Jordan Times
Friday, March 14, 2008
Jordan seeks unified
stand on challenges facing Muslims - Dahabi
DAKAR (Agencies) - Prime Minister Nader Dahabi on Thursday reiterated that the
major challenges which the Islamic world is facing on the political, economic,
social and cultural fronts make it imperative for Muslim states to unify all
efforts exerted to confront them.
The premier said one of the most serious dangers facing the Islamic world is the
attack on Islam and the distortion of its teachings and noble values.
He underlined the Kingdom’s efforts to confront such abuses.
Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah at the 11th summit of the Organisation
of the Islamic Conference taking place here, Dahabi highlighted Amman Message
which was put together by several scholars and clerics from the Islamic world,
as part of Jordan’s efforts to present the true image of Islam to the rest of
the world.
He said the 2004 document clarifies the basics of Islam and its principles
calling for peace, tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of others. It also
dismisses takfiri thought (which tends to label other Muslims as infidels
non-Muslims), extremism, violence and terrorism, he told the gathering.
The premier also referred to the critical and difficult conditions that the
Middle East is experiencing in the absence of a just solution to the Palestinian
question, viewed as the core issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Stressing that the growing violence threatens the region’s security and
stability, he underlined the importance of arriving at a speedy, just and
comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.
Dahabi met separately on the sidelines of the summit with Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to discuss the issues
scheduled for discussion during the summit.
Dahabi told Abbas and Siniora that Jordan wants a joint Islamic stand on the
challenges facing the Islamic nation, saying the summit was expected to come up
with recommendations that are prone to boost joint Islamic action.
During his meeting with Abbas, Dahabi reiterated the Jordanian support for the
Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people.
Dahabi also reiterated during the meeting with Siniora Jordan’s support for the
Lebanese to reach consensus in electing a new president to enhance Lebanon’s
independence and national unity.
The Jordanian delegation to the summit includes Minister of Foreign Affairs
Salah Bashir, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Fattah Salah and
Jordan’s Ambassador to Senegal Faisal Showbaki.
Islamic related developments, the Middle East peace process and the conditions
in Palestine will top the conference agenda.
Islamophobia
During the first day of the summit, the leaders of the world's Muslim states
criticised a rising wave of "Islamophobia" in the West and pledged to combat
Islamic extremism, which they said was partly to blame.
Heads of state of the OIC met in Senegal for talks on making the 57-nation body
more effective in combating poverty in Muslim states, Africa and Asia.
Efforts to revamp the OIC's unwieldy 40-article charter also ran into problems
after foreign ministers broke off their discussions without agreement on
Wednesday, despite having extended their two days of talks by an extra day.
But delegates were unanimous in voicing fury at Israeli military strikes against
Palestinian territories, and at the negative portrayal of Islam and
discrimination against Muslims in the West.
"In our relations with the Western world, we are going through difficult times,"
said OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, calling for Israelis to be tried
for war crimes.
"Ignorance about Islam and calculated animosity with deep historic roots on the
part of a minority in the West, as well as our failure to defend the true values
of Islam, are the reason for the increasing wave of Islamophobia."
Caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad printed by European newspapers have sparked
anger across the Muslim world. Some western human rights groups have accused the
OIC of trying to limit freedom of expression and belief.
"Should freedom of expression mean freedom to blaspheme? There is no such thing
as limitless freedom," Wade told delegates, while criticising those who carried
out attacks in the name of Islam. "They deserve only our contempt."
Africa seeks Arab aid
Criticised as being ineffective and bureaucratic, OIC officials hope revamping
the body's charter can speed decision-making and commit wealthy oil-rich Arab
states to foster development in poor regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where Al
Qaeda extremists are gaining a foothold.
A key reform would allow decisions to be taken by a two-thirds majority, instead
of by unanimity-which has proven difficult in a diverse body grouping a quarter
of the world's population spread across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Founded in 1969, the organisation has decided at past summits to establish an
Islamic peacekeeping force, university, common market and investment fund, but
most of these decisions have never been implemented.
A $10 billion fund for Islamic development set up by the organisation has so far
received pledges for only $2.6 billion.
"We are on the point of adopting the charter and we hope this adoption will come
today," Wade said. "It's up to the heads of state to make the decision." Some
members are pushing to make OIC membership conditional on a state having a
"majority" Muslim population, but this has been resisted by mixed-religion
nations like Uganda.
Pakistan was also insisting the new charter should make potential members
resolve their conflicts with existing members before being allowed to join -
reflecting its long-running dispute with neighbour India over the Kashmir
region.
With several prominent leaders not present - from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah
to Libya's Muammar Qadhafi and Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf - some delegates had
called for a decision on the charter to be postponed until a Cairo summit in
three years.