Anwar Ibrahim ready to resume reform agenda.(Interview)

Byline: Lorien Holland

After nearly six years in prison, Anwar Ibrahim was unexpectedly released on Sept. 2. The former deputy prime minister of Malaysia and longtime proponent of reform in the Islamic world immediately flew to Munich, Germany, to undergo surgery for a back injury. But he won't be resting long. Anwar--who still claims his incarceration was politically motivated and that his back injury was the result of a beating by police while he was in custody--is eager as ever to resume his reform agenda. NEWSWEEK's Lorien Holland spoke to Anwar by telephone last week. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: How are you recovering from your surgery?

ANWAR: The surgery was amazingly successful. It went so fast and I have recovered so well. My doctor says I am not in a position to travel or exert myself, and that I must rest. But doctors always say that. I don't have time to rest for very long.

You were jailed in 1998. Since then terror in the name of Islam has forced relations between the West and the Islamic world into a deteriorating spiral. What do you think needs to be done to repair relations?

Why are we so particularly obsessed with misinterpretations of Islam in the West when we find so many Muslims who are utterly confused about what Islam stands for? Islam is not an excuse to kill others, to bomb civilians. These desperate groups with their despicable acts have their own political objectives which have nothing to do with Islam, yet they damage the entire hope for dialogue.

Malaysia is a democratic, moderate Muslim country, yet one of the main suspects in last week's Jakarta bombing is a Malaysian. Why do you think this is so?