The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)
Show moderate face of Islam to counter Islamophobia, says Najib, 27 April 2012
by LOH FOON FONG (foonfong@thestar.com.my)
KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims should promote moderate values so that they can counter Islamophobia worldwide, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said extremism had led some to question the nature of Islam and portray it in a negative and hostile light.
Najib said he hoped the new Global Movement of Moderates Foundation would be able to play an important part in fostering tolerance and understanding.
“I am convinced that the moderation that runs through the very heart of Islam will come to stand as the enduring value of our times,” he said during his keynote address at the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists Global Donors Forum 2012 yesterday.
Najib said the negative publicity on Islam had at times limited Muslims' philanthropic efforts.
Najib said that in this period of economic recovery, social sector support projects were indispensable in countering the adverse impact of the global crisis on the poor.
As such, he called for an efficient zakat management system, coupled with a strategic distribution approach which would convert recipients into givers. He said Islamic financial institutions had not yet succeeded in making financial services widely accessible to the poor．
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