BRUSSELS, June 9 (UPI) -- A former European Union adviser and expert on Islam says it's "a huge mistake" for the EU to refuse to talk to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Alastair Crooke, head of the Conflicts Forum non-governmental organization, told Tuesday's EU Observer that European and Middle Eastern security is being hindered, not helped, by the EU stance on Hamas.
"It's a huge mistake," Crooke said. "I think one of the strategic mistakes for the European position in this area and a mistake which directly undermines European security both in this region and in Europe itself."
The EU in 2006 halted high-level contacts with Hamas until it renounces violence and accepts Israel's right to exist. Crooke, however, says Hamas is a "moderate" organization in the eyes of many Muslims who see it as a legitimate movement, the EU Observer reported.
"If you talk with any Hamas leader, they say 'Look, I don't get messages from God," Crooke said. "'We believe the Koran sets out principles by which a human being should live and we try to find a practical way in which to conduct our policies based on these principles.' That's not dogmatism. That's not irrationalism. It's not in any sense extremism."
