SECRETARY GENERAL'S REPORT
New Vision for the Muslim World:
Solidarity in Action
Presented at the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic
Summit Conference
Makkah al-Mukarramah
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
7-8 December 2005
INTRODUCTION
Today the Muslim world stands at a historic crossroads amidst
global changes and challenges with immense repercussions for its
future. In order to chart our course for the future thoroughly
we need to consider our past critically.
A clear vision of future Islamic solidarity can be drawn after a
survey of the OIC experience and its successes and shortcomings
since its beginnings.
From 1969 up until today the OIC went through three stages each
covering roughly a decade: the phase of self-searching and
realization, the phase of contention for a higher status in
world affairs, and the phase of crisis and disorientation.
The first phase of self-searching and self-realization was the
initial stage. The OIC came into being in a bipolar world,
majority of its members being part of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Its original cause was political solidarity that found its
expression in the Al-Quds and Palestinian problem.
In the first decade from 1970 to 1980 economic cooperation
became the main drive that characterized the OIC activities.
Institutional expansion of the OIC together with formulation of
policy guidelines highlighted the fact that the OIC was evolving
and becoming institutionalized.
This momentum of the 1970s, the decade of oil booms brought the
OIC to the second phase between 1980 and 1990. This era
witnessed the efforts for utilizing solidarity to exert
influence in the world affairs. The 1981 Taif and Mecca summit
heralded a new path that signified the Muslim world’s
realization of its own potential. Concrete actions were
envisaged and three standing committees were established in this
period. The euphoric feeling in this era, however, was
overshadowed by conflicts among some Member States.
The third decade lasted from 1990 until today and characterized
with a sense of crisis and disorientation in the face of
overwhelming political and economic changes in the world. The
bipolar world came to an end, the discourse of “clash of
civilizations” came to the fore and as a result this gave rise
to Islamophobia. Meanwhile many OIC member states faced imminent
political and economic challenges and emerging tensions on a
regional as well as global scale.
The global challenges imply, on the part of individual
countries, the requirement to consider political reforms aimed
at securing rule of law and democratic principles. They also
force the economic activities to be concentrated on knowledge,
research, technology and innovation.
The focus and performance of OIC is now challenged by an
ever-widening scope of issues amidst rapid changes in world
affairs. The OIC is in a position to respond to these global
challenges. The role the OIC should play in the world scene is
now greater and more critical thanks to its vast portfolio of
tasks.
From the beginning the concepts of solidarity and cooperation
marked the conduct of the OIC that ensured its continuity. Now
this continuity needs to be strengthened in response to the
challenges that the world in general and the Muslim world in
particular face today. The resolute determination and steady
exhibition of solidarity is urgently required in the current
circumstances for both Muslim states and the OIC as their
representative.
Therefore we have before us a new phase: the phase of a new
vision and a new future.
It is thus a timely opportunity provided by The Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz, who
while addressing groups of pilgrims earlier this year, had
called upon his brothers, the leaders of the Muslim Ummah, to
endeavour to close their ranks and to put an end to the state of
disunity and disintegration "suffered
by the Muslim world, so that the Ummah may pursue its historic
mission, by holding a meeting of the leaders to discuss the
issues of “unity” and “joint action”. Addressing the leaders of
the Ummah he said: “This is a call to face ourselves, to look
for what is common between us, to unify the ranks and to
strengthen the bonds. This is an appeal launched by a brother of
yours who shares with you the same preoccupations, pains, hopes
and belief in Allah Almighty”.
During this unprecedented call, His Majesty King Abdullah had
also highlighted the need to “hold meetings of the Ummah’s
intellectuals and scholars in preparation for the forthcoming
Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference, in order to examine the
overall situation of the Muslim world, to explore the most
effective solutions and means to unify the ranks, and to set the
Muslim Ummah free from this state of impotence and disunity.”
In this context, His Majesty King Abdullah had extended an
invitation to both the Prime Minister of Malaysia, in his
capacity as the current Chairman of the OIC, and to myself, as
the OIC Secretary General, to support this initiative. Both the
Summit Chairman and I had promptly welcomed this proposal and we
had committed ourselves to provide all possible support for the
successful convening of the Extraordinary OIC Summit and the
preparatory meeting of scholars and intellectuals.
The new vision and agenda has been shaped by the work of the
Preparatory Forum of Muslim Scholars and Intellectuals both
within and outside OIC Member States that was held, upon the
invitation of His Majesty King Abdullah, in Makkah al-Mukarramah
on 5-7 Shaban 1426 H (9-11 September 2005).
The scholars in three panels, namely the Political Affairs and
Media, Economy, Science and Technology, and Islamic Thought,
Culture and Education had intense and motivated deliberations.
The forum produced analyses of the current challenges faced by
the Muslim world, set the vision for the next decade and
proposed specific actions in each of these areas.
It is not surprising to see parallels in the outcomes of this
forum and of the Commission of the Eminent Persons by the
initiative of Malaysia following the 10th OIC Summit
Conference held in Putrajaya whose report will be presented
separately to the Extraordinary OIC Summit Conference in Makkah
al-Mukarramah.
This convergence indeed signifies the fact that there is a
strong consensus on the current issues and challenges, the
vision for the future and the agenda of action to reach that
vision.
The sense of commitment and the level of intellectual quality in
both of these fora were remarkable. These works need to be
considered in formulating a forward-looking and proactive agenda
for the Muslim world as they represent the intellectual input
that can shed light on our way as one family of nations.
The final conclusions of these panels produced through
brainstorming are summarized in the following paragraphs:
PANEL ON POLITICAL AND MEDIA ISSUES
1. On political and media issues, the scholars reviewed
the position of the Muslim Ummah in the contemporary world,
discussed extensively, Islamic solidarity and Joint Islamic
Action as well as the reform and restructuring of the OIC. They
also deliberated on the need for good governance, conflict
prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict
peace-building. Similarly, the Palestinian Question, Terrorism,
Dialogue among Civilizations, Islamophobia, the Political and
Human Rights of Muslim Minorities in non-OIC Member States and
Media issues, were discussed.
2. Reviewing the position of the Ummah in the
contemporary world, the scholars stressed that the Ummah
was an integral part of today’s world and that there was no
conflict between the Islamic and contemporary universal values.
They noted that as a religion sent to mankind, the message of
Islam is a role model for all people to establish the values of
equality, justice, peace and brotherhood. However, while
acknowledging that the Muslim Ummah has been going through a
prolonged period of crisis which has been compounded by external
challenges and negative campaigns against it, the scholars, in
resetting priorities for the Ummah, recommended a number of
measures that required implementation in the next decade.
3. Accordingly, the scholars proposed that, while
respecting the sovereignty of individual OIC Member States,
solidarity between them needed to be strengthened. They urged
Muslim countries to play a more active role on the international
scene especially in this transitional period when the evolving
international order is being shaped. The scholars called for the
Muslim world to effectively participate in the reform of the UN
including the expansion of the UN Security Council, with
adequate representation of the Muslim Ummah. In reaffirming the
inalienable right of all Member States to develop nuclear
capabilities for peaceful purposes in accordance with
international legality, they also stressed the importance of
making the Middle East, a Zone free of all weapons of mass
destruction. While requesting the OIC to develop ways and means
to promote intra-Islamic dialogue, the scholars also emphasized
the necessity of addressing and resolving various conflicts
among Muslims.
4. While deliberating on Islamic Solidarity and
Joint Islamic Action, the scholars then reaffirmed the
imperatives of solidarity and joint action in all domains
including the political, economic and religious fields. They
noted that real solidarity could only be achieved through the
strengthening of institutions and a firm belief in a common
destiny based on shared values as elaborated in the Qur’an and
the Sunnah.
5. The scholars, while observing that extremism and
sectarianism could undermine achieving real solidarity, called
for renewed political commitment to promote pro-active Islamic
solidarity through a gradual process. In this context, the
scholars further called for the strengthening and expansion of
the capacities of the existing institutions, including the
revitalization of the OIC Islamic Solidarity Fund, the
operationalization of the “Disaster Fund” to respond to various
disasters and natural calamities, the creation of a Special Fund
to eradicate poverty in the Muslim world and the setting up of a
special “African Solidarity Programme” to address the peculiar
needs of the continent. The importance of solidarity with Muslim
Minorities in non-OIC Member States and with NGOs and civil
society groups was also highlighted by the scholars.
6. With the enormous challenges posed by
globalization, the scholars stressed the necessity for
Muslims to act with unity and speak with one voice through the
instrument of the OIC. As the only overarching Organization for
the Muslim world, the OIC has the potential to play a major role
in creating a brighter and prosperous future for the Ummah if
certain reforms are implemented. Accordingly, the scholars
recommended a strong political commitment during the
Extraordinary Summit to rename the Organization, revise its
Charter, and restructure the General Secretariat where new
departments such as Strategic Planning, Peace and Security, to
deal with early warning and conflict prevention, should be
created. They called for the empowerment of the Secretary
General with the necessary authority and expanded budgetary
resources to undertake new initiatives, implement the new vision
and mission in order to raise the profile and visibility of the
Organization in all major international fora. While stressing
the need for more coordination and complimentarity among
different OIC institutions with the General Secretariat, the
scholars, proposed the opening of new OIC offices in large
Muslim countries and other capitals of the world.
7. In discussing the need for good governance,
the scholars noted that its benchmark is already enshrined in
the Qur’an and the Sunnah. They further pointed out that Islamic
parameters of good governance were compatible with democracy,
equality, freedom, social justice, transparency, accountability,
anti-corruption and the respect for human rights. In this
context, the scholars recommended the enhancement of political
participation, the empowerment of the people and, the
establishment of an OIC Permanent Commission to fight human
rights violations.
8. The scholars underlined the importance of the
peaceful resolution of conflicts in the Muslim world. In
this regard, they stressed the key role that the General
Secretariat of the OIC could play in view of the absence of any
effective institution to manage conflicts in Muslim countries.
While urging Muslim countries to actively cooperate among
themselves in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post
conflict peace-building, the scholars appealed to them to
effectively participate in the UN to create a collective
security system. They further proposed the operationalization of
the Islamic Court of Justice and the strengthening of regional
and sub-regional consultation groups to prevent conflicts in the
Muslim world. The need for the Secretary General to use his good
offices in conflict management process, using the focal point of
the Troika was also underscored by the scholars. Finally, they
recommended that in case of the disintegration of any OIC Member
State, no OIC country should accord recognition to any successor
units.
9. Deliberating on the Palestinian question,
the scholars stressed the importance of the comprehensive
settlement of the problem according to international legality,
the recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian
people to self-determination and the establishment of an
independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its
capital. Accordingly, they urged all Muslim countries to remain
steadfast and united and avoid taking any unilateral steps to
normalize relations with Israel until a just and comprehensive
settlement is achieved. Accordingly, the scholars recommended
that the Palestinian National Authority should be supported in
their efforts to negotiate for the rights of the Palestinian
people. They also appealed for assistance from all Muslim States
to build Palestinian economic institutions, establish a
university at Al-Aqsa, reopen the Gaza airport and seaport and
the creation of Islamic Waqfs to protect religious and cultural
sites in Palestine. The reactivation of OIC’s role in the
resolution of the Palestinian question as well as the renewal of
the mandate of the five Member Committee of the OIC to continue
contacts with the Quartet and other actors, were also proposed
by the scholars.
10. While underscoring the imperative of combating
terrorism and addressing its root causes, the scholars
however, noted the lack of consensus on the definition of the
term and insisted on its differentiation from the right to
resist aggression, foreign occupation and self-defense. They
rejected the linkage of Islam and Muslims to terrorism and noted
that the war on terrorism only through military means was
breeding more violence. Therefore, while urging OIC Member
States to combat terrorism through concerted efforts, the
scholars also called for the operationalisation of the OIC
Convention on Terrorism and the creation of an International
Counter Terrorism Centre.
11. The scholars, in their discussions on the alarming
phenomenon of Islamophobia, which they identified
as a form of racism and discrimination, noted with concern its
spread against Muslims. They, therefore, highlighted the
necessity to fight and eradicate it as a way of raising the
level of mutual understanding between different cultures. In
this context, the scholars recommended the global monitoring of
the phenomenon, the issuance of annual report on it, and the
holding of a global congress to raise awareness and address the
trend. They further called on Western countries to legislate
against Islamophobia and use educational and media channels to
combat it. In addition, the scholars, while welcoming the
setting up of an “OIC Observatory” by the General Secretariat to
monitor Islamophobia, called for enhanced coordination between
the OIC institutions and civil society groups in the West to
counter the phenomenon.
12. While deliberating on the political and human
rights of Muslim minorities in non-OIC countries, the
scholars noted the challenges faced by them in their countries
of residence and insisted that like others, these Muslim
Minorities were entitled to basic human rights which need to be
safeguarded. To protect their full rights and identity, the
scholars stressed the importance of cooperation between the OIC
and other international organizations like the UN, EU, Council
of Europe, OSCE, AU etc. to comprehensively address the question
of Muslim Minorities’ rights and issues. While giving due
respect to the sovereignty of states when dealing with the
rights of its Muslim Minorities, the scholars recommended the
preparation of annual human rights report on Muslim Minorities.
They also called for the revitalization of the Department for
Muslim Minorities and Communities in the General Secretariat and
granting observer status in the OIC to NGOs representing Muslim
Minorities. Furthermore, such NGOs should be encouraged to seek
consultative status with international, regional and
sub-regional organizations in conformity with their prevailing
rules.
13. The scholars identified the media as a
powerful tool in the modern world to project a positive image of
Islam and to promote the interests of the Ummah. In this regard,
they drew attention to the domination of the West in the field
of information and the misuse of the media to misrepresent Islam
and Muslims. They also noted the insufficient knowledge and
expertise among the media in the Muslim world. To address these
challenges, the scholars called on OIC Member States to
guarantee freedom of the press, agree on a Code of Ethics for
media channels, establish TV stations to broadcast programmes on
various religious, political and social issues, and produce
documentaries and films to counter misrepresentations of Islam
and Muslims. The scholars, similarly, urged Muslim media to
reach out in a credible manner to non-Muslims and develop
cooperation with friendly media networks in the West.
PANEL ON ECONOMY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
14. After reviewing the state of the economies of the OIC
Member States, the scholars identified the challenges that need
to be addressed in the near future. In the economic domain,
those challenges are: globalization, state control of economies,
lack of strong private sector in many countries, failure to
promote and implement sustainable development policies, low
levels of investment, insufficient trade financing, heavy burden
of foreign debt and debt servicing on their economies, severe
balance of payments difficulties in some Member States, market
access problems (tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade) among
Member States, lack of effective means of transportation and
similar infrastructural inadequacies, needs for
capacity-building, restrictions of access for businesspersons,
failure to eradicate poverty and diseases, lack of basic needs,
being far below the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and
inadequate human resource development. In the field of science
and technology, the basic challenges include lack of national
science and technology development strategies, low levels of
commitment of funds to R&D, weak university-industry
collaboration, human resources problems, and insufficient
research infrastructures.
15. However, the scholars emphasized that the OIC Member
States, numbering 57 today, are endowed with immense economic
potentials in different fields such as energy and mining,
agriculture, human resources, and trade. They held the view that
these natural and human resources should be utilized fully with
a view to ensuring the sustainable development of the Member
States individually and collectively, while reinforcing the
capability of the group to defend its interest in the world
economy and international fora. Therefore, this Conference is
timely and will give the opportunity to take the more needed
historic decision in order to address these challenges and
prepare the Islamic Ummah to play a more important role in this
century. It will be recalled that the OIC since its inception
has already initiated the process of economic and commercial
cooperation through the Makkah Declaration adopted at the Third
Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah Al- Mukarramah in
January 1981 and the Plan of Action to strengthen Economic and
Commercial Cooperation adopted during the same Conference.
16. Having noted the effects of globalization on the
economies of the Member States, the 10th Islamic
Summit Conference recommended that the process of their economic
integration should be speeded up to avoid further
marginalization and to accelerate the process of their
sustainable development. In this context, the summit underlined
the need to ensure effective implementation of the OIC Plan of
Action for Strengthening Economic and Commercial Cooperation
among the Member States. The 1981 Plan of Action was revised and
adopted by the Tenth Session of the COMCEC held in Istanbul on
22-25 October 1994 and endorsed by the Seventh Islamic Summit
held in Casablanca on 13-15 December 1994. The objectives of the
Plan are as follows:
(a) To achieve food security for and raising the standard of
living of the Muslim populations with special emphasis on the
eradication of poverty, famine and malnutrition in the Islamic
world;
(b) To realize increased and diversified production in various
productive and service sectors of the economies of the Member
States and promoting trade exchanges within the community;
(c) To enhance financial flows by reducing constraints on
capital movements and investments among Member States;
(d) To reduce the existing development gaps within the OIC
community to facilitate smoother and more effective economic and
commercial cooperation amongst the Member States themselves;
(e) To improve the quality of human capital and reduce the
technology gap between the OIC community and the developed world
by enhancing the level of Research and Development activities;
(f) To Promote and expand economic cooperation among the Member
States in such a way as to realize a gradual integration of the
economies of the OIC countries with a view to setting up an
Islamic Common Market or any other form of economic integration,
on a step-by-step and initially regional basis. This approach
would not only help overcome the possible negative impacts on
the OIC countries of the accelerating pace in the formation of
global economic groupings, but also support the aspirations of
the OIC community for a larger share in world economic activity
and a more equitable division of labour vis-à-vis the rest of
world.
The Plan of Action on economic and commercial cooperation is
being implemented by the Standing Committee for Economic and
Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC), chaired by the President of the
Republic of Turkey. COMCEC has so far organized 20 annual
ministerial conferences and many other sectoral conferences,
seminars, workshops and expert level meetings with a view to
accelerating the implementation of the Plan of Action. All these
meetings have concluded that the political will of the leaders
of the OIC Member States is the primary requirement for progress
in the implementation of the plan of action. Another Plan of
Action in the field of Science and Technology was adopted by the
Fourth Islamic Summit held in Casablanca in 1984 and is being
implemented by the Standing Committee on Scientific and
Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), chaired by the President
of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The scholars strongly
appealed to the leaders of the Ummah to take urgent measures to
ensure the implementation of these two Plans of Action in order
to foster the development of OIC Member States, both
individually as well as collectively, and to effectively
confront the present challenges.
17. While acknowledging that globalization presents
advantages and challenges, the scholars stressed that the Muslim
World can benefit from the economic advantages of globalization
through effective regional economic cooperation.
18. After extensively deliberating upon how to utilize the
global processes, the scholars proposed several concrete
measures. These include the encouragement of regional economic
groupings amongst OIC Member States; standardization of products
and processes and the application of international standards;
increase in the quality of products and services to improve
their competitiveness; utilization of new advanced
telecommunications and information technologies; removal of
tariff and non-tariff barriers amongst Muslim nations in order
to facilitate the integration of the economic process prior to
the submersion of national economies into the powerful
economies, and the promotion of an efficient political machinery
and media as essential elements for enhancement of the internal
infrastructure's capacity to benefit from globalization.
19. In addition to that, the following recommendations
adopted by the Preparatory Forum of Muslim Scholars and
Intellectuals during their meeting in Makkah Al Mukarramah from
9-11 September 2005 for consideration by the Extraordinary
Islamic Summit Conference will contribute to strengthening
economic and commercial cooperation among the Member States.
20. On the question of economic and commercial cooperation
among OIC Member States, the scholars noted that intra-OIC trade
actually represents only 14% of their total trade. They
recommended that the process of economic integration among OIC
Member States should be accelerated through the creation of a
Free Trade Area. The scholars strongly recommended that all OIC
Member States should accede to the Framework Agreement on Trade
Preferential System among the OIC Member States (TPSOIC) so as
to take part in the trade negotiations under the agreement as
this will be the first step toward the creation of a Free Trade
Area and ultimately the realization of the Islamic Common Market
which is a long-term objective.
21. The scholars underlined the need to prepare and
implement concrete programmes with goals and targets in the
domain of economic and commercial cooperation among OIC Member
States. In this connection, they welcomed the proposal to
achieve a 20% level of intra-OIC trade by the year 2015.
22. To realize this objective, some measures need to be
adopted, including, among others, increase of intra-OIC
investment, removal of trade barriers, facilitation of visas for
businessmen from OIC Member States, improvement of transport and
communication between OIC Member States, reinforcement of
capacity building and development of a strong private sector in
OIC countries.
23. In this context, the scholars expressed their support
for the initiatives aimed at revitalizing and energizing the
role of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They also
underlined the need to support the Islamic Development Bank
Group and in particular the newly established International
Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).
24. In order to accelerate the process for energizing
trade among OIC Member States, the following measures were also
recommended, notably: trade promotion/facilitation, encouraging
Member States to promote their export credit guarantee schemes
and further enhance the capabilities of the Islamic Corporation
for the Insurance of Investments and Export Credit (ICIEC).
There is also the need for improved coordination among the
Standing Committees as well as among the OIC Subsidiary Organs,
Specialized and Affiliated Institutions; increased investment by
Muslim countries in other OIC Member States; the establishment
of an OIC Zakat Authority to alleviate the sufferings of the
Muslims in need; the establishment of an Association of Muslim
Traders and Businesspersons; and for visa facilitation for
Muslim businessmen. In this connection a special facility titled
“MAKKAH AL MUKARRAMAH VISA for entry to the OIC Member States”
could be considered. The scholars also stressed the need for
promotion of national and regional initiatives for investments
in the OIC LDCs and, the continuation of efforts to fight
corruption through good governance as a means to remove barriers
against investments.
25. On the question of sustainable development and
finance, the scholars highlighted the fact that many OIC
countries carried the burden of debt and are far below in the
Millennium Development Goals. Moreover, the economies of some
OIC countries are largely under state control and therefore,
despite many efforts, the realization of trade liberalization
and free market are still elusive.
26. It was also noted that to achieve the objective of
liberalizing and modernizing their economies, the OIC Member
States, and more importantly the least developed among them,
need more financial resources preferably in the form of soft
loans and concessional funds.
27. In order to address these challenges, the scholars
recommended that the IDB's Board of Governors should be
commissioned to take necessary measures geared towards achieving
a substantial increase in its subscribed and paid-up capital,
and to establish a concessional fund with sizeable resources for
poverty reduction within the IDB Group, commensurate with the
enormous economic needs of the least developed member countries
of IDB. Detailed information concerning the proposal for the
increase of subscribed and paid up capital of the IDB and the
establishment of a fund in IDB Group to grant concessional
financing for least developed OIC Member States will be
submitted to the Summit for consideration. The establishment of
free trade zone in OIC Member States would also play an
important role in the intra-OIC trade promotion. The scholars
also endorsed the proposal to establish a permanent OIC Relief
Fund in order to assist Member States afflicted with natural
disasters or famines, thus achieving Islamic solidarity. They
further recommended that government to government debts of the
OIC LDCs should be reduced and/or written off; that focus should
be on changing the culture of debt in OIC countries as far as
possible; and that poverty in poor OIC countries should be
alleviated through the collection of Zakat. Furthermore, the
scholars underscored the need for OIC Member States to adopt a
unified stand in their international economic and commercial
negotiations, in particular those conducted under WTO. In this
context, they commended the initiative of the OIC General
Secretariat, the IDB, and the ICDT for organizing in
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in April 2005, a forum on energizing
trade and investment in Cotton sector in Africa and called for
the effective implementation of the recommendations of the said
forum.
28. The scholars commended Malaysia’s initiative on
Capacity Building for Poverty Alleviation in Least Developed and
low-income Member States, in its capacity as Chairman of the 10th
Islamic Summit Conference.
29. The scholars highlighted the role of tourism as an
important sector for revenue creation and dialogue among
civilizations as well as for preserving the Islamic cultural
heritage. They, therefore, recommended enhanced cooperation in
the field of tourism through the promotion of investment and the
facilitation of travel amongst OIC Member States.
30. The scholars also stressed the need for the prevention
and eradication of diseases and the awareness of environmental
issues since they were essential components of sustainable
development.
31. While deliberating on science and technology, the
scholars stressed that this field was not only a vital element
of human knowledge, but also an essential input for economic
competitiveness. They highlighted the lack of national science
and technology development strategies; low levels of commitment
of funds to Research and Development (R&D); weak
university-industry collaboration; human resources problems and
insufficient research infrastructures.
32. The scholars recommended that OIC countries should set
targets and specific indicators to be achieved in the long and
medium terms. Accordingly, the scholars proposed the following
targets for the year 2015: (a) number of experts and scientists:
800 per million, (b) ratio of students between ages 18 and 24
having the opportunity to enter into universities: 30% (c)
number of students to professors: 16 (d) percentage of GDP for
R&D: 1.2 %. The scholars agreed that the targets and indicators
for the LDCs would be one-third of these targets. It was also
stressed that an enabling environment for R&D was vital to
achieve these targets.
33. The scholars also proposed national science and
technology strategies in OIC Member States; establishment of
centers of excellence; increased vocational training; use of
modern technologies to promote education, such as long distance
learning, linking scientists to industry; establishment of an
OIC R&D Fund to support Member States’ projects on a cost
sharing basis. The scholars further underlined that it is high
time for the oil producing countries to channel part of the
revenues generated from increased oil prices into their national
R&D activities with a view to supporting their long-term
sustainable development through generating new sources of wealth
and expertise.
34. The scholars further recommended the promotion of
corporations within OIC Member States to assist inventors to
develop and patent their inventions. IDB may fund training
programmes for scientists in different fields in the OIC Member
States. The scholars noted the need for the creation of national
and regional networking of their research institutions with a
view to avoiding duplication and boosting innovation; the
desired goal of exploring and harnessing their own natural
resources. Finally, the scholars recommended the revision of
targets stipulated in the Vision 2020, adopted by the 10th
Islamic Summit in Malaysia, to new sets of targets to be
achieved by 2015, and the strengthening of COMSTECH through
greater allocation of resources.
PANEL ON ISLAMIC THOUGHT, CULTURE & EDUCATION
35. In reviewing issues in the fields of Islamic thought,
culture and education the scholars noted that the Muslim World
stands at a critical moment, and therefore, required a renewed
commitment to address the problems of extremism, illiteracy, the
provision of quality education, eradication of diseases,
underdevelopment, unemployment, youth and women empowerment, as
well as the cultural challenges of globalization on the heritage
of the Ummah.
36. The scholars, while adopting a common approach in
their discussions offered a number of far-reaching
recommendations, which, if implemented within the next ten
years, will positively, uplift the current unacceptable state of
the Ummah in order to build advanced societies that will help us
meet up with the train of modernity.
37. On the concept of moderation in Islam,
the scholars agreed that this concept is based on a solid
foundation of Islamic belief and constitutes the hallmark of the
Islamic Ummah: “Thus have we made you an evenly-balanced nation
that you may be witnesses for mankind and the Messenger may be a
witness for you.” (Al-Baqara – 143).
38. The scholars affirmed that Islam prescribes moderation
in all aspects of life and stands for complete harmony in the
society. They called for more efforts at all levels to reflect
the true image of Islam as a faith of moderation, tolerance and
peaceful co-existence. In this context, they stated that Islam
condemns extremism in all its aspects as it goes against human
values. They emphasized the need to address its root causes,
which could not only be solved with security solutions. In
addition, the scholars underlined that terrorism should not be
linked to any particular religion, culture or civilization. They
stressed the need to establish a moderate Islamic discourse,
which is bound to time, place, and circumstances and one that is
explained in contemporary language. This discourse should make
clear difference between the root and the branch, between the
original and the derived. It should also be moderate, credible,
effective and influential in order to reflect the true image of
Islam. They also stressed the need to develop Islamic
educational curricula with this understanding and to initiate a
revision process in this regard.
39. The scholars also extensively deliberated on the
important question of the multiple schools of thought.
They stated that differences in schools of thought reflect the
rich nature of the Islamic thought sources. In this regard, they
expressed their full support to the declaration made regarding
these issues by the International Islamic Conference, which was
held in Amman in July 2005 and was attended by more than 170
Muslim scholars.
40. While deliberating on the role of the Islamic
Fiqh Academy in re-examining the Islamic heritage, the
scholars stressed that issuing Islamic ruling (Fatwa) should be
performed with objectivity and integrity. It must be assigned to
Scholars who have deep Islamic Knowledge and wisdom. They warned
against issuance of reckless Fatwas by people who were not
qualified to speak in the name of Islam and Muslims and
interpret Islamic teachings in accordance with their own opinion
and preferences a situation that tarnished the image of Islam,
both within and outside the Muslim world. The scholars stressed
the need for a close coordination between religious ruling
authorities in the Muslim World through the Islamic Fiqh
Academy.
41. While deliberating on the question of a new vision for
the Islamic Fiqh Academy, the scholars emphasized the need to
have a credible international Islamic reference based on
collective and organized jurisprudence in order to elucidate the
religious point of view regarding new questions and issues. In
this context, the scholars called for the reform of the Islamic
Fiqh Academy, so that it could serve as the supreme juristic
authority of the Islamic Ummah. In this regard, they called for
applying competence and scholarly aptitude as criteria for the
membership of the Islamic Fiqh Academy. The scholars stressed
that the IFA Secretary General and its Chairman should assume
office through the election of the most qualified jurists of the
Muslim world who can serve the vision set out here, and
implement the IFA Statute and regulations in a strict and
effective manner. They called for applying strict criteria of
scholarly merit in nominating candidates for high office
bearers. The scholars also recommended the inclusion of women
scholars in the IFA’s membership according to their juristic and
scholarly aptitude and competence. The scholars affirmed the
need of writing and publishing IFA resolutions and rulings in a
modern simple language in order to expand the sphere of
communication between the IFA and the public in the Muslim
World. In order to enable the IFA to discharge the totality of
its duties and to give it a wider autonomy within the OIC, the
scholars called for establishing an IFA waqf with increasing
resources.
42. Concerning the issue of illiteracy, the
scholars stressed that it constitutes a major impediment to the
development of the Islamic societies. They affirmed that
combating illiteracy should be a strategic goal for the Islamic
World and they emphasized the need to completely eradicate
illiteracy from OIC Member States within the next 10 years. The
scholars further suggested the establishment of an Iqra Fund to
support and enhance the quality of education.
43. On the question of higher education as a
tool for the advancement of the Ummah, the scholars emphasized
that higher education was the major foundation for the
advancement and progress of the Ummah, and that without proper
attention being given to it, the Ummah would continue to suffer
from backwardness in education and sciences. They also focused
on the need to upgrade and reform higher education institutions
and their curricula. The scholars further stressed the need for
supporting academic research centers to promote the development
of Muslim Societies.
44. The scholars also deliberated on the subject of
cultural exchange as a tool for promoting understanding, harmony
and solidarity among peoples of the Muslim World. In
this context, the scholars stressed the importance of
encouraging cultural exchange as a means for achieving mutual
understanding. They advocated that the particularity of cultural
diversity should be widely disseminated at the global level. The
scholars called upon the Organization of the Islamic Conference
to concentrate its efforts in enhancing cultural cooperation
among Member States. They also called for paying attention to
the issue of the translation between the different native
languages in the Muslim World to realize the desired cultural
exchange.
45. On Dialogue among Civilizations, the
scholars underscored its necessity as an important step towards
global peace, security and peaceful coexistence considering the
existing lack of mutual understanding among cultures and
civilizations. While stressing that successful dialogue should
only be between equal partners based on mutual respect,
reciprocity and dignity, the scholars recommended a central role
for the OIC in conducting dialogue among civilizations. They
also suggested that the dialogue be all-inclusive and
comprehensive to remove all kinds of negative perceptions
starting with the revision of relevant textbooks by all sides.
They further proposed the formation of a core group from OIC
Member States to initiate the dialogue.
46. As for the question of women's rights in the
Muslim world and elaboration of an effective strategy
for the integration of women into the society, the scholars
highlighted that the prominent role and the rights of women in
the society was clearly espoused in Islam. The scholars,
accordingly, called for enhancing the status and position of
women in the society of OIC Member states. They also called for
supporting direct and sustainable relationship among Muslim
Women Associations in Member States and cooperation with
existing international Women's Organizations in Islamic
Countries.
47. On the subject of the rights of child in the
Muslim World and the elaboration of a strategy for the
protection of their rights, the scholars highlighted that
children were the Ummah's future and its edifiers. The scholars,
accordingly, stressed the necessity to place them at the top of
Member States national agenda priorities, and taking concrete
actions in their favor. In this connection, they called for
giving special attention to their quality education and guidance
to particularly preserve their rights and to protect them from
violence, abuse and exploitation. The scholars highlighted that
according to the available international statistics, polio
remained endemic in some OIC Member States with recent reports
of outbreak in certain Members. The scholars, accordingly,
appealed for a strong commitment by OIC Member States to join
international efforts to achieve complete eradication of
poliomyelitis in the Muslim world. They also stressed the need
to protect children against other serious preventable diseases.
48. In discussing the question of dealing with the
material and spiritual demands of the youth in the Muslim world,
the scholars highlighted that since the youth constituted a
large majority in Muslim societies, an enormous responsibility
rested on their shoulders for the uplift of the Ummah.
Accordingly, priority attention should be given to develop their
knowledge, profession and behavior, through their educational
institutions and the media. This would help them to devote
themselves to their nations and peoples. The scholars also
called for urgent attention to alleviate the problem of
unemployment in the Muslim world, particularly amongst the
youth.
49. On the question of the protection of the
cultural and religious rights of Muslim societies and
communities in non-OIC member states, the scholars
highlighted the impact of the problems confronted by these
Muslim societies and communities. These problems included the
protection of their cultural identity, and their participation
in edifying their nation and compliance with their laws in order
to protect them from all forms of discrimination, oppression and
exclusion. The scholars stressed the need to step up and
coordinate efforts to protect the cultural heritage of Muslims
in non-OIC member states.
50. In identifying the challenges of globalization
and their effects on the cultural heritage of the Ummah,
the scholars acknowledged that globalization had become a
reality, which requires sound knowledge of its nature,
mechanisms, forms and challenges as well as how to deal with its
positive and negative aspects. The scholars, accordingly,
stressed the need to take advantage of the positive aspects of
globalization while safeguarding the cultural heritage and the
identity of the Islamic Ummah.
51. Reviewing the question of setting new priorities
and goals of the Ummah in the areas of Islamic thought,
education, social and cultural affairs for the next decade,
the scholars highlighted the urgency of setting priorities and
defining medium and long term goals in order to achieve progress
and bring about renaissance in the Muslim world. The scholars
urged the OIC, to revise its various strategies in different
areas in a more realistic way, which would define priorities and
objectives as well as take into account both the circumstances
of time and place and what was feasible under those
circumstances, in the areas of Islamic thought, education,
cultural and social affairs, during the next decade.
CONCLUSION
It is the common aspiration of the Eminent Persons,
intellectuals and scholars who participated in both the CEP and
the Makkah Forum that the Muslim world is at a historic and
critical juncture. A new vision is required for the Muslim
world, an agenda of appropriate and urgent action is needed, and
consequently a significantly redefined OIC is a must as an agent
of change and promotion of Muslim interests at the global level.
Both fora delineated and analyzed the challenges that the Muslim
world is facing today. These challenges have political, economic
and cultural ramifications. They need to be addressed in the
best way through a common understanding and by formulating a
common path.
As one of these major challenges, globalization is a massive
change that comes with both benign and malign connotations and
needs to be fully understood and utilized to leverage its
benefits for the ummah.
Most of these global challenges demonstrate the fact that the
world is passing through rapid and sweeping changes. Current
developments reshaping the international order oblige Muslims
and their States to redefine their vision and actions and design
a political, economic and cultural agenda that would engage
Muslim states and societies proactively.
The participants underlined the essential need to revamp
existing mindsets and agendas in individual Muslim societies but
also their States and international organizations, chiefly the
OIC, the largest international organization of the Muslim world.
They stressed the fact that the thoughts and energies of Muslims
should be directed towards formulating answers rather than
repeating questions.
What is needed is a change motivated by and within the Islamic
world and not imposed from outside. This requires intellectual
openness and alertness, political will and leadership much more
than what was shown in previous periods of crises before.
The absence of a timely and unified endevaour to realize this
goal is likely to lead to unintended consequences that could
incite yet another wave of destruction, alienation, despair,
embarrassment and dependency in the Muslim world.
What we need is a vision that would respond to these challenges
and enable us to shape a brighter future for Muslims across the
world. This is a vision of a unified Muslim world in hearts, in
thoughts and in labor. It is a vision of a community of nations
and states that represent justice, development and moral power.
It is a vision of a Muslim world that has an effective
international stature through an effective, competent and strong
organization.
It is at this juncture that scholars and intellectuals came
forward with a future-looking agenda of action. This agenda
presents broad steps that need to be taken in order to move from
today’s shortcomings to the vision of a unified, strong and
powerful Muslim world.
All these deliberations consequently focused on the issue of
reshaping the OIC as to become the voice and medium for the
Muslim world. This new vision was designed to call upon the
Member States of the OIC to radically reform their international
organization with a totally new mandate that would serve to the
current and future interests of the Ummah.
In light of the above, what is needed is a new mission for the
OIC. Its functions, scope of activities, structure, staffing,
internal and external relations and performance must be
redesigned in tandem with this new vision and mission. A new OIC
based on the principles of transparency, accountability,
effectiveness, flexibility and proactiveness must take the
initiative to deal with the urgent problems of our day and age.
A new OIC will have a more comprehensive and larger scope of
activities. These activities include monitoring, coordinating,
agenda-building, advocacy and raising awareness about such
crucial issues as conflict prevention and management, minority
affairs, disaster relief, policy harmonization, economic and
commercial development, science and research, education and
cultural issues, women’s and children’s rights, preventing
extremism of all kinds, and easing religious, sectarian and
ethnic tensions through the guidance of scholars and leaders.
To achieve these goals, the reform of the OIC necessitates a
redefinition of its mandate, status, structure and functions in
line with the common principles and aspirations of Muslim states
and societies.
Only an international organization possessing these qualities
equipped with a merit-based and strong staff and with sufficient
financial resources can cater to the vision set out here and
work to facilitate the implementation of the agenda of action
for the future of Muslim countries.
Only a new OIC that characterizes and catalyzes a principled
change and an enlightened moderation can fulfill its mandate as
an action base for Muslim States and represent the Muslim world
in the best way in the international fora.
In conclusion, all of us want to see an end to a passive and
insulated approach to the challenges that face the Muslim world
today. We want a common voice and action. A new OIC with a new
mandate and structure is indispensable for this vision. A new
OIC will be key for ensuring a brighter and promising future for
hundreds of millions of people across the world. Its success
will be a historic one not only for Muslims but also for the
whole of humanity.
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