Hosting the two-day extraordinary summit of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has presented the Kingdom with numerous logistic and security challenges. From late night Tuesday, the delegations of nearly 50 Islamic nations began to move from Jeddah to Makkah. In a security operation never before witnessed in Saudi Arabia, the move occurred without a hitch.
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At 2 a.m. yesterday, journalists covering the conference were transported by bus from the Conference Palace in Jeddah to Al-Shohada Hotel, close to the conference venue at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah. The journey between the cities was surreal. All roads leading to the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway had been closed and every 10 meters, police were stationed on both sides of the highway. All petrol stations, restaurants and shops along the highway were dark and shuttered. On one of the busiest highways in the Kingdom not a soul could be seen, except for watchful police officers.
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With an accompanying police car traveling before every vehicle, the cars and buses in the OIC convoy practically flew down the road. All eight lanes of the highway were deserted — an eerie experience for those of us who are used to the normally packed traffic on the road. This was the scene until reaching the Shumaisy checkpoint at the entrance to Makkah. Even there, only two police officers were in attendance and they merely stood at attention as the delegates passed by. There was nothing to check.
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In Makkah, the Grand Mosque had an almost deserted look. A small number of foreign pilgrims were making Umrah in the early hours of yesterday. Pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia had been unable to reach the city due to the tight security. Heads of state and many of the delegates proceeded directly to the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah upon arriving in the city. They were quite easy to recognize as they had their official identity tags on cords around their necks. Security regulations require that they not remove their official ID anywhere outside their accommodations.
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At the hotels in Makkah, special security officers were stationed, charged with inspecting every electronic item entering the building. Cameras, recorders and laptops had to be turned on and checked over in great detail by these officers. After passing inspection, each piece of gear was tagged with a special sticker which must remain on it until the summit is over.
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All heads of state at the summit took up residence at the Dar Al-Tawheed Inter.Continental in front of the main entrance to the Grand Mosque. Despite the dramatic reduction in both traffic and pilgrim numbers due to security, the mood outside the hotel was less than serene. The hotel was ringed with police officers and the din of the construction activity going on round the clock on the Jabal Al-Omar could be heard in the distance.
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The conference opened yesterday with the reading of the Holy Qur’an. In a beautiful voice, the words “without unity nothing can be achieved,” floated through the air as a reminder to the assembly. Many in the hall were very emotional. The most important speech on the opening day of the summit was from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who asked young Muslims to focus on this world as much as any Muslim focuses on the Day of Judgment.
Another important speech was the one by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Delivered in English, everyone paid rapt attention to his words. Delegates to the summit see Malaysia as a successful modern Muslim nation. The country has established excellent educational institutions, including one of the best multimedia universities in the world.
Malaysia is considered to be a very forward-looking state. Women have ample opportunities there and a sense of empowerment. Malaysians produce goods, not only for their own use but also have an extensive export base. Interestingly, Malaysia’s current success is based on the actions of its government just over three decades.
“The holy city of Makkah holds a special significance for me, not only because it was the birthplace of my grandfather but it was also where he was educated and where he finally received his degree,” Badawi said. “I am profoundly grateful for the many blessings given to me and the Muslim Ummah. I am fully conscious of the fact that it was in this city that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born. I am fully cognizant of the fact that it was also here in Makkah that, by Allah’s command, the Prophet accepted the summons and began his noble mission of prophecy.”
He went on to say, “This is the holy city which epitomizes the unity of Islam. This is the place where millions of Muslims come to face the Kaaba in ritual prayer, standing side by side in unity as equals. Humility and tolerance overcome pride and prejudice; peace and brotherhood prevail over violence and hatred; trust and truth conquer envy and suspicion. At a time when Muslims the world over are in a state of disunity and discord, we have chosen to assemble here in conference. We desire unity. Unity is demanded by Islam. Unity is strength. God willing, our efforts here today will be the galvanizing element in our noble attempts to unite once again the Muslim world.”
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Unity is a key word at the summit but there have been questions about the strength of that unity on the most basic level. Two Malaysian women were in the cadre of journalists covering the summit. Nor Hayati, who works for a Malaysian newspaper, asked, “Where are the Muslim women at this conference?” She has a point. Except for Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaled Zia and two other delegates, there are no women among the decision-makers at the summit. The only area in which there are significant numbers of women is the media gallery. Saudi Arabia has more women journalists covering the conference than any other OIC nation.
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It was inspiring to hear so many good words and impressive speeches at the summit but discussing the OIC with Muslims of many different nationalities, it was sad to hear the undertone of skepticism. People are saying that this strategic plan looks wonderful but they wonder if it will ever be implemented. I asked this key question to a very prominent Pakistani TV anchor, Nasser Beg Chugtai of Geo Television, a popular Pakistani channel. “This summit has generated a lot of hope,” he replied.
“If this 10-year plan succeeds even a little, it will go a long way toward restoring the confidence in the Muslim world. There is so much despondency among Muslims right now. It is good that there is a sense of urgency in the way the leaders have interacted with each other and the attention they have been paying to details in the summit documents. This shows a measure of seriousness. For too long we have been talking the talk, now is the time for us to walk the walk,” said the very articulate broadcast journalist.
