UK: The former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, was on the defensive yesterday as British Muslim leaders reacted furiously to his description of Islamic culture as authoritarian, inflexible and underachieving.
The Muslim Council of Britain expressed its dismay and accused Dr Carey of "recycling old religious prejudice", while the chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations said the former archbishop had "fallen prey to the campaign tactics of racists" in Britain.
In the most outspoken remarks of any church leader since September 11th, 2001, Dr Carey used a speech in Rome to denounce the failure of moderate Muslims to unequivocally condemn the "evil" of suicide bombings.
And he attacked the "glaring absence" of democracy in Muslim countries, declaring: "Yes, the west has still much to be proud of, and we should say so strongly. We should also encourage Muslims living in the west to be proud of it and say so to their brothers and sisters living elsewhere."
While acknowledging that most Muslims were peaceful people who should not be demonised, Dr Carey urged moderates to "resist strongly" the taking over of Islam by radical activists "and to express strongly, on behalf of many millions of their co-religionists, their abhorrence of violence done in the name of Allah."
He said: "We look to them to condemn suicide bombers and terrorists who use Islam as a weapon to destabilise and destroy innocent lives.
"Sadly, apart from a few courageous examples, very few Muslim leaders condemn clearly and unconditionally the evil of the suicide bombers who kill innocent people."
The former archbishop also urged Europeans and Americans to resist claims that Islamic states were morally, politically or spiritually superior.
Dr Carey also used his speech to urge the west to tackle the Palestinian problem and other inequalities in the Muslim world, warning: "It will do us little good if the west believes the answer is to put an end to Osama bin Laden.
"Rather, we must put an end to conditions, distortions and misinformation that create him him and his many emulators."
Mr Manzoor Moghal, chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations, said: "This is a disastrous statement from the former archbishop. He has fallen prey to the campaign tactics of racists in this country."
Mr Iqbal Sacranie for the Muslim Council said mainstream Muslim organisations had consistently condemned terrorist attacks but often found their statements ignored by the media.
"Frankly, one is dismayed by Lord Carey's comments," he said: "One is surprised to find Lord Carey recycling the same old religious prejudice in the 21st century."