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"There is still a lengthy
list of conflicts within the Muslim community and even
between Muslim communities and non-Muslims," said
Yudhoyono (R). (Reuters) |
JAKARTA The Muslim world should first heal
its internal rift and stand united to revive the glory days of
Islam when Muslims were at the forefront of science and
culture, Muslim leaders told a conference opening Tuesday,
June 20, stressing that mutual respect was a must for a
successful dialogue with the West.
"There is still a lengthy list of conflicts
within the Muslim community and even between Muslim
communities and non-Muslims," Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono told the 2nd International Conference of
Muslim Scholars in Jakarta, Reuters reported.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi
agreed, reported Malaysia's Bernma news agency.
He said Muslims must take action to heal the
rifts within the ummah so as to demonstrate, by word and by
deed, "that Islam is indeed a religion of moderation which
rejects bigotry, extremism and fanaticism, especially
terrorism."
The conference, organized by the Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU), brings together 300 Muslim scholars, university
professors and dignitaries from both national and
international organizations.
The first International Conference of Muslim
Scholars was organized by the NU in February 2004.
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim state
where Muslims make up 80% percent of the 220 million
population.
The NU is also one of the largest independent
Islamic organizations in the world with some estimating its
membership as high as 40 million.
Reviving Glory
Premier Abdullah urged Muslims to work hard
to revive their glorious past.
"Our shared history is in stark contrast to
the current context, where Muslims are weak, with many living
in abject poverty and deplorable conditions, with about 50 per
cent of the population of Islamic countries living on less
than US$2 a day, barely sufficient for subsistence living," he
said.
The Malaysian premier reminded the audience
of a time when Muslims excelled in various fields, including
politics, philosophy, the military, science, arts and, had in
fact, dominated the world trade scene.
"We must underline the importance of
combating deviant ideology and develop educational curricula
that firmly establish the values of understanding, tolerance,
dialogue and multilateralism in accordance with the tenets of
Islam."
Malaysia offers the image of a model Muslim
country, heading towards the status of developed nation with
huge buildings, beautiful cities and a fast track economy.
Abdullah launched on Friday, March 31, an
ambitious development plan for Malaysia to become the first
developed Muslim nation by 2020, with a special focus on
higher education and training.
"Politics of Domination"
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"Our shared history is in
stark contrast to the current context, where Muslims are
weak, with many living in abject poverty and deplorable
conditions," said Badawi. (Reuters) |
|
The Indonesian leader said that mutual
respect is a must to render the Islam-West dialogue a
success.
"It is as important to ensure that we tell
our non-Muslim fellows what we want them to understand as it
is to ensure we listen to what they want us to understand," he
told the conference.
Badawi, current president of the umbrella
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), said both sides
should first correct the wrongs, urging the West to rectify he
"politics of domination."
He said such a domination was sometimes
disguised as the call for modernization and
democratization.
"I wonder whether these calls are, in
reality, attempts to establish benchmarks for modernity and
democracy in accordance with Western standards," noted
Abdullah.
He hoped there was no hidden message that
peace and harmony in the world were attainable only when all
countries and peoples accepted Western values, adopted Western
norms and practices, and emulated Western institutions.
"I call upon the leaders of the West to
reflect deeply on what they would wish to accomplish in a
dialogue with the leaders of the Islamic world."
The Malaysian premier stressed that it was
imperative for the West to acknowledge first that Islam was
not merely a religion.
"Islam is a civilization, a cultural entity,
a way of life all at once. That is why in dealing with
Muslims, one must take into account their religious
sensitivities because Islam is their way of life."
Combating Islamophobia
Badawi suggested the media in the West were
to blame for some of the misconceptions about Islam and for
fanning Islamophobia.
"Al Qaeda which preaches hate and intolerance
has been very incorrectly presumed as speaking on behalf of
Muslims," he said, urging the media to promote voices of
conciliation and rapprochement.
Badawi stressed, meanwhile, that Muslims
needed to protect and promote the correct and true teachings
of Islam to all believers.
Muslim has proposed setting up an
international Islamic journalism center to counter mounting
Islamophobia and coach non-Muslim journalists about Islam and
Muslims.
Both Badawi and Yudhoyono said that the
Muslim world does have a duty in fighting the ugly phenomenon
of terrorism.
"The specter of terrorism still threatens
many of our communities. The Muslim world must be firm and
united in the global fight against terrorism," said Yudhoyono,
who has dealt with several terrorist attacks in recent
years.
But Badawi warned that one must cease to
confuse military occupation with the fight against
terrorism.
He called for an end to Western occupation of
Iraq and Afghanistan, saying these wars have been falsely
justified under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
