Why didn’t someone tell me there was an Islamic Scholars Conference going on in Jakarta, Indonesia? Look at this important announcement; they issued a condemnation of terrorism! International Islamic scholars conference ends on critical note.

JAKARTA (DPA): The three-day international Islamic scholars conference ended here on Wednesday by issuing “Jakarta declaration”.

The 240 Muslim scholars concluded they strongly “condemn acts of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” and “reject the identification of terrorism with any particular religion”.

And especially with the Religion of Peace™.

On the other hand, they had no qualms about identifying terrorism with a certain Great Satan:

Meanwhile, Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz in his closing remarks, blasted the U.S.-led aggression against Iraq as a form of “terrorism towards all mankind”.

“When the United Nations is no longer able to restrain the yearnings of strong state leaders to kill harmless innocent humans and devastate august civilization, I’m very sure that decent voice of worldwide Muslim scholars has great value in the global endeavour to discontinue violence of strong countries against the weak ones,” Hamzah said.

The conference, which gathered more than 200 Islamic scholars from 42 different countries to discuss such issues as Islam’s role in education, globalization and human rights, had a goal of “easing East-West” tensions.

Way to ease tensions, oh great Islamic scholars!

UPDATE: Here’s another quote from the Indonesian VP that sheds a little more light on the thinking of these great scholars.

Jakarta, Feb 25 (ANTARA) - Vice President Hamzah Haz said here Wednesday the root of recent cases of terrorism and violence were non-religous factors such as economic, political and worldly goals.

“So linking terrorism and violence with a religion that comes from God is wrong and based on mere prejudice and suspicion,” he said in his address at the closing of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars.