KUALA LUMPUR, 24 September 2004 — Western countries have fueled international terrorism by invading Iraq but Muslim nations should help rebuild the country, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said yesterday.

Badawi, who is chairman of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), warned that if Muslims did not participate, a country which was once “a symbol of Islam’s greatness ...will be rebuilt in the mold and under the influence of others”.

Reconstruction should take place under the supervision of the United Nations, which should also be strengthened and given a key role in fighting the war on terror, Badawi said.

In a nationally broadcast two-hour speech to the convention of his ruling United Malays National Organization, Badawi urged Muslims to reject the use of terrorism and criticized the West for encouraging it.

“Malaysia will work to convince the countries of the West in particular to reassess and change their policies in the Middle East,” he said. “Their stand on the Palestinian issue and their actions in contravening international law, such as the invasion of Iraq, are factors that fuel acts of terror.”

Efforts to prevent terrorism should address the root causes, he told delegates to the congress, the first he has addressed as party leader since taking over from former Premier Mahathir Mohamad last year.

“We must reject violence that targets innocent civilians. Similarly, violence that is caused by any party, be it nations or militant groups, cannot be accepted,” he said.

“The term ‘jihad’ (struggle) should not be misused and should not be misinterpreted to justify terrorism. Such actions only serve to tarnish the teachings of Islam. Islam does not permit such violence. If unchecked, such cruelty will benefit no one.”

In an obvious reference to the United States, Badawi said: “There is unease around the world that a single country dominates all the military, economic, political and cultural dimensions of power.” A more peaceful world could only be achieved if nations refrained from the use of force unless it was sanctioned by the United Nations, and respected international law and national sovereignty, he said.

Badawi called for greater unity among members of the OIC, the world’s biggest grouping of Islamic nations.

“Collectively, the OIC must shatter the increasing prejudice against Muslims worldwide. The international community must stop equating Islam with violence, poverty and indignity. “The OIC must address the issues that are contributing to the growing schism between the Muslim world and the West,” he said. “The unresolved Palestinian issue remains a central issue that must be addressed by the Ummah (Islamic community) and the global community.

“The international community must uphold the rights of the Palestinian people to national independence and the exercise of sovereignty in their own state, with Jerusalem as its capital,” he said. Badawi also outlined his vision of the role Islam should play in Malaysia, one of the world’s most economically advanced Muslim countries.

“Islam makes it compulsory for Muslims to embrace knowledge in all fields. The misconception that there exists a difference between so-called secular knowledge and religious knowledge must be corrected. “Islam demands the mastery of science and technology and the enhancement of skills and expertise,” he said.

Badawi issued a veiled warning to dissident politician Anwar Ibrahim by saying he would come down hard on unrest, six years after Anwar supporters rocked the nation with street protests.

Badawi, addressing his first party assembly as incoming leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), did not refer to Anwar by name but it was clear he had in mind the former deputy premier, released from jail this month. “We will bring the full force of the law against anyone or any group which tries to obstruct us from fulfilling this development agenda (if they use) violence and rioting,” Badawi said to applause from around 2,000 party faithful in the capital.