To say that all Muslim nations think alike is to be ignorant of the religion and its regional diversities. For this reason, it is wrong of Israel to suppose that Yasser Arafat can control the political views of his people simply because they share the same prayer book.
Nowhere has the diversity been more apparent than at this week's summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Kuala Lumpur. The inability of the 50 participating nations to reach consensus on curbing terrorism - because they cannot agree on the definition of a terrorist - highlights the problem.
Israel says Mr Arafat is as much a terrorist as the Palestinian suicide bombers who are killing Israeli civilians. They say the Palestinian leader can prevent extremists and his inability to do so is justification to hold him as a prisoner.
Muslim nations are united in their condemnation of Israel, yet they cannot agree on whether the bombers are terrorists. Arab nations, especially Iran, Iraq and Syria, say attacks against Israel are a just response to Israeli aggression. More moderate nations, such as Malaysia, think otherwise.
This disharmony of opinion has derailed Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's attempts at the summit to find common Muslim ground in dealing with the question of how to tackle terrorism.
His desire is admirable and his call on Monday for a resolution was enlightening. Nations worldwide are using the events of September 11 in the US to justify harsh action against political opponents and long-running insurgencies.