By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Muslim world must correct Western misperceptions created by "semiliterate clerics" about Islam as a religion that fosters militant extremism, Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Monday.
"We need to inform the world of the reality of Islam," Musharraf told a meeting of the World Islamic Economic Forum.
"Semiliterate clerics who hold sway over the masses (have contributed) to the rise of extremism in the Muslim world, as opposed to moderation," he said. "This is the unfortunate reality, because this is the critical malaise which spawns terrorism."
"These radical clerics reinforce the Western misperception that Islam as a religion believes in militancy and intolerance," Musharraf said.