KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday he would raise his concerns over growing anger in the Muslim world in talks with U.S. President George W.Bush this month.

Mahathir, who will visit Washington from may 13 to 15, said the situation had worsened since he met Bush on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China in October, AFP reported.

"The situation has changed somewhat since I met President Bush in Shanghai," he told a news conference.

"The situation now is worse than the period immediately after September 11 because there is a great deal more hatred in the world today that will lead to some people taking the kind of actions we describe as acts of terror," he said.

"It is a point that we all should take note of and I would like to express some views on that."

The premier earlier told the pacific basin economic council meeting that he would discuss "a lot of problems affecting Malaysia and the U.S. and the world, principally on how to deal with terrorism" in talks with Bush.

Asked at a dialogue session if the two countries would sign pacts on combatting terrorism, he said: "We are doing our best already.

"I don't think signing pacts and things like that would contribute much. It's better that we have more understanding on how we should go about doing this."

Mahathir blamed "media hype" for the negative perception of Islam in the global war against terror but said this was also largely because many Muslims failed to adhere to Islam's true teachings.

"I am not a modest Muslim leader, I am a Muslim fundamentalist. the problem with many Muslims is that they do things that are actually forbidden by Islam and use Islam as an excuse and it is wrong," he said.

"If we adhere to the true teachings of Islam, we will be a very peaceful, friendly and brotherly people but many of us are not practicing the teachings of Islam.

"We (Malaysia) want to go back to the fundamentals of Islam which preaches that Islam is peace and all Muslims are brothers."

The premier, who has ruled Malaysia for two decades, played down the significance of his first visit to the White House since 1994 when he met Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton.

"The last time I went, it was another president. I have not changed, so I have to meet with the new one," he added.

U.S.-Malaysia relations have improved after the September 11 attacks in the United States, which has praised Malaysia's cooperation in efforts to combat terrorism.

Ties had soured in the past after Clinton's deputy Al Gore was seen to express support for anti-government demonstrators at an APEC conference in Kuala Lumpur.