U.S. POLICY TOWARDS MUSLIM COUNTRIES HARD TO CHANGE, SAYS AMERICAN ACADEMICIAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- A United States academician today said the country''s policy toward the Muslim countries will not change as long as there is Israeli influence over their political system.

For many years, discussions of issues involving Muslims could be held rationally in the States, but they have become more difficult with the intervention of Israel, said Prof Emeritus Dr W. Scott Thompson from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston.

He said 64 per cent of the hard money in national elections for candidates in the Democrat Party comes from many Jewish-related groups, adding that many people are not aware of this.

"We cannot expect healthy Muslim-American relations until America takes the first step and shows that it''s not going to be pushed around by the internal lobby," Dr Thompson said here today during a town hall session titled "United States of America and the Muslim World: Charting a Sustainable Future" at the International Conference on the Global Movement of Moderates (ICGMM).

ICGMM-THOMPSON 2 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR

With their funding, he claimed, Israel’s supporters have influenced thepolitical agenda of the candidates, expecting them to speak with extreme views that do not match the American interest and do not reflect the majority attitude.

Expressing his confidence that President Barack Obama will be re-elected because of strong support by the African-American community, Dr Thompson said the world, especially the Muslim community, can expect a more realistic foreign policy after the coming November presidential election.

To develop more positive Muslim attitudes toward the United States, he said, it is time for the U.S. to be respectful of their (the Muslims'') beliefs.

However, he said, "If people believe so strongly in their views, we have to bear with it and should not provoke them," he said.

 Source -- BERNAMA

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