KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 is not meant to discriminate or isolate any countries but only attempts to come up with proposals and solutions that are acceptable and workable for the Muslim world, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
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“We are not discriminating or isolating anyone. We are attempting to start small and if these ideas, proposals and solutions are acceptable and proved workable.
“Then we hope to take it up to the larger platform for consideration,” said the Prime Minister in his welcoming address at the summit here on Thursday (Dec 19).
Dr Mahathir, who is the summit chairman, said that the objectives of the summit were not to discuss religion but instead the state of affairs in the Muslim world, which he described as in “a state of crisis”.
“Everywhere we see Muslim countries being destroyed, their citizens forced to flee their countries, forced to seek refuge in non-Muslim countries.
“Many thousands, die during their fight and many more were refused asylum.
“On the other hand, we see Muslims perpetrating violent acts, killing innocent victims, men, women, children, the sick and the incapacitated,” he added.
Dr Mahathir explained the summit needed to discuss how Islamophobia is generated.
“It is for these reasons that the summit meeting is organised. At the very least, through our discussion, we may find what went wrong.
“We may even find solutions, if not to end these catastrophes at least to awaken the Islamic world, the ummah of the need to recognise the problems and their causes,” he said.
He said that the Muslim world also had to deal with fratricidal wars, civil wars, failed governments and many other catastrophes that have plagued the Muslim ummah and Islam without any serious effort being made to end or reduce them and to rehabilitate the religion.
“We have seen other countries devastated by the Second World War not only recovering quickly but growing strongly to become developed. But a few Muslim countries seem unable even to be governed well, much less to be developed and prosper.
“Is it our religion that is in the way? Is it that Islam is against worldly success and becoming a developed country? Or is it the Muslims themselves who prevent their countries from being governed well, from being developed,” he asked.
“Understanding the problems and their causes may enlighten us on the way to overcome or mitigate the disasters that have befallen the ummah,” explained Dr Mahathir.
Present at the event were the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and his wife Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
The event was also attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Here is the text of Dr Mahathir’s speech, in full:
Welcoming address by the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia and chairman of KL Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 on Dec 19,2019, at 10am at Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
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1. Firstly, I would like to thank you for your presence at this Summit Meeting of Muslim Leaders and Scholars and their followers.
2. I would like to explain briefly the objectives of this Summit. We are not here to discuss about religion but instead the state of affairs in the Muslim world.
3. We all know that the Muslims, their religion and their countries are in a state of crisis. Everywhere we see Muslim countries being destroyed, their citizens forced to flee their countries, forced to seek refuge in non-Muslim countries. Many thousands, die during their fight and many more were refused asylum.
4. On the other hand, we see Muslims perpetrating violent acts, killing innocent victims, men, women, children, the sick and the incapacitated. They have done this because their own countries are unable to provide security for them or do anything to retake the land that has been seized by others. Frustrated and angry, they react violently without in any way achieving their objectives.
5. They seek revenge but all they succeed in doing is to bring into disrepute their own religion of Islam. They have created fear by their actions. And now this Islamophobia, this unjustified fear of Islam has denigrated our religion in the eyes of the world.
6. But we need to know how this fear is generated, whether it is true or mere propaganda of our detractors or a combination of both.
7. Then we have to deal with fratricidal wars, civil wars, failed governments and many other catastrophes that have plagued the Muslim ummah and Islam without any serious effort being made to end or reduce them or to rehabilitate the religion.
8. Yes, Islam, the Muslims and their countries are in a state of crisis, helpless and unworthy of this great religion, which is meant to be good for mankind.
9. It is for these reasons that the Summit Meeting is organised. At the very least, through our discussion we may find what went wrong. We may even find solutions, if not to end these catastrophes at least to awaken the Islamic world, the ummah of the need to recognise the problems and their causes. Understanding the problems and their causes may enlighten us on the way to overcome or mitigate the disasters that have befallen the ummah.
10. We have seen other countries devastated by the Second World War not only recovering quickly but growing strongly to become developed. But a few Muslim countries seem unable even to be governed well, much less to be developed and prosper.
11. Is it our religion that is in the way? Is it that Islam is against worldly success and becoming a developed country? Or is it the Muslim themselves who prevent their countries from being governed well, from being developed.
12. These issues will be discussed at the highest levels of the state but involving only to a few countries for a start. It is not possible to handle the whole of the Muslims countries worldwide as it will be unwieldy and decisions made and solutions proposed may not be implementable.
13. We are not discriminating or isolating anyone. We are attempting to start small and if these ideas, proposals and solutions are acceptable and proved workable, then we hope to take it up to the larger platform for consideration.
14. Despite that, we have also invited almost all Muslim nations to participate in this summit albeit at different levels.
15. We await to hear the views and wisdom of the distinguished participants. We pray that through this summit we will go a little way forward towards solving our problems.
16. May Allah S.W.T. bless us with success in this small endeavour to restore the glory that was once accorded our religion of Islam.
Thank you. -The Star