Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	TEHRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN 
Tarikh/Date 	:	09/12/97 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE EIGHTH ISLAMIC SUMMIT CONFERENCE 



     1.     On  behalf  of the Malaysian delegation,  I  would
    like  to  thank  President Khatemi,  the  Government  and
    people  of  the  Islamic Republic of Iran  for  the  warm
    welcome  and hospitality accorded us.  I would also  like
    to   thank   and  congratulate  His  Emminence  Ayatollah
    Khamenei  for  his  inaugural speech which  reflects  the
    expectations   of  the  Islamic  Ummah  for   peace   and
    brotherhood  between Islamic Nations, for a balanced  and
    fair  expressions of the problems faced by  us,  and  the
    way   ahead   for  this,  the  Organisation  of   Islamic
    Conference.  I am sure that we will all strive to make  a
    reality  of the Islamic Ummah as voiced by His  Emminence
    Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of Iran.
    
    2.    As  we gather in Tehran on the threshold of  a  new
    Western  century and millennium, we realise, with renewed
    urgency,  the enormous challenges that have to be  faced.
    The  Summit  takes  place at a time  when  the  world  is
    subjecting  the Ummah to new threats and pressures.   The
    Palestinians  continue to remain, by and large,  refugees
    and  the  promises of Oslo are in tatters.   Acknowledged
    statehood  for Palestine seems as distant as ever  unless
    Palestine  takes  unilateral action, a  move  which  will
    surely   result   in   unnecessary   bloodletting.    The
    objective of the struggle of our Palestinian brothers  is
    clear.   We  must  not  allow it to  be  clouded  by  our
    outrage and indulge in uncalculated risks.
    
    3.    Malaysia  is  deeply saddened by  the  killings  of
    foreigners  and  Muslim brothers alike  in  some  Islamic
    countries.   They are not in accord with Islam  and  they
    really  do not help the cause of Islam.  We should shelve
    our  own  quarrels in order to present a united front  in
    the  face of the combined threats against us.  We  should
    not  be  our  own  enemy.  Yet we see in so  many  Muslim
    countries   fratricidal  wars  and  instabilities   which
    render  most  of  our  Governments  impotent  either   to
    develop  and  compete  with our  detractors  or  even  to
    govern   effectively.   Personal  quarrels  and  personal
    ambitions  for  power are allowed to  disrupt  Government
    administration,  leaving it incapable of  addressing  the
    needs  of  the  people.   As  a result  Muslim  countries
    remain  largely  undeveloped and the Muslim  ummah  poor,
    unskilled,   uneducated  and  incapable  of  contributing
    positively  towards  the  well-being  of  Muslims,  their
    faith and their countries.
    
    4.    By  the Grace of Allah many of us are endowed  with
    rich  resources  but we are unable to put such  resources
    to  good  use,  to  serve and defend  Islam  and  Islamic
    countries  against those who loudly confess to  having  a
    dislike  for  us  and  our religion  and  equally  loudly
    proclaim their intention to frustrate us.
    
    5.    Such is the state of our countries that the best of
    our  people migrate out and contribute to the  wealth  of
    knowledge  and skills of the countries of their domicile,
    often  countries which are hostile to  us.   We  have  no
    facilities  to  offer  these  talented  people  and   the
    conditions  in  our  countries  are  unsuitable  for  the
    application  of  the  considerable attributes  that  they
    possess.   We  are  too busy with our petty  quarrels  to
    attend to their needs.
    
    6.    We  have  not yet found or developed  a  system  of
    determining  how our Government should govern.   Some  of
    us  are  monarchies, some are theocracies  and  some  are
    democracies.  Despite all that the West claims about  the
    efficacy and fairness of their brand of democracy, it  is
    still  far  from being a perfect system or  even  a  good
    system  for them or for anyone.  Far too often the  wrong
    people  are  chosen  to form their  Governments.   Vested
    interest often deflect them from the duties they have  to
    perform.  Corruption is rife and immorality is common.
    
    7.    To  deflect from their problems at home, they often
    focus on the so called misdeeds of other Governments  and
    other   countries.    They  accuse   our   countries   in
    particular  of  abusing human rights,  of  terrorism,  of
    mismanaging  our countries, of environmental degradation.
    With  their  NGOs they are able to actively interfere  in
    our  affairs, instigating our people to violence  against
    our  Government and against each other.  They give refuge
    to  those of our people who promote disruptive activities
    in our countries.
    
    8.    The  present  Western style system and  concept  of
    democracy  is  no better than the feudalistic  theocratic
    states  which  had  preceded them.   Their  ways  may  be
    different  but  the objective and the end result  is  the
    same.   One must not forget that it was they who invented
    the  inquisition.  They don't burn people at  the  stakes
    now  but  the economic heat they place under  and  around
    their  victims  is no less searing.  It is still  recant,
    submit or be liquidated.
    
    9.     Islamic   nations  need  not  invent  systems   of
    Government because systems can never be perfect  and  can
    never  guarantee  good  Government.   What  creates  good
    Government  is  the  quality  of  the  people   who   are
    entrusted  with ruling the country.  And  for  the  right
    quality  of  people we need only revert to the  teachings
    of  our  Islamic  religion, the true teachings,  not  the
    teachings  which are interpreted to justify what  we  are
    doing, right or wrong, good or bad.
    
    10.   If  we  are  not  sure what is meant  by  the  true
    teachings,  we  need to ask only a few  questions.   Does
    Islam  advocate wars and violence between Muslims whether
    as  groups  or  as  sects  or  as  nations?   Does  Islam
    advocate  oppression of the people by the  Government  or
    destabilising  and  subverting  of  Governments   through
    irresponsible  acts by the people?  Does  Islam  advocate
    the  rejection  of a good life in this world  or  a  good
    life  in the hereafter, or does Islam preach hassanah  in
    this  world and in the akhirah?  Can we really  say  that
    it  is  our  religious duty to be poor, without knowledge
    and  skills, incapable of defending ourselves against our
    enemies,  or is it our religious duty to have wealth  and
    knowledge  and skills in order to be able to  defend  the
    ummah  against our detractors, our oppressors?   Did  the
    Prophet  depend  on  the wealth and  the  skills  of  his
    followers  or  did  the  Prophet  buy  bows  and  arrows,
    swords,  horses  and  camels from  those  whose  manifest
    objective  was  to  make money for themselves,  or  worse
    still, to destroy the Muslims and Islam?
    
    11.   We  know  the answers to all these questions.   And
    yet  we  do  not  care to follow the Islamic  answers  to
    these  questions.  Instead we quibble about small  things
    such  as how should a Muslim look or what he should wear.
    At  times  we fight each other over minor differences  in
    the  expression of our faith.  We are forever  trying  to
    outdo  each  other in various external manifestations  of
    religious  piety, in inventing newer and more restrictive
    practices  in our desire to exhibit the strength  of  our
    faith.   And  then  we try to impose these  practices  on
    everyone, condemning them if they refuse.  Where  Muslims
    are  living in peace and unity we divide them  and  cause
    them  to  fight each other because of differences created
    in our practices of Islam.
    
    12.  Islam is a religion of peace, of brotherhood and  of
    flexibility.   The  practice of  Islam  is  never  rigid.
    Always  there  is leeway given in order that  Islam  does
    not  become  a  burden to the faithful.  In  prayers,  in
    fasting,  in  the disbursement of the zakat  and  in  the
    performance of the haj, Islam allows for circumstance  to
    dictate the practice.  Thus one can perform the solat  in
    many  ways  depending  on  the situation  and  one's  own
    fitness;  one  fasts  in accordance with  one's  physical
    capacity  and the place where one is; one pays the  zakat
    according to one's means, and performs the haj if one  is
    able  to.  It is only in the profession of faith in Allah
    and  the  acceptance  of Mohamad as His  Rasul  that  one
    cannot  be  flexible in one's heart, though  one  may  be
    forced to renounce openly.
    
    13.   I  am not trying to preach but we all know that  we
    are  always urged and at times threatened to be rigid  in
    the  practice  of  Islam.  Indeed  we  seem  to  want  to
    compete  in  exhibiting how much more we are  willing  to
    endure   unnecessary discomfort, hardship and  even  pain
    in  order to demonstrate visibly the high degree  of  our
    adherence to our faith.
    
    14.   We  seem  to want to reject the bounties  of  Allah
    S.A.W  in  this  world, including the  faculty  to  think
    because we often consider that this world is not for  us.
    It  is  not the unthinking enjoyment of life that I refer
    to  --  it  is  the acquisition of knowledge  and  skills
    required  to  defend and contribute to the  greatness  of
    Islam,  the  religion we refer to as Ad-Deen,  a  way  of
    life.   And  because  of  all these  we  find  the  ummah
    trodden   under  and  oppressed  everywhere  and  insults
    thrown   at   our  religion,  while  we  are   completely
    incapable of doing anything to protect and safeguard  our
    honour and the sanctity of Islam.
    
    15.   Today  there is not a single Muslim  power  in  the
    world.   There  is not a single Muslim country  which  is
    strong  enough  to  defend itself, much  less  to  defend
    other  Muslim countries or Muslims who are attacked.   In
    Bosnia  we  have  seen 200,000 Muslims slaughtered  while
    the  soldiers  of  non-Muslim countries  watched  without
    raising a finger.  We cannot blame these soldiers for  we
    ourselves  did nothing.  We had to place ourselves  under
    the  command  of others.  If they decide to let  our  co-
    religionist be tortured, raped and massacred, we  had  to
    stand  by  like them, whether we are there or we  are  in
    our own countries.
    
    16.   Malaysia  realises our own  weakness  in  terms  of
    defense  capabilities.   We had concentrated on achieving
    economic  independence,  believing  that  we  could  free
    ourselves   from   political   pressures,   from    being
    recolonised   and   dictated  to,  from   having   others
    determine who should be our friends and who our  enemies,
    if we are economically strong.
    
    17.   Today we are not so sure that that alone is enough.
    The  globalisation  of the world has  changed  the  whole
    equation.   We  may not want to accept the  changes.   We
    may  want  to stay out.  But there is no way  we  can  do
    this.   One  way or another the process of globalisation,
    of  breaking  down borders will take place and  become  a
    fact of life.
    
    18.   The speed and ease of travel, of telecommunication,
    of   multi-media   technologies   and   the   spread   of
    information;  all  these  will  render  us   exposed   to
    everything that is happening around us.  They can  easily
    undermine  our  faith  or they can  push  us  into  self-
    destructive extremism or into rejection.  In the end  the
    advances  in science and technology will engulf  us.   We
    cannot  resist these changes any more than our  immediate
    forebears  were able to resist the cannons and the  guns,
    the  steel-hulled  warships and  the  warplanes  and  the
    changing  character of battles and  wars.   They  had  to
    retreat  not  just  from their lands but  also  from  the
    fields  of  knowledge and skills they were  once  masters
    of.   They  lost  because  they failed  to  adjust  to  a
    changing  world  and the new knowledge  and  skills  that
    fuelled these changes.
    
    19.    Today   we   are   witnessing   two   simultaneous
    revolutions, a technological revolution and a  revolution
    in  the  concept of relationship between nations referred
    to  as  globalisation.  Whether we like them or not  they
    will  engulf us as much or much more than the  Industrial
    Revolution did.  Fortunately they, our detractors are  as
    new  to these changes as we are.  They are groping around
    to   find  a  way  through  the  maze  of  knowledge  and
    capabilities  which  the Information  technology  creates
    and  the breakdown of borders poses.  We are not  so  far
    behind  them  in  these fields.  Indeed many  of  us  are
    pioneers   and  contributors  to  the  new   skills   and
    knowledge and new conepts of international relations.
    
    20.   We  have  an  opportunity  to  leap-frog  over  the
    Industrial  Age into the Information Age and  the  global
    world   and   be  at  the  same  level  as  the   others.
    Unfortunately  it looks like we are again going  to  miss
    this  opportunity to catch up.  And if we fail this  time
    we  are  going to be so disadvantaged that we  will  lose
    hope, become desperate and do the very things which  will
    ensure our defeat and resubjugation.
    
    21.   Is  it  important therefore that  we  take  up  the
    challenges of the Information Age and the global  society
    concept  now?   If we do we can help shape  the  response
    and the changes and devise our own usage and concepts  so
    as  not  to lose our faith, our identity and our  way  of
    life.   As  much  as  the early followers  of  the  faith
    adopted   and   adapted  to  life  outside  the   Arabian
    Peninsular  and  built an empire of  the  faithful  which
    included  peoples and cultures of the non-Arabs in  Asia,
    Africa and Europe, we can, by mastering the changes,  now
    taking  place enhance our faith and preserve our  way  of
    life.   If  we  employ all our skills, we will  not  only
    survive  but  we  will  direct  the  application  of  the
    technologies and the concepts.
    
    22.   It  is  important that we appreciate  the  powerful
    forces  which are gathering around us, forces which  most
    of  the  time will be hostile.  If we Muslims  insist  on
    remaining without knowledge in this area, we can be  sure
    that  we  and our religion will be under constant  attack
    and  will  be in retreat all the time.  If we  buy  these
    skills  from them then it will be like our purchasing  of
    defence  capabilities from them.  We will get  only  what
    will not give us ultimate success in the preservation  of
    our faith and way of life.
    
    23.   Let us ponder over these things even as we  try  to
    resolve the very real problems which confront us now.

 
 



 
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