Thesun 2008-11-14 Page19 Leaders Plead For Religious Tolerance

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| FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14 2008

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Leaders plead for religious tolerance NEW YORK: World leaders pleaded on Wednesday for religious tolerance at a UN “Culture of Peace” conference sponsored by Saudi Arabia, but displayed their own rifts on the sensitive issue. The meeting at the UN headquarters in New York of representatives from 80 countries targeted religious and cultural divisions dubbed the “clash of civilisations”. Saudi King Abdullah – who heads the ultra-orthodox Wahhabi branch of Islam and allows no other form of public worship – called for “peace and harmony”. Speaker after speaker echoed these words, insisting that the world’s major religions all back tolerance. But anger over the Israeli-Arab conflict, as well as resentment at Western economic and social policies,

soon surfaced. Barely discussed, but also haunting the conference, was the divide between the West and Islamic countries on whether tolerance should also extend to individual freedoms. Some 20 heads of state or government including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, representing President George W. Bush, are attending the conference. In the opening speech, the president of the UN General Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, lashed out at “unbridled greed” in the West. Jordan’s King Abdullah II also criticised Western policy, saying “ignorance” had subjected Islam to “injustice”. But if King Abdullah II, like other Muslim leaders, saw intolerance and stereotyping against Islam

as the problem, Western representatives were mindful of the lack of personal freedom in the Islamic world. In Washington, White House spokesman Dana Perino said Bush believed that “the king of Saudi Arabia has recognised that they have a long way to go and that he is trying to take some steps to get there”. Representing France, former premier Alain Juppe echoed his Arab colleagues in urging “tolerance and building and consolidating peace”. But he laid a very Western emphasis on human rights, especially “recognising unrestricted freedom of faith in all its forms”. “Freedom of religion cannot be achieved without freedom of speech, even if it is sometimes used to express derision,”

Juppe said. Human Rights Watch and others were critical of King Abdullah’s prominence at the tolerance conference. But Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed the king’s initiative as “unprecedented”, saying this would have been impossible just a decade ago. – AFP

King Abdullah with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon prior to the start of the Culture of Peace conference, at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

REUTERSPIX

in 10 making an illicit purchase every month. While the average cost of a purchase is £25 (RM140), nearly one in 20 children are racking up bills of between £75 (RM420) and £100 (RM560) each time. The survey of 500 adults and 500 youngsters also showed many parents make it easier for their children to access their details, with 44% bookmarking their favourite online shopping sites and a third saving their bank card details online.

VIENNA: Josef Fritzl, 73, who held his daughter as a sex slave in a cellar for 24 years, has been charged with murdering one of the children he had with her, according to the charge sheet published yesterday. Prosecutors allege he was responsible for the death of a new-born in 1996 by failing to seek help even though he was aware that the baby might die. If proved, the charge could carry a sentence of life imprisonment. Fritzl had told police that the child, one of twins, had been born dead and he had burned the body in a stove. Elisabeth, 42, gave birth to seven children during her captivity, three of whom remained with her in the cellar, never seeing daylight, while three more were brought up in Fritzl’s family with his wife. Fritzl has also been charged with rape and sequestration, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail. – AFP

15-year-old girl shot dead at Florida school

Children’s online buying spree takes toll on parents LONDON: Unsuspecting parents are shelling out £191 million (RM1.1 billion) a year to fund their children’s fraudulent online shopping habits, according to a survey. It found as many as 20% of eight to 16-year-olds in the UK – over a million children – are using their parents’ credit cards behind their backs to buy the latest gadgets, computer games and fashion accessories online. The worst offenders are 15-year-olds, with one

Austrian incest father charged with murder

Despite this, most are not aware their wallets are being raided, with only 6% saying their children have access to their credit card details and 2% thinking their children could have made online purchases without their permission. Life assistance company CPP, which carried out the research, said unsupervised children may not be using reputable websites or secure methods of payment intended to reduce the risk of card identity fraud. – Reuters

MIAMI: A 15-year-old girl was shot dead at her high school in southern Florida yesterday by a fellow female student, police and witnesses said. Several students at Dillard High School said 15-year-old Amanda Collete was killed by a 15-year-old friend, apparently after an argument. Police have not released the suspect’s name due to her age. “That girl been crazy ever since elementary school,” said Jasmine Leeks, 17, who identified the alleged killer by name, describing her as a loner with few friends other than Collete. Authorities said the suspect was caught at an area restaurant along with a small caliber handgun. Several students said they witnessed the shooting outside a classroom. – AFP