Moslems to blame for no political clout
Moslems to blame for no political clout
JAKARTA (JP): Moslems are to blame for their perceived marginal roles in international and domestic political arenas, experts agreed yesterday.
Ahmad Sumargono, Muhammad Al Khaththath, M. Fachry and Ismail Yusanto, all from organizations and centers for Islamic studies, expressed their concerns with the plight of Moslem communities around the world and the impotence of Moslem states in dealing with the problems.
Speaking in a panel discussion, the scholars also lashed out at several Western countries and international organizations for their foot-dragging attitudes in the face of many armed conflicts involving Moslem communities.
Ismail, who is also a staff lecturer at the Ibn Khaldun Moslem University in Bogor, West Java, pointed out that Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members, many of which are Moslem states, have called for greater representation at the United Nations and the revision of the Security Council's veto power.
The moves, if implemented, are expected to give greater say to Moslem states in international matters, though Ismail doubts the veto-power holders would allow such a drastic measure.
Many Moslem states are also disillusioned when they turn to the other Moslem countries for help, he said.
International bodies such as the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Rabithah Al Alam Al Islamy (Islamic World League) have so far failed to respond properly to cases such as the prolonged wars in Palestine, Bosnia Herzegovina and Chechnya, Ismail said.
"The oppression and occupation by Israel of Palestine have been ignored by those who call themselves leaders of Moslem countries," Ismail said harshly. "Where are the dignity and Moslem brotherhood that they have been speaking about?"
Most of the speakers agreed that Moslems should first return to their religious roots, and put their homes in order, before redressing the backwardness of Moslem societies.
"The internal factor causing this backwardness is because many Moslems don't implement the teachings and..are influenced by secularism," Ismail said.
Al Khaththath said that Moslems should first pay closer attention to developments in international politics if they want to seize a greater role.
"Moslems, especially the politicians and intellectuals, should examine the political plans and maneuvers of great countries," he said. "This examination should be done continuously, because the arena does not have clear-cut lines."
Only by constant watchfulness can Moslems follow and understand what's happening in the world. They must propagate religious callings based on knowledge and political reality.
He also called for more appropriate political education for Moslems, one not necessarily based on Western concepts, and for a better information network. He also suggested that Moslem communities prepare their children to become good political analysts.
Sumargono used the occasion yesterday to also criticize those Moslems fighting among themselves over differing political views. This fact contributes to the Moslems' poor standing in international politics, he said. (swe)