MAKKAH, 12 September 2005 — Creating a future of peace and prosperity for Islam can be accomplished through a massive effort to improve education and make sure the people have a voice throughout the Muslim world are among the conclusions of scholars gathered in Makkah at the Organization of the Islamic Conference’s three-day forum.
Scholars and intellectuals called for creating a knowledge fund to support and enhance the quality of education, especially in the underdeveloped parts of the Muslim world. They also noted the importance of creating an environment where people can hold differing opinions and the media operate without interference.
The conference ended yesterday with a series of recommendations touching upon the position of the Muslim Ummah in the contemporary world, Islamic solidarity and joint Islamic action, institutionalization of Islamic good governance, conflict prevention and confidence building, terrorism, dialogue and civilization, Islamophobia, political and human rights of Muslim minorities in non-OIC countries. They also called for the restructuring of the OIC itself.
The delegates said the extraordinary OIC summit planned later this year should be the starting point for a renewed commitment to Islamic solidarity. They said the secretary-general should be empowered to use his initiative and given the authority and the resources to execute his mission. The scholars called for allocation of adequate resources for introducing Islam to non-Muslims in the West.
Of particular significance is the forum’s pragmatic recommendation to only focus on those resolutions that can actually be implemented. As the only overarching organization of the Muslim world, the scholars said the OIC has the potential to play a major role in creating a brighter and humane future for the Ummah as well as the world.
Delegates said the OIC charter should be rewritten, and the OIC general secretariat should be restructured. In an age of globalization, they said, the Islamic world should act with one voice.
They examined the power of media in the modern world and noted it can be both constructive and destructive. An effective media is crucial for serving the interests of Muslims and for projecting a positive image of Islam, and the biggest challenge, they said, was the monopoly and invasion of Western media. They also noted the lack of a common code of ethics for the media in Muslim countries. Increasing the freedom of the media in Muslim countries and ensuring that a plurality of views expressed in the media also were recommendations.
They said the OIC states and their media should establish a TV channel to broadcast its own activities and also air programs on various religious, political and social issues.
On political and human rights of Muslim minorities in OIC member countries, the delegates acknowledged the question of minorities was important yet complex and delicate. Different minority groups are faced with the challenge of assimilation vs. integration, prompting a call for reactivating and reorganizing the OIC Minorities Department. In view of the new challenges posed by Muslim minorities in the West, the forum recommended that due respect should be accorded for the sovereignty of states when dealing with the rights of its Muslim minorities.
The scholars said dialogue among civilizations is an essential step toward global peace, security and peaceful coexistence. They called for constituting a core group of OIC member states to initiate dialogue. It (the dialogue) should be comprehensive and all-inclusive, the delegates said.
The scholars admitted that though there is no universally accepted definition of terrorism, there should be a concerted effort to fight terrorism everywhere in the world. They also agreed that the war on terrorism by military means was breeding more violence.
They said terrorism should be differentiated from self-defense, and the root causes of terrorism should be addressed and combated.
The scholars recommended that the OIC should play a bigger role through the OIC group at the UN to define terrorism and to distinguish it from the legitimate right of peoples to self-defense, resist aggression and foreign occupation, which are guaranteed by international conventions and institutions.
On the issue of Palestine, the forum strongly recommended that no OIC state normalize its relations with Israel until a comprehensive settlement is achieved. They said the sanctity and inviolability of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its premises should be protected and that only the Palestinian National Authority should be allowed to negotiate for the attainment of their rights. Global misconceptions of Palestinians as terrorists also present a big challenge.
The delegates said the Islamic world should have an effective system of conflict prevention and conflict resolution without outside interference.
OIC, they said, should have an active role in the management of conflicts in the Muslim world. They said there should be an early warning system to prevent conflicts among OIC members. The secretary-general should be mandated to use his good offices in the conflict-management process.
The scholars called for bridging the wide gap between the rulers and the ruled of the Muslim world. All of the forum recommendations reflect that the international order is in a transitional period, and the Islamic world should make the vital changes to effectively participate in shaping the evolving international system.
