Blair's Meeting with Indonesian Students

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair made a one-day visit to the world's largest Muslim nation in order to salute its pass from dictatorship to democracy, while showing his support for the voice of "moderate Islam."

After talks with President Yudhoyono, Blair met with the students at Darunnajah Islamic boarding school in Jakarta. He was received by a marching band and a traditional martial arts show. The students expressed their opposition for the Iraq invasion led by the United States, posing the official questions about the Middle East, freedom of religion and their rights in Britain to wear Muslim dress.

A female Muslim student raised the question of wearing headscarves at school, mentioning the case of a British girl who lost the trial which could have allowed her to wear full Islamic dress at school.

"That's a very, very difficult issue. We leave it up to the individual school. Some schools permit this, some schools do not� There are different views in my country about this," Blair replied. Another student asked Blair to persuade his friend President Bush to stop the war in Iraq, saying that Britain always helped America but supporting the war was wrong.

"You have a view of America which is not a view I share. We have got to see how we build a bridge of understanding between the West and the Muslim world. That doesn't mean we always agree, but we understand why we disagree. That's the important thing so that in the end even if we do disagree we never distrust or hate each other," Blair asserted.