While Muslims around the world complained the American media distorted the image of Islam, an American activist claimed the media in Muslim countries were no better by their biased portrayal of the United States.

After speaking at the Inter-Faith Cooperation in Fighting Terrorism forum in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Jim Kenney told reporters that "thoughtless anti-Americanism" was prevalent in the Muslim world.

The forum was held in cooperation with the Academy for Civilisational Studies, Malaysia and Islamic Outreach arm of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim)

The president of the Inter-religious Engagement Project said he heard numerous complaints about his country from Muslim friends in Malaysia.

"The assumption that all Americans are imperialists, that all Americans support the war against Iraq, that all Americans support the administration of (US President) George W Bush, that all Americans know nothing about Islam, that Americans are opposed to Islam and that Americans think all Muslims are terrorists...

"Every single one of those statements, I have heard for more than once in the three days I have been in Malaysia," said Kenney, who was also the former global director in the council for a Parliament of the World's Religion