Sana’a hosts 32nd Round of Organization ofIslamic Conference’s foreign ministersIslamic countries and challanges of new era [Archives:2005/855/Front Page]
Yasser Mohammed Al-Mayyasi
The functions of the 32nd Round of the Organization of Islamic Conference's foreign ministers were concluded today in the Capital City of Sana'a with the participation of 42 ministers of whom 35 were foreign ministers. The representatives of 50 Islamic countries discussed how Islamic countries should proceed under the recent global developments. They also reconsidered the OIC's Charter to make it live up to the current challenges facing the Islamic nation. The Conference, attended by 500 people, discussed pro-tolerance policies and programs as well as OIC reforms, all of which were approved by the last Islamic Conference Summit, held in Turkey.
However, the question that poses itself is whether such Arab and Islamic conferences are of any consequence. Do they really draw the attention of Muslims all over the world? I doubt so. They failed to contrive even simple solutions to the external and internal problems of their people. Around one million Muslims have been laying great hopes on their governments, which constantly let them down and disappoint them. Their governments are unable to tackle their concerns and protect their rights that are violated in different spots of the world. Muslims' sufferance increases as they are branded as “terrorists,” and accused of practicing violence against other people who are different from them in religion and culture.
Due to such allegations, the might of the superpowers is used to terrorize Muslims to weaken and then bully them. Had they been unified, things would have been quite different. Conferences and forgettable ink-on-paper statements cannot disperse the clouds in the Islamic world. The Arab and Islamic governments have many tasks to achieve. They should reassess themselves, and understand their internal and external problems. To gain others' respect, they should first have self-respect and respect their own peoples' volition. The bond between these governments and their people have broken and both sides are going in different directions.
The Islamic nation should discuss its setbacks courageously, fearlessly and with absolute transparency. The governments ought to reconsider the shortcomings in most legislatures governing the relation between the ruler and the ruled. These governments have to reform their systems, believe in their capacities and develop the capacities of their subjects.
The Islamic nation should defend its tolerant Islamic religion, which is usually misrepresented by some Muslims who give themselves the right to act on behalf of their nation and declare war against others. That reckless and mad act has cast its shadow on Muslims and beset them with allegations of violence and terrorism. Muslims should proclaim to the world that neither terrorism nor violence is part of their religion or creed. Violence and terrorism belong to the convictions of mad and reckless people.
Today, Islamic governments should realize that their peoples are bored with hearing about conferences and meetings where deliberators do not agree even on as simple matters as the agenda or the table talk.
Islamic governments have to realize that their unity cannot be achieved unless peoples stand by their governments in every country. With several failures, Muslims keep on searching for a torch of hope and finding a way out of their crisis. Has the Islamic nation realized how it should proceed?
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