Islamic leaders voice anger at Islamophobia in West
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Islamic leaders voice anger at Islamophobia in West
by Aliraza Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:50 pm
By Alistair Thomson and Lamine Ghanmi
DAKAR, March 13 (Reuters) - The leaders of the world's Muslim states on Thursday criticised a rising wave of "Islamophobia" in the West and pledged to combat Islamic extremism, which they said was partly to blame.
Heads of state of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) met in Senegal for talks on making the 57-nation body more effective in combating poverty in Muslim states in Africa and Asia. But the talks were overshadowed by hostilities between two members, Chad and Sudan.
In an embarrassment for Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who billed the summit as a chance for a definitive peace deal between the two neighbours, Chad accused Sudan of launching a rebel attack on its territory. Sudan called this "nonsense".
Chadian President Idriss Deby was due to meet his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Thursday, but any lasting reconciliation seemed unlikely after Bashir failed to attend talks the previous evening.
Efforts to revamp the OIC's unwieldy 40-article charter also ran into problems after foreign ministers broke off their discussions without agreement on Wednesday, despite having extended their two days of talks by an extra day.
But delegates were unanimous in voicing fury at Israeli military strikes against Palestinian territories, and at the negative portrayal of Islam and discrimination against Muslims in the West.
"In our relations with the Western world, we are going through difficult times," said OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, calling for Israelis to be tried for war crimes.
"Ignorance about Islam and calculated animosity with deep historic roots on the part of a minority in the West, as well as our failure to defend the true values of Islam, are the reason for the increasing wave of Islamophobia."
Caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad printed by Europen newspapers have sparked anger across the Muslim world. Some western human rights groups have accused the OIC of trying to limit freedom of expression and belief.
"Should freedom of expression mean freedom to blaspheme? There is no such thing as limitless freedom," Wade told delegates, while criticising those who carried out attacks in the name of Islam: "They deserve only our contempt."
AFRICA SEEKS ARAB AID
Criticised as being ineffective and bureaucratic, OIC officials hope revamping the body's charter can speed decision making and commit wealthy oil-rich Arab states to foster development in poor regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where al Qaeda extremists are gaining a foothold.
A key reform would allow decisions to be taken by a two-thirds majority, instead of by unanimity -- which has proven difficult in a diverse body grouping a quarter of the world's population spread across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Founded in 1969, the organisation has decided at past summits to establish an Islamic peacekeeping force, university, common market, and investment fund, but most of these decisions have never been implemented.
A $10 billion fund for Islamic development set up by the organisation has so far received pledges for only $2.6 billion.
"We are on the point of adopting the charter and we hope this adoption will come today," Wade said. "It's up to the heads of state to make the decision."
Some members are pushing to make OIC membership conditional on a state having a "majority" Muslim population, but this has been resisted by mixed-religion nations like Uganda.
Pakistan was also insisting the new charter should make potential members resolve their conflicts with existing members before being allowed to join -- reflecting its long-running dispute with neighbour India over the Kashmir region.
With several prominent leaders not present -- from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf -- some delegates had called for a decision on the charter to be postponed until a Cairo summit in three years.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL13421651.html
Ali Nabi Sai Juda Nahi Hai, Nabi Ali sai Juda Nahi Hai
Ali Sai Gar Rabata Nahi Hai, Nabi Kabhi Aasara Nahi Hai
Woh Jis Ka Nafs-e-Rasool-e-Haq Sai, Nahi Hain Dunya Main Koee Rishta
Woh Laakh Aashiq Ho Mustafa Ka Magar Koee Faaida Nahi Hai
DAKAR, March 13 (Reuters) - The leaders of the world's Muslim states on Thursday criticised a rising wave of "Islamophobia" in the West and pledged to combat Islamic extremism, which they said was partly to blame.
Heads of state of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) met in Senegal for talks on making the 57-nation body more effective in combating poverty in Muslim states in Africa and Asia. But the talks were overshadowed by hostilities between two members, Chad and Sudan.
In an embarrassment for Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who billed the summit as a chance for a definitive peace deal between the two neighbours, Chad accused Sudan of launching a rebel attack on its territory. Sudan called this "nonsense".
Chadian President Idriss Deby was due to meet his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Thursday, but any lasting reconciliation seemed unlikely after Bashir failed to attend talks the previous evening.
Efforts to revamp the OIC's unwieldy 40-article charter also ran into problems after foreign ministers broke off their discussions without agreement on Wednesday, despite having extended their two days of talks by an extra day.
But delegates were unanimous in voicing fury at Israeli military strikes against Palestinian territories, and at the negative portrayal of Islam and discrimination against Muslims in the West.
"In our relations with the Western world, we are going through difficult times," said OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, calling for Israelis to be tried for war crimes.
"Ignorance about Islam and calculated animosity with deep historic roots on the part of a minority in the West, as well as our failure to defend the true values of Islam, are the reason for the increasing wave of Islamophobia."
Caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad printed by Europen newspapers have sparked anger across the Muslim world. Some western human rights groups have accused the OIC of trying to limit freedom of expression and belief.
"Should freedom of expression mean freedom to blaspheme? There is no such thing as limitless freedom," Wade told delegates, while criticising those who carried out attacks in the name of Islam: "They deserve only our contempt."
AFRICA SEEKS ARAB AID
Criticised as being ineffective and bureaucratic, OIC officials hope revamping the body's charter can speed decision making and commit wealthy oil-rich Arab states to foster development in poor regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where al Qaeda extremists are gaining a foothold.
A key reform would allow decisions to be taken by a two-thirds majority, instead of by unanimity -- which has proven difficult in a diverse body grouping a quarter of the world's population spread across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Founded in 1969, the organisation has decided at past summits to establish an Islamic peacekeeping force, university, common market, and investment fund, but most of these decisions have never been implemented.
A $10 billion fund for Islamic development set up by the organisation has so far received pledges for only $2.6 billion.
"We are on the point of adopting the charter and we hope this adoption will come today," Wade said. "It's up to the heads of state to make the decision."
Some members are pushing to make OIC membership conditional on a state having a "majority" Muslim population, but this has been resisted by mixed-religion nations like Uganda.
Pakistan was also insisting the new charter should make potential members resolve their conflicts with existing members before being allowed to join -- reflecting its long-running dispute with neighbour India over the Kashmir region.
With several prominent leaders not present -- from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf -- some delegates had called for a decision on the charter to be postponed until a Cairo summit in three years.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL13421651.html
Ali Nabi Sai Juda Nahi Hai, Nabi Ali sai Juda Nahi Hai
Ali Sai Gar Rabata Nahi Hai, Nabi Kabhi Aasara Nahi Hai
Woh Jis Ka Nafs-e-Rasool-e-Haq Sai, Nahi Hain Dunya Main Koee Rishta
Woh Laakh Aashiq Ho Mustafa Ka Magar Koee Faaida Nahi Hai
Aliraza- Super Advanced Member
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Age : 32
Registration date : 2008-02-29
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