Bangladesh
Country statement delivered by Hon'ble Foreign Minister
Mr.M.Morshed Khan, MP as Leader of Bangladesh Delegation
to the 32nd ICFM, Sana'a, Yemen, 28-30 June 2005.
Mr.
Chairman,
Your Highnesses,
Excellencies,
Mr. Secretary General of the OIC,
Distinguished Delegates,
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahe Wa Barakatuhu
I
would like to begin by joining those who have spoken
before me in congratulating you Mr. Chairman, on your
election. We are confident that under your able stewardship,
our deliberations will lead to a successful outcome.
I also take this opportunity to pay a special tribute
to H. E. Dr. Abdullah Gul, Chairman of the 31st ICFM.
He has provided the Ummah the leadership it required
in addressing many of the challenges that came in
its way. The Secretary General and his team also deserve
our appreciation for doing an excellent job in the
Secretariat.
Mr. Chairman,
A
feeling of exhilaration have overtaken us since we
set foot in this historic city of Sana'a. To hold
this ICFM in one of the oldest centers of civilization
that dates as early as the 9th century BC, is symbolic
of the richness of our past. We are grateful to the
Government and our brothers and sisters of Yemen for
allowing us this unique oppportunty and for making
us feel at home.
Mr.
Chairman,
We
are gathered here at a critical time in history. The
Islamic Ummah has never been faced with more daunting
challenges as we do now. A monstrous campaign to vilify
Islam is being felt all around us. Muslims continue
to suffer religious profiling and ignominy in many
parts of the world. Islamic values of peace, justice
and fairness are being undermined. Disinformation
and falsification of Islam is being spread in a planned
manner through the internet and otherwise. The goal
is to malign Islam and isolate Muslims from the rest
of the global community.
The dangers facing the Muslims can be fought only
by a united Ummah. A strong and committed message
must go out of Sana'a to the outside world that our
unity is as unshakeable as our faith.
There
is another cause for alarm and I speak of the perpetrators
who in the name of Islam, carry out acts of violence
and preach extremism. These go against the tenets
of Islam and, in fact, are aiding those involved in
conspiring against Islam. We must remain united in
our stand against them.
We
are pleased to note that many of these concerns have
been highlighted in the inaugural speech of President
Ali Adullah Saleh. We will be inspired by the wisdom
and depth of his speech which will guide us in formulating
our course of action.
Mr.
Chairman,
The
teachings of Islam enshrined in the Holy Quran and
the Hadith have given us the path to lead a life high
in morality, strict in discipline and committed to
upholding human dignity and values. Islam abhors all
acts of terrorism. The Islamic Ummah has unreservedly
condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Those
who choose to judge Islam through a narrow prism of
misconception and prejudice need to be enlightened.
We therefore have a duty to engage them in a dialogue
with a view to inform and explain the values, contribution
and influence of Islamic civilization. We are happy
to note that under the able guidance of OIC chair
Malaysia, the Commission of Eminent Persons has energetically
gone about with this task. We thank CEP for their
recommendations which deserve our support.
Mr.
Chairman,
The
Organization of the Islamic Conference was formed
more than three decades ago following the desecration
of Holy Al-Quds Al-Sharif by the Zionists. We took
a resolve then that we would free Palestine from its
illegal occupation and that the Palestinian people
will be able to live as free citizens in the State
of Palestine. The State of Palestine is now a reality.
We in Bangladesh lend our strong support to President
Mahmud Abbas for his commitment to the Road Map. Israel
could show its sincerity for peace by putting an end
to killing of innocent Palestinian civilians including
women and children and abandoning its settlement building
plans and demolishing the so called "security
barrier" and thus allow the peace process to
move forward.
Mr.
Chairman,
It is high time that we do some house cleaning ourselves
to meet the demands of the times. We no longer have
a choice between reform and the status quo. We have
to transform the OIC into a functional and result
oriented body.
Mr.
Chairman,
The
greatest weakness of the Islamic Ummah is poverty
and its associated ills. A very large number of Muslims
live in poverty conditions, deprived of proper education,
adequate health care, sanitation and everything else
that it takes for a decent human living. This situation
must be reversed. The Organization of the Islamic
Conference must be able to draw up a plan of action
to re-energize its subsidiary organs to empower its
vast human resources with the advanced science and
technology including ICT. We have to invest in our
human resources by training them and engaging them
in development activities.
We
must be able to generate a collective will to create
a partnership within the Ummah. The time has come
that we also speak about greater intra-OIC cooperation.
The continued marginalization in the global economy
and the MFA phase-out have added new vulnerability
to the narrow export base of the OIC LDCs. They need
immediate relief and support. We urge all member states
of OIC to provide duty and quota free access to all
products originating from all LDCs to their markets.
This will by far be the most meaningful act of Islamic
solidarity in favour of the 22 LDCs in OIC.
The
OIC has to take a political stance to keep up the
demand on the developed countries to fulfill their
pledge of increasing the ODA to the developing countries
to 0.7 per cent of their GNP and also to reach the
internationally agreed target of 0.15 per cent to
0.20 per cent of the GNP to the LDCs. The OIC must
be able to draw up their own plan of action in working
towards attaining the MDGs by 2015. The Sana'a meeting
should come out with a development agenda commensurate
with the Doha Plan of Action adopted earlier this
month.
Mr.
Chairman,
We
must enhance cooperation and sharing of best practices
in combating poverty, particularly through combining
resources and know how. The OIC and IDB, under the
pioneering leadership of Malaysia, have embarked on
capacity building projects in member countries to
reduce the resource - know how gap. We believe these
projects should be so targeted that they assist us
towards achievement of the MDGs.
The
Islamic University of Technology in Dhaka has been
playing a sterling role in equipping the youth of
the Ummah with appropriate education and training
in the fields of new and emerging technologies. Unfortunately,
a severe resource crunch due mainly to non-payment
or delay in payment of mandatory contributions is
hindering its good work in meeting the challenges
of human resource development. I take this opportunity
to request OIC member states to settle their arrears
to the budget of the IUT.
We
feel that the cause of cooperation among our countries
will be served in another meaningful way if we all
agree to establish in Bangladesh the Advanced Medical
Training and Research Centre, which Bangladesh proposed.
We urge all OIC member states to lend their support
to this proposal.
We
need to demonstrate greater political commitment to
enlarge and intensify our efforts to bring about closer
cooperation. Our cooperation should encompass economic
synergy. Shahid President Ziaur Rahman proposed in
the 3rd OIC Summit the establishment of an Islamic
Common Market. This was reiterated strongly by Prime
Minister Begum Khaleda Zia at the 10th OIC Summit.
We are happy to note that the idea has received strong
support from the current Chairman and Prime Minister
of Malaysia in his recent speech in Kuala Lumpur.
We
should also strive for regional economic integration
of countries with socio-economic compatibility and
natural advantage. Our efforts to realize the important
goal of political, economic and cultural revival would
benefit from the impetus this would provide. To promote
our unity, it is of paramount importance to increase
people to people contact.
Mr.
Chairman,
The importance of reforms in the United Nations cannot
be overemphasized. The reform process, however, is
complex. Reforms in the UN will have to be based on
broad consensus and not bound by any artificial time
limit. We believe a narrow focus on one or other aspect
of the reforms would defeat the overall purpose. Reforms
must be addressed in a comprehensive manner with emphasis
on the developmental goals.
Mr.
Chairman,
Before
I conclude, I would like to urge upon this august
gathering to take time to ponder what Islam has given
to humankind. At a time when the world was steeped
in the darkness of ignorance, Islamic scholars opened
the doors to physical sciences, jurisprudence, astronomy,
mathematics and medicine. Islam pioneered the cause
of human rights and the rights of women which took
centuries for others to emulate. Islam taught the
world to care for the poor and the underprivileged.
Islam professed compassion and tolerance. We must
re-invent our identity, relive our past and empower
ourselves to embrace the future. Following of the
teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)
is the best way. Almighty Allah has bestowed upon
us enough resources and intellect to chart our destiny.
It is for us to use these for our betterment or to
squander at our peril.
I
thank you for your attention.
Back
