JEDDAH, 14 September 2006 — Crown Prince Sultan yesterday urged OIC countries to open channels of communication between them. He also called for the formation of effective joint media institutions under the umbrella of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Opening the seventh conference of OIC information ministers here, Prince Sultan emphasized the role of Islam in promoting brotherly relations among different peoples and setting an example of tolerance, justice and dialogue. He also noted its openness toward other civilizations.
Prince Sultan reaffirmed the Saudi government’s efforts to combat bureaucracy and favoritism. “There are people working with international experts to put an end to these practices. God willing, a new system will be in place very soon,” he told Al-Ekhbariya television channel after the opening session.
In his keynote inaugural address, Sultan described the last Islamic summit in Makkah as “truly extraordinary” as it took a number of important resolutions to strengthen Muslim unity, promote joint Islamic work and make the OIC an effective organization.
“The summit set out a 10-point plan for joint Islamic action including what should be done in the area of media and you are meeting here today to translate those thoughts into action,” he said.
Sultan underscored the power of the media and its significant role in creating political awareness and mobilizing public opinion. “It is essential to exchange information and establish contacts between societies and cultures,” he explained.
While stressing the need for exchanging information between OIC countries, Sultan said: “There is no excuse for collecting information about our countries from other sources as we know little about each other and our media is moving in the orbit of others.”
The crown prince urged the Muslim media to work with high professionalism, clear vision and good planning and programs. “They should also make consistent efforts to present the true picture of Islam to the whole world,” he added. Prince Sultan said Islam is a religion for all humanity without exception. “Our media should confront those who try to monopolize it from within or distort it from outside,” he said. He hoped the conference would pave the way for a new and effective start in joint media work.
Referring to the Arab peace plan, which was originally proposed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and endorsed by the Arab summit in Beirut, Sultan said: “It is the lighthouse for the Palestinian issue.” He also spoke about the national strategy for fighting poverty and said: “It is in the final stage.”
The information ministers from the 57-member OIC, the largest organization in the Muslim world, are expected to draft a strategy to confront Islamophobia.
In his speech, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu pointed to the hostile role the Western media play by using modern, influential and developed means of communication.
“At the same time, our Islamic media remain unable to make effective efforts to deter these unjust campaigns,” he added. He referred to some of the prejudiced labels used to describe Muslims and Islam and reminded the gathering of the offensive caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
He said the Islamic world and Muslims bear a responsibility for this existing reality and hoped that efforts would be exerted to develop the Islamic media to reach up to international standards in such a way as to promote the role of the press to serve societies in a civilized manner.
He also emphasized the need to diminish the digital gap between developed and developing states as a matter of a strategic issue and suggested establishing a fund for bridging this gap. He called on Muslim investors to invest in big media institutions in the world in order to be able to influence the policies of these institutions.
“The fierce attack on Islam in the five years since 9/11 has forced us into a defensive position on our faith and understanding of our tolerant religion,” Egyptian Information Minister Anas El-Feki said in a speech. “Now more than ever we need a new Islamic media message that reaches all parts of the world,” Feki said, citing Israel’s recent 34-day war in Lebanon as one issue where Muslims needed to make their views and influence felt.
Earlier a three-day preparatory meeting reaffirmed that the Islamic world, its states and peoples, its faith and civilization are facing significant challenges dictated by the biased treatment of most international media, causing severe damage to the image and reputation of Islam and Muslims.
The participants of the meeting agreed on the need for a strong and collective media move on the international arena geared to consolidate the links with the most influential international media and further deepen the spirit of religious tolerance between all nations of the world. They discussed the working papers submitted by the member states and made a number of important recommendations to the conference.
The preparatory meeting recommended the setting up of a ministerial supervisory committee tasked with preparing an integrated action plan to be directed to the non-Muslim world using the languages it understands. To this end, the committee will be assisted by a panel of experts to lay down the plans and programs.
The participants urged the OIC media, particularly satellite channels, to promote diversity and pluralism and preserve the Islamic nation’s values and interests. A specialized panel of experts will be set up to draft a code of ethics.
The meeting called for the restructuring of the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) to increase its efficiency and wanted a board of trustees chaired by the Saudi culture and information minister to oversee the upgrading of the agency.
Regarding the Islamic States Broadcasting Organization (ISBO), it was recommended that the work of ISBO be developed into the Islamic States Broadcasting Union.
A board of trustees must prepare an integrated study on ISBO to prepare an organizational and functional charter and action plan.
The meeting also emphasized the need for consolidating the work of the information department at the OIC General Secretariat. It also advised national television channels of member countries to organize annual fund-raising campaigns or telethons to support victims of natural and human disasters.
Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani emphasized the need for strengthening the media as a tool for information and social collaboration.
Some of the ministers who spoke with Arab News between sessions also reiterated their support for the recommendations and making them a reality.
Madani said that there has always been keen interest in activating the role of the media but now the ministers are seeking decisions that could be implemented and once the mechanisms are established things can move faster and efficiently.
He focused on the code of ethics and the annual telethon to face natural and human disasters as key areas for joint work between the OIC member states.
Asked how the media could make joint efforts when there are difference and tensions between countries, he said that, “the conference is not about clarifying political positions with regard to certain issues, but about working on what joins us together.”
Lebanese Minister Ghazi Al-Aridi commended the Arab and some international media on their courage and support during the recent Israeli aggression on Lebanon. As for the conference, he hoped for agreements on reasonable decisions that can be implemented.
