Egypt, France airdrop aid to Gaza amid growing humanitarian crisis, global criticism of Israel    Supply minister discusses strengthening cooperation with ITFC    Egypt launches initiative with traders, manufacturers to reduce prices of essential goods    SCZONE chief discusses strengthening maritime, logistics cooperation with Panama    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Egypt reviews health insurance funding mechanism to ensure long-term sustainability    Gaza on verge of famine as war escalates, ceasefire talks stall    Gaza crisis, trade on agenda as Trump hosts Starmer in Scotland    Egyptian president follows up on initiatives to counter extremist thought    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    58 days that exposed IMF's contradictions on Egypt    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



US Secretary Rice says Islam is a religion of peace
Published in Daily News Egypt on 27 - 07 - 2007

WASHINGTON, DC: Islam is a great faith and a religion of peace, said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday in an interview with Al Hurra Television.
Her comments on Islam came at the end of the interview, which dealt mostly with the upcoming peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
The interviewer, Michel Ghandour, asked the US Secretary if she had any words to express to the Arab world. Rice's response was a resounding statement of support for the Arab world and Islam, laced with some subtle criticism of the United State's previous policies in the region.
"It's not always been an involvement that I think upheld the principles of democracy and freedom, she said. "Sometimes we fell into a sense of exceptionalism for the Middle East and talked only about stability.
She continued her answer, segueing into a discussion of Islam, its growing importance in the United States, and its peaceful foundations.
We could never.disrespect Islam by believing that the violent people who kill innocent people and chant the name of Islam really represent the future of the Middle East and the future of the Arab world, she said.
Her comments mirrored previous statements that she has made, in which she has lauded Islam as a religion of peace and condemned those that "hijack the great world religion to a cause that clearly has nothing to do with Islam.
But her remarks on Wednesday brought the issue close to home, as she talked about the rise of Islam in the United States and its importance in her country's future.
"We here in the United States could never disrespect Islam because Islam is a part of us, she said. "Islam is a very fast-growing religion in the United States. We could never disrespect Islam because we know that it is a great faith and a peaceful faith
But although the Secretary's comments attempted to depict Islam as being an accepted part of US society, they stood in contrast to what has been deemed a growing trend of Islamophobia in the country that was attacked by Al-Qaeda insurgents on September 11, 2001.
In September 2006, a report by ABC News looking at how the United States had dealt with the attacks over the previous five years argued that Islamophobia in the United States had risen dramatically.
In addition to several individual incidents of discrimination, ABC reported that 40 percent of Americans admit feeling prejudice against Muslims and that 39 percent of Americans say US Muslims should carry special identification.
Egyptian Islamic scholar, Gamal El Banna, is also skeptical of the degree of acceptance of Islam that exists in the West. "I don't think that Westerners really try to understand Islam, he told Daily News Egypt. "Islam has become a popular subject. But there hasn't been a great effort to make the West understand the real spirit of Islam.
But there was no mention of this disconnect between the West and Islam in Rice's comments, as she insisted that the United States valued and respected the religion as an integral part of its society.
She concluded her interview saying that she hoped the United States could be a "constructive partner in building a peaceful and democratic Middle East.


Clic here to read the story from its source.