By Zakir Hussain

DOHA (Qatar): Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday visited Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art, a symbol of the oil- and gas-rich Gulf state's aspirations to be a cultural and knowledge hub for the region.

Designed by renowned American architect I.M. Pei, the newly opened museum on a man-made island is the latest attraction in the rapidly growing capital, Doha.

The museum also aims to bridge the gulf that has appeared between parts of the Muslim world and the wider world in recent years, owing to violence committed by extremists claiming to speak for Islam.

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