President of E.U. parliament rejects "statements, pictures or descriptions that identify violence and terrorism with Muslim beliefs"

"There are people who think the clash of civilizations is inevitable. But I reject this idea very strongly."

And apparently the way to avoid that clash is to pretend the differences don't exist, and surrender. "Islam, terrorism not linked, says top EU official," from The Peninsula:

Doha - The European Parliament is highly critical of those who equate Islam with terrorism, its President said here yesterday. "I will not accept this and we in the European Parliament do not accept that Islam and terrorism are identified as the same thing. We don't believe in this idea and we reject this idea," Hans-Gert Pottering, who is here on an official visit to Qatar, told a news conference.
A sloppy statement on so many levels. Obviously, a belief system and a tactic (terrorism) are not the same thing. But that's not to say open-ended commands to wage war against unbelievers are not contained in that belief system, or don't pose a serious problem for Western nations and cultures. Then there's the imprecision of the term "terrorism," as opposed to armed jihad and all other forms of campaigns to overthrow non-Islamic govenments and subjugate non-believers. But we're not supposed to talk about that.

He said the European Parliament rejected statements, pictures or descriptions that identify violence and terrorism with Muslim beliefs.
Referring to the controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders' anti-Islam film Fitna, Pottering said: "I express my opposition to this film and the same thing with the Danish cartoons."
"We in Europe are committed to the freedom of the press, on the one hand, but on the other the media should develop a sort of self responsibility. They should always know the consequences of what they publish about other cultures," he said.
"We should respect others' beliefs and our relations should be based on mutual tolerance."
He commended the opening of a church in Qatar, saying this is something he understands as tolerance.
Pottering said 2008 is the European Year of Inter-Cultural Dialogue. "I deeply believe that understanding between the Arab world and Europe is very important for our common future," he said.
"There are people who think the clash of civilizations is inevitable. But I reject this idea very strongly. I believe it is our moral and political obligation to work for partnership, peace and understanding."
Thanks to Marisol.