Nazarbayev: Muslim world should defend Islam’s image

ASTANA – The Muslim world must launch a media campaign to create a more positive image of Islam, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev told participants at the 7th World Islamic Economic Forum June 8, according to Novosti-Kazakhstan.

The Islamic world needs to reinforce the image of Islam as a religion of peace, kindness, tolerance and justice, he said, adding that the Islamic world is itself a target of terrorism.

Terrorism is linked not only to trans-national crime but to geo-political sources too, he said.

Nazarbayev also called for the Islamic world’s 10 largest economies to form a group for dialogue, akin to the Western world’s G8. The Islamic world has the resources to back substantial investment in its own countries, he said.