28th June 2011, Male'; The Maldives has called on the Organization for the Islamic Conference (OIC) to reform in order to reflect the fundamental changes taking place at street level throughout the Muslim world.
Speaking at the OIC Council of Foreign Minister's Meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, H. E. Mr. Ahmed Naseem, Minister of Foreign Affairs, noted that the Maldives believed in necessary reforms of the OIC to be as significant and as radical as the changes taking place across the Muslim world, and to include steps to hold the members of the OIC accountable for actions which went against the Charter of the organization or against universal values.
"Any reform should also include an aggressive strategy to promote inter-faith and inter-civilization dialogue in order to defeat extremism and foster deeper global understanding of the true meaning of Islam" the Minister said.
Noting that the World was witnessing far reaching changes in many OIC countries, Minister Naseem stated that it was a time of awakening and reckoning, with the Muslim world across the world standing up as one to demand equality, human rights, democracy and rule of law. He said that these developments provided a fitting rebuttal to those, inside and outside of Islam, who claimed that Islam was not compatible with democracy or that human rights was a western construct of little interest to people on the streets of OIC capitals.
He went on to acknowledge the bravery and determination of protesters in Tunis and Cairo and elsewhere and said that the truth-that all people, no matter where they are born or which religion they follow, want the same thing-democracy, human rights, dignity and freedom, and stressed that the representatives of the OIC states must not ignore these historic developments, and to listen to the millions of voices across the OIC demanding changes, justice and a better life for themselves and their children.
Addressing one of the core principles of the OIC, Minister Naseem noted that unless Palestinian people were able to negotiate as a state on equal terms with its international partners, the chances of securing peace and fulfillment of Palestinian rights remained elusive. He further expressed hope that the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by the United Nations would offer the chance to finally bring an end to over half a decade of broken promises and double standards; and to secure a just and durable resolution to the Middle East conflict.
Speaking on the importance of renewing efforts to confront extremism and tackling Islamophobia, Minister Naseem called on OIC and their international partners to elaborate and project a more positive and a more accurate image of Islam.
"For more than a decade, Al Qaeda and other similar organizations have been able to smother our revered religion beneath a blanket of hate: taking, for example, noble concepts such as jihad and making them synonymous with Holy War or using them as an excuse for mass murder. We, the members of the OIC, have been slow to confront such ideologies in the crucial battle of ideas, and have paid the price at home and abroad. It is time for that to change."
The Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting held from 28th to 30th June in Astana was attended delegations from the OIC Member States under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan. One of the most noteworthy developments was the unanimous resolution passed earlier changingthe name and logo of OIC in line with its new charter which was adopted by the Council, changing the name to Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation.
ENDS.