Malaysian leader calls for union of moderates to combat religious intolerance – UN

Decrying what he said was a rising tide of Islamophobia, Malaysia’s Prime Minister at the General Assembly today called for the creation of a global coalition of moderates to combat the forces of religious extremism.

“Attempts to demonize Islam offend the one and a half billion adherents of the religion,” and also “intensifies the divide between the broad Muslim world and the West,” Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak said at the Assembly’s annual high-level debate.

“The real issue is not between Muslims and non-Muslims, but between the moderates and extremists of all religions, be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism.”

Across all faiths, he said, “the ugly voices of the periphery” have hijacked reason and common sense.

Mr. Razak urged the establishment of a Global Movement of Moderates from all religions to marginalize extremists.

“We must, and I repeat, we must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us,” he said.

The official told leaders assembled at United Nations Headquarters today that he is heartened to note that a group of Evangelical Christians worked tirelessly to halt the threatened burning of copies of the Koran by a clergyman in the United States, also condemned by the world body.

“This is a clear example of what can be achieved when moderates in each faith stand up to the extremists that are trying to hijack the universal values of our religions,” he said.

The world can also learn from the example of Malaysia, a “multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and democratic society that has benefited from the positive interaction and synergy between the various communities,” Mr. Razak said.

Although Islam is the South-East Asian nation’s official religion, other faiths – including Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism – are also honoured, he added.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), climate change and world trade were among the topics the Prime Minister discussed during his talks with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the debate today.

The UN chief expressed appreciation for Mr. Razak’s leadership in advancing the MDGs, the eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, as well as for Malaysia’s active support for UN peacekeeping missions.

The two leaders underscored the importance of an inclusive and credible electoral process in Myanmar, where the first polls in two decades are due to be held in November.

Also speaking at the Assembly today was Gambia’s Foreign Minister, who said that nationalists and far-right groups in Western countries are trying to foment Islamophobia to provoke all-out religious conflict, urging governments to take steps to reduce anti-Muslim sentiment.

Mamadou Tangara said that some Muslims living in Western countries “have been subjected to numerous prejudicial treatments and unnecessary fear.”

He stressed that Muslims would not be intimidated into abandoning their beliefs.

“A European State’s banning of minarets for mosques, another’s restriction on the use of Islamic veil, and the refusal of some doctors to treat women (as well as men) on account of their Islamic beliefs, are examples of shameful and arrogant attitudes from a world that considers itself as the most civilized and democratic,” he said.

Mr. Tangara said those Westerners that had threatened to burn or abuse the Koran were fuelling tensions and insecurity between peoples.

“Their actions constitute manipulations to judge Islam and its followership in the wrong way. We must not allow bigots, racists and evil entities in the West that are masquerading as nationalist and far rights [groups] to spate global religious war. If this happens, the entire human race would suffer. Therefore, Western governments should do more to stop these real terrorists on the rampage.”