IMUC
At the Second International Muslim Unity Convention
Putra World Trade Centre
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
15th December 2009
It is a cool grey morning in Kuala Lumpur and the crowd within the Tun Dr. Ismail Hall is just as subdued as the weather. What is striking though is their diversity – people from Africa, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe are gathered at PWTC today to take part in a very unique event: the Second International Muslim Unity Convention, organized by the Ramadhan Foundation and co-organised by the Perdana Leadership Foundation. The Convention features a host of international Islamic scholars and civil society representatives speaking on a diverse range of issues affecting the Muslim ummah: Islam and the Media, Ideological Obstructions, Modernising Islam, Women, Society Interaction and Civil Society Movements. The first IMUC was organized in Manchester, UK, in August 2005.
The Convention starts with a keynote address by the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Honorary President of Perdana Leadership Foundation, Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who speaks on “The Call for Unity”. The Tun terms Muslim unity “elusive”. While stability and peace are desired and the benefits are immeasurable, peace is not an easy state to achieve. Tun reminds the audience that brotherhood is emphasized in Islam – that Muslims should be mutually responsible and protective of each other; it is this quality which will strengthen the Muslim Ummah and provide defence for the religion against enemies and threats.
Divisions within the Muslim Community
After the death of the Prophet PBUH, cracks appeared within the Muslim community, the most divisive being the split between the Sunni and the Shi-ite. The divisions in Islam have grown from that time and has lead to certain sects of Muslims regarding violent attacks against civilians, including their fellow Muslims, as noble and exalted. Tun provides the example of Pakistan where Muslims are killing other Muslims to express anger and opposition. It is a no-win situation, Tun stresses, where the entire country is weakened economically and socially as a result of the bitter hostilities.
Weakened by internal fighting, Muslim countries become easy prey to predators such as European imperialists. Certainly, Tun says, fighting of Muslims against Muslims is against Islamic injunctions.
The OIC – Ineffectual
According to Tun, the first tangible step towards Muslim Unity was the founding of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), aimed to be an organisation where Muslim nations could discuss and resolve problems besetting the Ummah. However, a definition of what constitutes a Muslim country remains unclear. Tun points out that the OIC has not achieved Muslim unity but has emphasized divisions within the Muslim world, instead. The OIC works on a basis of consensus – every member has to agree before a decision is made. This is equivalent to giving veto power to every single member, the speaker says, not at all conducive to organizational decision-making. And this is why the OIC remains ineffective.
Additionally, as an organization of governments, the OIC is unable to consider issues purely in respect of the religion (Islam) and the Muslim community. So, if governments are unable to achieve peace for the Muslims, who can?
Civil Society – the way forward
The former premier is of the opinion that civil society is a rising force. NGOs are effective at applying steady pressure on governments to change or alter policies, he says, citing the example of Greenpeace, which has raised awareness of environmental concerns to such a level that governments can no longer ignore the impact of their policies on the environment.
Thus, if governments are ineffectual and individual action too miniscule to have any impact, Tun recommends that Muslims turn to civil society movements to promote unity – first within the Muslim NGO community, then to the wider community. The first priority should be the promotion of Muslim brotherhood as enjoined by the Quran.
Strength in Numbers
But which Muslims should unite? All Muslims who believe in the Quran, regardless of their sects, Sunni or Shi-ite, Tun says. He points out that those who take other beings to be God or who follow false prophets cannot be regarded as Muslims. But he is also quick to stress that a difference of beliefs with regard to the practise of Islam – such as those that exist within the different Islamic sects – should not be the cause of disunity. Muslims must learn to respect the diverse opinions that exist within their community and not attempt to impose one set of beliefs on the entire Muslim population.
It is crucial that Muslims regard those of different sects as still belonging to the wider Islamic community as size of the Muslim ummah is important for its strength.
Knowledge is Essential
Muslims nowadays have been sidelined in terms of development; there is no single Muslim country can be considered “developed” even though a lot of Muslim countries are rich. Money alone is not enough; Muslim countries have to be administratively efficient and technologically advanced. For this, in Tun’s opinion, priority should be given to education for knowledge is essential to resuscitate the Muslim civilization; while religious studies cannot be neglected, Muslims must also study the so-called “secular” subjects like Mathematics and Science.
It is because Muslims have neglected Science and Maths that Muslim countries now have not been able to create and build advanced technological weapons to defend their borders from attacks. Weapons that are procured can never be adequate.
As such, the NGOs must carry out sustained campaigns for the proper education of Muslims. This will take a long time and in the meantime, Muslims will be oppressed. Muslim countries are being invaded and Muslims are being tortured with their rights compromised, Tun states. Given their weakened condition, Muslims are angry and in anger lash out through indiscriminate violence. These blind acts of anger in turn invite retaliation by their more powerful enemies and lead to much more damage and carnage. Muslims must think and plan, and strategise to eliminate this ineffective revenge mentality, Tun says.
The Liberation of Muslims
The liberation of Muslims will still be a long time in coming, Tun concludes. But Muslims can frustrate the enemy through planning and by uniting, even if the unity is only at NGO-level. This will positively contribute to the well-being of the Muslims and in time the Muslim community, Tun emphasises.
We may never see the Muslim unity that we crave for in our lifetimes but this should not discourage us, Tun says, highlighting that even the Prophet PBUH did not live to see Islam spread throughout the rest of the world.
“All struggles must have a beginning. We must initiate the beginning,” he concludes.
The full text of Tun’s speech can be viewed here.
