RIYADH, 1 October 2007 — Dr. Saleh S. Al-Wohaibi, secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), has said that while less than 1,000 charitable organizations in the Gulf states have a cumulative income of less than $1 billion, in the US alone there are more than 1.4 million such organizations with millions of members and an income that stood at $260 billion in 2005 — as much as 76 percent of this amount came from individual donors.
The WAMY secretary-general was speaking at an Iftar party for the diplomatic community here on Tuesday night. In their separate speeches on the occasion, both Italian Ambassador Eugenio d'Auria and French Ambassador Bertrand Besancenot spoke about the challenges facing the Islamic and the Western world, and said the only way of overcoming them was through dialogue.
A large gathering of diplomats and donors attended WAMY's fifth annual Iftar party held as part of its outreach program involving the diplomatic community.
Speaking on the dimensions of charitable organizations in the West, Al-Wohaibi said that in Britain (England and Wales only) there were about 190,000 institutions, whose income last year grossed 40 billion pounds sterling.
Citing available statistics, he said that in Canada there were 161,000 organizations in 2003, whose income totaled $112 billion (Canadian). The number of employees working in the charity sector was two million, while the number of volunteers was about 12 million.
However, in the six-member GCC states, the number of charitable organizations is less than 1,000, while their total revenue is under $1 billion. The number of international organizations also does not exceed 30. "In some third world countries, you find charities with nothing at their disposal except pious intentions," he said.
Al-Wohaibi observed: "We can overcome challenges and obstacles facing charitable institutions only if we can build bridges and share experiences. Our responsibilities today are no longer confined to our own countries. In our small world, events happening in one part of the world can spill over to other areas as well."
The WAMY secretary-general said Islamic charitable organizations are coming under tremendous pressure due to the challenges facing the Islamic world. "Just to give an example, there are today more than five million Iraqis, who are either internally displaced or living as refugees in neighboring countries like Syria and Jordan. Such a situation creates a huge potential for charitable institutions to reach out to these unfortunate victims in their hour of need."
Italian Ambassador Eugenio d'Auria said that apart from the parameters internationally accepted in relation to economic growth, such as the GDP, inflation rate and the Human Development Index (HDI) taken as the barometer of progress, there is also a need for a moral dimension to underpin progress. "Human security will be the buzz word of the future in the context of peace and stability," he said.
In order to achieve such an objective, humanity will have to go through a process of moral rearmament. Otherwise, it could succumb to the emerging forces represented by IT and biotechnology. The ambassador was referring to recent incidents involving terrorists who make use of state-of-the-art technology to cause maximum destruction of life and property.
Ambassador Eugenio said amid all the challenges confronting relations between Islam and the West, the only way forward was to engage in dialogue. "I found the sentence, 'the World is Dialogue' in a paper presented during an international debate at the Islamic University in Islamabad in 2001. I believe this sentence is highly appropriate," he said.
In this context, he explained how Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has been promoting the culture of dialogue on issues concerning Somalia, Darfur, Palestine and Lebanon. "When, for instance, our governments decided at the International Conference in Rome to assist the Lebanese government and people, such a decision was the outcome of a long process of contacts, meetings, discussions," he said.
French Ambassador Bertrand Besancenot also dwelt on the need for dialogue to resolve thorny issues relating to Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. He said France firmly believes in such an approach, which is why it appreciates the policy of the middle path adopted by Saudi Arabia in all its international relations.
The ambassador cautioned against the modus operandi of the radicals to try to create a split between the western and Islamic worlds and exploit the differences between them. "We should not let them succeed, because it will be a catastrophe for us. The only way forward is to resolve the problems on the basis of dialogue and the rule of law," he added.
