DOHA, Feb 18: A US-Islamic forum seeking to find common ground between the United States and the Muslim world opened in the Gulf state of Qatar on Saturday with Islamic anger against the West at boiling point.

Karen Hughes, the United States’ top image-maker abroad and a close adviser to President George Bush, addressed the gathering amid fury over the publication in the European press of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed and the broadcast of new images of US prisoner abuse in Iraq.

She reiterated US concern about the threat posed by Iran to regional stability and the need for Palestinian election winner Hamas to recognise Israel while urging regional leaders to deepen democracy in their own countries and to work closer with the United States to combat terrorism.

“We must do for terror what was done to slavery and make it an international pariah,” she said.

“If we truly desire to reach a better understanding of each other, if we truly want our dialogue to produce results, we have to stop demonizing each other and replace hate with hope.”

She said that although many US newspapers chose not to reprint the prophet cartoons recognising “they are deeply offensive, even blasphemous to the precious convictions of our Muslim friends,” nothing justified violent protests, which claimed the lives of at least 11 people in Libya on Friday.

“As we discuss these often difficult issues, we must not allow the extremes to define us,” said Ms Hughes as she urged governments and journalists alike to speak out against anti-Semitic and anti-Christian sentiments and to seek greater freedom of expression in the region.

“The challenge for leaders in this region is to listen to their people’s call for greater freedom, allow them to form political parties, let them gather and speak more freely, give them access to newsprint so they can run their own papers.”

The Doha gathering was opened by Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani.—AFP