KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) – The Seventh Conference of the Ministers of Endowment and Islamic Affairs ended here Wednesday amid renewed tensions in Palestine, prompting delegates to summon Muslims worldwide to unite in the face of continued Zionist atrocities against Palestinians.
What was intended to be a forum to discuss the finer points of matters pertaining to the religion, in particular the management of endowments and tithes, turned up to be an opportunity to express common goals in addressing the plight of fellow Muslims worldwide especially in Palestine.
Delegates were unanimous in their condemnation of Israel for its oppression and aggression against Palestinians as well as destruction of Palestinian properties in clear violation of international law.
In demonstrating Muslim solidarity with the Palestinians, the conference called on the Muslim world to continue its support for their oppressed brethrens in their struggle for freedom and dignity.
In a nutshell, the conference is sending the message that the expansionary agenda of the Zionist regime poses a serious threat to the Muslim community.
Terrorism also featured prominently in the conference, a subject that required immediate attention to redeem the image of Islam, a religion which has of late been equated with violence and acts of terror.
In taking the western media to task for wrongly associating terrorism to Islam, the conference pointed out that such action failed to acknowledge the fact that terrorism was an international problem that cannot be linked with any religion and race, and that no society was free from such problems.
The ministers condemned the attitude of refusing to acknowledge the fact that Islam promotes good values like compassion, peace, tolerance and moderation and rejects force and violence.
In this regard, the delegates urged Muslim countries to emulate steps taken by Malaysia in tackling extremism.
Praising Malaysia for its comprehensive approach in handling the issue, they recognised the moderate approach taken by the country to propagate Islam in all aspects of life without upsetting the fabric of its plural society.
Not only did the conference take note of Malaysia's strategy in combating extremism, it also acknowledged the wisdom of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his analysis of problems of the ummah.
By exposing the rot in the Muslim society in his keynote address on the second day of the three-day conference, the Prime Minister took to task the ummah for their complacency in facing challenges to the community and religion.
The wake-up call was well received by the conference and the speech was adopted as an official document of the conference.
Rounding up the gathering, conference chairman Datuk Abdul Hamid Zainal Abidin praised the delegates for not being emotional when discussing sensitive issues.
"There were no flare-ups or anger as normally seen in earlier meetings. The situation was under control and this impressed delegates," said Abdul Hamid, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.
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