BRUSSELS: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has conveyed to the international community that Islam is not a threat and that Islamophobia is often fuelled by extremists in all religions.
ADDRESSING MEDIA: Najib (right) speaks to the media at a press conference in Brussels. Looking on is Anifah. — Bernama photo
He said the international community could look towards Malaysia as a living example of how people of different religions could co-exist in harmony.
Speaking at a media roundtable attended by international news organisations based here, Najib said conflicts existed not between religions
but between the extremists and the moderates of all religions.
“Islam should not be a problem as long as there are moderates in all religions,” he said.
Islam was among the subjects raised during the roundtable and Najib was asked about how Malaysia could address perceptions towards the religion among the European community in the wake of the Europe-Malaysia free trade agreement negotiations that was launched here yesterday.
Najib said it would be good if the European community could engage in dialogues with moderate Islamic countries like Malaysia.
Saying that he did not condone extremism, Najib said the key to solving Islamophobia was to find a long-term solution to the Palestinian issue.
He added that the fate of the Palestinian people, who were deprived of their rights, “strikes a chord among the Muslim world.”
“Some people feel that if there is no hope left, then what is there to live for,” he said, adding that once the Palestinian problems were resolved, terrorism would subside. — Bernama