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FINAL AND APPROVED
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
OIC COMMISSION OF EMINENT PERSONS (CEP)
PRESENTED
AT THETHIRD EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
OF
THE ISLAMIC SUMMIT CONFERENCE
MAKKAH
AL-MUKARRAMAH -
KINGDOM
OF
SAUDI ARABIA
5-6
DHUL QAIDAH 1426H (7-8 DECEMBER 2005)
INTRODUCTION
Currently,
the Muslim world is confronted with grave challenges in the
political, security, economic, intellectual, ideological,
scientific, technological, information, media and organizational
fields. OIC is an important vehicle to assist the Muslim world
in meeting these challenges successfully.
The 10th Summit of the OIC decided to constitute a
Commission of Eminent Persons through its resolution 45/10-P(IS)
to “prepare a strategy and plan of action enabling the Islamic
Ummah to meet the challenges of the 21st
century; prepare a comprehensive plan for promoting universally
and in particular within Islamic societies policies and
programmes for promoting enlightened moderation; and prepare
recommendations for reform and restructuring of OIC system”.
The Commission of Eminent Persons (CEP), which consists of 17
countries from Burkina Faso, Egypt, Gambia, Indonesia, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Turkey, Yemen (list
annexed) met under the Chairmanship of Malaysia first on 27-29
January 2005 in Putrajaya and then on 28-29 May 2005 in
Islamabad to finalize its recommendations.
The recommendations of the Commission of Eminent Persons (CEP)
are contained in the following three documents entitled:
(i)
Challenges of the 21st Century;
(ii)
Policies and Programme for Promoting Enlightened Moderation;
(iii)
OIC Reform and Restructuring.
These documents with their recommendations are submitted as a
whole by the Commission of Eminent Persons (CEP), in fulfillment
of their mandate pursuant to the decision of the tenth Summit
held in Putrajaya in October 2003, and as recommended by the
Inaugural Meeting of the Commission of Eminent Persons held in
Putrajaya in January 2005, for the consideration and approval of
the Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) in Makkah (November 2005), so that these can be
implemented.
Islamabad, 29 May 2005
DOCUMENT
1: CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
I-
POLITICAL
Challenges
i)
Continued marginalization of the Ummah in influencing and
setting the international agenda.
ii)
Forging greater unity and harmony among the Ummah by building
the capacity of the people and providing stability to achieve
development and progress.
Recommendations
i)
Emulate and implement universal good practices including
combating corruption, and promoting accountability and
transparency in the public and private sector.
ii)
Study good practices among OIC members on governance including
ways of promoting capacity building among less developed OIC
countries.
iii)
Strengthening democracy, civil society, political participation
and respect for human rights.
iv)
Members should be more active in the UN and other organizations.
v)
OIC members should support candidates of member countries to
positions in international organizations.
vi)
OIC members should be more active in the UN reform process
including endeavours to seek adequate representation of OIC
members in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
vii)
More proactive coordination to promote the just causes of the
occupied Muslim peoples.
viii)
Endeavours to improve the situation of Muslim
communities/minorities outside OIC membership.
ix)
Drawing up a plan for OIC unity to gradually integrate in future
like other regional entities which could enable Ummah to meet
the challenges and demands of globalization in the 21st
century.
Executing Agencies
i)
OIC
Summit and
ICFM.
ii)
General Secretariat.
iii)
OIC Permanent Observer Missions in
New York
and Geneva and similar Missions at Brussels and Vienna when
established.
iv)
OIC Working Group on Human Rights and Humanitarian issues in
Geneva.
II-SECURITY
Challenges
i)
Conflict within and among Muslim nations.
ii)
Foreign occupation of Muslim lands.
iii)
Tensions arising from Muslim minority status in a number of
countries.
iv)
Extremist tendencies due to feelings of injustice, hopelessness
and desperation.
Recommendations
i)
Promote Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and develop a system
of collective security that all Muslim countries could bind
themselves together internationally to avoid border disputes and
conflict.
ii)
Reactivating the decision to establish an Islamic Court of
Justice.
iii)
The tendency of a fringe within the Ummah to resort to terrorism
and violence should be checked through various ways, among them:
-
Persuading big powers to address the root causes of terrorism
and intensifying coordination within OIC for combating
terrorism; and
-
Encouraging interpretations of Islam which emphasize peace and
non violence and popularizing principles or programmes which
promote a balanced, contemporary comprehensive and inclusive
Islamic civilization (Islam Hadhari approach)
Executing
Agencies
i)
OIC
Summit and
ICFM.
ii)
General Secretariat of OIC.
iii)
OIC Working Group on Peace and Security in
New York
and the OIC Working Group on Disarmament in
Geneva.
iv)
OIC Think tank (when established), universities and media.
III
- ECONOMIC
Challenges
i)
Failure to promote and implement sustainable development
policies in the OIC world.
ii)
Failure to eradicate poverty, corruption, disease, and the lack
of basic rights and the provision of basic needs.
iii)
Failure to develop strong economic cooperation despite vast
natural and human resources.
iv)
Globalization and the need to deal with its negative effects.
Recommendations
i)
Address poverty eradication through measures such as capacity
building, micro-credit schemes, small and medium
enterprises and land reform among other programmes.
ii)
Promoting economic cooperation and coordination among member
countries to enable them to plan and sustainably manage their
environment and natural resources efficiently, leading
eventually to greater economic integration.
iii)
Members should be encouraged to sign and ratify all existing
intra-OIC trade and economic agreements.
iv)
Encourage economic regional integration and development through
free trade agreements, customs unions, common markets and other
activities aimed at enhancing intra OIC trade and development.
v)
Promote endeavours for institutionalized cooperation between OIC
and UN Islamic Development Bank, World Bank, World Trade
Organization, G-8.
vi)
Secretary General should be a member of the IDB Board of
Governors.
Executing
Agencies
i)
General Secretariat. ii) Islamic Development Bank. iii)
COMCEC. iv) ICDT.
IV - EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Challenges
i)
Low level of contribution towards science and technology,
especially in the area of research and development.
ii)
Lack of quality education and other flaws in the educational
system.
iii)
Failure to generate creative and innovative ideas.
Recommendations
i)
Increase budgetary allocation substantially, to provide quality
education and enhance research and development.
ii)
Encourage private sector to contribute to research and
development.
iii)
Establish a consortium for higher education to promote
scientific research and provide academic opportunities, inter
alia, for those Muslim students who cannot pursue higher
education in western institutions due to difficulties arising
after the events of 9/11.
iv)
Enhance exchanges of technologies among OIC countries.
v)
Strengthen COMSTECH institutionally and financially.
vi)
Encourage creative, innovative and critical thinking within the
education system.
vii)
OIC to develop standard high school curriculum in order to
remove all prejudices about each other and the Secretary General
to approach the western countries to remove the bias against
Islam and Muslims from their curricula.
viii)
Special initiatives for women education and female literacy.
ix)
Modernization of curricula of religious schools.
Executing
Agencies
i)
COMSTECH ii) Islamic University of Technology in Dhaka
iii) FUIW iv) IDB
v) General Secretariat
V
- MEDIA
Challenge
Misrepresentation and negative stereotyping of Islam and the
Muslim Ummah.
Recommendations
i)
Strengthen understanding and interpretation of the Muslim faith
and religion to improve its image and understanding by others.
ii)
Consider an appropriate media strategy including the engagement
of professional entities to improve the image of Islam and
Muslims in the west and other parts of non-Muslim world.
iii)
Establish a working relationship and better coordination between
the Information Department of the OIC and national media of
Member States.
Executing
Agencies
i)
General Secretariat
ii)
ISESCO
iii)
IINA
-------------
DOCUMENT 2 : POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES FOR PROMOTING ENLIGHTENED
MODERATION
INTRODUCTION
The agenda of Enlightened Moderation consists of a Two-Pronged
Approach, i.e.:
a)
Addressing the internal problems of the Muslim countries through
educational reform, eradication of extremism, radicalism and
sectarian violence.
b)
Addressing the moral obligation of Western powers which directly
or indirectly contributed to the injustices, oppression,
aggression and long-standing disputes involving Muslim peoples,
and to assist the socio-economic uplift of the
poor countries in the South.
1. DEFINITION OF ENLIGHTENED MODERATION
Enlightened Moderation is a concept derived from (a) the Quranic
description of the Islamic Ummah as an “Ummatan Wasatan” (“A
nation in the middle… Al-Baqarah: 143) (b) the Qur’anic
injunction to avoid extremist religious practices (Al-An’am:
153) and (c) the Prophetic norm which says that “The best way of
setting affairs is that which is more moderate” and (d) the
importance that Islam gives to the pursuit of comprehensive
knowledge of the world we live in so that our life is
enlightened by such knowledge and wisdom.
The essence of moderation is the avoidance of extremes, which
may or may not cause unnecessary hardships or burdens for
oneself or for others. An attitude or behaviour of moderation
which is based on sound rational principles supported by the
Qur’an, authentic Hadiths and wisdom (hikmah) is one of
the principal characteristics of the believer (mu’min).
However, moderation does not imply compromising of principles or
purposely falling short in the fulfillment of established
religious obligations.
2. INTERNAL-ORIENTED POLICIES
A. Immediate Attention
Ø
Rejection of terrorism and terrorist organizations.
Ø
Rejection of religious extremism and radicalism.
Ø
Rejection of secular extremism or secular radicalism.
Ø
Promotion of the principle and practice of moderation in
religious life.
Ø
Promotion of good governance, rule of law and equality before
the law.
Ø
Promotion of political participation, representative government
or democratic reforms.
Ø
Upholding the principle and practice of the separation of
powers, independence of the judiciary and supremacy of justice.
Ø
Promotion of National Integrity Plan to combat and eradicate
corruption and mismanagement in public and private sectors.
Ø
Promotion of inter-religious and inter-civilization dialogues
with the East and the West.
Ø
Promotion of the idea of peaceful Jihad in many
dimensions, i.e. Economic Jihad, Educational Jihad,
Intellectual Jihad, Ecological Jihad, Moral
Jihad, Jihad Against Poverty, Crime, Drugs, HIV/AIDS
etc.
B. Top Priority
Ø
Promotion of a comprehensive, civilisational and contemporary
approach (manhaj hadhari) in the development of Muslim
society as a strategy for achieving the objectives of
Enlightened Moderation. The programme of “Islam Hadhari”
followed in
Malaysia
is an example of such a comprehensive approach based on the
fundamental principle of Iman and Taqwa of Allah.
Ø
Promotion of the Caring Society based on the Islamic principles
of social justice, compassion and egalitarianism.
Ø
Review and reform of Muslim religious education towards a more
balanced, holistic and integrated Islamic education,
incorporating the fardu’ain and fardu kifayah
dimensions.
Ø
Eradication of poverty, illiteracy and child labour or
enslavement.
Ø
Promotion of morally sound programmes, films, T.V., cinemas,
Internet and controlling the influence of negative elements.
Ø
Rejection of fitnah (slander, defamation) in political
culture, media or the Internet.
Ø
Outlawing of deviant teachings, practices and cults by religious
authorities.
C. Long Term
Ø
Commitment to life-long education and the mastery of all
branches of knowledge.
Ø
Promotion of high ethical values in all aspects of social and
national life towards the realization of a Moral Society.
Ø
Changing the narrow and exclusivistic mindset of Muslim groups
(jama’ats).
Ø
Promotion of the positive contributions of Islamic civilization
in Spain to the West and humanity, in terms of tolerance,
peaceful coexistence of three Abrahamic faiths (Islam,
Christianity and Judaism) and the development of science and
technology by Muslim scholars and scientists.
3. EXTERNAL-ORIENTED POLICIES
A. Immediate Attention
Ø
Avoidance of either confrontation or capitulation in dealing
with Western powers.
Ø
Strengthening the existing EU-OIC relationship and forging
OIC-Japan, OIC-Korea, OIC-China, OIC-South
America relationships and dialogues.
Ø
Rejection of equation of Islam with terrorism.
Ø
Creation of conducive environment or incentives for the West or
East Asian countries to provide assistance, funding or transfer
of technology towards ameliorating or accelerating the
socio-economic development of Muslim countries.
Ø
Promotion of a balanced and radiant image of the true values and
principles of Islam through all available means and channels.
B. Top priority
Ø
Creating awareness among western leaders and public a) that
Islam had a positive role in the rise of modern Western
civilization and b) they have a moral obligation to uplift
socio-economic development of countries in the South.
Ø
Drawing the attention of the international community to the
dangers posed by the influence of Zionism, Neo-Conservatism,
aggressive Christian Evangelicalism, Jewish extremism, Hindu
extremism and secular extremism in international affairs and the
“War on Terrorism”.
Ø
Reliance on diplomacy, international courts of justice and
refraining from recourse to the use of force or unilateralism in
the resolution of international crises.
C. Long Term
Ø
Entrench the principles of international solidarity in order to
bridge the economic and knowledge gap between the rich and the
poor; and the North and the South.
4. PROGRAMMES
A. Islamic Religious Education
In addition to the teaching of Islamic aqidah and
ibadah, Islamic religious education should aim at promoting
the awareness of the following:
Ø
That the Islamic norms and teachings oblige the Muslims to
practice the virtues of peace (salam), moderation (tawassut),
tolerance (tasamuh), consultation (shura), justice
(adalah), balance (tawazun), patience (sabr),
freedom (hurriyyah), equity (musawah), brotherhood
(ukhuwwah), compassion (rahmah).
Ø
That the Muslim community is meant to be the “best of
communities” (khairu ummat) in terms of good conduct and
exemplary contribution to human welfare, and “a mercy to all
mankind” (rahmatan lil-alamin) in its relationship with the rest
of the world. However, the Muslims are encouraged to seek
knowledge and wisdom from all civilizations in the East and in
the West.
Ø
That all peaceful efforts and non-violent strivings to promote
the wellbeing and progress of the Muslim Ummah or humanity are
to be regarded as JIHAD.
Ø
That diversity amongst individuals, cultures, religions and
civilizations is to be accepted as an inducement to learn from
and about each other, to respect the differences, and to promote
peaceful interaction, cooperation and dialogue.
Ø
That Islam upholds the values of human dignity and recognize the
equal opportunity of human beings of different religions in
inter-personal relationships, in maintaining harmonious
interfaith relations and in the entire process of international
decision-making.
Ø
That all good works of Muslims and efforts or programmes of
Muslim governments to improve the living standards and quality
of life of Muslims, to accelerate the socio-economic development
of the people, to project a positive image of Islam and Muslims
constitute a form of worship (ibadah) to Allah in the
larger sense of the word.
Ø
That Muslim females have equal rights as Muslim males and that
both are required to pursue knowledge, be given equal
opportunities to excel in their respective fields of
specialization.
Ø
That the study of natural sciences and their branches is an
obligation for all Muslim children in order to understand the
wonderful “signs of Allah” in nature and in the whole universe
and to harness them for the betterment of human beings.
Ø
That the proper training of teachers and production of textbooks
of Islamic religious education to prepare children for the
challenges of religious pluralism, globalization, the
knowledge-based economy, the revolution of IT and the Moral
Society are urgently needed.
B. Islamic Research Institutes, Intellectuals and
Scholars
Ø
To produce and articulate a systematic and fresh Islamic
political theory and international relations based on the Qur’an,
the Sunnah, the Islamic heritage, the contemporary
social sciences and a thorough understanding of the realities of
the present world and the Muslim Ummah.
Ø
To produce books on the heritage of Islamic Civilization in
Spain, the Balkans, Central and South Asia and other parts of
the world which focus on inter-religious harmony and tolerance,
Muslim economic development and Muslim contributions to the
development of modern sciences and technology.
Ø
To promote and disseminate the positive or shari’ah
compliant aspects of contemporary modernity and modernization,
to be distinguished from the negative or repugnant aspects.
Ø
To undertake research and necessary studies to demonstrate that
Islamic principles and values are not in conflict with but are
in fact compatible with and reinforce the loftiest human values
contained in the current modern international discourse.
Ø
To promote the Islamic principles of respecting cultural,
religious and civilisational pluralism as well as the practice
of strictly adhering to these principles over the ages. It
should be highlighted that Muslim thinkers were the pioneers of
dialogue among civilizations and comparative religions in the
history of the world.
C. The Media
Ø
To develop the potential of the Muslim media (print and
electronic) to become a powerful tool for educating,
enlightening and empowering the ummah.
Ø
Intensify the publication of Islamic materials through the
collaboration of print and electronic media so as to enhance the
awareness of the values of Islam among the global community as
well as the Ummah itself.
D. Communication, Outreach and Da’wah Organisations
Ø
To reflect to the world the universality of Islamic teachings
and values.
Ø
To promote Islam and Muslims as constituting a contemporary
civilization which recognizes and respects the diversity of
cultures, religions and civilizations.
Ø
To work together to effectively counter the anti-Islamic
propaganda in the international media.
Ø
Promote the idea that the campaign against terrorism can only be
won through comprehensive and balanced measures, in particular
by squarely addressing the root causes of terrorism, including
poverty, intolerance, injustice and foreign occupation.
Ø
Improve the method of da’wah by using the up-to-date
technology to spread the message of Islam to the Ummah in
the popular media and popular culture particularly Internet.
Ø
Engage international journalists in intellectual and humane
discourse.
E. Education and Peace
Ø
Promote the quality of teachers, better curricula and
educational materials for Islamic educational institutions as
part of the efforts to prepare the Ummah to meet the new
positive and negative consequences of the globalization process.
Ø
Integrate modern science and technology, as well as information
and communication technology, into Islamic educational
institutions.
F. Role of Women and Children
Ø
Support all undertakings to enhance the capacity and the role of
women in the Muslim community in accordance with Islamic values
of equality and justice for the betterment of human kind.
Ø
OIC or any member state to organize regular international
conferences on the Progress of Women and children in a Muslim
country or outside the Muslim World.
G.
Implementation of these recommendations will rest with Member
States, in their national programmes and priorities, and
collectively through the General
Secretariat and its subsidiary bodies and organs, under the
direction of the Secretary General of the OIC who will furnish
periodic reports on its implementation and progress, to the ICFM,
obtaining where required the information and views of the member
states in respect of suggested national implementation. For this
purpose, it is further recommended that the
Secretary General set up a mechanism within the
General Secretariat for assisting in the implementation and
reporting on the follow-up to the strategy of Enlightened
Moderation proposed by President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.
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DOCUMENT 3 - OIC REFORM AND RESTRUCTURING
CHALLENGES:
i)
Structural flaws and lack of political will within the OIC.
ii)
Inability of the OIC as an Islamic organization to prove its
relevance in today’s world and the need to rejuvenate it.
iii)
Inability of the OIC to implement the resolutions agreed upon.
iv)
Inability to implement agreed programmes due to lack of funding.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
OIC
Charter
i)
OIC must be restructured, reformed and revitalized, including
necessary changes in OIC charter and its name.
ii)
Maintenance of criteria for membership to preserve and promote
its Islamic character.
Office of
the Secretary General
i)
OIC Secretary General’s role should both be strengthened and
fully supported. He should be given the full authority both to
employ and terminate the services of OIC personnel including
restructuring existing departments.
ii)
OIC General Secretariat should recruit officials on merit,
nominated by those Member States, which make regular
contributions and should be offered attractive financial
incentives.
iii)
The Secretary General could consider appointing his Special
Representatives both for fact finding as well as resolution of
conflicts/disputes
iv)
OIC’s relations with important international/regional
organizations should be strengthened and fully utilized to
actively voice all Muslim causes
New
Departments
i)
The OIC should renew its emphasis on issues such as conflict
resolution; inter-faith dialogue; human rights; democracy; good
governance and combating Islamophobia, etc.
ii)
The OIC Secretary General should enhance the capacity of the
General Secretariat through restructuring to deal effectively
with subjects such as, Islamic thought; enlightened moderation,
higher education with a focus on science and technology, health
care and women’s development.
iii)
Therefore, the OIC General Secretariat would establish
departments of Conflict Resolution, Enlightened Moderation,
Women Development, NGOs and Muslim Minorities and a Strategic
Planning Unit, and consortium of higher education.
iv)
An OIC Think Tank to promote Islamic thought to respond
effectively to ideological and intellectual challenges of the
21st Century and to interact more proactively with universities
and intellectuals in the West. Members of the Think Tank should
also include personalities who have expert knowledge of the
problems of Muslim communities in their particular regions and
countries.
New
Observer Missions
Establish
new overseas Missions of the OIC Secretariat
Restructuring of Existing Departments
i)
Restructuring of Dawa department and establish Dawa and
Islamophobia department.
ii)
IINA should be activated for projection of OIC position.
iii)
A strong Information Department at the OIC Secretariat should be
established to assist the OIC Secretary General for projection
of OIC and updating of the OIC website.
iv)
Strengthening the Department of Palestine and
Jerusalem
in the light of new OIC vision.
Implementation of Resolutions
i)
Member States must demonstrate strong political commitment and
provide the requisite financial backing to implement
Summit and
Ministerial resolutions, within specified timeframe
ii)
An executive body, comprising
Summit and
Ministerial Troikas, the OIC host country and the Secretary
General, should be expeditiously established to implement
Summit
and Ministerial resolutions. The concerned Member States should
be invited to participate in the deliberations of these
meetings.
iii)
A Council of Permanent Representatives of OIC member states in
Jeddah should be established for an effective coordination,
implementation and follow-up.
Executing Agency:
OIC General Secretariat
Financial
Arrangements, including Voluntary Funding:
i)
Member States must pay their assessed mandatory contributions on
time and in full.
ii)
Penalties should be imposed on those Member States that have
defaulted on their mandatory annual contributions for three
consecutive years such as suspension of rights to table
resolution or participate in decision-making, to
avail IDB facilities and services, and enjoy recruitment
privileges.
iii)
The budget of OIC and its subsidiary bodies should be
progressively increased to the level of comparable organizations
to make it more effective.
iv)
In addition, new proposals for voluntary funding for OIC’s
activities should be explored. An endowment could be created
through donation of land by affluent
OIC Member
States and construction of buildings on those lands, which are
financed by the IDB.
v)
Stringent and transparent financial procedures should be adopted
by the Secretariat.
----------------------------
Annex
MEMBERS OF THE OIC COMMISSION OF EMINENT PERSONS
1. HE Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar,
Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Malaysia,
.. Chairman
2. HE Dr. Cheikh Aboubacar Doukoure
.. Commissioner (Burkina
Faso)
3. HE Mr. Ahmed Kamal Abou El Magd
.. Commissioner (Egypt)
(Represented by: H.E. Mr. Hussein K. Haridy,
Ambassador of the
Arab
Republic
of
Egypt
to
Islamabad)
4. HE Dr. Omar Jah
.. Commissioner (Gambia)
5. HE KH Ahmad Hasyim Muzadi
.. Commissioner (Indonesia)
6. HE Gholamali Khoshroo
.. Commissioner
(Islamic
Republic
of
Iran)
7. HE Senator Zhaibakhan Abdildin
.. Commissioner (Kazakhstan)
8. HE Prof. Dr. Mohd Kamal Hassan
.. Commissioner (Malaysia)
9. HE Prof. Tajeddine Al-Housseini
.. Commissioner (Morocco)
10. Commissioner from
Nigeria
(did not attend)
11. HE Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed
.. Commissioner (Pakistan)
12. HE Ambassador Ahmed Al Farra
.. Commissioner (Palestine)
13. HE Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah bin Zaid
.. Commissioner (Qatar)
Al-Mahmood
14. HE Mr. Jamil Al-Hujeilan
.. Commissioner
(Saudi
Arabia)
15. HE Mr. Moustapha Cisse
.. Commissioner
(Senegal)
16. HE Prof. Abdul Rahim Ali Ibrahim
.. Commissioner
(Sudan)
17. HE Ambassador Dr. Ahmet Davutoglu
.. Commissioner (Turkey)
18. HE Dr. Abdul Karim Ali Yahya Al-Eryani
.. Commissioner (Yemen)
Ex-officio Member
HE
Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
OIC
Secretary General.
------------------
EPG
FINAL DOCUMENT
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