Tunisian Islamist leader says no to extremism

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Apr 25, 2011

PARIS: A noted Tunisian Islamic thinker has called on the country’s Muslims to reject extremism and restore the true nature of Islam worldwide.

Rachid Ghanouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s Muslims, said Monday at the close of an annual Muslim gathering outside the French capital Paris that extremism takes root in injustice, but must be fought.

He said today Islam “is associated with violence, terrorism ... It is presented as a plague.” But extremism “isn’t a legitimate child of Islam ... our challenge is to respond to restore the image of Islam,” he added.

Ghanouchi founded Tunisia’s Ennahdha party, branded a terrorist group by the country’s ex-leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who was toppled in a January uprising.

Ennahdha is now legal — among 50-some parties formed since Ben Ali fled.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article372554.ece.