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Subject: MUSLIMS MUST CORRECT ISLAM'S IMAGE
So was said in Teheran on Sunday by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at an International Conference on "The Islamic World's Current Crisis". The exact words of Rouhani were: "It is our greatest duty today to correct the image of Islam in world public opinion. Did we ever think that, instead of enemies, an albeit small group from within the Islamic world using the language of Islam, would present it as the religion of killing violence and injustice?"
· Rouhani, a relatively moderate, said Islamic principles opposed violence and the extremism of groups, such as Islamic State stemmed from "narrow-mindedness and a lack of moderation".
· Rouhani criticised Muslim countries for "being silent in the face of all the killing and bloodshed" in Syria, Iraq and Yemen – conflicts in which Iran plays a role.
· Most "violence, terror and massacres, unfortunately, take place in the Islamic world," he said. "I invite all Islamic countries in this region and beyond — even those who until today have bombed and launched missiles on their neighbours — for all of us to stop this and choose the right path," he said. He did not give any country names.
· Iran, which has a Shia majority, supports Yemen's Houthi rebels, while its Sunni-ruled regional rival Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition that has been bombing them in support of the loyalists since March.
· Mr Rouhani accused arc-hrival Saudi Arabia of promoting poverty and terrorism by continuing to bomb Yemeni rebels and supporting armed rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria.
· Addressing the conference, Mr Rouhani suggested that destroying Syria will not strengthen those governments in the region which support the anti-Assad rebels. "How many bombs and missiles have you purchased from America this year?" he asked. "If you had distributed the money for those bombs and missiles among poor Muslims, nobody would be going to bed hungry." "If some groups like Daesh can recruit soldiers, the reason is financial and cultural poverty," Mr Rouhani said.
His remarks were indeed, rare for a leader of Iran, which considers itself an authority in the Islamic world and often blames the "enemies" of the religion for problems in the Middle East.
Well, Friends, let us hope these words will duly reach the quarters for whom these are intended in the Middle East.
(Note: The materials in the mail are from The Asian Age (AFP) of December 28, and from the Indian Express of same date (Reuters).
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