The world’s most populous Muslim nation was praised Wednesday by President Bush for supporting the war on terror, but he told Indonesia that Islamic extremists had defiled a great religion. Bush, however, ran afoul of leading moderate Muslim clerics during talks on the resort island of Bali, where Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda blew up two nightclubs packed with foreign tourists just over a year ago, killing 202 people. Reflecting growing mistrust of the United States among ordinary Indonesians, the clerics criticized Washington for supporting Israel over the Palestinians and for the occupation of Iraq. They said Bush needed to listen more to the opinions of the rest of the world. Bush, speaking against the backdrop of a palm-fringed beach and turquoise sea, expressed his gratitude to Indonesia after meeting President Megawati Sukarnoputri and the clerics. “We know that Islam is fully compatible with liberty and tolerance and progress because we see the proof in your country and in our own,” he told a news conference. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.