Speech 0f His Excellency Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General 0f The Organisation 0f The Islamic Conference, at Columbia University

Date: 21/09/2008

New York - United States 0f America 18 September 2008 I am deeply privileged and honoured to be able to address you in this prestigious house of higher learning, Columbia University, which has been carrying the torch of learning and knowledge for over 250 years. I would like, at the outset, to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the honourable Professor Dr. Richard Buliette, and Associate Dean Dr. Rob Garris, as well as the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) for hosting this event today, and publicizing it to the general public. SIPA has a leading international record in training professionals who made and still make a difference in the world, in social science research and in hands-on practice, as well as advocating human rights, protecting the environment, and securing peace at home and around the world. I am deeply gratified for this opportunity to converse with you on a subject which attracts considerable attention in the Muslim world, with some ramifications in the Western world. The subject is “The OIC’s new Charter, and its new visions and objectives, as well as its increasing role in international conflict resolution and prevention”. As many here might have faint information about the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference), I thought that it will be useful to give a short introduction about the history of this Organisation since its inception, its historic roots, and the reasons for its establishment. I also thought that it will be adequate to begin with a short glimpse on shedding light on the new Charter of the OIC which was adopted recently. I also find it irresistible to dwell on the phenomenon of the so-called Islamophobia which commands wide spread attention in the world especially and particularly in the West after the terrible and vicious crimes committed on 9/11 of 2001. Finally, I will discuss OIC efforts in conflict resolution or prevention. Islam is the religion of moderation and compassion, a religion that celebrates diversity, pluralism, and recognition of the other. It recognizes and acknowledges both Christianity and Judaism and a host of other religions. Moderation in Islam: has, for millennia on end, found its expression in diverse shape and manifold meanings that have become the distinctive trait of Islamic civilizations and its particular trademark. Islamic teachings are situated in the middle way; between divine and temporal; between what is material and what is spiritual; between individualism and personal liberty and responsibility and accountability toward the Creator and the society. Islam is also a practical religion because it is the religion of the collectivity which means that what is good in the eyes of the consensual (or unanimous community) is also good in the eyes of the divine. Moreover, Islam is built on the premise that relations between humans can only be governed by virtue of the balanced principles of strict equality (first in the history of humanity), and justice and fairness which abhors fanaticism and extremism. Islam is no stranger to America. It is, today, an integral part of the American religious landscape, and a visible part of the fabric of the American society. Today 1.58 billion souls around the world embrace Islam, and seven millions of them reside in the United States. Islam is reckoned to be the fastest growing religion in the world. Islam with its 14 centuries of existence had a radiant history of success. It was a remarkable turning point in the history of civilization that brought about considerable changes in the domain of human endeavour. I would like, in this context, to quote Prince Charles of England who enumerated in a speech at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies some of the Islamic heritage rendered to the human civilization: Quote: “.... we have underestimated the importance of 800 years of Muslim society and culture in Spain between the 8 and the 15 centuries. Not only did Muslim Spain gather and preserve the intellectual content of ancient Greek and Roman civilization, it also interpreted and expanded upon that civilization, and made a vital contribution of its own in so many fields of human endeavor in science, astronomy, mathematics, algebra (itself an Arabic word), law, history, medicine, pharmacology, optics, agriculture, architecture, theology, music. Many of the trails in which Europe prides itself came to it from Muslim Spain: Diplomacy, free trade, open borders, the techniques of academic research, of anthropology, etiquette, fashion, alternative medicine, hospitals, ail came from this great city of cities.” Unquote. The Muslim Ummah, means the “community of the faithful”. It is a unique bond that has no similar example under any other political or religious system in the world. It is a belonging to ideals which bring Muslims together in an eternal brotherhood lock which transcends all other consideration of allegiance or loyalties or barriers of nationhood, ethnicity, geography or language. Over almost the last fourteen centuries, Muslims, the world over, had a “symbolic” central authority which exercised mainly loose temporal authority and considered a focal point of Muslim unity. Under these circumstances, Islam and Muslims lived their golden age with abundant prosperity, wealth and a vibrant civilization in a society that ennobled knowledge, cherished sciences, and offered a very rich legacy to human civilization. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, The OIC is the first Intergovernmental Organisation in the history of Islam, and it is nowadays the largest intergovernmental organization in the world, second only to the United Nations, with a constituency of 57 Member States and 5 Observer States. The Muslim world has a formidable geographical stretch of land extending from the Atlantic shores to the confines of China and the shores of the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia, in addition to countries in South America with a total population of the OIC Member States standing at 1.45 billion. The crushing repercussions of the events of September 11, 2001, on the Muslim world, in particular, brought home to its leaders, the gravity of their predicament, compounded and accentuated by a vast wave of hostility engendered against Muslims as a result of the terrible terrorist attacks that were perpetrated in the heartland of the world’s only superpower. The mounting trend of Islamophobia that ensued, the failing economies, the lack of good governance, the deteriorating conditions in human development in the socio economic fields, the occupation of Iraq and the painful stalemate in Palestine, prompted the Muslim leaders to undertake serious rounds of self criticism, which culminated in another landmark in the Muslim world’s recent history. Taking stock of their chronic failure, and the urgent need to face the stark realities of today’s world, the Muslim world leaders met, at an invitation of the then Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, to elaborate a new strategy of salivation and revival for the Muslim world. The new strategy took shape in an all compassing Ten-Year Programme of Action, announced by an OIC Extraordinary Summit on December 7, 2005, from the city of Mecca, the holiest shrine in Islam. The programme centered its focus on uplifting the standard of human development in the Muslim world and in several fields of activities. One of the major reforms that emerged from this strategy was the overhauling of the Organisation’s Charter, and conferring to it a new vision, objectives and principles which go in line with the prevailing universal contemporary realities and values. The Charter also gives prominence to democracy by prioritizing good governance. In this context, it asserts the rule of law, upholds and safeguards fundamental freedoms and accountability. The vision of the new Charter gives pronounced importance to, and acknowledges the universality of human rights. Not only does it ‘sanctify’ these rights, but it also establishes a Permanent and Independent Commission of Human Rights to monitor, document and deal with any violation of these rights by Member States. It espouses and totally endorses diversity. In the same vein, it exalts tolerance, compassion, equality, and actively promotes dialogue among civilizations to ensure the prevalence of peace, security and concord among all nations. The new vision addresses also the chronic predicaments facing the Muslim world. It places great importance on the enhancement of socio-economic development in Member States with a view to empowering the Muslim world to achieve effective integration in the global economy. Moreover, the new Charter urges the popularization of knowledge in the Member States with the aim of creating the conditions conducive to the achievement of intellectual excellence, mainly in the realm of science and technology. The Charter does not neglect the pressing social issues prevalent in the Member States, and gives due consideration to the efforts related to the promotion of the role of the family. It uplifts the role of women to ensure their full participation in all spheres of life. It also emphasizes the importance of the sound upbringing of youth and children. In short, the new OIC Charter has sought to write the blue print for an enlightened future to the Muslim world. Ladies and Gentlemen, In introducing major reform schemes to the General Secretariat of the Organisation during the last three years, the OIC started to be visible and felt on the international stage. Its relationship with major international organizations became stronger and more effective, and its credibility became proven as an important player and a potent broker. Consequently, the OIC emerged as a trustworthy interlocutor. Presently, the OIC is seen as the unique and most trusted and authoritative spokesman for the Muslim world on the major global issues, eminent among which are the questions of Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir, Northern Cyprus and other issues. It is in this light that the United States administration has recently come to appreciate and acknowledge OIC role, and the White House took the decision of appointing a Special Envoy to the OIC who took office and started work on consolidating relations between the U.S.A. and the Muslim world. In assuming my duties and since day one under the new vision of the Charter, I have directed the OIC towards a two-pronged direction: moderation and modernization. In this, the OIC stands firm in rejecting and condemning all forms of fanaticism, extremism and bigotry. It emphasizes inter-civilizational and interfaith dialogues based on mutual respect and equality among interlocutors. The OIC also defends the respect of human rights, and endeavours to promote good governance, to widen political participation, respect of the rule of law, ensuring transparency and accountability, while combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and rejecting all attempts to justify this scourge. A great deal of the effort of the OIC is now directed toward human development in the socio-economic spheres through concrete and practical programmes, including poverty alleviation, education, science and technology, and elevating the status of women. Moreover, I have always called for Historic Reconciliation between Islam and Christianity, as was the case between Judaism and Christianity during the last century. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to turn now to the phenomenon of Islamophobia. Isiamophobia is a new name to an old phenomenon. It is bent on demonizing Islam and its adherents, and on separating the world into rival civilizations. The tendency to divide the world into good and evil, civilized and uncivilized, is inviting hostilities, disputes and instability. This tendency should be addressed seriously if there is to be dialogue across countries, faiths and cultures especially at this era of globalization. The recent notion of clash of civilizations only furthers stereotyping and its all pervasive evils. We believe that ah religions in the world strive to raise morally and ethically responsible citizens in every society and civilization, in order to ensure harmony and peace in the community of nations. Diversity and plurality are an established fact in today’ s global village. They represent an integral part of this century’s prevalent core value. The causes of Islamophobia are many and some of them are rooted in historical animosity. Reports of Western Intergovernmental and Non-Governmental Organizations indicate that Islamophobia in the West is so widespread that it may be more prevalent and dominant than racial abuse. Some Western media’s frequent portrayal and misrepresentations of Islam and Muslims have been one of the most persistent and virulent sources of prejudice against Muslims. It is now considered by the estimate of the Alliance of Civilizations as the prime dissemination of Islamophobia in the contemporary climate, and recognized as the most serious international threat to stability. Some scholars are also constantly presenting their biased views against Islam under the guise of scholarly presentation in their bid to set a false paradigm of knowledge against Islam. What is more alarming in this climate is the fact that Islamophobia has become increasingly tolerated as if it had been given license to gain legitimacy, acceptance and momentum to the extent that some start to see themselves on a collision course with Muslims and Islam. A major bone of contention with the proponents of Islamophobia is the question of freedom of expression. Although all agree that any freedom is always linked to responsibility, such as respecting human rights, and avoiding any form of incitement to hatred on the basis of race or religious belief, we find that some circles tend to ignore this basic universal and moral value and accuse Muslim victims of this racial hatred, who are defending their human rights, nevertheless, of trying to stifle freedom of expression. The collective efforts of the OIC and the member states have made an impact on the international community and have contributed towards raising global awareness of the dangerous implications of the phenomenon. Political leaders and opinion makers including academics and civil society leaders of the western world have now started to speak out against Islamophobia. The Dutch Foreign Minister in his speech at the First AoC Annual forum in Madrid in January 2008 stated and I quote, “Those in my country who call for the Koran to be banned are undermining the central principle of universal human rights. I condemn such calls in the strongest possible terms.” Unquote. The United States Government also showed its sensitivity to the concerns of the OIC by its decision to avoid anti Islamic terminology in their official memos and correspondences. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed resolution no. 1605 (2008) at its 13th sitting on 15th April 2008 which, inter alia, called on the member states of the Council of Europe to “act strongly against discrimination in all areas and condemn and combat Islamophobia and recommended development of ethical guidelines to combat Islamophobia in the media and in favour of cultural tolerance and understanding, in cooperation with appropriate media organizations”. These are without doubt encouraging developments but are not enough to effectively address the issue of Islamophobia. This awareness had also engendered some unfounded criticism accusing the OIC of “spreading anti-Christian bigotry”. The critics escalate their attack by declaring that the UN General Assembly’s resolution on defamation of religion is in “direct violation of international law, concerning the freedom of expression”. The allegation that the OIC is spreading anti-Christian bigotry cannot be more far from the truth. Islamic teachings make the believing in Christianity and the Message of Jesus Christe an integral part of the Muslim lore. Moreover, Jesus Christe in Islam is highly venerated as the word of God, Who produced many miracles and spread the culture of love and tolerance. The new testament is also recognized in Islam as sacred book of revelation. The resolution against defamation referred to above was adopted in three successive years by the UN General Assembly and passed by comfortable majority. It strikes a balance between the freedom of expression and the inherent responsibility attached to every liberty as stipulated in the international law, and endorsed in many Western national laws. It is clearly established that international law and in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966 forbids any incitement to religious hatred. Article 20 of this Covenant stipulates that “Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.” Despite this clear stipulation, the Attorney General of Denmark failed to see in the infamous Danish Cartoons issues on Prophet Mohamed, any incitement to hatred on bases of religion or belief. The same authority in the Netherlands did the same thing in the case of the film Fitna, produced by a Member of Dutch Parliament. Such negative attitudes adopted by officials in certain Western countries which seem to condone acts of an Islamophobic nature, can only lead to legitimizing Islamophobia and enhancing discrimination against Muslims and exposing their well-being and safety to danger. It is alarming to see that the present campaign of dehumanizing and demonizing Muslims which sweeps the West, consider Muslims as enemies. I do not go to the extent reached by the late Edward Said when he dismissed attacking Islam in the the old enlightenment as a “form of cultural imperialism”. But I tend to agree with him when he says that (quote) “the Orient appears in Western art and literature as something exotic, unreal, theatrical and therefore unfounded. The orient might have been a genuine alternative to Western enlightenment, instead it is remade a decorative foil to the Western imperial project” (unquote). At this juncture I will be amiss if I did not refer to the excellent book written by my dear friend Dr. Richard W. Bulliett, in his wonderful book the case for Islamo-Christian Civilization, what better remedy than Islamo-Christian Civilization. My frequent calls for historic reconciliation between Christianity and Islam find its echo in Dr. Bulliett’s book which elucidates this issue in a more subtle and convincing way when he make an ingenious argument that Islam and Christianity should be thought of as two versions of a common socio-religious system, like orthodox Christianity and Western Christendom. In this context, he demonstrated in his narration that the two civilizations exhibit similar historical trajectories, went through the same development stages, confronted internal challenges, and traveled parallel even overlapping paths until divergences developed in the later middle ages. He also recalled that Judeo-Christian civilization is a term originally coined by Nietzsche to deride both, and it was adopted only after the World War II. Dr. Bulliett hoped to do the same by proposing an Islamo-Christian Kinship that will help find a common ground between the two great civilizations. I think that this wise judgment will, one day, pave the road toward realizing my frequent calls for a historic reconciliation pact between Christianity and Islam. Ladies and Gentlemen, As for the role of the OIC in the difficult domain of conflict prevention, conflict management and conflict resolution, I would like to say that our Organisation is doing its best to play an important role in this direction. We have engaged many OIC Member States, or rival groups within these States to avert resorting to violence or fighting among themselves, thus preventing conflicts or resolving them. Sometimes we use our good offices to mediation in various disputes, or send special envoys to contribute to finding peaceful solutions to a given conflict. We have also resorted to similar practices such as organizing meetings of various groups of countries or individuals to debate the best way to find solutions to some disputes. The OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action established an Executive Committee of selected Member States to step in to settle disputes erupted among Member States, or to prevent disputes from occurring. In this context we have convened a meeting in 2006 at the holy city of Makkah of prominent Muslim religious leaders from both the Shia and Sunni sects in Iraq to discuss the fratricide fighting that was taking place between their militant groups in the civil strife in Iraq. We have managed to convince both side to agree on a document which stipulates that their fighting runs counter to the teaching of Islam and cannot be condoned and should be considered a crime reprehensible under the mantle of Islam. The document was elaborated by an Affiliated Organ of our Organisation in charge of Islamic jurisprudence. The two factions accepted the document and promised to popularize its contents among their followers. The net result was that the sectarian fighting in Iraq was reduced dramatically, a fact which contributed to substantially improving the security situation in Iraq. We have tried another approach in Somalia to stop the civil war which started more than 16 years ago. Several OIC envoys and emissaries visited Somalia and met with the belligerent parties, but our effort was fruitless a result of deep-seated rancor among the different fractions and their warlords and because of the presence of foreign troops which complicate the crisis there. In the intractable quagmire in Darfour, we were also active in trying to find a peaceful and negotiated settlement but the complexity of the situation has proven to be very difficult to remove the obstacle hindering any progress. We have resorted to personal efforts and shuttle diplomacy to stop the fratricidal fighting between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to avert the fighting and bloodletting and were successful to a certain extent. And, at the same time, we acted as mediators in the frequent disputes and conflicts between the Sudan and Chad. We have established to this end a Ministerial Committee of conflict prevention, in collaboration with other regional and international organizations and managed to score preliminary success, but the efforts are continuing to put a final end to this conflict. We are also engaged in active effort to broker a peaceful settlement to the protracted conflict between the Government of the Philippines, and Moro National Liberation Front in the southern part of the country. My Special Envoy to the Philippines succeeded in presenting a formula for settlement which was agreed upon, and we are, presently, engaged in implementing its provisions. Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, Muslims are on the sharp end of the debate. What makes this debate crucial is its global nature, and this global nature will not go away in the foreseeable future. We believe that in the face of mounting prejudices against Muslims and Islam, Muslims need to be protected against the social and psychological damage inflicted by the hate mongering negative stereotyping and smear campaigns against their self identity, self-esteem, and human dignity. They also must be defended against discrimination, bigotry, harassment and mental and physical abuse. The OIC and the Muslim world, while doing their utmost to cope with all aspects of this surging phenomenon, need urgent help and assistance from the international community, mainly from the West, to expedite the finding of just and lasting solutions to the main problems facing the Muslim world, mainly the onslaught of Islamophobia and the chronic crisis in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. And finally, I think that we have to do our utmost to educate ordinary people to conceive human civilization as a universal human heritage to which all peoples belong and should help to share and enlarge. This perception is the one most relevant to our time, and its prevalence is a condition for any worthwhile dialogue which might lead us to a reliable and lasting peace.

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