Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 18/10/2011
Rabat, 17-18 October 2011 H. E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the OIC despite his sincere desire to be present here personally, was unable to attend this august meeting due to some prior commitments. He has, however, designated me to represent him. I now have the honour to read out his message to this meeting on his behalf. I Quote: Excellenies, Distinguished Participants I wish to express my happiness at the convening of the Second Meeting of the OIC Focal Points to the UN Alliance of Civilizations being held in this historic city. I take this opportunity to thank the Member States for responding positively to our invitation and to thank the ISESCO for hosting this Meeting at their Headquarters. The OIC Member States had a particular role in conceptualizing the Alliance of Civilizations. It was a joint initiative of the Turkish Prime Minister, his Spanish counterpart and the Secretary General of the United Nations in 2006 that received a positive response from a major part of the international community. The number of Group of Friends currently exceeds one hundred and twenty with 33 OIC Member States being part of this distinguished group. The First Meeting of the OIC Focal Points at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah in April last year was convened with a view to developing a collective strategy towards addressing the issues of concerns for the Muslims including the issue of intolerance and discrimination based on religion and belief, within the AoC framework. I believe the Second Meeting will take stock of the progress made and deliberate on future activities. In this context, I would like to highlight the following: a) The High Level Group in its recommendations had called for developing a White Paper on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which may be useful in presenting alternate ways for alleviating the unbearable sufferings of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation. It falls on the OIC to pursue the matter with the AoC by underlining the necessity of taking urgent and immediate steps towards implementing this HLG recommendation. b) The AoC, in cooperation with the OIC and its Member States, would need to take initiatives to address the issue of intolerance and incitement to hatred based on religious grounds. The recent Norway Massacre ring alarms bell and should serve as a reminder that the task of building bridges between the West and the Muslim world requires greater involvement of all stakeholders. In fact, the Muslim-West divide, one of the core issues in the HLG Report, runs the risk of being widened by the dangerous implications of Islamophobia- that constitutes a contemporary manifestation of racism and must be duly addressed in that context. c) The AoC Mediterranean Strategy, adopted in 2010 did not address some of our concerns. It needs to be ensured that the Mediterranean Strategy is implemented in a manner that incorporates and furthers our interests. d) The OIC Member States may need to consider the notion that the success of the AoC would depend on four elements, namely, (i) Address the problem at the grass roots level rather than confining it to elites; (ii) Ending stereotyping of Muslims by the media; (iii) Having political engagement at the highest levels; and (iv) Working towards a historic reconciliation between Islam and Christianity. e) There is a need for concerted efforts to encourage OIC Member States to be more actively involved with AoC related activities through adoption of AoC National Plans on dialogue and interaction among civilizations and to initiate projects on the four target areas, namely media, education, migration and the youth, taking into consideration the vital interests and concerns of the Muslim world. f) We also wish to urge all OIC Member States to establish closer interaction with the AoC, as a relevant forum for dialogue by enlisting themselves in the AoC Group of Friends, if they are not yet members. g) Consultation and solidarity among OIC Member States is of utmost importance. Therefore, we would also like to call for coordinated positions during AoC meetings and activities. h) Furthermore, we must aim to work constructively also within the context of the AoC on a common platform aiming at developing projects addressing the need for inter-cultural and inter-civilizational dialogue at all levels. The OIC has been taking a leading role at the United Nations Human Rights Council to bring the international community to adopt a common position on combating intolerance and incitement based on religion or belief. While addressing the Human Rights Council Session in 2010, I proposed eight points towards facilitating a consensus between the OIC and the Western Group. I am glad to note that these points found resonance with the negotiating partners. The UN HRC 16th Session, held in March 2011, adopted by consensus the historic HRC Resolution 16/18 which took account of my proposal as the basis to combat religion-based intolerance and incitement. The Istanbul Meeting of 15 July 2011, co-chaired by Her Excellency the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and I, and attended by a number of Foreign Ministers, both from the West and the OIC Member States, reiterated the importance of the implementation of Resolution 16/18 in its letter and spirit. I believe that it is necessary for the OIC Focal Points to utilize the HRC Resolution 16/18, in pursuing similar objectives within the purview of the AoC. Finally, I believe that this meeting will adopt an outcome document, which should go in accordance with OIC resolutions and decisions related to the four areas of the AoC with a view to advocating the Muslim world’s position in the matter, as well as in the interest of forming active partners in assuring that the recommendations of the HLG Report are not forgotten. We should rather seek for them to be fully implemented. With these few words, I wish you success in your deliberations at this important meeting. I thank you for your attention. I unquote.
