Bali, Indonesia - The president of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, called on Thursday for religious moderation rather than a dogmatic approach that he said could lead to "hatred and ignorance".
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was speaking at an international interfaith dialogue in Bali, the resort island where bombings by Islamic militants killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, in October 2002.
Indonesia is co-sponsoring the two-day Asian-Europe dialogue with Britain, which itself suffered bombings on July 7 which authorities blamed on militants. The London blasts killed more than 50 people.
Yudhoyono told the meeting, attended by nearly 200 participants from 27 countries, that "we must all practice our faith with utmost devotion, but we must also never cease to think rationally and constructively".
That could "save future generations from the scourge of wars and conflicts, from the spectre of hatred and ignorance", he said.
"Moderation certainly does not mean compromising" on religious fundamentals, but does require a "a holistic approach ... rather than a literal, piecemeal and narrow view, which often leads to rigid practices and extreme behaviour", Yudhoyono added.
Some 85 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people are Muslim and the vast majority moderate, but militant influences have gained ground in recent years.
The al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network was blamed for the Bali blasts as well as deadly bombings in Jakarta at a luxury hotel in 2003 and at the Australian embassy in 2004.
"Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion. We should not acknowledge terrorists claiming themselves to be representing religion," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said at a news conference at the meeting.
British junior Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said the London bombings, with victims from 19 countries, showed it was more important than ever for people "to say to the terrorist ... we will not be divided and our resolve will hold firm".