By IANS/WAM,
Tehran : The Islamic World is undergoing major transformations that require both governments and parliaments to think out of the box and adopt creative thinking towards integration, according to Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, speaker of Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“It’s no longer feasible to address our issues and crises through decades-old perspectives,” Al Murr told the two-day Ninth Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Member States (PUIC) that started in Tehran Tuesday.
To address such challenges, he said the UAE proposed the establishment of an Islamic parliament to serve as an effective communication channel between Islamic people and their leaders through a collective framework within the Organisation of Islamic Conference.
The Ninth Conference of the PUIC, he noted, was convened amidst tremendous changes and shifts and the Islamic World was experiencing a critical international reality fraught with political turbulences and tensions where regional and international collective security systems failed to address thorny issues regarding environment and climate change, poverty and accumulation of renewed international crises.
“The Islamic world is still at the crossroads in dealing with challenges regarding development, economic growth, globalisation, ICT revolution, preservation of cultural identity and Islamic thought, and ethnic divisions,” Al Murr added.
He also called for enhancing the role of joint Islamic action organisations so as to devise programmes that close ranks and bolster joint coordination and cooperation in order to safeguard strong inter-Islamic ties and stand strongly against internal and external destabilising factors.
“Over 1.1 billion Muslims pin high hopes on joint Islamic action to correct the false allegations about violence, intolerance and extremism in Islam,” he said.
“The foremost challenge we are facing today as an Islamic nation is to preserve the identity of the holy city of Al Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem), which has provided the rationale behind the creation of the OIC. Israel’s hostile campaign to Judaise the holy city and change its Islamic identity don’t only ridicule and disrespect the international law and many other international relevant resolutions but also consecrate an Israeli systematic method to violate well-established Islamic rights.”.
Al Murr said that there was an urgent need for one Islamic voice at international gatherings, be it parliamentary or governmental, to implement the OIC action plan “to protect Al Quds including taking the issue to the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice and other international organisations to hold the Zionist entity accountable for its crimes, notably its schemes to change the demographic structure of the holy city”.
Addressing the issue of humanitarian work in some hot spots in the Islamic world, the FNC speaker called for adopting the Islamic human solidarity principle, pointing out to the UAE’s approach under its leadership of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and its government led by Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on responding to disasters in Islamic countries out of the belief that assisting brothers in need was a sacred Islamic duty.
In this respect, the FNC speaker said that massive humanitarian programmes and work were needed to respond to the unspeakable tragedy borne out of the Syrian crisis, which is second to none of the political and humanitarian disasters in the world.
“We hope that the Geneva II conference on Syria or other efforts would reach a political settlement that preserves the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, its national fabric and independence, takes measures to halt bloodshed and stop destruction of assets,” he stated.
Al Murr also expressed the FNC’s satisfaction at the results of the ongoing talks between Iran and the P5+1 on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The P5+1 group comprises Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US plus Germany
“We hope the two sides would arrive at a final, inclusive agreement that ensures lifting of all international sanctions imposed on Iran, which we wish it and its people all progress and prosperity as a major Islamic power,” Al Murr concluded.