Muslim leaders from around the world gathered Monday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to trade thoughts on how best to improve relations between Islam and the West.
The two are currently locked in a “clash of perceptions, not civilisations,” writes Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who heads the U.S.-based Cordoba Initiative, which helped arrange the two-day conference.
So far, attendees appear to have been treated to a wide range of viewpoints.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, said the onus was on Western countries to censor art and public statements that seemed to insult Islam.
Ihsanoglu singled out for condemnation the recent film “Fitna”, by Geert Wilders, a Dutch MP known for his criticism of Islam and brilliant blond pompadour.
From the other corner, Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that Muslim nations had to project a non-violent image of Islam and take responsibility for their problems.
“In the Muslim world, we must stop acting like we are victims or are wronged,” Aziz told conference-goers. “There needs to be an openness in admitting that there are also things in our own countries that need to be changed.”
Meanwhile, former Saudi ambassador to the United States Turki al-Faisal called on Western and Muslim countries “to talk about things that bring us together, such as the fight against poverty, against illness, against disease and against double standards.”
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