Scholars should combat perversion of religion: PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Religious extremism compels everyone especially religious scholars and intellectuals to play a part in combating ignorance and the perversion of religion, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said. The Prime Minister, who outlined a four-pronged strategy to combat such occurrence, said religious scholars and intellectuals in the country must be encouraged to engage with the wider public. "It is not enough to produce intellectual works and present papers in scholarly meetings, important as these may be. Scholars and intellectuals should not lock themselves away in their ivory towers," he said Thursday in his opening address at the international conference on religion in the quest for global justice and peace at Renaissance Hotel here. "Instead, they should be prepared to educate the public on the great issues that... [read full story]