Arab-Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved
If Equality Prevails, Says Abdullah
DAVOS, Jan 25 (Bernama) – Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that although it has been said that the Arab conflict with Israel and its supporters is a complex problem and is difficult to resolve, he believes otherwise.
"The conflict remains unresolved because the powerful are not prepared to do the necessary to enforce, and apply equally on all sides, the relevant resolutions of the United Nations," he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) here Thursday.
Describing the conflict as the single most important factor fuelling Muslim anger towards Israel and the West, Abdullah stressed that Israel must abide by the UN resolutions and withdraw to its pre-1967 borders.
"A Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, can then be established.
Five million Palestinian refugees are waiting for a solution to their "right of return," he said on the topic of "rules for a global neighbourhood in a multicultural world."
The prime minister said Muslims were acutely sensitive to the fact that millions of their brethren had been dispossessed, their lands occupied, their resources usurped, and their dignity trampled.
"If we measure the amount of violence and count the number of lives lost in the centres of conflict, we will begin to understand why Muslim anger and anguish are now at their zenith. The application, by the powerful, of double standards has made things worse," he said.
Abdullah reiterated that the roots of the Arab-Israel conflict did not lie in culture or religion, but in "politics and the projection of power."
He said his statement was by no means the prejudiced view of a partisan Muslim.
These views, he stressed, had been affirmed in the UN Report of the High Level Group on the Alliance of Civilisations as the root cause of the present polarisation between the West and the Muslim world.
The report was released in November 2006.
Abdullah said it was most unfortunate that an extremist fringe among the Muslims has chosen to respond to the injustices and humiliation by resorting to mindless acts of terror.
These actions, he said, must be condemned for they violated the fundamental principles of Islam.
Abdullah said that terrorism could not be eliminated by military action alone and that the conditions that had given rise to terrorism needed to be addressed.
Turning his attention to Iraq, the prime minister said it was another place and issue which epitomised the polarisation between the West in general and the Muslim world.
"There can be no solution unless there is an end to foreign military occupation.
"There must also be an end, no doubt, to the armed resistance and the sectarian violence ignited by the occupation.
"All these cannot be achieved without the cooperation of Iraq's Muslim neighbours.
"The Organisation of the Islamic Conference can also play a part," said Abdullah, who is currently the OIC chairman.
He said the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the crisis in Iraq would do much to heal the rift between the West and the Muslim world.
There must also be scrupulous observance of international law which would help stabilise the area as well as other parts of the Muslim world, he added.
Abdullah also reminded his audience that Afghanistan and Lebanon must not be forgotten.
"There will be no real peace in the Islamic world unless they (international community) include enduring solutions for the situations in Afghanistan and in Lebanon."
Abdullah also said that there must be more than just a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and return to normalcy in Iraq as those alone would not guarantee global peace and justice.
"Certain other fundamental disparities must also be removed," he said.
The international community needed to do more, much more, to reduce the huge disparities in wealth, power and knowledge among the people of the world.
Money spent on arms, for instance, should be channelled into activities that benefit that half of humanity living on less than US$2 a day, he said.
Abdullah started his speech by saying that the human race, now numbering six billion, had inhabited this planet for a million years.
"We live in a multicultural neighbourhood. Yet there is very little neighbourliness in our relations. Once in a while, we do reach out to one another, for example, when some natural calamity strikes. But most of the time we do not really care for one another. Indeed in many parts of this global neighbourhood, death and destruction abound," he said.
He said that the human race was deeply divided in a global order that favoured the strong with the weak being vulnerable.
He said that in a world abound with injustices and inequities, "huge disparities of wealth and power separate us. Negative feelings overwhelm positive sentiments. Distrust and suspicion prevail as hatred and prejudice grow.
"Both the rich and the poor live in fear and insecurity. Both the strong and the weak have resorted to violence and terror to find solution to problems.
"International law does exist to provide the rules for maintaining peace. But some states and groups of people violate the law. They do not respect the legitimate rights of others.
"They are guilty of aggression, invasion or occupation. They are not averse to using force. Innocent civilians get killed or maimed."
Abdullah said the weak could be disciplined through sanctions and other means but when the powerful committed the same crimes, there was little that could be done.
"Some even behave as if they are above the law," he said.
In this respect, Abdullah said, this distressing situation was most evident today in the relations between Israel and its supporters in the West on the one hand and a lot of Muslims on the other.
Stressing that the human race needed to focus on developing understanding and empathy within "our multicultural neighbourhood," he said all religions and cultures "enjoin us to reach out to the other, to share their joy as well as their pain."
"Our philosophical traditions are profoundly aware of our common humanity. It is this dimension of religion that we should emphasise in our increasingly globalised neighbourhood," he added.
Abdullah said that for Muslims, "to know the other" was almost a religious injunction.
He quoted chapter 49, verse 13 (Surah Al-Hujurat) from the Holy Quran which says "O Mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).
"Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (He who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
Referring to Malaysia, one of the most multi-religious and multicultural societies in the world, he said the appreciation of these universal principles for harmonious living blended well with Islam Hadhari or civilisational Islam -- which he had introduced to Malaysians as an approach for a proper appreciation of the Islamic religion as a way of life in modern times.
Saying that Islam Hadhari was also for believers everywhere, he said it would enable Muslims to be innovative, creative and relevant in this modern age of science and technology, and allow non-Muslims to better appreciate the true nature of Islam.
Abdullah said Islam Hadhari "also burns in every other great religion, culture, and philosophy," for it was a spirit that "promotes tolerance and understanding, moderation and peace, as well as freedom and justice for all."
He said it was a spirit that abhorred inequities, oppression, extremism and violence.
"What better spirit to inspire the rules for a global neighbourhood in a multicultural world?" he said.
- BERNAMA
January 25, 2007
http://www.bernama.com
If Equality Prevails, Says Abdullah
DAVOS, Jan 25 (Bernama) – Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that although it has been said that the Arab conflict with Israel and its supporters is a complex problem and is difficult to resolve, he believes otherwise.
"The conflict remains unresolved because the powerful are not prepared to do the necessary to enforce, and apply equally on all sides, the relevant resolutions of the United Nations," he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) here Thursday.
Describing the conflict as the single most important factor fuelling Muslim anger towards Israel and the West, Abdullah stressed that Israel must abide by the UN resolutions and withdraw to its pre-1967 borders.
"A Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, can then be established.
Five million Palestinian refugees are waiting for a solution to their "right of return," he said on the topic of "rules for a global neighbourhood in a multicultural world."
The prime minister said Muslims were acutely sensitive to the fact that millions of their brethren had been dispossessed, their lands occupied, their resources usurped, and their dignity trampled.
"If we measure the amount of violence and count the number of lives lost in the centres of conflict, we will begin to understand why Muslim anger and anguish are now at their zenith. The application, by the powerful, of double standards has made things worse," he said.
Abdullah reiterated that the roots of the Arab-Israel conflict did not lie in culture or religion, but in "politics and the projection of power."
He said his statement was by no means the prejudiced view of a partisan Muslim.
These views, he stressed, had been affirmed in the UN Report of the High Level Group on the Alliance of Civilisations as the root cause of the present polarisation between the West and the Muslim world.
The report was released in November 2006.
Abdullah said it was most unfortunate that an extremist fringe among the Muslims has chosen to respond to the injustices and humiliation by resorting to mindless acts of terror.
These actions, he said, must be condemned for they violated the fundamental principles of Islam.
Abdullah said that terrorism could not be eliminated by military action alone and that the conditions that had given rise to terrorism needed to be addressed.
Turning his attention to Iraq, the prime minister said it was another place and issue which epitomised the polarisation between the West in general and the Muslim world.
"There can be no solution unless there is an end to foreign military occupation.
"There must also be an end, no doubt, to the armed resistance and the sectarian violence ignited by the occupation.
"All these cannot be achieved without the cooperation of Iraq's Muslim neighbours.
"The Organisation of the Islamic Conference can also play a part," said Abdullah, who is currently the OIC chairman.
He said the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the crisis in Iraq would do much to heal the rift between the West and the Muslim world.
There must also be scrupulous observance of international law which would help stabilise the area as well as other parts of the Muslim world, he added.
Abdullah also reminded his audience that Afghanistan and Lebanon must not be forgotten.
"There will be no real peace in the Islamic world unless they (international community) include enduring solutions for the situations in Afghanistan and in Lebanon."
Abdullah also said that there must be more than just a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and return to normalcy in Iraq as those alone would not guarantee global peace and justice.
"Certain other fundamental disparities must also be removed," he said.
The international community needed to do more, much more, to reduce the huge disparities in wealth, power and knowledge among the people of the world.
Money spent on arms, for instance, should be channelled into activities that benefit that half of humanity living on less than US$2 a day, he said.
Abdullah started his speech by saying that the human race, now numbering six billion, had inhabited this planet for a million years.
"We live in a multicultural neighbourhood. Yet there is very little neighbourliness in our relations. Once in a while, we do reach out to one another, for example, when some natural calamity strikes. But most of the time we do not really care for one another. Indeed in many parts of this global neighbourhood, death and destruction abound," he said.
He said that the human race was deeply divided in a global order that favoured the strong with the weak being vulnerable.
He said that in a world abound with injustices and inequities, "huge disparities of wealth and power separate us. Negative feelings overwhelm positive sentiments. Distrust and suspicion prevail as hatred and prejudice grow.
"Both the rich and the poor live in fear and insecurity. Both the strong and the weak have resorted to violence and terror to find solution to problems.
"International law does exist to provide the rules for maintaining peace. But some states and groups of people violate the law. They do not respect the legitimate rights of others.
"They are guilty of aggression, invasion or occupation. They are not averse to using force. Innocent civilians get killed or maimed."
Abdullah said the weak could be disciplined through sanctions and other means but when the powerful committed the same crimes, there was little that could be done.
"Some even behave as if they are above the law," he said.
In this respect, Abdullah said, this distressing situation was most evident today in the relations between Israel and its supporters in the West on the one hand and a lot of Muslims on the other.
Stressing that the human race needed to focus on developing understanding and empathy within "our multicultural neighbourhood," he said all religions and cultures "enjoin us to reach out to the other, to share their joy as well as their pain."
"Our philosophical traditions are profoundly aware of our common humanity. It is this dimension of religion that we should emphasise in our increasingly globalised neighbourhood," he added.
Abdullah said that for Muslims, "to know the other" was almost a religious injunction.
He quoted chapter 49, verse 13 (Surah Al-Hujurat) from the Holy Quran which says "O Mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).
"Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (He who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
Referring to Malaysia, one of the most multi-religious and multicultural societies in the world, he said the appreciation of these universal principles for harmonious living blended well with Islam Hadhari or civilisational Islam -- which he had introduced to Malaysians as an approach for a proper appreciation of the Islamic religion as a way of life in modern times.
Saying that Islam Hadhari was also for believers everywhere, he said it would enable Muslims to be innovative, creative and relevant in this modern age of science and technology, and allow non-Muslims to better appreciate the true nature of Islam.
Abdullah said Islam Hadhari "also burns in every other great religion, culture, and philosophy," for it was a spirit that "promotes tolerance and understanding, moderation and peace, as well as freedom and justice for all."
He said it was a spirit that abhorred inequities, oppression, extremism and violence.
"What better spirit to inspire the rules for a global neighbourhood in a multicultural world?" he said.
- BERNAMA
January 25, 2007
http://www.bernama.com
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