Islam in the eyes of Bush

Islam in the eyes of Bush

There is an apparent desire of the United States
administration to interfere with Islamic educational institutions
in countries where Muslims are the majority.

U.S. efforts to interfere in Islamic education were revealed
when President George W. Bush visited Bali and met with
Indonesian Muslim leaders. Bush promised to provide US$157
million to change the curriculum at Islamic schools here over the
next six years. The aid would come from the money to fight
terrorism.

The U.S. has reportedly also tried to get its hands on Islamic
educational institutions in other countries, including Egypt.

However, Bush's efforts have been resisted. In Indonesia more
than 1,000 ulemas gathered at the Assidiqiyah Islamic boarding
school in Batu Ceper, Tangerang, expressed their objections to
the U.S. aid offer. Noted ulemas from Al-Azhar University have
also rejected the aid plan.

The rejections are understandable because Islam does not teach
violence or terror to reach a goal. If the offer for aid were
accepted it would have been tacit acknowledgement that Islam
allows terrorism.

The core problem is not the curriculum of Islamic schools. It
is a matter of the attitudes and policies of President Bush. The
solution to the problem is for America to stop its arbitrary
actions as the policeman of the world.

The attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the U.S.'s
defense of Israel, are evidence of Bush's arrogance.

Recent terrorist attacks are related to the U.S. attitude and
we are concerned that if the U.S. fails to change its attitude
hatred (against America) will remain.

It is obvious that the real root of terror is injustice.

-- Republika, Jakarta

;;
ANPAk..r..
Otherop-Iraq
On Iraq
JP/6/Iraq

On Iraq

From the beginning it has been said that the United States
must use a broad arsenal in which diplomatic, police, political
and military efforts work together.

However, one problem from an American viewpoint is that the
humility and willingness to cooperate that existed immediately
after the terror attacks in New York and Washington was
conspicuous by its absence during the diplomatic prelude to the
Iraq war. Then the tone was significantly more self-confident
than it is today.

It does not do any good, however, to dwell on all that has
happened.

The outside world -- including the United States -- must act
according to the reality which exists. And the reality is that an
Iraq where terror is allowed to win becomes a bigger threat
against international peace and security than Saddam Hussein's
oppressive regime was.

-- Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm, Sweden