera, the premiere answered questions on various issues, including efforts to combat terrorism, the development of Islamic countries, the political scenario in Malaysia and the country's methods in tackling economic slowdown.
Asked whether the method used by the United States to fight terrorism would bear fruit, he said the strategy adopted was not right.
"I think the strategy is not right. We try to explain our experience in Malaysia when we tried to eradicate terrorism. We tried to identify the cause of terrorism and then to remove the cause.
"I have already stated that the cause is the Palestine issue. As long as this issue is not resolved, they will not be able to get rid of terrorists," he said.
He said many more would resort to acts of terror because they could no longer bear the calamity that happened, like what was happening in Palestine.
He added that Malaysia supported efforts to combat terrorism but did not support the attack on Afghanistan in the United States' efforts to hunt down terrorists said to be responsible for the suicide attacks in New York and Washington last September 11.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported Monday that a five-member team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Royal Malaysia Police is now in Jakarta for an exchange of information on the alleged terrorist network in the Southeast Asian region.
The team, headed by Malaysian CID Chief Salleh Matsom, arrived in the Indonesian capital Sunday, February 3, and will be in the country for the next two or three days.
Malaysia Sunday ordered local banks to freeze the assets of organizations found to be sponsoring or connected with terrorism, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.
He said the action was in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1317 which outlined various measures to fight terrorism.
Malaysian banks were provided with a U.S.-prepared list of organizations and their members two months ago, directing them to freeze the assets if they came across such organizations and individuals, he told Malaysia journalists Sunday.
Syed Hamid, however, said he could not say how many accounts had been frozen.
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