OIC ministers try to erase negative views on Islam
JAKARTA (JP): Foreign ministers from Islamic countries around the world are coming to Jakarta next week to try to combat perceptions that often equate Islam with terrorism.
This five-day gathering of the Organization of Islamic Conference marks the first time Indonesia has hosted the foreign ministers' meeting.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, who will chair the meeting, said yesterday that efforts to correct this erroneous image will top the agenda.
"There are so many misperceptions about Islam," Alatas said, "As if Islam were synonymous with violence, terrorism."
Ministerial level representatives from 53 delegations will attend the meeting, which will be held at the Jakarta Convention Center. As host, Indonesia will take over the ministerial level chair from Guinea.
President Soeharto will open the meeting.
Among the dignitaries scheduled to attend are Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, Palestinian Foreign Minister Farouk Quaddoumi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and former Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller.
Formed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in May 1971, the OIC is composed of 53 countries which are either Islamic states or, like Indonesia, states whose majority population is Moslem.
Middle Eastern and African states dominate the membership roster. Indonesia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia and Pakistan make up the Asian contingent of OIC membership.
Alatas said the ministers would seek to find solutions to correct prevailing misperceptions about Islam.
"We are trying to develop a cultural information program to combat this," he said.
Among other negative views, Islam is often considered synonymous with radicalism, extremism and fundamentalism in the eyes of the non-Moslem world.
"(We want to) point out that radicalism and extremism is found in all religions," Alatas said.
The label of religious fundamentalist is also wrongly equated with terrorist tendencies, he said, while in essence the term means nothing more than someone who holds dear the fundamental teachings of a belief.
Without ignoring the importance of burning political issues, Alatas said in its chairmanship, Indonesia would like to focus on strengthening mutual investment and trade among Islamic nations.
Despite the huge potential, economic cooperation within the OIC is an area not yet fully exploited. Alatas pointed out that the OIC is the only Third World organization which has its own bank, the Islamic Development Bank.
Another major issue on the agenda is selecting a new OIC secretary general to replace the outgoing Hamid Algabid.
On-going political issues such as the Middle East peace process and the crisis in Afghanistan will also figure into the meetings.
Indonesia's most notable contribution in the OIC framework was facilitating the peace settlement between the Moro National Liberation Front and the government of the Philippines two months ago. (mds)