MAKKAH, 8 December 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday urged Muslim countries to open a new era of unity, strength and glory by setting aside their differences and working together for their overall progress. He also wanted to see an end to extremism, projecting the beauty of Islamic tolerance.
Opening the third extraordinary OIC summit here, King Abdullah also urged all member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to join the global fight against terrorism without sitting as helpless observers. He stressed the need for developing educational curricula and overhauling the Islamic Fiqh Academy to combat extremist ideologies and thoughts.
In his keynote speech, Abdullah was trying his best to instill confidence in Muslim leaders and urged them to carry out comprehensive development programs to eradicate poverty. “Revival begins with a hope, which turns into an idea and then becomes an objective,” he explained.
Abdullah, however, reminded Muslims and their leaders of the great Qur’anic verse which states that “Allah will never change the situation of any people until they first change themselves.” He also said that Allah would support those who support Him, quoting another verse that urges Muslims to work hard following His teachings.
He said the summit, which was attended by the heads of state of most OIC member countries, offered the glad tidings of a bright future for the Islamic nation. He thanked the leaders for accepting his invitation, adding that it reflected their strong desire to move forward and make change for the better.
He said the Islamic world has the potential to achieve its objectives. “I look forward to a united Muslim Ummah, having good governance that eliminates injustice and oppression,” he said. “Let us work together to make this summit a milestone, heralding a brighter future for the Ummah.”
Abdullah urged Muslim leaders to strengthen their cooperation in economic, political, cultural and social domains in order to achieve real unity and establish powerful institutions to enable the Ummah to restore its rightful place in the world.
OIC Secretary-General professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu presented a detailed report on the organization and its achievements. He thanked King Abdullah for establishing the organization’s headquarters at a strategic location in Jeddah. At the end of the opening session, King Abdullah unveiled the plaque of the organization’s new headquarters. The imprints of the right palms of all participating leaders were later taken using advanced equipment in order to project them on a commemorative plaque in front of the new headquarters, as a symbol of Islamic unity.
In his speech, the king called for greater scientific and technological advancement in the Muslim world. He also advised Muslim youth to work hard for the betterment of their life in this world and the world to come, without excesses or negligence.
Speaking on the need for developing educational curricula in the Muslim world, the king said it was a prerequisite for building a Muslim personality. “Steeped in tolerance, such a personality would lay the foundations for a society that rejects isolationism and turns its back on courting hostility to the other by interacting with all peoples, adopting what is good and rejecting what is bad.”
Abdullah underlined the role played by the Islamic civilization in lighting the way forth for other civilizations, offering them a fine example of tolerance and justice, and leading humanity forward through its singular achievements in jurisprudence, science and literature.
“Indeed, it is these major contributions that provided the decisive catalyst in bringing enlightenment to the Dark Ages,” the king stressed.
King Abdullah decried the sad plight of Muslims today. “It is heartbreaking for us to see our glorious civilization slip from the exalted graces of dignity to the ravines of frailty,” he said.
The Saudi ruler lashed out at Al-Qaeda terrorists for unleashing evil and corruption on earth and urged the summit leaders to fight terror jointly.
He urged Muslims not to despair “for from the darkness of night breaks the light of day and out of the depths of pain come salvation.” He called upon Muslims to strengthen their faith in God and have optimism about their future.
“Let our faith in Almighty Allah be an unshakable boost to instill confidence in the peoples and leaders of our Ummah,” he said.
He emphasized the need for strengthening Muslim unity, adding that “it will not be achieved by bloodletting as the miscreants in their misguided waywardness insist on claiming.”
He said the Islamic Fiqh Academy, which is an affiliate of the OIC, has been overhauled to assume its historic role and responsibility in resisting extremist ideology in all forms and manifestations.
He said the real nature of the Muslim lies in his faith and then in his knowledge, principles and morality. “Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said ‘I have been sent to further establish the loftiest values of morality’,” Abdullah added.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the present economic conditions suffered by Muslim countries were merely a symptom of something more sinister.
“That is the lack of quality human capital due to poverty and lack of education. They must be eradicated,” he said, “but in order to do so the Muslims must once again emulate the dynamism and intellectual splendor synonymous with Islam itself.”
Badawi said almost one third of the total Muslim population lives in deplorable conditions.
“Nearly half a billion people still lack life’s basic necessities. Compared to the rest of the world which has an average per capita income of $5,133, the average per capita income of those living in Muslim countries is roughly $1,000. The people in almost half of the OIC member countries live on less than $2 a day, an amount barely enough to sustain a subsistence living.”
He said with regard to income distribution the Muslim countries fare even worse. “Illiteracy rates remain alarming. Almost 30 percent of the Muslim countries have adult literacy rates which are well below 50 percent. As a result we are rendered incapable of confronting the more serious problems plaguing us. This condition has resulted in poverty, a feature common to the Muslim world.
Badawi quoted a saying of the Prophet which says “when man is reduced to poverty not only does he lose his dignity but he approaches unbelief.” He said: “We must work out the best strategy in terms of education if we are to eradicate poverty from our midst, otherwise we may unwittingly become detached from our historical roots which are adorned with a glorious dynamism that is Islam.”
“We must remain mindful of the fact that development in Islam refers to the development of man. We must confront the problems head-on. We must not be in a state of denial. Our problem and dilemma are the powerful forces of secularism and conflict caused by sectarianism. These forces have threatened our sense of identity and our unity.”
He said the OIC must change “in order to be relevant for the cause of uplifting the Muslim Ummah.”
— With input from Siraj Wahab, P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Abdul Maqsood Mirza and Galal Fakkar
