On Sudarsono's article

Referring to the article The West and Islam in Indonesia published in The Jakarta Post on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, we have the following comments.

The author did not mention he was expressing his personal views. Although the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly stated (in the Jakarta Post on Nov. 8) that "the opinions expressed in the article are personal in nature," both the Post and the author are to be blamed for such an error.

Sudarsono, referring to a third party throughout the article, dealt with the bin Laden phenomenon in a way that serves a false and misleading perception, invented by certain circles in Israel and elsewhere. That is to say, governments of Middle Eastern countries are responsible for extremism and terrorism in the region so as to divert attention from the real issue, ie. the brutal Israeli military occupation of Palestine as the main root cause of violence and extremism in the region and in the Muslim world.

This is a fact Sudarsono was not able to identify throughout the article. Apart from the fact that the bin Laden phenomenon was the product of the Cold War -- an important issue Sudarsono completely disregarded -- reform in the Arab world has never been an issue for al-Qaeda.

In this regard, it is regrettable that Sudarsono's article comes at a time that the Palestinian issue is receiving unprecedented international support, including from many elements in the Israeli military establishment.

Sudarsono -- rightly -- attaches great importance to the "dialogs with the economies and cultures of the West as well as the great traditions of China, Japan and India." We fully support such dialogs that go hand in hand with Islam's rich humanitarian tradition.

The Koran's core message is pluralistic, featuring respect for the values of other traditions. (As a matter of fact, the Organization of the Islamic Conference started such dialogs with other faiths in the early 1990s.) However, Sudarsono made no mention of the importance of inter-Muslim dialog.

The exchange of visits and experiences between Muslim academics, ulemas and the elite in Muslim societies can promote peace, tolerance and other great values of Islam. In this connection, the outcome of the cultural exchange between Indonesia and some Arab countries has always been fruitful for both sides.

We are proud of the leading role that many Indonesian academics and members of the elite, who received their education in Arab countries, have played in promoting religious tolerance and moderation.

EZZAT SAAD Ambassador of Egypt to the Republic of Indonesia Jakarta