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Bush hails Islam to quell anti-US feelings (praises Islam as a religion of liberty and tolerance)
Daily Telegraph ^
| October 23, 2003
| Alex Spillius
Posted on 10/23/2003 1:24:13 PM PDT by Korth
President George W Bush went to Bali, site of the worst terrorist atrocity since the September 11 attacks, yesterday to praise Islam as a religion of liberty and tolerance.
Mr Bush's trip was an attempt to tackle anti-American sentiment in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation.
At a press conference in Bali, where 202 people were killed when Islamic extremists linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda network blew up two packed nightclubs a year ago, Mr Bush said: "Terrorists who claim Islam as their inspiration defile one of the world's greatest faiths.
"Murder has no place in any religious tradition."
Mr Bush said he wanted to correct what he felt was a misconception that the war on terrorism was a cover for a war against Islam or that Americans thought all Muslims were terrorists.
He paid tribute to the victims of the Bali bombings and praised his host, President Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia, for hunting down terrorists.
Three of the Bali bombers have been sentenced to death but critics have accused Indonesia's secular government of failing to explain the dangers of radical Islam to its people and to tackle militancy at its roots, especially in radical Muslim boarding schools.
Owing to security concerns, Mr Bush spent only four hours on the resort island and chose to remain at a hotel five minutes' drive from the airport where his meetings were held.
Flights were postponed throughout his visit and as he spoke, just yards from the Indian Ocean, warships could be seen patrolling offshore. Five thousand heavily armed police and troops backed up by sniffer dogs and bomb squad units were deployed.
The brevity of his trip underlined how much more dangerous Indonesia and South-East Asia have become since the boom era of the 1980s and early 1990s. When Ronald Reagan visited, he stayed three nights in Bali, hosted by the dictator Suharto.
Mr Bush made a point of meeting leaders of two moderate Muslim organisations which represent about 50 million of the 210 million population.
They pointed out that American policies in the Middle East were a root cause of terrorism and asked him to listen more to the rest of the world. "We told him US foreign policy should seek a new paradigm if the US wants to be respected by the world community and be safe," said Syafii Maarif, head of one of the groups, Muhammadiyah.
"It was an open and lively meeting which we did not expect."
Thousands of protesters - including Mrs Megawati's sister - gathered at an independence monument in the centre of the capital, Jakarta, to demonstrate against Mr Bush's visit,
Mr Bush arrived last night in Australia, the last stop on his six-day, six-nation tour.
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: apecsummit; bali; bush; freedom; indonesia; islam; liberty; muslims; religionofpeace; religionofpieces
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1
posted on
10/23/2003 1:24:14 PM PDT
by
Korth
To: Korth
Why not dedicate a new mosque at the site of the WTC?
2
posted on
10/23/2003 1:24:51 PM PDT
by
Monty22
To: Monty22
Give the guy a break. Talk softly and carry a big stick. You sure are peaceful. BAM! I sure like them robes. KABOOM!
3
posted on
10/23/2003 1:28:06 PM PDT
by
Naspino
To: Korth
One question: why are we bending over backwards to placate them when they spend so much time and effort demonizing us?
I don't get it. You won't catch me sweet-talking anyone who'll stab me in the back without hesitation.
4
posted on
10/23/2003 1:28:26 PM PDT
by
Prime Choice
(---] Stay the course -- Bush 2004 [---)
To: Korth
Is President Megawati related to Redi-Kilowatt?
To: Korth
Mr Bush said: "Terrorists who claim Islam as their inspiration defile one of the world's greatest faiths. "Murder has no place in any religious tradition." Good grief...I HATE hearing him spout this BS! I know there must an underlying strategy that forces the President to utter this lie, but I still HATE hearing it.
6
posted on
10/23/2003 1:30:07 PM PDT
by
pgkdan
To: pgkdan; All
It isn't a lie. Islam has been in the past and can be a religion of peace and tolerance. During the days of the Ottoman Empire, Christians and Jews alike would flee Christian Europe to live and work in the Ottoman Empire, because they had more religious and economic freedom there. There is nothing wrong with praising what Islam has been, is to many Muslims today, and can be nationally in the future.
7
posted on
10/23/2003 1:33:46 PM PDT
by
Norse
To: Korth
This stuff is starting to p!ss me off. How many dead people the world over does it take before people see Islam is deadly for non-Islamics.
Bush is starting to smell from all the arab and Mexican butt kissing.
To: Monty22
If it was to remember the Muslims that died in the WTC (the workers, not the murderers), that wouldn't be a bad idea, along with a chapel, synagogue, etc. Don't forget that Osama murders Muslims, too.
To: Monty22
BTTT.
10
posted on
10/23/2003 1:35:17 PM PDT
by
veronica
("I just realised I have a perfect part for you in "Terminator 4"....)
To: Norse
Well spoken.
To: pgkdan
According to my recent search for the truth, Mohammed was an illiterate, lying, murdering, pedifile with a terminal disease that made him hallucinate. He was neither a prophet or a peace loving man.
12
posted on
10/23/2003 1:36:25 PM PDT
by
BubbaBasher
(Diversity is something that should be overcome, not celebrated.)
To: Norse
And they were second class citizens, more than welcome to renounce their faith and become Moslems to attain first class citizen status.
13
posted on
10/23/2003 1:37:11 PM PDT
by
eyespysomething
(As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17))
To: Norse
Norse, you are buying some pretty bad propaganda there. You'd make a good Saudi spokesman.
14
posted on
10/23/2003 1:38:13 PM PDT
by
Monty22
To: Prime Choice
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
15
posted on
10/23/2003 1:39:29 PM PDT
by
TADSLOS
(Right Wing Infidel since 1954)
To: Monty22
Islam is about as tolerant as hell. Islamic countries even put to death a Muslim who decides to follow Jesus Christ.
Islam hates Jesus as much as Satan did when he was kicked out of heaven with 1/3 of the heavenly host. So why lie?
16
posted on
10/23/2003 1:40:18 PM PDT
by
tessalu
To: Prime Choice
One question: why are we bending over backwards to placate them when they spend so much time and effort demonizing us? I don't get it. You won't catch me sweet-talking anyone who'll stab me in the back without hesitation.I agree. This is starting to drive me absolutely NUTS! Islam is not a religion of peace. It's not even a religion in any rational sense of the word. It's a freaking induced mental disorder. Most of them I see in the news every freaking night either seem totally dedicated to the absolute destruction of Western Civilization or are blathering some pap about "not all Muslims are raving homicidal maniacs". Enough already! Rant Off.
17
posted on
10/23/2003 1:40:28 PM PDT
by
Desron13
To: TADSLOS
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. If we were any closer to them, we'd be behind them.
18
posted on
10/23/2003 1:41:28 PM PDT
by
Prime Choice
(---] Stay the course -- Bush 2004 [---)
To: Norse
Ha!
How, pray tell, did the Ottomans gain their empire?
Did they play tiddly winks against the King of Bulgaria?
19
posted on
10/23/2003 1:42:03 PM PDT
by
B Knotts
To: John Beresford Tipton
Is President Megawati related to Redi-Kilowatt? No, but he is a relative of both James Watt and Carmen Electra!
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