ID :
61361
Tue, 05/19/2009 - 16:59
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/61361
The shortlink copeid
OIC HOPES FOR BETTER RELATIONS WITH US UNDER OBAMA
By Nor Faridah Abd Rashid
KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- The 57-member Organisation of the Islamic
Conference is hoping for better relations with the United States under the
administration of President Barack Obama, OIC secretary-general Professor
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said.
He said Obama had expressed his commitment to work closely with the OIC, the
second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations, in the
next four years.
"We are looking forward to the beginning of this relationship. I had the
pleasure of meeting Obama in Istanbul, Turkey and has also exchanged letters
where he had expressed his commitment to work closely with the OIC," Ihsanoglu
told Bernama here recently.
Obama was in Turkey in April, his first visit to a Muslim country, after he
assumed office on Jan 20. It was reported that one of the highlights of his
two-day visit was a speech to the Turkish Parliament in which he sought to
reaffirm US relations with Turkey as well as reach out to the greater Muslim
world.
Speaking on the issues concerning Muslims in Southeast Asia specifically in
southern Philippines and southern Thailand, Ihsanogglu said that the OIC had
reactivated the peace agreement involving the Philipine government, the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"We support the peaceful processes going on. We are cooperating with the
national government of the Philippines and the Thai government too," he said.
He pointed out that the OIC, which represents 1.5 billion Muslims in the 57
countries, has a guideline for Muslims living in non-OIC countries.
It wants them to be good citizens in their homeland and respect the laws of
the land.
"But, we in return expect that they should have no problem in keeping their
religious and cultural identity intact and preserve them as well as work in
harmony with the local authorities and with the national governments being part
and parcel of the bigger society," he explained.
He said the OIC believed that these religious and ethnic characteristics are
the "richness of these countries."
Ihsanoglu was here last month to deliver a keynote address on the role of
the OIC in enhancing economic cooperation among Muslim countries at the
International Conference on Islamic Economies and the Economies of the OIC
Countries, organised by the International Islamic University Malaysia and
Islamic Development Bank.
Politics aside, the OIC, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year,
has also been very active in humanitarian activities and "is now perhaps the
most active international organisation on humanitarian aspects," Ihsanoglu said.
"We have succeeded in providing food, medicine, medical equipment and all
other necessary needs for the people of Gaza," he said.
He pointed out that the OIC was not only working within its own members but
had also received requests from non-OIC countries to help them distribute
humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Asked about one of the OIC's aims to strengthen Islamic solidarity among
member states and how successful it has been in creating "One Muslim Nation,"
amidst conflicts like the sectarian conflicts in Irag for example, Ihsanoglu
said that it was difficult to become a one Muslim nation.
"We have to be realistic. We have to solve many problems we are facing,
political, economic etc, to complete our social economic development in order to
come into a comparable situation like what happened in Europe," he said.
Ihsanoglu explained that Europe did not "unite" until a certain country was
promoted and its economic health came to a certain level.
"It is after this that it was integrated into the European Union. We need a
long time to reach such a state of development. I do believe in that (One Muslim
Nation) but what I really would like to emphasise here is to reach this idea is
not easy," he added.
However, he pointed out that the OIC was the only international organisation
which helped to stop sectorian violence in Iraq in 2006.
"We brought together the Sunni and the Syiah leaders under the auspices of
the OIC and managed to make them agree on reconciliation of 19 items.
"Afterwards, sectorian killings and conflicts began to decline and that was
the beginning of a long process within Iraq itself," he added.
He said that he was in Iraq in March this year and the Iraqis had thanked
the OIC for the role it had played in bridging the gap and building confidence
between the Sunnis and Syiahs.
"So the OIC is doing an important work, maybe it is not well known and well
highlighted, maybe it is partly also our responsibility but I think it is the
responsibility of everybody," Ihsanoglu said, adding that the OIC had a very
active website www.oic-oci.org.
Asked on Malaysia's proposal that OIC member states hold a film festival, he
said that he fully supported the idea and described it as "a very good idea" as
the OIC needed to expand its activities in all fields.
"New good ideas always come from Malaysia," he said, adding that a film
festival would be a good platform to exchange expertise and cooperate among the
OIC member states.
"And at the same time when you watch a film, you learn about the people and
the nation where the film is produced. So when people watch a Malaysian film
say in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco or Senegal and vice-versa, I think the
nations will know each other better.
"This is really a great idea and that is why I wholeheartedly support it and
we look forward to the implementation of this project in cooperation with
Malaysia."
In January this year, Malaysia had proposed that OIC countries hold a film
festival like the ones in Cannes or Berlin to promote the works of their
producers and directors and provide a marketplace for people in their creative
industries.
The then Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek made the proposal in
Rabat, Morocco, at the opening of the 8th Islamic Conference of Information
Ministers (ICIM). Ahmad Shabery, who is now Youth and Sports Minister, had
suggested that such a festival be held back-to-back with the next ICIM meeting
in 2011.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- The 57-member Organisation of the Islamic
Conference is hoping for better relations with the United States under the
administration of President Barack Obama, OIC secretary-general Professor
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said.
He said Obama had expressed his commitment to work closely with the OIC, the
second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations, in the
next four years.
"We are looking forward to the beginning of this relationship. I had the
pleasure of meeting Obama in Istanbul, Turkey and has also exchanged letters
where he had expressed his commitment to work closely with the OIC," Ihsanoglu
told Bernama here recently.
Obama was in Turkey in April, his first visit to a Muslim country, after he
assumed office on Jan 20. It was reported that one of the highlights of his
two-day visit was a speech to the Turkish Parliament in which he sought to
reaffirm US relations with Turkey as well as reach out to the greater Muslim
world.
Speaking on the issues concerning Muslims in Southeast Asia specifically in
southern Philippines and southern Thailand, Ihsanogglu said that the OIC had
reactivated the peace agreement involving the Philipine government, the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"We support the peaceful processes going on. We are cooperating with the
national government of the Philippines and the Thai government too," he said.
He pointed out that the OIC, which represents 1.5 billion Muslims in the 57
countries, has a guideline for Muslims living in non-OIC countries.
It wants them to be good citizens in their homeland and respect the laws of
the land.
"But, we in return expect that they should have no problem in keeping their
religious and cultural identity intact and preserve them as well as work in
harmony with the local authorities and with the national governments being part
and parcel of the bigger society," he explained.
He said the OIC believed that these religious and ethnic characteristics are
the "richness of these countries."
Ihsanoglu was here last month to deliver a keynote address on the role of
the OIC in enhancing economic cooperation among Muslim countries at the
International Conference on Islamic Economies and the Economies of the OIC
Countries, organised by the International Islamic University Malaysia and
Islamic Development Bank.
Politics aside, the OIC, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year,
has also been very active in humanitarian activities and "is now perhaps the
most active international organisation on humanitarian aspects," Ihsanoglu said.
"We have succeeded in providing food, medicine, medical equipment and all
other necessary needs for the people of Gaza," he said.
He pointed out that the OIC was not only working within its own members but
had also received requests from non-OIC countries to help them distribute
humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Asked about one of the OIC's aims to strengthen Islamic solidarity among
member states and how successful it has been in creating "One Muslim Nation,"
amidst conflicts like the sectarian conflicts in Irag for example, Ihsanoglu
said that it was difficult to become a one Muslim nation.
"We have to be realistic. We have to solve many problems we are facing,
political, economic etc, to complete our social economic development in order to
come into a comparable situation like what happened in Europe," he said.
Ihsanoglu explained that Europe did not "unite" until a certain country was
promoted and its economic health came to a certain level.
"It is after this that it was integrated into the European Union. We need a
long time to reach such a state of development. I do believe in that (One Muslim
Nation) but what I really would like to emphasise here is to reach this idea is
not easy," he added.
However, he pointed out that the OIC was the only international organisation
which helped to stop sectorian violence in Iraq in 2006.
"We brought together the Sunni and the Syiah leaders under the auspices of
the OIC and managed to make them agree on reconciliation of 19 items.
"Afterwards, sectorian killings and conflicts began to decline and that was
the beginning of a long process within Iraq itself," he added.
He said that he was in Iraq in March this year and the Iraqis had thanked
the OIC for the role it had played in bridging the gap and building confidence
between the Sunnis and Syiahs.
"So the OIC is doing an important work, maybe it is not well known and well
highlighted, maybe it is partly also our responsibility but I think it is the
responsibility of everybody," Ihsanoglu said, adding that the OIC had a very
active website www.oic-oci.org.
Asked on Malaysia's proposal that OIC member states hold a film festival, he
said that he fully supported the idea and described it as "a very good idea" as
the OIC needed to expand its activities in all fields.
"New good ideas always come from Malaysia," he said, adding that a film
festival would be a good platform to exchange expertise and cooperate among the
OIC member states.
"And at the same time when you watch a film, you learn about the people and
the nation where the film is produced. So when people watch a Malaysian film
say in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco or Senegal and vice-versa, I think the
nations will know each other better.
"This is really a great idea and that is why I wholeheartedly support it and
we look forward to the implementation of this project in cooperation with
Malaysia."
In January this year, Malaysia had proposed that OIC countries hold a film
festival like the ones in Cannes or Berlin to promote the works of their
producers and directors and provide a marketplace for people in their creative
industries.
The then Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek made the proposal in
Rabat, Morocco, at the opening of the 8th Islamic Conference of Information
Ministers (ICIM). Ahmad Shabery, who is now Youth and Sports Minister, had
suggested that such a festival be held back-to-back with the next ICIM meeting
in 2011.
-- BERNAMA
