Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi delivering his speech at the opening of the World Al-Azhar Alumni Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Pix: Anuar Isman

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday narrow-mindedness among Muslims was their most dangerous enemy today.

He said the characteristic made them not only reject progress but also facilitated Islam's enemies to disseminate their propaganda.

"This narrow-mindedness is most dangerous and, if allowed to fester, will eventually turn Muslims into extremists.

"It is actually a poison in our minds," he said when speaking at the opening of the World Al-Azhar Alumni Conference here.

The prime minister called on ulama (religious scholars) and Muslim thinkers to seek ways to rectify the situation and show Muslims the right path.

Elaborating, Abdullah said the narrow-mindedness would create space for the enemies of Islam to sow seeds of destruction and that if this was not checked from the outset it could become unrestricted like cancer.

"Narrow-mindedness among Muslims is a fundamental problem that has to be overcome immediately. Narrow-minded people interpret Islam according to their limited understanding. Islam is viewed from a narrow angle," he said.

The prime minister cited the assault of influence and propaganda of the enemies of Islam as another dangerous problem, regardless of whether it was carried out openly or covertly.

"Various kinds of propaganda see unrestricted dissemination, more so via cyber space or the Internet which is regarded as a borderless world.

"In facing this situation, I am of the view that ulama (religious scholars)and Muslim thinkers have to express their stand and views to seek ways for Muslims to be on the right track," he said.

Abdullah said the role of the ulama and Muslim thinkers was most important to shed the biased perception of some people who labelled Islam as a religion that advocated terrorism.

"In this matter, the ulama and Muslim thinkers should be united in stating their stand, which could make Muslims a respected people instead of a despised lot who could be exploited by Islam's enemies," he said.

The prime minister said Muslims should ask themselves why they were weak in resolving their problems.

"Surely, this incapacity comes from within our own countries and has to be identified," he said, adding that the primary cause was the economic weakness of any nation.

As such, he said, it was mandatory to eradicate poverty and economic backwardness because they can further weaken Muslims and expose them to exploitation and put them under pressure.

Abdullah proposed that able Islamic countries accept as many students as possible from poor Islamic countries and empower them with knowledge which they could utilise to develop their own countries.

"In Malaysia, we use the human capital development approach to spur economic development," he said.

The prime minister said Muslims should also learn from history instead of being preoccupied with the future.

"Some people might assume that we idolise history, nostalgia. That assumption may be correct from one aspect. Nevertheless, from a wider perspective, man has to learn from history because history never lies," he said.

At a news conference later, Abdullah said Malaysia did not have any problem accepting the views of the ulama from Al-Azhar University as they were moderate Muslims.

"Many Al-Azhar graduates here serve in institutions of higher learning and government institutions," he said when asked whether Malaysia could accept the views put forward by the university in the context of rectifying narrow-mindedness among Muslims.

-- BERNAMA