Islamic teachings had been corrupted to serve the militant cause and al-Qaeda linked terrorists could drive the world to the brink of disaster, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

"Many Muslims refuse to acknowledge that there can be bad Muslims, and that Islamic teachings have been corrupted by some groups to serve their militant cause," he told 100 delegates at an Asia-Pacific Roundtable organised by Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS).

"Their uncompromising ideologies can drive the world to the brink of disaster," Abdullah said.

"Like any other religion, Islam forbids the killing of innocent civilians. Yet some terrorist groups have preached that heaven awaits those who kill innocent civilians, so long as it is in the defence of their cause."

Abdullah said the Muslim world must sever the spurious link that some religious institutions have falsely established between Islam, militancy and killing of people. "Terrorism is the mortal enemy of Islam, not its consort," he said.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has detained without trial more than 90 alleged militants accused of membership in regional terrorist organisations including the Jemaah Islamiah (JI), which was responsible for the Bali bombings in Indonesia in October 2002.

It has pledged full support for international efforts to curb Islamic terrorism, while being sharply critical of the US invasion of Iraq, which it says will simply draw more recruits to the terrorists' cause.

New generation

Asian analysts at the meeting backed Abdullah's remarks, saying the al-Qaeda had hijacked Islam.

"Al-Qaeda is using terrorism to achieve political objectives. They are trying to legitimise what they are doing in the name of Islam and thereby damaging the image of Islam," said ISIS chairman Noordin Sopiee.

Noordin said Muslims must oppose the exploitation of Islam, which threatens the community. "We cannot let a small group of people takeover the whole Muslim brotherhood," he said.

On Monday, the conference was told that the al-Qaeda network was winning the global war on terror, while America's use of overwhelming force against Muslim extremists was creating a sea of hatred and was strategically flawed.

Abdullah said the actions of the United States after the Sept 11 attacks did not help counter Muslims militants.

"Some of our post-Sept 11 actions are alienating and radicalising even more people and breeding a new generation of terrorists in the Arab and Muslim world," he said.

Abdullah said in order to make the war on terrorism effective, the United States must resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, grant full sovereignty to the Iraqi people and embark on a new anti-terror strategy. - AFP