South Africa conference slams violence in name of Islam

By: Nabil Raza

CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Muslim leaders from different countries at the close of a three-day conference, which circled around the war on terrorism and its implications for Muslims, here condemned violence being carried out in the name of Islam in Iraq besides criticizing the military occupation.

The conference spokesman Salih Brandt said: “A true Muslim is not a terrorist, which is completely forbidden in our religion, nor passively acquiescent.”

Delegates from India, Pakistan, Turkey, the United States, Malaysia, Europe, Morocco and several countries from southern Africa attended the Cape Town meeting.

The conference provided a platform for mapping out a future of Islam completely outside the paradigm offered in the media, which is that of a conflict between terrorist fundamentalist and tolerant Muslims.

The participants hailed South Africa as “a unique venue” for such gathering at the moment on account of the government’s “constructive and forward-looking approach” towards Islam and the local Muslim community in particular.

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