Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 15/11/2007
Statement of the OIC Secretary General H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu At The International Conference on Terrorism: Dimensions, Dangers and Countermeasures Tunis, Republic Of Tunisia 15-17 November 2007 Your Excellency, President Zaine El Abdine Ben Ali President of the Republic of Tunisia, Your Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, Brother Dr. Abdel Aziz Twejeri, Director General of ISESCO, Excellencies the Ministers, Distinguished Delegates, Assalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh May I first of all, on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, extend a warm welcome to all the eminent figures participating in this international conference on Terrorism: Dimensions, Dangers, and countermeasures, being hosted by the Republic of Tunisia in its prestigious capital city. It is a matter of great delight for me to extend on this occasion my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to His Excellency President Zaine El-Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia, for the particular interest he has attached for Tunisia to host this important conference, and for his personal gracious patronage of this event, as well as for the excellent arrangements and facilities provided to ensure the success of this momentous international conference. My sincere thanks are also due to the Government and people of Tunisia for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to us. I have no doubt whatsoever that this conference, so well timed and prepared for, in terms of its substance, goals and objectives, will make such an instrumental contribution to the fight against terrorism, a universal phenomenon whose nefarious character has come to affect everyone. Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Participants, In the face of the phenomenon of terrorism, the Organization of the Islamic Conference has always upheld clear principled stand based on the teachings of the noble Islamic faith which is anchored in peace and tolerance and which considers terrorism as one of the most serious crimes and perversions, a crime for which it has set most severe sanctions. Indeed it set for this abominable crime exceptionally rigorous retributions, so as to preserve the inviolability of human life, and protect the citizens against aggression or terror. Islam also endeavours to combat terrorism at its roots whatever its possible underpinnings, whether political, economic or social. These stands were evidenced over the past decades through the Organization’s endeavours to mobilise energies and efforts to fight against terrorism, as it has taken the initiative, in this respect, of organizing an international symposium in Geneva in 1987 under the theme of “International Symposium on Terrorism in the Contemporary World and its Effect on the Individual’s Safety, Political Stability and International Peace”. Also the Organization issued in 1994 a Code of Conduct in the fight against terrorist acts, a code to which all Islamic States are committed. The OIC’s efforts in this connection were crowned in July 1999 with the establishment of the Convention on Combating Terrorism whose provisions apply to all the fifty seven Member States. This Convention included forty two articles dealing with multiple issues including the elaboration of a definition for terrorism, measures to prevent and combat terrorist crimes, identification of various areas of security-related cooperation and coordination among the Member States, matters relating to the extradition of criminals, as well as measures to protect witnesses and experts, and many other relevant specifics. The Convention, though comprehensive in itself, reiterated the need for the signatory states to abide by the provisions found in twelve other international covenants on combating terrorist activities, a cluster of covenants approved by the international community to this effect between 1963 and 1999. This Islamic agreement entered into force as of November 2002 after it was ratified by the required number of OIC Member States. This stand was further supported by the recommendations of the Foreign Ministers Special Meeting on Terrorism which was held in Kuala Lumpur in April 2002, a meeting which called for the evolvement of an International Code of Conduct on Combating Terrorism, as well as for the convening of an International Conference or Special Session of the UN General Assembly to underscore the international concord on the elaboration of an integrated strategy against this dangerous phenomenon The Ten-year Action Programme issued by the Third Extraordinary Summit of Makkah in December 2005 stressed its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and its rejection of any excuse or justification for it, recalling that terrorism is an international phenomenon which has no ties to any religion, race or country. The Ten-Year Programme of Action also established a distinction between terrorism and people’s legitimate struggle against foreign occupation, a struggle which does not permit harm to the innocent. It called on Muslim leaders to introduce comprehensive and qualitative changes in their national legislations and regulations to incriminate all terrorist practices and all forms of support, funding or incitement for these acts. It also reiterated the commitment to the OIC Convention on Combating Terrorism and to the implementation of the recommendations issued by the International Conference on Combating terrorism which was held in Riyadh in February 2005, including the establishment of the International Centre for Combating Terrorism. On the other hand, the OIC and its Member States continued their consultations with the UN Committee on Combating Terrorism; they expressed satisfaction at the adoption of the UN Strategy on Combating Terrorism, adopted by unanimity in September, 2006. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Despite all that I have just mentioned as to Islam’s rejection of terrorism and, despite the common stand taken by all Islamic States without exception in condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and combating it at the regional and international levels, some have taken advantage of certain terrorist acts carried out by a handful errant and irresponsible individuals who falsely claim affiliation to the Islamic faith, to engage in an exercise meant to tarnish the image of Islam and create an amalgam between its noble teachings and terrorism. Similarly, in many countries, measures were taken to jeopardise the civil freedoms and human rights of Muslims to such an excessive extent that includes even illegitimate collective punishments. Some intellectual institutions engage in campaigns of calumny against Islam and Muslims, spread the idea of Islamophobia and attempt to cause a rift between civilizations, a situation that has become a new form of racial discrimination against Muslims. We in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, while supporting the international campaign to combat terrorism and the many committees monitoring all dimensions of terrorism, we believe that a great deal of these activities have focused more on the military and security dimensions and less on dealing with the motives, causes and roots of terrorism. Those efforts are less concerned about the defamatory campaigns that seek to incite a particular civilization against another, thereby inflaming violence, hatred and extremism, and ultimately leading to terrorism. It has become clear to all that the world is no more secure than it was before the launch of the current international campaign against terrorism. In fact, many have now conceded that terrorist activities have increased in ferocity and spread. The Muslim world believes that counter-terrorism activities should prioritize a sincere search for the causes of terrorism and address them, rather than feign ignorance and fight their external manifestations. The most important of these causes are political injustice, deprivation and despair, while the most dangerous is the deceit associated with the flagrant aggression threatening the existence and continuity of humanity. Human beings are naturally disposed to loving their nations and to laying down their lives for the sake of their freedom and land. In our view, the fight against terrorism involves a number of factors: 1. The real motives which provide fertile environment for terrorism should be removed by finding local rather than global solutions. This will be done through the quenching of the fire of hatred in the chronic centres of tension across the world, foremost of which, is the Middle East region. 2. Opposing the intellectual and media campaigns which embody the phenomenon of Islamophobia and which are seeking to establish an amalgam between terrorism and religion such as to stoke hatred campaigns against one-fifth of humanity. This opposition should take place through condemning and denouncing such acts and combating them at the level of governments, intellectual institutes and international political fora such as the United Nations and similar platforms. 3. Holding an international all-embracing conference on combating terrorism, that would establish an unequivocal definition of terrorism such as to help align visions and activities in the face of this danger, and such as to establish a distinction between terrorism and people’s legitimate right to liberation and self-determination as guaranteed under the UN Charter, and in a way that does not turn a blind eye to state crimes. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, We at the Organization of the Islamic Conference aspire eagerly to the establishment of an international partnership to face up to the contemporary challenges, foremost of which the danger of terrorism. I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to pay tribute to the United Nations for its outstanding contribution towards the convening of this conference. I wish also to extend my thanks and appreciation to my distinguished colleagues in ISESCO and its Director General, H.E. Bro. Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Al-Twejiri, for their laudable efforts and valuable contributions to this conference, which reflect their eagerness to consolidate the joint international action against terrorism. We express the hope that this international cooperation will continue in all fields to the benefit of the international community. I wish your deliberations every success in evolving such recommendations as to contribute to make our world a more safe, just, fair and prosperous place. Thank you for your attention. Wassalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
