OIC calls for peace, tolerance and brotherhood: al-Mahmoud

HE the Advisory Council Speaker Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoudsaid the Islamic world today is full of all kinds of oppression andinjustice and Muslims face serious risks that target their existence andsurvival as a nation and people. The speaker was addressing the 13th conference of the parliamentaryunion of Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), being held in theIranian capital of Tehran yesterday. At the outset, al-Mahmoud thankedIran for hosting the event while expressing his condolences for thevictims of the Iranian oil tanker, which sank off the coast of Chinaearlier this week, killing 30 Iranian crew members.In his speech, al-Mahmoud said attacks against Muslims and their rights have seen a rise in different parts of the world. “They have underestimated Muslims and attacked them in Palestine,Myanmar and other countries.” He added that, “Islam calls for unity andsolidarity,” pointing out that, on the contrary, “Muslims are riven bydifferences and disagreements on various issues and wasted their effortsand energies in non-useful matters, in what leads to weakening anddiminishing their position among the nations.” In this regard, he cited the unjust siege imposed on Qatar by theneighbouring countries. Al-Mahmoud pointed out that the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Human Rights said in an official report that themeasures taken by the siege countries against Qatar exceeded the limitsof diplomatic procedures, and that it is not just a boycott because itgrossly violated humanitarian, economic, social rights adding that thereport referred to these actions as an ‘economic warfare’. The speaker said that the conference for all Islamic countries,considering it representative of the will of the Muslim peoplesbelonging to this union, carries the message of peace, tolerance andbrotherhood and went on to liken those who deny the virtue of Islam andMuslims to humanity to those who deny the light of the sun in broaddaylight. The speaker added that, “Muslim scientists are the pioneers ofcivilisation, progress, science and technology.” Further, he added,“prominent Muslim scientists such as Jaber bin Hayyan in chemistry; AbuBakr al-Khwarizmi, Buzjani and Omar Khiam in mathematics; Abu Bakral-Razi, Sinan ibn Thabit ibn Qurra and Ibn Sina in medicine; Hassan binal-Haytham in optics; Abuhadhifa Dinuri and Ibn al-Roumiyah in botany;and al-Qazwini and al-Idrisi in geography and astronomy, were allpopular for their scientific contributions.” He added that, “Islam isthe religion of mercy, tolerance, peace and equal treatment for allhuman beings, regardless of religion, race and colour.”Concerning the Palestinian issue, the speaker said that in thissituation, “everyone is saddened by the pain and sorrow of what is seeneveryday from the cruelty of the military machine of the Israelioccupation, which is trying by all means to break the resistance.” He added that, “Qatar has not spared any effort to support thesteadfastness and resistance of the Palestinian people in the face ofthe continuing aggression of Israeli forces.”During the conference, al-Mahmoud reiterated Qatar’s call for activatingall resolutions on Jerusalem from the UN Security Council, the UnitedNations General Assembly and the numerous Arab and Islamic conferencesadopted by the OIC parliamentary union.With regard to terrorism and human rights, the speaker pointed out thatQatar calls for a distinction between the right of defence andresistance to occupation and terrorism against civilians, stressing thataddressing the phenomenon of terrorism is not limited to the securityaspect, but must be fought intellectually and ideologically in order todry its sources. He also said that Qatar calls to provide support to Muslim minoritiessuffering from persecution and injustice in many regions of the world,especially Muslim minorities in Myanmar, southern Philippines andCentral Africa so as not to be forced to use violence to defendthemselves and their religion.At the end of his speech, the speaker of the Advisory Council said that,“four experienced and competent women joined the Qatari AdvisoryCouncil at its current session,” adding that this comes within theframework of increasing women’s involvement in political work and theirrole. The speaker also thanked Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan for theirconcession to the candidate of Senegal for the post of OICsecretary-general, wishing the conference would achieve its goals andwhat Muslims aspire to.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani opened the conference and delivered theopening speech. Rouhani stressed the importance of strengthening andconsolidating the relations of co-operation and exchange of views amongIslamic countries. He called on the Islamic world to put differencesaside and rely on its internal human and social potential, stressingthat the preoccupation with conflicts does not provide the opportunityfor construction and development.President Rouhani referred also to the important role played byparliaments in reflecting people’s views and participation in theadministration of the country. He explained that the main reason for the instability of the region isthe US support for the Zionist entity, considering that the Americanmove against Jerusalem is a violation of all international laws, notingthat terrorism led to the deviation of the compass from Jerusalem andPalestine.President Rouhani noted the importance of the role of Muslim parliamentsin consolidating unity, adding that the Muslim world is facing seriousobstacles, and confronting these obstacles, including militaryintervention and the spread of discrimination, will come through solvinginternal problems.