The leadership role played by Malaysia within the Islamic community at "this crucial juncture" in world affairs was welcomed by the President, Mrs McAleese, yesterday.
Speaking on the second day of her state visit to the predominantly Muslim country, Mrs McAleese said it was a particularly important time for "respectful curiosity about each other".
Too many people live on our globe in ignorance and unnecessary fear of one another, she said. Mrs McAleese spoke of the importance of shared dialogue "so that the stranger becomes a friend and that which is unknown becomes familiar and admired".
She spoke of dangers in the way the world had responded to September 11th and warned against "instant labelling and over-stereotyping", something which Irish people had experienced in the past.
"I think we [in Ireland\] have something of a ministry in the world to be able to call for a more reasoned and more reflective response and to warn against the dangers of over-stereotpying. We ourselves have very strong historic instances in that regard," she said.
Asked about her address to the Institute of Foreign Diplomacy on Monday in which she warned against countries going into conflict without UN sanction, the President denied she was directing her comments at the US.
"In fact, quite the reverse. I was talking about everybody's response," she said. "I am not just talking about America. I am talking in a very broad way."
Mrs McAleese said the Islamic world had had a sense that the West was growing more fearful of it even before September 11th. "It has been a process that has been ongoing for a very long time."
She said the Islamic community was at pains to point out that the world of Islam was much richer, profound and more enriching than it was being given credit for.
Mrs McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, yesterday visited the Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia, one of the biggest of its type in the world. The President saw priceless works of art including ceramics, fabrics and ancient copies of the Koran, some going back several hundred years.
She said the visit to the museum gave her the opportunity to learn more about the central features of Malaysian identity and about the beauty and sophistication of the Islamic artistic tradition.
Afterwards, Mrs McAleese told a National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia lunch how the strength of the trade links between Ireland and Malaysia "must come as a shock to many observers".
"They may find it hard to credit that last year Malaysia was Ireland's third most important market outside of Europe, topped only by the US and Japan," she said.
The Malaysian-Ireland connection was not confined to imports and exports, there was also much investment. For example, a company based in Ipoh in Malaysia had recently set up a pharmaceutical factory in an Irish-speaking part of Donegal.
The President also mentioned that the Kerry Group had a substantial operating plant in Johore, using Malaysian raw material such as palm oil to produce food ingredients for export throughout Asia.
There were other notable links between the two countries, she told Malaysian business leaders, including the fact that 250 young Malaysians were to begin medical studies in Ireland this year.
The President will have a farewell audience with the Malaysian king and queen, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, before attending a special reception for the Irish community hosted by the Irish Ambassador to Malaysia, Mr Dan Mulhall, and his wife, Greta.
Today, before leaving for home, she will visit Penang Medical College to meet Malaysian students who have studied in Ireland.