Palestinian suicide bombers were labelled "terrorists" alongside Israeli forces who attack civilians at the opening of a major Islamic conference on terrorism here.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday 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 included the assault on the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, the human bomb attacks by Palestinians and the Tamil Tigers and the attacks against civilians by Israeli forces, 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.
His speech did not receive a particularly enthusiastic response in the conference hall, but the Palestinian representative said later it was "inspiring".
"The OIC countries are united in defending Palestinians and their struggle for liberation. The state of terrorism is Israel," said Faruq Qaddumi, political chief of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Asked about the description of Palestinian sucide bombers as terrorists, Omani Foreign Minister Yusof Alawi Abdullah said: "We should accept that because we are not pleased to see innocent people killed no matter what religion or nationality they are."
Mahathir said that once the world had accepted a definition of terrorism, the United Nations could lead global action against the terrorists.
At the same time, he said, the world must deal with terrorists not just by hunting them down but by removing the causes of their anger and frustration.
The Asian leader, who has been in power in the majority-Muslim country for more than 20 years, objected to the linking of Muslims to terrorism, saying it was not perpetrated by one race or religion.
But he said the September 11 attacks were an "unmitigated disaster for Muslims all over the world.
"Our image, which had not been good, has been made worse. It does not help that we are all weak and disunited."
Mahathir called on Muslims everywhere to "condemn terrorism once it is clearly defined. Terrorising people is not the way of Islam."
He said, however, that Muslims had grievances which were "real and truly unbearable, beyond mere understanding and tolerance."
He then referred at some length to the history of the Palestinian people and said, "if we are serious about stopping terrorists then we must stop both the Palestinians and the Israelis from mutual suicide."
Mahathir also mentioned the "massacre" of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina and, in an apparent reference to Iraq, said "Muslim countries are subjected to attacks and economic sanctions resulting in many deaths from deprivations of all kinds."
He suggested that ideological, military and economic dominance by developed countries was also a cause of terrorism.
"In the eyes of the helplessly poor the rich appear very oppressive, forcing them to accept systems, ideologies and values which they are not yet ready for."
He said there was "a great deal of bitterness and anger among Muslims".
"The impotence of Muslim countries to do anything to remedy the situation adds to this frustration and anger," he said, leading some people to "commit terrible acts of terror."
"Unless we are able to turn the present worldwide anger over the terrorist attack of September 11 into a real campaign against all terrorists irrespective of their religious faiths we are going to find that Muslim bashing will be heightened and our struggle to alleviate the sufferings of hundreds of millions of oppressed Muslims will fail."