Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Religious extremism compels everyone especially religious scholars and intellectuals to play a part in combating ignorance and the perversion of religion, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
The Prime Minister, who outlined a four-pronged strategy to combat such occurrence, said religious scholars and intellectuals in the country must be encouraged to engage with the wider public.
"It is not enough to produce intellectual works and present papers in scholarly meetings, important as these may be. Scholars and intellectuals should not lock themselves away in their ivory towers," he said Thursday in his opening address at the international conference on religion in the quest for global justice and peace at Renaissance Hotel here.
"Instead, they should be prepared to educate the public on the great issues that face us all," he said adding that thinkers and researchers must be prepared to play their part in broadening public understanding of religion and its role in promoting justice.
Abdullah said another strategy was to take a closer look at the religious curricula in schools and universities.
"Religious education should emphasise those values and principles enshrined in our respective religions, which makes us better human beings.
"Our religious education should convince us that the dignity and integrity of all human beings is worthy of our respect. Religion should inculcate a truly universal and inclusive outlook, not mentality that is narrow, exclusive and parochial."
Thirdly, he said the role of the media in promoting a universal and inclusive dimension of religion that focused upon justice and peace should be intensified.
He added that journalists and media practitioners in general should deepen and broaden their understanding of religion to play a more effective role in advancing the universal values of justice, peace and compassion.
Fourthly, he said positive religious values in the governance of institutions from the Government to the basic family unit must be implemented.
"We must combat the prevailing public mood which is sometimes prejudiced against religion, and often views religion as fundamentally divisive."
He said that was why Islam Hadhari, based on 10 fundamental principles derived from the universal principles found within the Muslim tradition, was introduced as it could dispel the negative prejudices against religion.
Abdullah said in the quest for justice and peace, many individuals and groups had abused the name of God and religion to justify violence and terrorism.
"Such extremism has been observed many times in the course of history and is certainly not new to our modern age. In each instance, the virtuous teachings of religion have been twisted and manipulated to serve an unholy agenda.
"Hatred and bigotry are propagated on behalf of one's religion, for the sake of political gain or personal profit."
He said those who advocate extremist tendencies in the sphere of faith and religion often had a very shallow understanding of the philosophies and worldviews embodied in their respective religions.
"They take verses out of context, without any understanding of the larger historical setting which underlie such verses. This distorted perspective of religion becomes a convenient tool for the pursuit of power and selfish interest."
Abdullah also said there should be tireless efforts to tackle issues relating to the quest for justice and peace.
"We always face the same issues and always feel disappointed. We hope for justice but war erupts. We hope for justice but violence occurs.
"We should not admit defeat in the jihad to free the world of war and violence. Don't give up on fighting those who cause war and violence. It should be our lifelong struggle," he added.