Musharraf says extremism spawning terrorism

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf on Monday listed extremism as the most important issue afflicting the Muslim states and said its menace is spawning terrorism.

Speaking at the panel discussion of World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in Islamabad, he called for projecting true values and real essence of Islam and the need for removing misperceptions about the great religion which is unjustly being acquitted with acts of terrorism.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi and the former prime minister of Australia and former president of Sri Lanka also attended the moot.

Listing reasons which are contributing in spawning extremism, Musharraf said they include lack of socio-economic development, poverty, unemployment, absence of modern education and unresolved political disputes mainly affecting the Muslims.

The president urged the key world players including the United States and the European Union to help resolve political disputes affecting the Muslims including Palestine and Kashmir in a just manner.

He said these unresolved disputes lie at the heart of extremism and terrorism.

He said the Palestine dispute must be resolved as time is ripe for its resolution and stressed that otherwise the turmoil in the world will never cease.

The president said his strategy of enlightened moderation is a way forward which calls upon the Muslims to reject extremism and terrorism and go for socio-economic development.

He urged the west, especially the United States, to fulfill their responsibility in this regard for a durable peace in the world.

He stressed the need for unity in the Islamic world and said the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) restructuring is imperative to meet today's challenges including extremism, terrorism and resolution of political disputes mainly affecting the Muslims.

Source: Xinhua