Israel changed US, Muslim world ties
Web posted at: 2/19/2006 3:43:55
Source ::: The Peninsula

Doha: The creation of Israel in 1948 marked a turning point in US relations with the Muslim world, a US-Islamic world forum that opened here yesterday was told by a key speaker.

Muslim sentiment towards the US turned bitter after the 1967 war, stressed Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) states.

Tracing the history of relations between USA and the Muslim world in his address at the forum, Ihsanoglu said that prior to 1948 there was hardly any bitterness between the two sides.

While maintaining that 9/11 shocked the Muslim world as much as others, and that OIC was the first to condemn it, he said that the war on terror was used to demonise Islam and that further infuriated Muslims and further distanced the two sides.

Earlier, Qatar's First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber Al Thani, opened the forum and delivered a speech.

This is the fourth year in a row since 9/11 that the US-Islamic world forum is being hosted in Doha by US-based Saban Centre at Brookings Institution in coordination with Qatar's Foreign Ministry.

More than 150 delegates, including Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, are taking part along with noted Islamic scholar, Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi.

Karen Hughes, a key advisor to President George W Bush and Under-secretary of State for Public Affairs, was the star speaker at the inaugural session yesterday.

Introductory remarks were given by Martin Indyk, director of Saban Centre for Middle East Policy at Brookings Institution. He also compered the session.

Other speakers included Malaysian Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid Albar and Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain's Foreign Minister.

Sheikh Khalid told the forum how for five centuries the Islamic empire dominated the world with Baghdad in the east and Al Andalus in southern Spain as major seats of learning.

He said that the Arab-Israel conflict was the main irritant in US relations with the Islamic world. Talking of terrorism, he said its causes needed to be studied and called on governments in the region to grant more autonomy to civil societies.

Indyk while noting that over the past four years a fair understanding of the problems were had along with solutions to some, "we seem to have drifted further apart in that period".

The forum which is being held at the Ritz Carlton concludes tomorrow.