Annan urges East and West to find common ground

Doha: Western and Islamic leaders here on Sunday warned that extremism should not be emphasised and common ground for dialogue should be found to prevent the tense international situation from escalating.

"Extremism should not be overemphasised - it is important we understand that the problem is not with the faith but with a small group of the faithful, those extremists who tend to abuse and misinterpret the faith to support their causes," said Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations.

"We must appeal to the majority to speak up and denounce those who disrespect the values and principles of solidarity that are present in all great religions."

Annan's appeal came at the opening of the High Level Group's meeting of the Alliance of Civilisations.

"Misperception feeds extremism and extremism feeds misperception. That is the vicious circle. That is the purpose of the alliance," he said.

He said while the alliance was born from the sense of a widening gap between Islamic and Western societies, the international crises over the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) proved there was now an urgent need for action.

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, called on the alliance to focus on policies involving the young in bridging the cultural divide.

Turkish Minister of State Mehmet Aydin blamed the crises on Western Islamophobia and cultural and economic domination.

"Behind the cartoon crises lie centuries-old prejudices, a kind of arrogant cultural mindset fed and maintained by a growing Islamophobic social milieu and a political vision and praxis that seem to carve their ways largely through enlarged self-interests, unfounded generalisations or even invented differences," he said.

"There is the unhappy experience coming from the periods of colonialism, certain wounds, that have been bleeding more than half a century, continuing political, military, economic and even cultural domination as well as unjust political and economic structures and practices that result in frustration, isolation and alienation."

The Emir of Qatar His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Shaikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Misnad, were present.