In an interview published in Politique Internationale, a French political affairs journal (Spring 2010, Issue # 127), Mawlana Hazar Imam was asked by Jean-Jacques Lafaye:

Q. You advocate a humanistic Islam. How do you reach to the violent outpouring of certain political and religious leaders in the Middle East and to acts of terror carrier out in the name of your religion?

Mawlana Hazar Imam replied: I studied history — specifically at Harvard — and I feel very uneasy when I see religion being held responsible for all the human problems that no one knows how to solve. When people talk about a “clash of civilizations” my response is that what we are in fact dealing with is a “clash of ignorance.” I think that most conflicts arise out of essentially political problems. I emphasize, it is not about religious but political issues. Religion is often no more than a pretext or, even more so, an instrument manipulated by political forces. Thus, the problems in the Middle East or Kashmir are, in the strictest sense, political but with an added religious dimension. This tendency is not peculiar to the Muslim world. Christian countries have had the same experience. You only have to look at Northern Ireland.

Read the complete interview here: https://simerg.com/about/voices-the-power-of-wisdom-his-highness-the-aga-khans-interview-with-politique-internationale/