Islam 'distorted' by terrorists
2005-11-15 17:40
Vienna - The religion of Islam is being "distorted" by terrorist groups, said Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday at the current international Vienna conference on "Islam in a Pluralistic World".
The Iraqi people are afflicted by the terrorism of al-Qaeda, he said. "Terrorists are waging war against Shi'ites and Kurds."
Religious leaders, particularly of the Sunni Muslims, must stand up against "sectarians" and call the "criminals" to account.
Terrorist groups caused "incredible pain" to Muslims, defaced their holy shrines and "trampled on their rights". Those falsely interpreting Islam "kill children, women, and men without discrimination".
The Qu'ran clearly said that "he who kills the innocent will go to hell". This message must be clearly conveyed by Islamic leaders. The argument that paradise awaited suicide attackers was "blind deceit".
Talabani said that as a tolerant religion, Islam opened the door to a dialogue. The Qu'ran also praised the good deeds of other religions, and many Islamic scholars were in favour of pluralism.
'Seek the path of wisdom'
Islam committed people to listening. Believers must "seek the path of wisdom" and are not allowed to go on that of terrorism.
Karzai spoke of the horrors of the Saddam Hussein dictatorship, saying that for the first time, a regime had used chemical and biological weapons against its own people.
The regime had "waged a quiet war" in its own country. "Iraq became hell."
But now Iraq, on the way to democracy, had completed successful elections and a referendum on the constitution.
Ten million Iraqis, 46% of the citizens, had voted in the referendum on the constitution, which was for a pluralistic, federated democracy. "We're proud of the constitution, which is unique in the Arab world."
The new constitution guaranteed equality of men and women, the right to freedom of opinion, rights of religious minorities, and cultural and linguistic rights.
The constitution was based on Islamic law, the Sharia, but it guaranteed other faiths, including Christianity, the right to practice their religion, Talabani said. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA