Faliures of OIC & Recommemdations

OIC – 40 years of failure



THE Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) completed 40 years of its existence last week. It was set up in Rabat, Morocco on September 25, 1969, in reaction to an arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 21, 1969, in Al-Quds, carried out by an Israeli.

The meeting was the first unified expression of the Muslim Ummah of its determination to safeguard its interests, speak with one voice and ensure the progress and well being of the Muslims in the world.

It took an organised shape in March 1970, setting up a secretariat in Jeddah and appointing a secretary-general as its head. Two years later, a charter was adopted demonstrating that the OIC`s purpose was to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among Islamic states in all fields.

OIC members represent 22 per cent of the world population, have 2 per cent of the world`s GDP, 1.3 per cent of the world trade and only 1.5 per cent of the investments. Twenty five per cent of OIC population does not have access to medical facilities or safe drinking water.

Half of the population lives below the poverty line classified as the most poor. No Muslim country is in the top list of the Human Development Index or in any other global economic indicators.

This depressing picture of the Islamic countries is not limited to the economic and social spheres, in the realm of education and technology the facts are equally disappointing.

The OIC member countries possess 70 per cent of the world`s energy resources and 40 per cent of available raw material but their GDP is only 5 per cent of the world GDP. Muslim countries miserably lag behind in education and technology.

They produce only 500 PhDs each year as compared to 3,000 in India and 5,000 in the United Kingdom. None of their educational or research institutions or centres of excellence find place in the top 100 in the world.

The last regular summit was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in 2003. Under the dynamic leadership of Mahathir Mohammad, the OIC`s performance was judged as unsatisfactory. He identified political inertia, economic underdevelopment, lack of democracy and unrepresentative governments as examples of the malaise afflicting the OIC.

The summit therefore, decided to craft a strategy to suggest reform and restructuring. A commission was set up to draw appropriate recommendations and a special summit was held at Makkah in December 2005 to examine these recommendations.

The Makkah Summit took stock of the OIC`s performance over the previous years and identified its weaknesses and shortcomings.

The Makkah summit made an intensive analysis and issued an ambitious plan of action for the next decade. However, as has been the history in the past, these summits and their declarations are long on promises and short on delivery.

The Makkah Declaration referred to the need for a “fresh vision” to turn the tide in the face of the external threats that have helped exacerbate the Ummah`s current plight and called for a plan for the future of the Ummah. The summit urged the member states to “focus on good governance, wider political participation, establish rule of law, protect human rights, apply social justice, transparency, fight corruption and build civil society institutions”.

The OIC today has 57 Muslim member-states and has held 10 summits in response to the challenges confronting the Muslim world. Since its establishment, the Islamic world has suffered five major catastrophes which have reduced it to almost a non-factor in international politics.

The break up of Pakistan through armed intervention by India in 1971 , the invasion of Lebanon by Israel in 1982, the Iran-Iraq war, Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and the US occupation of Iraq, have dealt a mortal blow to the unity, dignity and sovereignty of the Muslim world.

The OIC has failed to respond meaningfully to any of these crises or demonstrate any unity of thought and action apart from issuing high-sounding declarations at the end of each summit. Nothing was done to contain the crises or avert the tragedies. The OIC remained merely a silent spectator.

The Muslim world has abjectly failed to grasp the demands and requirements of the 21st century. The absolute need to introduce and embrace modern technology has not dawned on its leaders, reflecting their distressing intellectual poverty.

Pakistan`s suggestion to establish a multi-billion dollar fund for the promotion of science and technology did not receive support from the GCC countries, who alone could establish or run this multi-faceted fund.

Pakistan has made some extremely useful proposals to lift the Islamic world out of its present dilemmas.

The suggestions related to (i) an institutional mechanism for conflict prevention and resolution with member states; (II) a network of centres of excellence in science and technology; (iii) establishment of a permanent forum of Islamic thought to provide guidance and opinion; (iv) allocation of adequate financial resources to implement these proposals; (v) allocation of at least 0.5 per cent of the GDP by the member states for implementing OIC objectives; and (vi) a dedicated department in the OIC secretariat for promoting intra-OIC trade.

The OIC has set up a number of institutions to help in capacity building, knowledge networking in areas of knowledge-driven economy, trade and investments, ICT, quality and productivity, sustainable development, governance and poverty alleviation but to date have no achievement to their credit.

Unless OIC members are willing to face the present challenges boldly and demonstrate political will to assert their role in the world affairs, the OIC will continue to fail its members. The current crisis between the West and the world of Islam is yet another opportunity for the OIC to prove its relevance by playing a constructive role by building bridges through an informed dialogue between Islam and other faiths.

Courtesy : Dawn

Procrastination is the thief of time

The quote by Edward Young has carved itself a place on both literal and metaphorical grounds. Procrastination simply means putting off today’s task to a future date. The notion is further strengthened that the time, not valued today, is lost forever and if something is not done at the right time; it might never be done again. It prevails in all social, moral and political areas as time and tide wait for none.

Take care of today’s urgency, unless it may turn to tomorrow’s emergency.

 A little hole in a boat, if not looked into, grows so big to save it. Likewise a little fire, if not controlled immediately develops into a huge conflagration in a few hour’s time. Such are the consequences of procrastination. On the political front, the current socio-economic situation of Pakistan is the glaring example in this regard. Country is wrought with a chronic energy and water crisis, rampant inflation, deteriorating law and order situation, a debt crisis-all a consequence of not addressing problems on time and procrastination on part of successive governments. French Revolution is a case where people miseries were not addressed and mass protests grow so big that changed the entire scenario of French politics and the society gave a new turn and twist to the future events. The great Mughals were also the victim of procrastination. The same Mughal dynasty noted for her triumphs and awe, was no more owing to neglect to their routine affairs and deep slumber.

Procrastinators themselves put obstacles in the path that sabotage their performance; it is not an untamable beast but a habit that one can overcome through personal mastery and will power. Procrastination, indeed, is the thief of the time, energy, self esteem and justice. There are many means to be a loser in life but the surest is procrastination.

The march of civilization has largely depended on the timely action of man. How much does the world owe to its great explorers, navigators and mountain climbers? Who face the wrath of nature and fury of the elements in order to satisfy their inner urge of timely action. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, John Brown and Florence Nightingale are noted figures in this regard.

SECLUDED VEILS

((FREELANCE ARTICLE, WRITTEN ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT))

It’s an old adage that both man & woman play an integral role in the hermetic episode of life. This adage may be true for a large part of burgeoning world but it’s far from realization for a passive country like Pakistan. This Promised Land is a place where so called enforcers of social, religious & cultural norms push the fair sex behind the dark passages of secluded veils. Pakistan is perhaps the least gender sensitive region in the world. It is the only region in the world where men outnumber women. The sex ratio is 105.7 men to every 100 women. The situation is extremely alarming for rural & underdeveloped areas. In the rural areas, women are like slaves subject to drudgery. They are there just to obey their fathers, brothers and husbands. They do not have the right to decide about themselves because women are considered as foolish creatures according to the dominant social and cultural norms. Likewise marriage is also a sort of trade between different families both in the rural and urban areas. They are highly vulnerable to violation of their rights to life. Women are not only subjected to financial discrimination, but they are also victims of inhuman customs and laws such as:
Karo Kari, Qasas , Marriage to the Quran & education as a social taboo.
Karo Kari is the form of honour killings. Hundred of women are murdered every year in the name of honour. It is a matter of great dismay that almost 90 % of these cases are planned to gain petty benefits like grabbing the land of enemies, protecting the fiefdom from transferring to other family, taking revenge for committing a love marriage. A few examples of this heinous trade are enough to clarify the depth of this victimization:
In the village of Moratha(remote village of Sindh) there was a case of Karo Kari(honour killing). The motive of the killing was that the murderer wanted to marry a married woman. He killed the husband of that woman and his own innocent sister and he was released from jail after a few months.
Many of the cases of Karo Kari are related to love marriage. Recently(a few months ago) a woman with her little child of five months, husband and four other members of her in-laws, was killed because she had committed the crime of love marriage. Most of the women in Pakistan are not allowed to marry a person of their choice.
There are hundreds of such cases that are not registered. But if we go to the root cause of these honour killings we see that they are linked to the question of land, water, money and property. But again, only the women of the poor classes are victims of this inhuman custom of Karo Kari. This custom is seldom implemented against rich women.

“Qasas” is an integral part of Islamic Law but unfortunately, the way it is abused over here is intolerable. It is also used to victimize women, because under this law if a person kills somebody and the family of the victim compromises with the killer then they are paid an agreed amount of money, land and of course women by the assassin's family.

“Marriage to Quran” is another spurious law that is enough to defy all the bounds of religious and social norms. It is common in Sindh. Under this law a woman has to live without a husband throughout her life. But this law is only applied among the class of landlords who want to protect their fiefdoms from going to another family by grabbing the land of their sisters and daughters.
Education is another taboo for the girls of underdeveloped provinces like Baluchistan & NWFP. Only 10 percent of rural girls receive education in Baluchistan. In these regions, Education is considered as a social evil for the girls.

“In context of Baluchistan, they are among the few girls who go to school”
“Look in the eyes of these sweet little girls. You can see a shine of a long forgotten hope.”

WOMEN IN THE LIGHT OF ISLAM:

“Western media often distorts the image of Islamic teachings under the umbrella of extremism & terrorism”

Islam safeguards the spiritual, social & economical rights of women which can be clarified by the following verses of Quran:
‘He (God) it is who did create you from a single soul and therefrom did create his mate, that he might dwell with her (in love)’…(Quran 7:189)
“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to the their actions. (Quran 16:97, see also 4:124).”
“When news is brought to one of them, of (the Birth of) a female (child), his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain her on (sufferance) and contempt, or bury her in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on? (Quran 16: 58-59).”
According to Islam, no one can suppress the women to marry against her will.

Ibn Abbas reported that a girl came to the Messenger of God, Muhammad (P.), and she reported that her father had forced her to marry without her consent. The Messenger of God gave her the choice . . . (between accepting the marriage or invalidating it). (Ibn Hanbal No. 2469). In another version, the girl said: “Actually I accept this marriage but I wanted to let women know that parents have no right (to force a husband on them)” (Ibn Maja, No. 1873).

It is a matter of common sense that no country can make a great stride without the active participation of the half of its total population. If we want to bring some change to the desolated picture of our country then we have to bring each & every individual in the main stream without committing any harassment and victimization.