Malaysian PM Accuses U.S. of Intolerance
But Mahathir was also harshly critical of groups within Islam who distort its message to advance their own political causes.
Mahathir was speaking to reporters at the World Economic Forum, a five-day gathering of corporate and political leaders that has been dominated this year by the issue of terrorism.
Usually held in Davos, Switzerland, the forum venue was this year switched to New York in a gesture of solidarity with the city, which was the target of a deadly suicide operation carried out last September 11.
"Unless Muslim anger and frustration is understood and tackled, we're not going to get anywhere in overcoming terrorism."
Mahathir cited Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israel as the principal cause of Muslim anger, along with United Nations-imposed -- and U.S.-backed -- economic sanctions on Iraq, which have had a devastating effect on the Iraqi population.
Although he has met with U.S. President George Bush and offered his views on Islam and terrorism, Mahathir complained that "at the moment we find it very difficult to penetrate the minds of the American leaders."
"The U.S. should listen to the views of others .... because there is a tendency to feel that any opinion that is not American cannot be right."
He also warned that if the United States extends its campaign against terrorism by attacking other Islamic countries "you're going to alienate the entire Muslim world."
Mahathir did not spare Islamic extremists who have deliberately "interpreted Islam to support their own political views."
"There is nothing wrong with the religion of Islam," he said.
But as a result of politically motivated distortions by "people who pretend they are learned in Islam" ... "People are doing things that are contrary to Islam."
Mahathir stressed that Islam in fact prohibits violence against innocent people and teaches that Muslims can only go to war when they are attacked.
Also, the European Union Monday clearly stated that it does not agree with the characterization axis of evil' used by U.S. President George Bush in his first state of union address last week.
"The EU presidency, Javier Solana and Chris Patten, the three troika representatives, have not used these words and we do not agree with that kind of policy," EU spokesman for external relations, Gunnar Wiegand, said yesterday.
He was responding to IRNA's question on the issue during the daily European Commission briefing.
Spain currently holds the EU presidency. Javier Solana is the EU's high representative for a common foreign, defense and security policy, and Chris Patten is the EU commissioner for external relations.
In response to questions posed by other journalists on EU-Iran ties, Wiegand said, "The EU has a clear policy toward Iran which will be consistently pursued.''
The EU spokesman noted that the EC has proposed a mandate for negotiations with Iran on a cooperation and trade agreement and that all EU member states are in favor of such a mandate.
"It is the matter now for the council. As soon as the council has taken a decision on the final version of the negotiating directives, we are ready to start negotiations," he added.
Wiegand reiterated what he said last week that the EU agrees with U.S. efforts to have human rights fully respected and also its views on fighting terrorism and the proliferation of arms of mass destruction.
Fierce criticism of U.S. foreign policy dominated the World Social Forum's Peace Conference here, which drew to a close urging that a democratic mediation mechanism be created to deal with conflicts.
"The inauguration of terror as countries' way of relating was what happened in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks," read the Peace Conference manifesto released at the conclusion of the forum Sunday.
"The United States moved to impose its will by force," and "a new Cold War climate was installed in the world" were among declarations signed by conference organizers Brazil's Workers Union, the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, and the Rio Grande do Sul regional government.
"The United Nations definitively lost its role, the other capitalist powers and nearly all the other governments of the world delegated to the United States the role of permanent terror agents," the text added.
Nobel Peace Prize winner from 1992 Rigoberta Menchu said the United Nations had been undermined as the United States developed its war on terrorism in the wake of the attacks.
"The only instrument that international society had to mediate conflicts was eroded," she said.
Menchu also expressed concern that the events of September 11 had led to "a redistribution of the powers at world level that has not necessarily benefited the population."
Also, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan warned yesterday that U.S. anti-terrorist policies could attract an "even more dreadful" response than the September 11 attacks.
"The United States has toughened even more the policies that were the reason for the events in New York and Washington. Its policy has become even dirtier," he told *** Vremya Novostei *** paper.
"If nothing changes, America will draw even larger fire on itself. Something even more dreadful than the events of September 11 may happen. It will be a very tough response," he said.