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Musharraf to Muslims: "The West is not against Islam"
The Pakistani president: it is wrong to say that Islam as a whole is fundamentalist
Rome (AsiaNews): "There is a faulty perception among Muslims: that the West is attacking Islam". Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf said this in a statement to the press today in Rome where he begins his official visit to Italy and to the Holy See: on Thursday he will be received by the Pope in the Vatican.
Concerning the latest successes of Pakistani security forces -- Editor's note: which have led to the killing of a suspected al Qaeda leader and the arrest of 11 Islamic militants -- Musharraf stated: "We have won a battle, now we must win the war against terrorism", which must be conducted "relentlessly". The president then stressed that the fundamentalist threat has no bounds. "This war engages the entire world. All people and all religions, Islam included, must be committed to eradicating terrorism".
According to Musharraf, Muslims have a faulty perception of the West: "Muslims must do their part in letting go of the idea that the West is against them". The West too, on its part, "is wrong in thinking that Islam as a whole is fundamenalist. This is a clash of civilizations that we must avoid".
Musharraf proposes greater understanding on both sides: "What is important is to work on education, developing democracy and promoting economic development: this is the way to eradicate what terrorism feeds on". (MA)