expressed by the Malaysian government leader and Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind behind September 11.
In a statement sent today to BosNewsLife, the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (IRPP) expressed concern about remarks made by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit this weekend.
The Malaysian leader had said, among other things, that "Jews "rule the world by proxy" and the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims should unite, using nonviolent means for a "final victory."
"We are actually very strong. One-point-three billion people cannot be simply wiped out," he said. "The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them."
SURPRISED
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamir Albar was surprised about the international condemnation of the prime minister’s remarks.
"I’m sorry that they have misunderstood the whole thing," the foreign minister told reporters later. "The only problem with the Jews is when the State of Israel was created," he added.
"The remarks of the Prime Minister make evident the unfortunate fact that anti-Semitism, racism, and ethnic and religious hatred are alive and well at the highest levels around the globe," said Institute President Joseph K. Grieboski.
"The Institute on Religion and Public Policy calls on Prime Minister Mohamad to recant his remarks and apologize to the Jewish community for his bigotry and fanaticism."
BIN LADEN
He also expressed outrage about an audio tape believed to be that of the fugitive Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader, who prosecutors say played a key role in the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.
On Monday, October 20, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said the tape initially aired on the al-Jazeera television network is probably authentic, news reports said.
He apparently can be heard urging urging Iraqis to wage a holy war, while pledging more suicide attacks "inside and outside" the United States.
"BROTHER FIGHTERS"
You my brother fighters in Iraq … I tell you: You are God’s soldiers and the arrows of Islam, and the first line of defense for this (Muslim) nation today … so don’t (fail) the Muslims today," the recording reportedly stated.
The IRPP is urging participants of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions and leaders of the 18 religions that participated to delegations to denounce the statement, the organization said.
Leaders at the unprecedented religious congress in Kazakhstan last month agreed to create what they call a "United Nations of Religions", a move expected to worry some evangelical Christians.
The President of the mainly Muslim and former Soviet nation, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has offered to provide a new building in the capital Astana for the organization where disputes can be discussed in a neutral setting.
