Monday, 1 April, 2002:Israel 'dragging Mid-East into war'
Israel has stepped up actions in the West Bank
The delegates of more than 50 Islamic countries meeting in the Malaysian
capital, Kuala Lumpur, have accused Israel of dragging the Middle East
towards all-out war.
The Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) urged the United Nations to
impose "deterrent sanctions" on Israel and to protect the Palestinians.
Malaysia had intended to focus on 11 September
The BBC's correspondent at the summit, Jonathan Head, says Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad had viewed the summit - the first Muslim meeting
to discuss terrorism - as an opportunity for the Muslim world to regain some
of the moral ground following the 11 September attacks, by issuing a
condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.
But the meeting has been overshadowed by Israeli actions against
Palestinians in the West Bank, following two suicide bombings.
"Israel's terrorist actions and aggressive practices, posing a threat to
international peace and security, and dragging the region towards an all-out
war necessitate immediate action by the United Nations Security Council,"
the OIC's statement read.
Defining terrorism
Dr Mahathir earlier stressed that the Israeli Government and Palestinians
alike should be condemned as terrorists.
The world must deal with these misguided people not just by hunting them
down but also by removing the causes of their anger and frustration
He said their targeting of civilians defined their action as terrorism.
"I would like to suggest here that armed attacks or other forms of attacks
against civilians must be regarded as acts of terror and the perpetrators
regarded as terrorists."
But he argued that Israeli "state terrorism" was a bigger danger than
terrorist acts by groups or individuals, and called on the world to
"forcibly stop them".
Dealing with the causes
Dr Mahathir said that the root causes of individual terrorist acts could not
be ignored.
"We cannot just dismiss them as senseless perverts who enjoy terrorising
people," he said.
Dr Mahathir said he objected to linking Muslims with terrorism, saying it
was not perpetrated by only one race or religion.
But he added that Muslims had grievances which were "real and truly
unbearable", and the bitterness over perceived injustices and their
impotence to do anything about them, led them to "commit terrible acts of
terror".
"The world must deal with these misguided people not just by hunting them
down but also by removing the causes of their anger and frustration," the
Malaysian leader said.
But our correspondent says the unrest in the Middle East is making it hard
for Dr Mahathir to get the backing of other Muslim states for his sweeping
condemnation of terrorist acts.
Instead of bringing the Muslim world closer to the West, he says, it could
simply underscore the huge gulf that still exists between the US perception
of the terrorist threat and that of the Islamic world.
Quick guide: Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Formally established in September 1969 after the burning of the Al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is
made up of countries whose peoples are mainly followers of the Islamic
religion.
Its aims are, among other things, to promote all-round cooperation among its
member states, to safeguard Islamic holy places and to work towards
eradicating racial discrimination and colonialism.
OVERVIEW :
| FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES
The OIC comprises 57 states dispersed over four continents, spanning from
Albania (Europe) in the north to Mozambique (Africa) in the south, and from
Guyana (Latin America) in the west to Indonesia (Asia) in the east.
But, despite its size, which includes nearly one-third of the members of the
United Nations, its numerous committees and the scope of its stated
activities, the OIC is run on a shoe-string budget, which in 2000-01
totalled 11.4 million US dollars.
The supreme body of the OIC is the Conference of Heads of State, which
convenes every three years. The first summit conference, held in Rabat in
1969, decided that member states would" consult together with a view to
promoting close cooperation and mutual assistance in the economic,
scientific, cultural and spiritual fields, inspired by the immortal
teachings of Islam".
In the interval between summits, OIC foreign ministers meet to oversee the
implementation of decisions taken by the heads of state. The first foreign
ministers' meeting took place in 1972, when the OIC Charter was adopted.
However, the day-to-day running of the OIC is left to the Secretariat, which
consists of a secretary-general and four assistant secretaries-general.
FACTS
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES
KEY FACTS
Founded: 1969
Membership: 57 states
Population: 650 million (21% of world population)
Members' resources: 70% of world crude oil reserves, 50% of world natural
gas reserves
LEADERS
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES
LEADER: Secretary-General Abdelouahed Belkeziz
The secretary-general is elected by the Conference of Ministers of Foreign
Affairs for a four-year term, renewable once. The present secretary-general,
Abdelouahed Belkeziz, was elected in 2001. A Moroccan, he was born in 1939
and trained in law in Morocco and France. His career has alternated between
academia, where he has held a number of positions as rector or
vice-chancellor, and government, where he served as ambassador to Iraq,
information minister and foreign minister.
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES
Although a useful forum for discussion, the OIC lacks the means to implement
its resolutions, which often remain as unheeded declarations.
Thus, despite a 1981 call to redouble efforts "for the liberation of
Jerusalem and the occupied territories" and to institute an economic boycott
of Israel, several members, including Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan and Arab Gulf
states, maintain economic ties with Israel.
Furthermore, pledges for financial aid to member states or to Muslim
communities suffering from civil war or natural disasters are often at best
met only in part.
As a broad organisation whose member states are widely dispersed
geographically, the effectiveness of the OIC has also been constrained by
the fact that many of its members have a wide variety of political
orientations, from revolutionary Iran to conservative Saudi Arabia, and are
sometimes in bitter dispute with one another, such as Iraq and Iran and Iraq
and Kuwait.
While the net effect of these differences is often weak resolutions or ones
that are honoured only in breach, sometimes they result in the boycott of
summit conferences altogether, such as happened in 1991, when 12 Arab heads
of state failed to turn up in Senegal in protest against the presence of
Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which had taken Baghdad's
side in the war which followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
OIC Press Release
4 March 2002
Statement Issued by H.E. Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ, Secretary General of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, on the Escalation of Israeli
Aggressions in the Palestinian Territories
The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Dr.
Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ, received a message from the President of the
Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat. The message was delivered to
His Excellency by Mr. Nabil Shaath, PNA Minister of Planning and
International Cooperation during a meeting on Sunday evening 3 March 2002 in
Jeddah.
President Yasser Arafat’s message contained recent developments of the grave
situation prevailing in the Palestinian territories in the light of the
brutal aggression carried out by the Israeli forces of occupation against
the Palestinian people.
Mr. Nabil Shaath put forward exhaustive statements on the tragic situation
experienced by the Palestinian people and their heavy losses in lives and
properties resulting from continuous shelling of Palestinian houses and
institutions by military aircraft and tanks.
In this respect, the two sides stressed the need to take the necessary
procedures at competent international fora aimed at demanding Israel to pay
compensations for the material and moral losses sustained by the Palestinian
people as a result of the continuous Israeli aggression.
Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ and Mr. Nabil Shaath discussed the means to be
taken at OIC level in order to activate Islamic solidarity for halting the
Israeli aggression and resorting to negotiations that will ensure the
establishment of the Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its
capital.
In this respect, the OIC Secretary General addressed a message to President
Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority concerning
the current situation in the region. He also issued the following statement:
The OIC Secretary General Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ is following with deep
concern the escalation of Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people
as well as the war waged by the Israeli forces of occupation against
Palestinian Camps, villages and towns, resulting in the fall of scores of
martyrs and hundreds of injured people, including women, the old and
children, and the destruction of several homes and dispersal of their
occupants.
The escalation of these aggressions comes at a time when ceaseless regional
and international efforts are being deployed in order to bring tranquility
to the region and resume the peace process, particularly in the wake of the
initiative put forward by His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz,
Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on ending the Arab-Israeli
conflict, which has received the support and backing of several States of
the region and around the world. The Israeli escalation also proves the
insistence of the Israeli government on adopting an aggressive approach and
carry out criminal designs against the Palestinian people and their National
Authority, in a desperate attempt to sabotage the peace process and
undermine the opportunities and initiatives seeking to restore peace to the
region.
In the face of these Israeli aggressions and practices, the OIC requests the
international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to assume
its obligations by halting the Israeli aggression, providing protection for
the Palestinian people and compelling Israel to withdraw from the
Palestinian territories and implement the resolutions of the international
legitimacy. It is not possible to maintain silence vis-a-vis these inhuman
Israeli practices in Palestine and deal with Israel as a state above the
law.
While strongly condemning the practices of the Israeli occupation, the OIC
reiterates its stand by the Palestinian people, in support of their just
struggle to recover their legitimate inalienable rights, foremost of which
is their right to freedom, return and establishment of their independent
State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. The OIC calls on its Member
States to extend all forms of support and backing to the Palestinian people,
their leadership and National Authority.
-----------------
OIC Press Release
4 March 2002
Statement Issued by H.E. Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ, Secretary General of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, on the Escalation of Israeli
Aggressions in the Palestinian Territories
The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Dr.
Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ, received a message from the President of the
Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat. The message was delivered to
His Excellency by Mr. Nabil Shaath, PNA Minister of Planning and
International Cooperation during a meeting on Sunday evening 3 March 2002 in
Jeddah.
President Yasser Arafat’s message contained recent developments of the grave
situation prevailing in the Palestinian territories in the light of the
brutal aggression carried out by the Israeli forces of occupation against
the Palestinian people.
Mr. Nabil Shaath put forward exhaustive statements on the tragic situation
experienced by the Palestinian people and their heavy losses in lives and
properties resulting from continuous shelling of Palestinian houses and
institutions by military aircraft and tanks.
In this respect, the two sides stressed the need to take the necessary
procedures at competent international fora aimed at demanding Israel to pay
compensations for the material and moral losses sustained by the Palestinian
people as a result of the continuous Israeli aggression.
Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ and Mr. Nabil Shaath discussed the means to be
taken at OIC level in order to activate Islamic solidarity for halting the
Israeli aggression and resorting to negotiations that will ensure the
establishment of the Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its
capital.
In this respect, the OIC Secretary General addressed a message to President
Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority concerning
the current situation in the region. He also issued the following statement:
The OIC Secretary General Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ is following with deep
concern the escalation of Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people
as well as the war waged by the Israeli forces of occupation against
Palestinian Camps, villages and towns, resulting in the fall of scores of
martyrs and hundreds of injured people, including women, the old and
children, and the destruction of several homes and dispersal of their
occupants.
The escalation of these aggressions comes at a time when ceaseless regional
and international efforts are being deployed in order to bring tranquility
to the region and resume the peace process, particularly in the wake of the
initiative put forward by His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz,
Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on ending the Arab-Israeli
conflict, which has received the support and backing of several States of
the region and around the world. The Israeli escalation also proves the
insistence of the Israeli government on adopting an aggressive approach and
carry out criminal designs against the Palestinian people and their National
Authority, in a desperate attempt to sabotage the peace process and
undermine the opportunities and initiatives seeking to restore peace to the
region.
In the face of these Israeli aggressions and practices, the OIC requests the
international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to assume
its obligations by halting the Israeli aggression, providing protection for
the Palestinian people and compelling Israel to withdraw from the
Palestinian territories and implement the resolutions of the international
legitimacy. It is not possible to maintain silence vis-a-vis these inhuman
Israeli practices in Palestine and deal with Israel as a state above the
law.
While strongly condemning the practices of the Israeli occupation, the OIC
reiterates its stand by the Palestinian people, in support of their just
struggle to recover their legitimate inalienable rights, foremost of which
is their right to freedom, return and establishment of their independent
State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. The OIC calls on its Member
States to extend all forms of support and backing to the Palestinian people,
their leadership and National Authority.
-----------------
Text: Beirut Declaration
Excerpts from text of "Beirut Declaration" issued on the closing day of the
Arab League summit.
We, the kings, presidents, and emirs of the Arab states meeting in the
Council of the Arab League Summit in Beirut, capital of Lebanon... have
conducted a thorough assessment of the developments and challenges...
relating to the Arab region and, more specifically, to the occupied
Palestinian territory.
With great pride, we followed the Palestinian people's intifada and valiant
resistance. We discussed the Arab initiatives that aim to achieve a just and
comprehensive peace in the region...
We greet with honour and pride the valiant martyrs of the intifada
Arab Leaders
Based on the pan-Arab responsibility, and ...the objectives of the Arab
League Charter, the UN Charter, we announce the following:
We will continue to ...protect the pan-Arab security and fend off the
foreign schemes that aim to encroach on Arab territorial integrity.
We address a greeting of pride and honour to the Palestinian people's
steadfastness and valiant intifada against the Israeli occupation and its
destructive war machine.
We greet with honour and pride the valiant martyrs of the intifada....
We affirm solidarity with Lebanon to complete the liberation of its
territory and pledge to extend aid to help its development and the
reconstruction process.
We take pride in the Lebanese resistance and the outstanding Lebanese
steadfastness that led to the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the
major part of South Lebanon and western Al-Biqa. We demand the release of
the Lebanese prisoners, who are held in Israeli jails....
We emphasize our solidarity with Syria and Lebanon in the face of the
Israeli aggressive threats that will undermine security and stability in the
region.
We reaffirm that peace in the Middle East cannot succeed unless it is just
and comprehensive... and based on the land for peace principle.
Expectations from Israel
A. Complete withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, including the
Syrian Golan Heights, to the 4 June 1967 line and the territories still
occupied in southern Lebanon.
B. Attain a just solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees to be
agreed upon in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution No 194.
C. Accept the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian
state on the Palestinian territories occupied since 4 June 1967 in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In return the Arab states will do the following:
Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict over, sign a peace agreement with Israel,
and achieve peace for all states in the region
Establish normal relations with Israel within the framework of this
comprehensive peace
Iraq
The Council welcomes the assurances by the Republic of Iraq that it will
respect the independence, sovereignty, and security of the state of Kuwait
and safeguard its territorial integrity.
We call on Iraq to seek a solution to the issue of the Kuwaiti prisoners
Within the same framework, the leaders emphasize the importance of
suspending media campaigns and negative statements to create a positive
atmosphere....
The Council calls for respecting Iraq's independence, sovereignty, security,
territorial integrity, and regional safety.
The Council calls on Iraq to cooperate in seeking a... definitive solution
to the issue of the Kuwaiti prisoners and detainees and returning [Kuwaiti]
properties.
The Council also calls on Kuwait to cooperate with what Iraq offers with
respect to its nationals who are reported as missing through the
International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Council welcomes the resumption of the dialogue between Iraq and the
United Nations....
The Council calls for lifting the sanctions on Iraq and ending the
tribulation of the fraternal Iraqi people....
The Council rejects threats of aggression against some Arab states,
particularly Iraq, and reiterates categorical rejection of attacking Iraq.
The Council denounces international terrorism, including the terrorist
attack on the United States on 11 September 2001, as well as the Israeli
Government's exploitation of this attack.
The Council emphasizes the distinction between international terrorism and
the peoples' legitimate right to resist foreign occupation, and stresses the
need to reach an international agreement within the framework of the United
Nations.
Wishing you the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.
_________________________________________________________________
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