Romania's President Urges World Leaders to Study Islam

--Romanian President Traian Basescu called on world leaders to study Islamic teachings and get familiarized with the divine religion.

Attending a Ramadan dinner thrown by the Romanian Council of Muftis, Basescu said that in order to establish friendly relations with the public, any statesman requires to learn about their religious teachings. As a president, I have gone to several Muslim weddings where I became familiarized with Islamic traditions.

The President cited familiarity with the principles of different religions as crucial saying that if we fail to know and respect each other's religious tenets, then it would be futile to talk about intercultural dialogue.

Turkey's Minister of Religious Affairs Ali Bardakoglu, who was present at the function, briefly addressed the party which was attended by government officials and religious figures of Romania as well as a number of Muslim scholars of the Balkan region.

The minister praised Muslim clerics of Balkan countries for their efforts to promote peace among religions.