The Hindu : Learn from Israelis, Muslims told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 17, 2003

International

International

Learn from Israelis, Muslims told

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Oct. 16. The inaugural session of the 10th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) at Putrajaya in Malaysia today turned into a matter of plain-speak introspection, as the host and Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, called upon the "Muslim Ummah'' (the religious community) to think deeply about the factors that led to its negative image and even some alienation on the international stage.

Identifying the Palestine question as the most symptomatic issue of the Islamic world's predicament, Dr. Mahathir asked the community to use "brain power'' to overcome the strengths of the `thinking' Israelis.

Dr. Mahathir said: "They survived 2,000 years of pogroms not by hitting back'' at those who hurt them through long periods of history, "but by thinking''. He said: "They invented and successfully promoted socialism, communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so they may enjoy equal rights with others. With these, they have now gained control of the most powerful countries and they, this tiny community, have become a world power. We (Muslims) cannot fight them through brawn alone. We must use our brains also''.

Referring to the the vulnerabilities of the Israelis, he said they had now become arrogant because of their successes. "... arrogant people, like angry people, will make mistakes, will forget to think'' and "they are already beginning to make mistakes and they will make more mistakes''. It was because of this new dynamic that "there may be windows of opportunity for us now and in the future''. These opportunities must be seized, he emphasised. Dr. Mahathir's plain-speak was endorsed by the OIC Secretary- General, Abdelouahed Belkeziz, who outlined the political issues confronting the `Ummah'.

As the President of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, the Indonesian President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, called for a "fundamental review'' of the "structure and mechanism of the OIC''.

Russia as observer

For the first time in OIC's history, Russia was represented at today's meeting as an observer.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said on the sidelines of the conference that his country "will take into account the mood at this conference and in the Muslim world as a whole'' with a view to addressing issues concerning Moscow's engagement with the Islamic countries and groups. He said that his comfort level at the conference was good, though some speakers at times voiced "disputable (and) extreme points of view'' on several issues. He also indicated that he was not bracketing Islam with terrorism.

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