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| December 28, 2006 | Thursday | Zilhaj 06, 1427 |
Sectarianism may engulf Muslim world: president
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has called for a strong Muslim voice to deal with internal and external challenges and emphasised the need for taking urgent steps to end sectarian strife.
Addressing a gathering of eminent scholars and intellectuals from the Muslim world on “Vision of an Islamic, democratic and welfare state in Pakistan” here at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, President Musharraf warned that sectarian strife, which has the seeds of disaster, if not immediately redressed, could engulf the entire Muslim world.
He said that socio-economic and political problems within the Ummah needed urgent redressal and stressed the resolution of lingering political disputes.He said: “Now is the time to act immediately to resolve long-standing political disputes including Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, in a just manner and with dignity and honour.”
President Musharraf said Islam was not in conflict with democracy and modernisation but stressed that a differentiation had to be made between westernisation and modernization.He pointed out that there was no consensus about interpretations of Islam among Muslims and illiteracy had further exasperated the situation.
He said that generally the teachings of Islam had been left in the hands of semi-literate religious people.
The president said that extremist and obscurantist elements were trying to impose their views on the majority, whereas fringe ultra-modern elements were propagating secularism.
He said both the elements were wrong and there was a need to end the ongoing turmoil between enlightenment and obscurantism. “We need to work for reconciliation with the world at large.”
President Musharraf said Islam stands for peace, tolerance and harmony, but unfortunately misperceptions were being reinforced by obscurants and extremists.
He said that Muslim countries despite possessing 70 per cent of energy resources and 60 per cent of natural resources of the world had collective GDP less than a single industrialised European state.
He said the Muslim world was suffering from internal strife, which was hampering its economic progress.
Referring to the restructuring of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, President Musharraf said that it should be made an effective body not only to deal with the challenges the Muslim world was facing, but to effectively deal with the world in the resolution of the political disputes.
He said that Pakistan would be made a modern, progressive Islamic welfare state in accordance with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam.
The president called for establishing a department of Islamic thought or Islamic renaissance for projecting the real essence and true values of Islam and rejecting extremism and terrorism.
He said Pakistan which was a leading member of Ummah and could play a pivotal role in the process of Islamic renaissance.
He urged Islamic scholars to contribute positively in projecting the real and true image of Islam.—PPI
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