Radicalism Arising from Failed Islamic: VP

Jakarta, (Antara) - Radical movements arise from Islamic states, which have failed to develop, and their internal conflicts have spread to other countries, according to Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

"If we look back at history, radicalism has always arisen from failed Islamic countries. Al-Qaeda originated in Afghanistan, which failed to develop, and ISIS is from Iraq and Syria that we know have issues there," Kalla noted in a speech at the opening of the High-Level International Conference on Moderate Islam here on Monday.

The vice president explained that the failure of some Islamic countries had fueled the radical movement, which was caused by two main factors: the arbitrariness of the leaders and public ire towards the government.

"We know what happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya where the leaders did not respect (the aspirations of) their own people, and so, the large countries attacked them on grounds of establishing democracy," Kalla explained.

The devastation in the failed countries had triggered concern among the public regarding the future of their nation and initiated the emergence of radicalism, which later evolved into terrorism.

Therefore, to overcome the problem of radicalism and terrorism, it was necessary to boost unity among Islamic countries, the vice president remarked.

The presence of up to 1.6 billion Muslims spread across 57 countries in the world should act as a driving force to spread the goodness of Islam.

Islamic countries should use their natural resources moderately, especially in the oil and gas sector. The vice president called for the efficient use of these resources, in a way that does not create divisions among Muslim nations.

"Of course, we all want a moderate Islamic state, which lends purpose to us all as Islam is a religion that offers grace, promotes goodness, and unites the entire community. That is the purpose and ideals we all (follow)," he added.(*)