Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	KUWAIT 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	28/01/87 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE FIFTH ISLAMIC SUMMIT 




 Bismillahir rahmanir rahim.
Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Your Highness Sheikh Jabir Al Sabah,
     Chairman of the Fifth Islamic Summit;
Your Majesties;
Your Excellencies.
    May I, at the outset, express our deep appreciation and
gratitude  to  the  State  of  Kuwait  for holding the Fifth
Islamic Summit in this magnificent and  hospitable  city  of
Kuwait.     Kuwait  symbolises  much  of  the  strength  and
achievement of an advanced and  progressive  Islamic  state,
with  which Malaysia is honoured to be in close and friendly
relations.  The choice of Kuwait as the venue of the  Summit
is  very  appropriate.    The  efficiency,  hospitality  and
earnestness which  have  been  shown  here  testify  to  the
sincere  commitment  of  the  government  and  the people of
Kuwait towards the cause of Islam,  the  Ummah  and  Islamic
solidarity.
2.   On  behalf of the Malaysian delegation, I would like to
thank His Highness and His  Highness's  government  for  the
warm hospitality and courtesy extended to us.
Mr. Chairman,
3.   May I also extend to His Highness Sheikh Jabir Al Sabah
our  sincere  felicitations  on  his  unanimous  election as
Chairman  of  this  august  gathering.    His  election   is
testimony  to  the recognition and respect that he enjoys as
an illustrious statesman of great experience and outstanding
ability.  Under his wise guidance, I am confident that  this
assembly  will be able to complete its work successfully and
with distinction.   We assure His  Highness,  that  Malaysia
would  give  its  full  support  and cooperation towards the
success of the Conference.
Mr. Chairman,
4.   I  would  also  like  to  express  our  happiness   and
satisfaction  over  the presence of Egypt at this meeting. I
am sure Egypt's presence will contribute  much  towards  the
objectives of the Organisations.
5.   Our gathering is essentially different from meetings of
other  fora.   Though many or even all of us belong to other
groupings, our congregation in this manner  every  3  years,
while  representing a community of nations is also a meeting
of the Islamic Ummah in consonance with the  injunctions  of
our  holy  religion, Islam.   While we are Kings, Presidents
and Prime Ministers, we are all faithful servants of  Allah,
and  in  accordance  with  the  teachings of the religion of
Allah,  we  must  try,  despite  our  human  frailties   and
weaknesses, to common good of the Islamic Ummah.  The mantle
of  power  that  each  of  us  wear  as  leaders  in our own
countries is but nothing before Allah if it is not used  for
the betterment of the Islamic world and the Ummah.
6.   The  Islamic  World  may  be  fragmented  into numerous
political and ethnic entities but  the  brotherhood  of  the
Ummah  must  and should transcend these divisions.  For good
or for bad, the 900 million Muslim Ummah  impacts  upon  the
world  at  large.    Our  issues have become issues of world
concern.     Our  wars  have  threatened   the   fabric   of
international  peace.   Whether we like it or not, we are as
accountable to humanity as we are to the Ummah.  In the eyes
of Allah this is as it should be, for Muslims  are  as  much
the custodians of this world as are the others.
7.   We  can  speak  of  the past glory of Islam, but really
this is an admission of our present decline.   The  past  is
irrelevant  and meaningless unless it teaches us the way out
of our present failures.  There must be lessons from history
which can help us overcome our  present  problems;  help  us
achieve  greatness  again.    Indeed  the  Hadith,  the true
traditions of the Prophet  are  a  part  of  our  historical
heritage,  and  are  meant  to guide us.   But we frequently
ignore them in favour of our ambitions and passions.
8.   If the Muslim world was before like a meteor containing
within it the human treasury of knowledge,  the  wisdom  and
insights  that  have  made  permanent  contributions  to the
betterment of mankind, today it is weak and  divided.    The
spirit  of  Islam  is  missing.    Unity  and brotherhood is
largely absent.  We are left only with the rituals  in  most
cases.
9.   That  the  machinations  of  the  outside  powers  have
resulted in the appearance within our midst of the State  of
Israel intended to permanently drive a stake into our hearts
is  undeniable.    It is equally undeniable that our eclipse
came also from our own weaknesses as we  let  our  ambitions
and passions take over.  Driven by doctrines alien to us, we
have  built walls around ourselves so that our common faith,
Islam, can no longer penetrate and bring us  together.    We
fight  wars  and  forment  revolutions  and interfere in the
affairs of our Islamic  neighbours  in  furtherance  of  our
ideology or the needs of our mentors.
Mr. Chairman,
10.  The   Conference  of  Heads  of  States  and  Heads  of
Government of Islamic countries is the supreme gathering  of
the  Muslim  world.    It  must  be  here that we ponder and
deliberate over problems and issues by falling back  on  the
essence  of our faith for the further progress of the Muslim
world and Ummah.   If we meet in  a  salubrious  surrounding
such  as this only to repeat yet again the points we made at
the  General  Assembly  of  the  United   Nations   or   the
Non-Aligned  Movement,  it will all add up to a wasteful and
futile exercise.  It pains us to have other outside our fold
talk with derision of our fractious  gatherings,  all  sound
and fury from which emerge little that is of consequence.
11.  The  world  around  us has changed tremendously, due in
some measure to the enlightenment that Islam brought to  the
world  in  the  early  centuries  after  the  demise  of the
Prophet.  It is questionable whether in  the  context  of  a
world  of  scientific advances and an accelerated process of
change, we from the Muslim world  have  taken  our  rightful
place.   If we have not we must refocus our attention to the
changing world outside or else the  Muslim  people  will  be
left  forever  at  the  periphery,  helpless  even to defend
ourselves and our faith.  In essence we  must  rekindle  the
vision  of  a  dynamic  Muslim  community.    The fallacy of
regarding the Islamic way of  life  as  confined  solely  to
codifying  the  'dos'  and  'don'ts'  will shut the gates of
'IJTIHAD' - the quest of knowledge, judgement and reason  in
accord  with  Muslim  values  and mind.   It is time that we
discard outdated interpretations which still linger  in  our
thinking  that  this world and all its wealth and potentials
are not for us - that our reward is purely in the Hereafter.
Mr. Chairman,
12.  Economic and technological progress in the Muslim world
has been tortuously slow.   Islamic nations reel  under  the
impact  of  a  world  economic recession and an increasingly
uncooperative developed world.   These  are  the  realities.
Whether  we  like  it or not, what others do will affect us.
We cannot shut ourselves in as we used to do in the days  of
the camel and the sailing ships.  If Islam is for all times,
then  its followers must know how to handle the changes that
affect us.
13.  With North-South efforts abandoned, greater effort must
be made for the implementation of a network  of  cooperation
among   member  states  of  the  OIC  and  other  developing
countries.  While this will take time to materialise  it  is
important  that  a  start should be made now.  We appreciate
the special efforts of Turkey as Chairman  of  the  Standing
Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation.
Mr. Chairman,
14.  In the eyes of Allah Subhanahu Wataala, all Muslims are
equal.    If  they  differ it is only in the degree of their
submission to the will of Allah.   In  the  affairs  of  the
Muslim  world,  all  Muslim have equal right to be concerned
and to act.  No particular race or nation  or  ethnic  group
has  more  right than others when something that affects the
Faith and the well-being of Muslims is involved.
15.  We deserve, therefore, to  have  our  affairs  and  our
problems  given equal and fair treatment.  Yet, we find that
on the basis of Islamic universalism, some  countries  claim
special  right's  to  disregard  boundaries and sovereignty.
However,  these  same  countries  object  to  the  slightest
violation of their own territories.
16.  We would like to think that the Muslim Ummah forms just
one single integrated community unseparated by boundaries of
race  or  worldly ideologies.   And indeed they do belong to
one community when their faith and religion is threatened or
besmirched.  But otherwise there is a  need  to  acknowledge
that we do belong to separate countries and races in matters
that  do  not  threaten  the Ummah as a whole.  There should
therefore be no interference in the purely domestic  affairs
of each other.  There should be no subversion or instigation
merely  because  we  do  not like the rulers of a particular
Muslim country or their system.
17.  Yet we find that the problems of the Middle  East  have
become  a  web of power rivalries and intrigues among Muslim
states to the extent that the  central  issue  that  is  the
restoration  to  the  Palestinians their homeland and to end
the desecration on our holy shrines  in  Al  Quds  has  been
side-stepped?   Why have we, through our strife and discord,
enfeebled ourselves to the extent that there is  hardly  any
resistance   left  against  the  rampaging  Zionists?    Any
perceptible chance of a real solution in the Middle East now
depends primarily on the initiatives of others, not us.   We
have  at various OIC meetings declared our unity of purposes
on this matter but the fact is, we remain in disarray.  When
we should all be behind the PLO, some of  us  plot  for  the
downfall of its acknowledged leader, Yasser Arafat.
18.  The   Iraq-Iran   war   is   further  evidence  of  the
manipulation  of  religion  in  the   interest   of   narrow
nationalism.    The  war has become a monster, a vehicle for
the destruction of Muslims and their faith.  We see  and  we
know of the hands of superpowers in the perpetuation of this
hideous  war.   We know they want to perpetuate this war for
their own purpose,  to  ensure  the  continued  weakness  of
Muslim countries and prevent the solution of the Palestinian
problem.    But  it is saddening that there should be Muslim
countries, knowing all these, working hand in glove with the
enemies.
Mr. Chairman,
19.  Islam is concerned with justice everywhere.  Justice is
not for Muslims alone.  It is for everyone.  Just as  we  do
not  want  to  see  Muslims  oppressed, we cannot just stand
apart and watch others being oppressed with injustice.    It
is  for  this  reason that we must strive to bring about the
demise of the apartheid regime of South Africa.    If  there
are  Muslims  in  South  Africa  who  are also oppressed, we
should be even more concerned.   It behoves us  to  cut  all
trade  and economic connections with the dastardly regime of
South Africa.
20.  Malaysia is also gratified that two major  issues  have
now  been included in the agenda of the OIC.  I refer to the
status of Antartica and the drug problem.   The  concern  of
this   Conference   will  strengthen  the  efforts  to  make
Antarctica accessible to everyone, while the  fight  against
drug addiction will be more like to yield result.
21.  There is a catalogue of other problems and tragedies in
the Muslim world which have already been mentioned by others
in  this debate.   I do not propose to repeat them except to
say that I share the views expressed.  Fortunately the  grim
picture that has been painted is pierced by one small ray of
hope.
22.  For a long time the OIC has been striving to bring to a
successful conclusion the struggle of the Moro people of the
Philippines.  The efforts of the OIC have now resulted in an
agreement  which will accord autonomy to the islands peopled
by Muslims.  We congratulate the office of the OIC which has
helped in bringing about this agreement.  We hope that  both
side  will  honour  the  agreement  and  this problem in the
Islamic world can be taken off our agenda.
Mr. Chairman,
23.  Malaysia hopes that this Conference  will  be  fruitful
for  the  Ummah  and the Muslim nations.   We pray for peace
among Muslims and we pray for all those Muslims and  Muslims
nations struggling to be free from alien oppressors.
24.  Malaysia  will play its role as a Muslim nation without
fear or favour and will continue to support the Organisation
of Islamic Conference in its work towards Islamic unity  and
the well-being of the Ummah.
     Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.