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Updated April 1 11.45 am (Singapore time)
Suicide bombers 'terrorists', says Mahathir
KUALA LUMPUR -- Palestinian suicide bombers were labelled 'terrorists' alongside Israeli forces who attack civilians at the opening of a major Islamic conference on terrorism here on Monday.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in an attempt to define terrorism that attacks against civilians must be regarded as acts of terror and the perpetrators regarded as terrorists.
Such acts include the assault on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept 11, the human bomb attacks by Palestinians and the Tamil Tigers and the attacks against civilians by Israeli forces, Dr Mahathir said.
He was addressing foreign ministers or their representatives from 52 countries of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at a special three-day session designed to bring Muslim states into the mainstream of the global debate on terrorism.
Dr Mahathir said that once the world had accepted a definition of terrorism, the United Nations could lead global action against the terrorists.
He objected to the linking of Muslims to terrorism, saying it was not perpetrated by one race or religion, and called on Muslims everywhere to 'condemn terrorism once it is clearly defined. Terrorising people is not the way of Islam'.
'The world must deal with these misguided people not just by hunting them down but also by removing the causes of their anger and frustration,' he said. -- AFP
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