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Oleh/By : DATO SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : PALACE OF THE GOLDEN HORSES,
KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 12-10-2001
Tajuk/Title : THE OPENING OF THE 2ND ISLAMIC
CONFERENCE OF TOURISM MINISTERS
Versi : ENGLISH
Penyampai : PM
On behalf of the Government and the people of
Malaysia, I have great pleasure in extending a warm
welcome to the delegates at the Second Islamic
Conference of Tourism Ministers in Kuala Lumpur today.
I am particularly honoured to be given the opportunity
to address this distinguished gathering and to
officially declare open the Second Islamic Conference
of Tourism Ministers this morning.
2. The theme chosen for this conference "Tourism: A
Smart Partnership for Solidarity and Prosperity"is very
appropriate. As we are all aware, among the aims and
objectives of this Conference is to promote tourism and
its development within the member countries. But tourism
can be more than just traveling to see interesting
countries and people and generally enjoying ourselves.
Tourism can also help foster good relationship between
countries and people, reveal business opportunities,
improve our knowledge about things in general and of
course help grow the economy.
3. It seems that being a Muslim these days can be a
constant cause of distress. Globally in the past decade
or so, especially after the demise of Communism in 1990,
Islam and Muslims have been portrayed as synonymous with
terrorism, militancy,extremism and being anti-Western in
the media of the West. With recent events every Muslim is
suspected of being a potential terrorist. Anyone with a
Muslim name, especially if it includes "bin", will be
interrogated and searched at airports as a suspect
terrorist. We admit that there are Muslim terrorists but
there are also Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian and
atheistic terrorists. It is grossly unfair to treat every
Muslim as a terrorist who must be interrogated and
searched. It will only make Muslims resentful and
probably become sympathetic towards those Muslims who
chose terror to get their back on an unfriendly world.
4. If I may digress from focusing on tourism alone,
I would like to state that terrorism is not the Muslim
way. Despite the injustice of the treatment against
us we must not resort to terrorism. It will only
bring more misfortunes for Muslims. Instead we should
all try to develop our countries and equip ourselves
with all the knowledge, skills and capacities to
enable us to protect ourselves independently of
others. When we are strong the tendency to bully
Muslims will cease. It may take us a long time, a
century even to do this. But we as Muslims must
"sabar", be patient. We were great before. There is
no reason we cannot become great again. But when we
become strong we must not do what we do not like
others to do to us. We must not seek revenge like the
Jahiliah of pre-Islamic days. Instead we should use
our strength to influence the shaping of a more just
world. And so for the time being we have to endure
the indignities, the humiliation and the oppression
against us. As a result of the WTC attacks Muslims
are finding life in Western countries and traveling
there very difficult. We don't have to expose
ourselves to this difficulty. There are countries,
Muslim and non-Muslim where there is no discrimination
against us. For the time being we should go there
instead. When the furore has died down we can resume
our old practices.
5. Traveling and touring is now a part of modern
life. We travel more today because the jet-plane has
made traveling no longer the privilege of a very few.
Everyone can, with a small expenditure, travel to any
part of the world, repeatedly even. As the world is
shrinking and we are being forced into becoming close
neighbours with all the people of the world, as
borders can no longer isolate us, there is a real need
for us to see and understand how other people live.
Otherwise we would have a distorted view and bias
against everyone except people of our own countries.
6. For Muslims getting to know other Muslims in
other countries is almost a duty. We must admit that
despite our religion enjoining us to be brothers, we
are really not very close to each other. West Asia is
geographically closer to Europe than Asia and most
West Asians travel frequently, some almost every year
to Europe. Many go to America to see the many wonders
of that continent. Yet Asia, in particular Southeast
Asia, has more Muslims than West Asia and Asia is not
lacking in wonderous sights. Additionally the Muslim
countries of Asia offer a life-style that is
compatible and comfortable to Muslim visitors. The
sights and sound of Malaysia for example are not too
strange to Muslims from West Asia yet are sufficiently
different to be interesting.
7. For Muslims in Southeast Asia, there is a
fascination for the holy lands and holy places in West
Asia. There are thousands of places which are
historically linked to the early days of the spread of
Islam which are of deep interest to Southeast Asian
Muslims. For them it is like tracing the roots of
their faith.
8. Of course there is the Haj which they are
required to perform. But after performing the rituals
of the Haj, their understanding and dedication to
Islam would be enhanced if they can trace the
footsteps of the Prophet, his companions and followers
and the spread of Islam to the countries of West Asia
and North Africa. In fact many Southeast Asians trace
their ancestors to the Arabian Peninsulars, in
particular Hadramaut in Yemen. The yearning to go and
see their ancestral homes and land is very great among
Southeast Asians. Very often they would meet long
lost relatives and members of their clans. Only good
can come from rediscovering relatives and clans or
tribal members, reestablishing relations, which in
turn will result in those relatives and clan returning
the visit.
9. Through these contacts there can be some new
business generated which can contribute towards greater
trade between the countries of West Asia, North Africa
and Southeast Asia. This will enrich both the regions
and enhance the development of the countries of both
regions. Can there be any doubt that exchanges of
visits between the followers of the same faith would
contribute towards a greater sense of brotherhood and
understanding between us? It would contribute so much
to fulfilling the injunctions of our religion to
acknowledge that there are different races of people in
this world and that we have to know each other.
10. The first Arab travelers to Malaysia came in
sailing boats which were so small that modern day
travelers would never dream of trusting themselves to
cross oceans in these crafts. Yet the intrepid
sailors and traders of a thousand years ago dared to
cross the vast oceans in order to trade and to spread
the faith. We in Malaysia and Southeast Asia are
forever grateful to them for they brought the light of
Islam to us.
11. But today traveling over oceans is easy. We no
longer use the big passenger ships which we use only a
few decades ago. We travel by air in jet planes which
take us only a few short hours to reach each other's
country. The Arab traders of the past took months to
reach Malaysia from the Arabian Peninsular. Some
perish in the storms of the Indian Ocean. But in
seven hours only can we cross the ocean regardless of
the violent storm which raged in the sea below.
12. There should therefore be more travelers between
our countries for business, social and pleasure. The
contacts between us can reinforce the old relations.
As Muslims we can develop brotherly relations, enhance
our knowledge of Islam and achieve greater solidarity.
Together we can recapture at least a part of the glory
of the golden years of Islam.
13. We are living in tumultous times. Great changes
are taking place around us. These changes can do us a
lot of good but they can also do us a great deal of
harm. If we are weak the harm will be greater as we
are forced to adjust and react rather than initiate
things. Reacting to schemes and ideas devised by
others for their own good cannot but be
disadvantageous to us. What little competitive
advantage we have cannot be put to the best use.
Indeed they may even become irrelevant or obstructive
as ideas such as globalisation are formulated to give
the others the best advantage.
14. Alone we are bound to go under. But together we
may stand a chance. Before we can bolster each other
we will have to know each other, and know each other
better. Appreciating each other's problems, we will
be able to cooperate better and will be able to
protect our interest in the increasingly challenging
world.
15. Clearly there is much good from traveling to
other countries and places. For Muslims the need to
know each other, to know the historical connection and
linkages and to establish contact with Muslim brothers
of different races makes traveling actually essential.
Air travel has made traveling between distant
countries possible and pleasant. And the speed of air
travel makes repeated journeys in a lifetime
convenient and affordable.
16. Ibn Batuta took a lifetime to travel some 17,000
miles from Africa to China, stopping in many places
along the way. His modern counterpart will take just
one day, traveling in comfort above the weather. In a
lifetime we can make a hundred such journeys or more.
If he learnt so much in the course of his travel, we
can learn a hundred times more. And we can still
contribute to the body of knowledge and understanding
that Ibn Batuta initiated.
17. We are in the Information Age. Knowledge is what
determines who progresses and who doesn't. Ibn Batuta
was a great historical figure because of the knowledge
he gained during his travels. The Islamic
civilisation was the result of such men as this great
traveler. We have a hundred times more opportunity
and capacity to contribute to the Islamic Renaissance
than these great people of the past. It would be
wrong not to seize the opportunities coming our way.
18. As Ministers of Tourism in Islamic countries your
task is clear. You have to encourage your people to
travel, to visit Muslim countries which many Muslims
know little about. In the process you are also going
to contribute to the economic advancement of your
countries.
19. Your conference should afford you with the
knowledge, understanding and recognition of the role
of tourism not just in business but in propagating the
close relationship between brother Muslims. I am sure
you will contribute greatly to this industry and to
the greater understanding of the role of tourism in
the development of our countries.
20. On that note I have pleasure in declaring open
the Conference of Ministers of Tourism of the OIC
countries.
Sumber : Pejabat Perdana Menteri
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