EU anti-terror head warns on religion intolerance

Europe must tackle religious intolerance to reduce the threat of terrorist attacks, the European Union's top counter-terrorism official said today. Gijs de Vries said in an article in Britain's Financial Times that the murder this month of Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who branded Islamic clerics women-haters, and subsequent attacks on mosques in the Netherlands, highlighted the need. "Confronting intolerance across religious divides and promoting mutual respect ... provide a barrier against terrorism," said de Vries, counter-terrorism coordinator for the 25-nation EU.

He said no European country was immune from a repeat of the Madrid train bombings which killed 191 people on March 11. "Terrorism, which hit Spain so brutally earlier this year, continues to threaten European security," de Vries wrote. He said the international community should counter the threat by uniting to tackle the reasons why some young Muslims become radicalised. "The absence of peace in the Middle East continues to fuel radical propaganda," said de Vries.

"To get the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on course must therefore be a central component of any strategy to combat terrorism. "Europe urgently needs to counter both the radicalisation and the marginalisation of young Muslims."

De Vries said the EU must strengthen its links with "moderate and modernising" Muslims in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. "The fight against terrorism is one which involves all - Muslims and non-Muslims - who cherish a life lived in freedom," he wrote.