UN seeks to bolster West, Islam ties

The campaign's aim was to "bridge divides and overcome prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions, and polarisation which potentially threaten world peace," UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Recent events had "heightened the sense of a widening gap and lack of mutual understanding between Islamic and Western societies -- an environment that has been exploited and exacerbated by extremists in all societies," he said.

Secretary General Kofi Annan was pursuing the "Alliance of Civilisations" initiative, at the suggestion of Spain and Turkey, after 54 people were killed in suicide bombings in London by three British Muslims of Pakistani origin and a Jamaican-born Briton.

The campaign has no firm plans yet but is expected to present recommendations and a plan of action in late 2006.

Meanwhile, Muslims must not let extremists hijack their faith, a prominent American Islamic group warned Thursday in a television public service announcement issued in the wake of the London bombings. Stung by criticisms that Islamic leaders have not done enough to condemn the blasts blamed by police on British Muslims, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent the spot to television stations across the United States.

"We will not allow our faith to be hijacked by criminals," says one of the speakers on the advertisement, which features shots of Muslims speaking directly to the camera.

"Islam is not about hatred and violence; it is about peace and justice," says another of the featured speakers, a young woman.

CAIR leaders said the new TV spot was needed because persistent efforts by US Muslim leaders to condemn terror in the name of Islam had failed to penetrate public perceptions.

"We don't know why we are not breaking through that. Maybe the rising level of anti-Muslim rhetoric is drowning out our condemnation," said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR's national communications director.