Kazakh leader urges Muslim countries to create positive image of Islam 9 June 2011 Astana, 8 June: Kazakh President

Nursultan Nazarbayev has suggested Islamic coun tries draw up a project to improve the image of Islam in the world community. "We should create through joint efforts a positive image of Islam as a religion of peace, goodness, tolerance and justice. It is time to seriously think over a common media project of the Islamic countries to stand against the discrediting of the great teaching [of Islam] at both global and regional levels," Nazarbayev said. He was speaking at the World Islamic Economic Forum in Astana today. "The majority of global media outlets are demonizing Islam as a threat to nation al security, cultural and religious morals. They are describing Islam as a relig ion that approves of political violence, extremism and terrorism. One should not put up with a similar situation," the president stressed. "We proceed from the fact that terrorism and extremism have nothing common with the world's religions no mat! ter how they [terrorism and extremism] position th emselves or what political or religious slogans do they use to cover themselves, " Nazarbayev noted. Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0554 gmt 8 Jun 11 -----State-run Kazakh religious body chief discourages wearing of hijab 9 June 2011 The head of the Kazakh Agency on Affairs of Religions, Kayrat Lama Sharif, think s that if Kazakh women wear hijab this might lead to Kazakhstan losing its speci fic national feature. In his opinion, the wearing of hijab is not the main sign of a woman being a Mus lim or a non-Muslim. "A law in Tunis, adopted in 1981, says that hijab is not the basis for Islamic v alues, but it is mostly based on the culture of Arabs and Bedouins. "By allowing our women to wear hijab in a way it is worn in Muslim countries, we are letting our specific national feature be lost," he said. "There are, all in all, 10 million Kazakh people in the Republic of Kazakhstan a nd several million outside it. Therefore, in the first place, we must preserve o ur national traditions. Second, we must always think about patriotism. My person al opinion is that the wearing of hijab does not beautify, nor does it give grou nds for saying that it is the first sign of Islam,! " Kayrat Lama Sharif said. Source: Kazinform, Astana, in Russian 0949 gmt 8 Jun 11 -------Kazakh president urges modernization of Muslim community 9 June 2011 Astana, 8 June: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has noted the need to mode rnize the Muslim community. "The need to modernize the Islamic community is obvious. Above all, it concerns technological, scientific and economic development," Nazarbayev said. He was spe aking at the World Islamic Economic Forum in Astana today. "The Muslim world accounts for one-fifth of the world's population, but is far f rom realizing its potential in the economic sphere," he said in particular. The president noted that not a single country represented the Islamic community in the G8 group. "This reflects the real weight of the Islamic economy in the world economy," Naz arbayev believes. "How many Islamic universities are among the [world's] top 100 higher educationa l institutions? How many Nobel Prize winners in the natural and technical scienc es has the Islamic world produced in the past 20 years? And how many global tech nological innovat! ions have been created in the Islamic world? We should give t hese questions to ourselves to find a worthy answer in the near future," the pre sident concluded. Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0607 gmt 8 Jun 11