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