Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 18/12/2011
Algiers - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria 18th-19th of December 2011 In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful And Peace and Blessings be upon the best of the Prophets It is my pleasure to convey to you the greetings of His Excellency the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, who could not be here today because of previous official appointments. He asked me to read his statement to your august meeting on his behalf. Your Excellency Mrs. Khalida Toumi, Minister of Culture, People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; Your Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of the Islamic International Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization; Your Excellencies the Ministers and Ambassadors; Distinguished head of delegations; Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatuh, It is my pleasure to address you today at the Seventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers. At the outset, I would like to express my appreciation to His Excellency President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, and the Algerian government and people. I would like also to thank Her Excellency Mrs. Khalida Toumi, Algerian Minister of Culture, and congratulate her for Algeria’s hosting of the Seventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers and the choice of Tlemcen as the capital of Islamic culture 2011. Such choice not only asserts the deep-rootedness of this metropolis, but also the rich Islamic heritage of Algeria that testifies to its originality and the creativity of its people, the interest of the authorities, intellectuals in general, and all classes of the society in culture, arts, innovation and maintenance, enriching and development of heritage in a balanced manner between originality and modernism. The ceremony of Tlemcen as the capital of Islamic culture has shown the cultural momentum in this country and its distinct ability to organize such big cultural events. I also thank His Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of the Islamic International Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ISESCO), for the good preparation for this Conference in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). I ask Allah to help us succeed in our work and in taking the right decisions that would develop culture, arts, and creation in the Islamic world. Your Excellency the Chairman of the Conference; Your Excellency the Director General; Your Excellencies; Ladies and gentlemen; As we meet here today to review the cultural issues of our Islamic Ummah, we also remember the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Lands, its continuous threat to the cultural identity of the Palestinian people through excavations under the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, vicious attacks against the places of worship, including profaning the mosques and burning of the Qur’an which all represent a glaring breach of the International Law. At the OIC, we assert the centrality of the issue of Al-Quds for the Islamic Ummah and the necessity to maintain its Islamic hue and protect the sanctity of holy Islamic and Christian sites. Therefore, we condemn the ongoing illegitimate Israeli policies and practices of forced relocations, withdrawal of personal identities, demolition of houses, erection of the racial separation wall, Judaization of historical places, and profanation of holy locations and jeopardizing its foundations within the occupied Palestinian territories, including eastern Jerusalem. We also asset the illegitimacy of the Israeli measures in the Holy Quds that aim to annex and Judaize it, change its demographic and geographical nature, and isolate it from its Palestinian surroundings. We warn against the danger of the excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque and demand the international community and the UNESCO in particular, to fulfill its responsibility in obligating Israel to respect the International Law and put an end to its illegal and illegitimate practices in occupied Jerusalem. We also condemn the Israeli attempts to change the geographical names of the occupied territories and call upon the entire world not to surrender to these attempts that aim to falsify the geographical and demographic reality of the occupied territories in glaring violation of the International Law. Israeli ongoing building of settlement outposts in challenge of the will of the international community clearly shows its stubbornness, insistence on wasting every peace opportunity and undermining the two-state solution. I seize this opportunity to express my satisfaction and happiness that the State of Palestine has acquired the full-fledged membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which is a historical breakthrough and a positive prologue to obtain the full-fledged membership in the United Nations (UN). While I congratulate the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian People for this significant qualitative step, I assert that at the OCI we shall continue to support the Palestinian efforts until Palestine acquires full-fledged membership at the UN and the establish its independent state with the Holy Quds as its capital. In this regard, I urge the OIC Member States to increase their contributions to the UNESCO to offset the resulting shortage after some countries suspended their contributions following the membership of the State of Palestine. Your Excellencies; Ladies and gentlemen; It goes without saying that the various issues to be reviewed at this Session assert the variegated interests and aspects in the cultural field. In this regard, we should note that culture has been receiving increasing interest within the national policies of the Islamic countries as indicated by the higher budgets allocated to this sector, frequency of the events and festivals on various cultural activities, the emergence of a distinct sector for cultural industries as well as the deeper interest in the material and immaterial heritage and the efforts exerted for its maintenance and promotion. It is an established fact that the interest in culture has spread throughout all countries. One of the advantages of globalization is that it has made culture a strategic sector. In response to the disquieting negative stereotyping, a collective awareness has been formed that globalization should not lead to the hegemony and dominance of one thought or culture. Multiplicity and variety provide a chance for civilizations and cultures to open up to one another in an interactive dialogue that would enrich the human civilization and culture at large and there is no doubt that the Islamic culture with its noble message and rich human heritage is worthy of a distinctive status among other cultures. In light of the multiple languages in the Islamic world and the need to address the others in the language they understand, it is highly important to intensify the movement of translation that remains the main channel for fruitful give-and-take dialogue and interaction with other civilizations and cultures. On the other hand, it seems to me beneficial to develop the cultural diplomacy through the organization of various cultural events, such as festivals and cultural weeks among the brotherly and friendly states to extend bridges of convergence and understanding among peoples. We should also exploit information and communication technology and employ it in the service of the Islamic culture. Your Excellency the Chairman; Your Excellencies; Ladies and gentlemen; One of the biggest challenges we are facing today is the escalation of the phenomenon of Islamophobia which has exceeded mere personal behaviors to be a rather systematic political action used by some politicians to gain supporters. This same phenomenon has also taken legal and constitutional forms in some European countries which prohibited hijab and building of minarets. Worse still, there have been campaigns that fuel hatred and abuse such as the campaign of an obscure priest in the United States of America to burn the Noble Qur’an. There have been attempts to profane the sanctities, such as the abusive caricatures of the Prophet (SAWS ). Recently, a French magazine published some abusive caricatures which we consider a disgraceful action and an encroachment of Islamic sanctities in addition to being a shameful breach and abuse of the freedom of expression. We reiterate that the freedom of expression should not be abused in instigation towards hatred and misunderstanding and that it should be responsible and law-abiding. This phenomenon concerns us deeply and its confrontation requires solidarity and mobilization of efforts in the cultural, educational and media fields in addition to the bilateral and multi-lateral diplomatic action. At the OIC, we exert ongoing efforts to monitor this phenomenon and take the required measures in its regard as being instigation towards hatred and discrimination against Muslims. The OIC hosted a meeting chaired by the American Secretary of State and myself to provide a uniform push for the implementation of resolution 16/18 issued by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on “Combating Intolerance, Negative Stereotyping, Discrimination and Incitement to Violence & Violence Against Persons Based on Religion or Belief”. We confirmed our commitment to work together with the concerned countries and other stakeholders to follow up the implementation of this resolution and to hold more events and activities to discuss it and assess its process of implementation. In this context, the OIC carries out various activities and efforts to spread the Islamic culture and highlight Islam in its glorious actual image through intercultural and interfaith dialogue activities and consolidation of the dialogue culture in its relation with Arab institutions through holding and organization of fora and conferences or taking part therein as well as active contribution to the alliance of civilizations within the framework of the UN. For extending bridges of convergence with other peoples, civilizations and cultures with which we share the same human values, we at the OIC heartily welcomed the launching of dialogue for civilizations, cultures and followers of religions and we actively participated in the initiative of the alliance of civilizations. In this regard, we should note that the pioneering initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, H.M. King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, for the dialogue among the followers of religions and civilizations remains one of the most distinguished of its kind given the stature of its sponsor, its main pillars, its Islamic references, and the noble objectives it aims to achieve. While I express my pleasure that the “Initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, H.M. King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, for the Dialogue among the Followers of Religions and Civilizations: Achievements and Future Horizons” is among the issues on the agenda of this Conference, I am sure that it shall receive the support of all participants. I also welcome the establishment of the Center of King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz for the Dialogue among the Followers of Religions and Civilizations in Vienna and wish it all success in its mission. Your Excellencies; Ladies and gentlemen; In light of the huge challenges the Islamic world faces in the cultural, scientific and educational fields, I would like to note the efforts exerted by the ISESCO and Research Centre for Islamic History, Arts and Culture (IRCICA) and call upon them to intensify and develop this cooperation. I am really sure that cooperation among these institutions shall help overcome the challenges we face in this regard. At the end, I reiterate my thanks and appreciation to the President, government and people of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria for hosting this Conference and pray to Allah that our efforts achieve the desirable success in the service of the Islamic Ummah and its culture and enable us to maintain its heritage and defend its sanctities. Allah is the One who Guides Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatuh,
