Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said that Muslims have strayed from the teachings of Islam.

"There is basically one challenge facing the ummah (Muslim community)," Mahathir told 600 delegates at a conference on "Muslims in the Modern World" in Pakistan's largest city Karachi.

"It is the challenge of admitting the truth that we have strayed from the basic and true teachings of our religion."

Mahathir, like host country Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, has long been a campaigner for moderate Islam.

He said that Islam itself could not be blamed for the problems.

"It is our fault and not the fault of our religion. It is for us to correct these faults."

Multiple interpretations

He said Muslims are facing challenges "which could destroy our faith."

"The challenges facing the Muslim ummah (Islamic countries) is at this stage of modern civilisation are too numerous to list. They will probably depress us because they are so many."

In is speech Mahathir said Muslims were facing "numerous challenges" due to multiple interpretations of Islam.

"But they all have one single origin, that is in our confusion over the different interpretations of the one single Islamic religion," he said giving the example of violent conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.