The Islamic Ummah and OIC

There were many positive elements in Mahathir's speech. The Prime Minister urged the Ummah to devote themselves to self-criticism, to nurture the art of patience and follow the path of learning, science and technology. He also spoke against intolerance and the irrational taking of civilian lives. He talked against angry retaliation. He urged the need for unity and underlined the implications of disunity by referring to the Battle of Uhad. He also advised the leaders of the Islamic world to wield their power judiciously and prudently for the welfare of their people. These were wise sentiments.

His efforts to inspire the Ummah was a good step. He might have however concentrated more on Israel and its many tentacles rather than the world-wide Judaistic community. This immediately granted an opportunity to the Israeli lobby to brand the OIC as being anti-Semitic.

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We have subsequently seen the Malaysian Foreign Minister explaining on the Australian TV that the Malaysian Prime Minister wanted to convey through his remarks the need for Muslims 'to take the example of the Jews' and become more powerful through the pooling of their common resources natural, intellectual and financial. This connotation was unfortunately lost in the immediate world-wide reaction.

In today's world, many from the Jewish and Christian faiths have an extraordinary degree of influence in the fields of media, entertainment and finance. This in turn gives them clout within the political arena. This ability has however devolved on them only because of their intensive involvement in research and development, their hard work, their unity and their desire to support each other. Mahathir suggested that the Muslims should try to emulate them, thereby creating their own alternative power-base. This was a correct step, but he should have also reflected on the need for cooperation with the less fundamentalist and saner elements in the Judaistic community.

The recent focus on 'Islamic resurgence' and politico-economic development in Islamic countries have led to a renewed debate on the relevance of religion in modern state and society. It is here that the OIC assumes significance. It is an example of an organization that deals with the institutionalisation of Islamic cooperation on the international plane.

The OIC, an expression of interregional co-operation among Islamic states, attempts to build on the premise of Islamic solidarity. The OIC seeks to preserve Islamic values and foster greater understanding and brotherhood among the Ummah. It is also expected to mobilise collective support within the Islamic community for broad policy measures and issues that are under debate in different international organisations.

In this context, Chairman Mahathir's observations and focus on the Palestine issue demand special attention. It was consistent with the principle stipulated in Paragraph 5 of Article II (A) of the Charter of the OIC. The Palestinian and the Jerusalem questions are both central for all its Members and command wide sympathy and support in the Islamic world. The presence of this issue in the text of the Charter signifies that it is not regional or a particular problem of the Arab States, but is of priority concern for all Islamic States.

The road map for peace in Palestine appears to have suffocated under the blanket of tensions generated by Israeli obduracy, its decision to build a Wall on occupied territory, refusal to dismantle settlements in disputed areas and the consequent reactive acts of violence perpetrated by different parties on civilians. Palestinian and Islamic frustration have been heightened by the feeling that the steps being pursued by Israel appear to be with the sole objective of totally sidetracking the Palestinian issue and reducing the Palestinians to a factional non-entity.

It is here that the OIC needs to get its act together if it is to be considered as a relevant and serious player committed to the upholding of the Ummah's interests. It has to play a responsible role not only with regard to Palestine but also pertaining to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or Iran. It will have to undertake greater interaction with the Quartet -- the European Union, the US, Russia and the UN. Today, it stands largely marginalised and the powers that be, now attempt to have more intensive dialogues with the Arab League and the Gulf Council Secretariat. I think the Arab States are largely to blame for this. They themselves try to play down the OIC and lay more emphasis on both their bilateral and regional importance. The net result is that the OIC is left counting the many Resolutions adopted in various meetings and reflecting on its inability to influence the major players.

The fragile spirit of the Ummah must not be further weakened through disunity and the absence of political will. What we need is serious self-introspection. The OIC, as it was meant to be, needs to become the common platform for the Ummah. Only then, the Islamic countries will be respected. Having a strong Chairman of the Islamic Summit (body) and a functioning Secretary General will enable the Organization to arise out of the present morass.

The Ummah in general and OIC Member States in particular should also address the issue of overcoming the limitations of the OIC whose biggest problem is not only the lack of professionalism within the outfit but also critical lack of resources.

The General Secretariat, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is the main coordinating body of the Islamic Conference and is entrusted with the responsibility of arranging inter-active communication between Members, offering facilities for consultations and disseminating information having common significance for OIC Members. It is supposed to be assisted in this regard by Specialised Commissions set up under the function approach.

In actuality, the General Secretariat appears to have failed to properly and suitably deliver its expected objectives. Nepotism and recruitment of poorly trained officials have affected the efficiency of the Organization. Due to scarce resources (most Members hesitate to meet their dues on time), the Secretariat suffers from poor technology capacity, a less than useful library and very little support towards research and publication. Transparency and accountability of expenditure are also mostly absent. Having expensive Summits will not make the OIC more effective. These basic issues have to be addressed.

As indicated by the new Chairman, steps for real economic cooperation also have to be initiated for the betterment of the Ummah.

The long term strategy of the Member states should be not only to have an integrated approach to development but also to promote export-oriented economic development and regional integration through diversified production and joint ventures. There needs to be transfer of financial resources from the more wealthy Members to other States. This can be in the form of concessional assistance programmes and outright grants. There also has to be increased direct flow of non-concessional investment capital to developing Member States. Such steps will achieve a greater diversification in investment portfolios of capital-exporting OIC surplus economies and enable capital-importing developing countries within the Ummah to obtain new sources of loan capital for projects conforming to their own priorities.

One can only hope that with future changes in management, the OIC and its various Commissions will emerge as a more effective player in global politics, proactively and genuinely interested in research, science and technology and the in the promotion of the economic interests of the Ummah.

It is really up to the Member States to decide whether they want a strong Ummah or a weak apology for a Group. The OIC is the only multi-national vehicle that the Muslims have, that snaps three continents and several cultures. They need to strive harder towards unity rather than disharmony. Otherwise, it will remain the inconsequential talk-shop that it has presently become.

Mohammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador.