Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 01/06/2010
São Bernardo do Campo (Brazil), May 31, 2010 At the outset, let me extend to you a very warm welcome and thanks for attending this Seventeenth Session of the Committee of Coordination of Joint Islamic Action in the Field of Dawa, being held in this beautiful city of São Bernardo de Campo, hometown of the President of Brazil, His Excellency Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. My sincere thanks go also to the Brazilian Government for its valuable assistance and facilitations to hold this meeting. At this propitious occasion let me also thank Mr. Ahmad Ali Al-Sarify, the director of the Islamic Dissemination Center for Latin America, and member of the Committee on Coordination of Joint Islamic Action in the Field of Dawa, for generously hosting this meeting and for all the hard work he and his assistants have deployed for the preparation and convening this gathering. A word of appreciation and gratitude also goes to the Committee members present here for their positive response and participation in the work of this meeting. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, When I was prepared to leave Rio de Janeiro, I came to know about a crime perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against the defenseless citizens participating in the “Freedom Flotilla” headed for Gaza in support for the Palestinian people under siege there. I issued a statement condemning this crime because I see it as a grave escalation and blatant violation of international law and human norms and standards, and Israel must be held fully responsible for the health and safety of all those participating in this humanitarian convoy. I wish to reiterate my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and my sincere wishes of prompt recovery for the wounded. We are in consultations with the OIC Ambassadorial Groups both in Geneva and New York, as well as Member States in order to take appropriate action at the level of the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to examine the fallouts of this attack. Therefore, an investigation into attack so that Israeli officials are prosecuted for their crimes against humanity is a must. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased and happy to attend this important meeting, which comes shortly after the successful conclusion of the Third Global Annual Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, which ended its works last Saturday, May 29 in Rio de Janeiro. I was very impressed and reassured to hear the inaugural speech of His Excellency President Lula where he emphasized his deep belief in the prevalence of the culture of peace in the world. I am happy to tell you that the role of the OIC in this domain was praised by the participants of the Forum. The fact that this 17th session of the Coordination Committee is taking place in this country is a true manifestation of Muslim Nations’ solidarity with Brazil as well as the rest of the Latin American countries. I am confident that our meeting today will contribute to deepen the understanding of the importance of culture and specificities of the Muslim community in Brazil and other Latin American countries. It will also contribute to creating awareness about Islam’s achievements and its contribution to the prosperity for these societies in all cultural and economic aspects. An important aspect of this meeting is also that it is taking place at a time of major transformations in the world politics in general, and within the Muslim world in particular. The OIC witnessed a number of positive transformations in particular within the last five years. A significant benchmark in the Muslim World’s contemporary history occurred when its leaders adopted, in their 3rd Extraordinary Summit, convened in Makkah Al-Mukarrama in December 2005, a Ten Year Program of Action (TYPOA) destined to empower the Islamic world to stand up to the new challenges facing the Muslim Ummah in all domains at the threshold of the twenty first century. This historic meeting also authorized the rewriting of the OIC Charter, with updated visions and values, which go in tandem with the internationally recognized values and norms. A new Charter was adopted in 2008 during the 11th Islamic Summit, held in Dakar, and entered into force immediately. Among the outstanding features of the new Charter is the provision for the establishment of an OIC Independent and Permanent Commission on Human Rights with the view of upholding these rights in the OIC Member States. The Commission is now at its final stage of establishment. The TYPOA and the new Charter conferred substantial importance to the Muslim minorities and communities residing outside the OIC Member States. One of the prominent duties of the OIC is to look after the welfare of these communities, as well as making sure that their rights are respected and their preoccupations are justly addressed. A special emphasis is also put on keeping channels of contacts and cooperation between the Muslim world and these Muslim communities with the aim of maintaining their cultural identity and specificities. The OIC Charter calls on them to abide by the laws of the host countries, and to behave as a bridge of the Muslim world towards their countries of adoption. Latin America, in general, is the host of millions of citizens from Islamic or Arab countries. I am happy to underscore that they are doing very well and have managed to attain high position in the public life and economic domain in their respective host countries. The Muslim communities in Latin America are looked at as a role model of integration to their host societies, while enjoying full rights as citizens, and playing a major role in the development and prosperity of their own countries. We take pride in this fact and call upon them to persevere in keeping in touch with their cultural heritage and in becoming more involved in the policies affecting the Muslim world’s major political and cultural concerns. It should be mentioned here and as you are all aware that Islam has come under severe attack and scrutiny in the West for quite a long time. Fierce campaigns of denigrating and stereotyping Islam is at the rise since many years. This annoying situation necessitates coordination efforts between all Muslim associations in the West. In this context, we would like to seek your help and assistance in reflecting the true image of Islam based on tolerance, compassion, and moderation in your countries, and to help combating and defeating the phenomenon of Islamophobia. At this backdrop, the OIC initiated the concept of dialogue among different cultures and faiths as an alternative to the so called prophecies of Clash of Civilizations promoted by some Western thinkers. The initiative of the OIC i.e. the concept of dialogue has received global acceptance, especially at the level of the United Nations and other regional and international fora. Here, I would like to acknowledge and appreciate the noble initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia in promoting the interfaith dialogue at international level which has received global acclaim and appreciation. To this effect, we look forward to having a more coordinated relationship between the OIC and Muslim communities abroad with a view to benefit the Muslim world from their activities of joint Islamic action. I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that the OIC has established an Islamophobia Observatory that produces reports daily, monthly and yearly. Recently published its Third Annual Report and the same is available to anyone interested. I would, therefore, appreciate receiving from you all the help and cooperation for future editions. Ladies and Gentlemen, One of the important features of today’s session of your Committee is that its agenda contains issues closely linked to Muslim communities in Latin America. Another feature touches on identifying the concern of Muslim communities regarding coordinating their activities with all the similar Muslim communities abroad. In this context, the Committee has begun a new chapter in its efforts under the slogan of “Solidarity in Action”. Another project of a separate Committee is the establishment of a short wave (SW) and frequency modulation (FM) radio station for Africa dealing with the areas of education, health, social, environment, and Dawa. These stations will broadcast in international and African languages. There is also a project for the establishment of Arabic language teaching centers to promote dialogues. The Committee’s ambition is to expand these media activities all over the world. I should particularly mention an important issue to be discussed during this session, which is the status of women in Islam. Our religion has granted women an honorable status. The OIC has, in this regard, prepared and adopted an OIC Plan of Action for Advancement of Women (OPAAW), which, inter alia, paved the way to the establishment of an institution dealing with women issues, to be based in Cairo. In sum, let me take the opportunity to express my confidence in today’s session in finding effective ways and means to implement all the above mentioned projects to the betterment of the Muslim Ummah as a whole. In conclusion, I would like to express once more my gratitude to the Government of Brazil and to the municipality of the city of São Bernado do Campo for the facilities provided for the participants of this session. We are confident that the Muslim communities in Brazil and in the neighbouring countries will manage to build a solid bridge linking their communities to the member states of the OIC. On this note, I would like to wish you all success in your endeavours and deliberations in the service of the Islamic Ummah and humanity at large. I thank you.
