Tehran - Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami Monday hosted an international religious conference aimed at differentiating between Islam the religion and Islamism as an ideology for terrorism.

The conference, titled Religion in the Modern World, was organized by the Dialogue Among Civilizations' Centre, an Iranian non-governmental organization headed by Khatami; the Club of Madrid, an independent organization promoting democracy; and the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights, headed by former Norwegian premier Kjell Magne Bondevik.

Khatami invited several renowned political figures, including Bondevik, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, former presidents Mary Robinson of Ireland and Jorge Sampaio of Portugal as well as Italian ex-premier Romano Prodi.

"What is now being exposed as religion (Islam) is not what religion is truly about," Khatami said in his opening speech.

The former reformist president, an advocate of global religious understanding who may run again in the June presidential election, warned against isolating Islam as a religion of violence.

Islamic Iran has complained repeatedly about growing Islamophobia in the West and urged not to put all Muslims at the same level as Islamists involved in terrorist operations.

Annan said the current global problem is not the Bible or the Koran, but how certain circles violently misuse them for their political aims.

Bondevik praised the conference for trying to bring various religions and cultures closer together, but also criticized the Iranian administration for imposing religious limitations.

Referring to religious minorities, whom the West says are being discriminated against in Iran, he said that they should have the same legal rights as majorities.

Bondevik further touched on the delicate issue of conversions and said that all people should have the right to convert to other religions without any fear.

Conversion is one of the most controversial issues in Iran, where converts from Islam to another religion could even face the death sentence.

The former Norwegian premier said provocative remarks such as the "axis of evil" - a term used by US President George W. Bush for Iran and North Korea - and "wiping out a country from the world map" - a reference to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks about Israel - could add fuel to the fire of religious tensions.

There have been unconfirmed reports that high-ranking participants at the conference were unwilling to meet President Ahmadinejad, mainly due to his anti-Israeli tirades and his denial of the Holocaust.

The Iranian government was not pleased with the conference as it was good propaganda for Khatami and the country's reformist and moderate wings, especially as he could be a challenger of Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential election. (dpa)