By SHAILA KOSHY

Islamic scholar and former Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab Dr Alwi Shihab believes that there should be a clear distinction between Islam and the various strands of Islamic thought.

Religious leaders and intellectuals must pick the reading of appropriate sacred texts leading to peaceful and harmonious relations among nations instead of inciting anger against each other.

By Shanon Shah

PETALING JAYA,  Forcing minors to convert to Islam is un-Islamic, leading Islamic scholar Prof Dr Mohammad Hashim Kamali said today at a public lecture.

"Those who use Islam for purposes not germane to aqidah (articles of faith), for example to legitimise marriage, divorce, or win custody battles over children, are misusing the religion," he said.

Dr. Alwi Shihab, Indonesia's presidential envoy to the Middle East and former minister of foreign affairs, will address the global challenges of radical     Islam in a lecture March 24 at the University of South Carolina.

Indonesia will allocate at least two million hectares (4.9m acres) of farm land to joint ventures with Saudi investors, to be used mainly for the cultivation of rice, a Saudi newspaper reported on Saturday.