Aid not enough to win Muslim hearts

Aid not enough to win Muslim hearts

Lawrence Bartlett, Agence France-Presse/Putrajaya, Malaysia

Washington has earned some credit among Muslims for its aid to victims of the Asian tsunamis but must change its foreign policy to counter the perception that it is anti-Islam, the leader of the world's biggest Islamic group said on Thursday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who heads the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), told AFP in an exclusive interview that U.S. actions were not always consistent with its insistence that it does not target Muslims.

"If you are talking about relationships with the Muslim countries it is not just providing aid in the way they have provided it now -- which is very good, I'm not suggesting it is not good -- but there has to be more than that," Abdullah said.

"The whole foreign policy stance has to be corrected."

President George W. Bush and incoming Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have made it clear they believe U.S. aid for victims of the Dec. 26 tsunamis which killed more than 280,000 people -- most of them Muslims -- would ease the widespread dislike of the U.S. in the Islamic world.

"I think in a way it will help," Abdullah said in his office in this new administrative capital. "But they have to do something more on a permanent basis, not just on these particular occasions.

"I think the whole stance of the policy of the U.S. towards Muslims -- there is something that could be construed as negative profiling.

"President Bush says he is not anti-Islam or anti-Muslim. But his policy towards some countries, which are Muslim countries, OIC countries, can be interpreted as an example of not being consistent with the policy of not being anti-Islam and not anti- Muslim."

Abdullah, whose country strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, criticized Washington for now threatening possible military action against Iran.

Bush said last week he could not rule out resorting to force unless Iran can be persuaded to abandon a nuclear energy program which Washington believes is a cover for developing a bomb.

Abdullah said "statements of pre-emptive action, like Iran, also the issue of Syria," should be replaced by negotiations.

"I always believe it is better to talk. Talk with the idea of solving the problem rather than talk with threats -- that will not go down well."

Iraq, Iran and Syria are all members of the OIC, of which Abdullah is current chairman.

On Sunday's elections in Iraq, Abdullah said: "I am very concerned on what the outcome is going to be because there is still violence there.

"But I do hope that the election will be able to take place. That's very important, because it marks the beginning of a new Iraq.

"It is a very important landmark for Iraq and I think the Iraqis should seize the opportunity."

He said he knew the Sunni Muslim minority, which was in power under former dictator Saddam Hussein, was unhappy with some aspects of the election, "but a constitution has to be drafted so all these issues can be taken up again".

Turning once more to the tsunami disaster, Abdullah rejected as "unfair" allegations by some western critics that rich Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia had not done enough to help the victims -- most of whom are Muslims living in the Indonesian province of Aceh.

"As soon as this tsunami disaster struck several countries, I had evidence from United Nations sources that Islamic countries have been making their contributions," he said.

"They believe what they have done is enough, so I don't question this."