The West must end "Islamophobia" and Muslim nations must tackle the causes of religious extremism, such as poverty, to win the fight against terrorism, the head of the world's largest body of Islamic nations said on Friday. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said the war on terrorism could not be won by military might alone. Abdullah said in a speech in Sydney that the West and the Muslim world must unite to tackle the "root causes of terrorism", such as poverty. "The increasing gulf and misunderstanding between the West and the Muslim world must be bridged. But it requires both sides to work in tandem to close the chasm," said Abdullah. The IOC groups 57 Islamic nations. "The non-Muslim world, especially the West, must be prepared to discard their prejudices against Islam. Muslims too must be prepared to begin a process of reform and renewal in their respective Muslim countries," he said. Abdullah is in Australia in part to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement. "It is not justifiable to associate terrorism with any particular race or religion," he said. "Islam and Muslim countries should not be made accountable for them." Abdullah said for the world to defeat extremism and terrorism it must first understand the causes of terrorism, singling out poverty as a major threat to global security.
