Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 05/12/2014
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate Peace and Prayer be Upon the Last of Prophets and Messengers and Upon all Allah's Messengers Your Excellency Dr. Eshaq Jahangiri, First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Your Excellency Mr. Ali Jannati, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chairman of the Meeting, Your Excellencies the Ministers of Information of Islamic countries, Excellencies the Heads of Delegation, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatu Lahi wa Barakatuh, I am delighted to join in welcoming you all to this 10th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers in the ancient Islamic city of Tehran. At the outset, it is my duty to convey our gratitude and appreciation to our brothers in the Republic of Gabon for the efforts and achievements made throughout Gabon’s chairmanship of the 9th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers over the last two and a half years. I would also like to thank His Excellency Mr. Ali Jannati and the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting the 10th Session of this Conference, and for their warm welcome, hospitality and arrangements made to hold this meeting. Thank you all for your attendance and for your participation in this meeting, and we hope that the deliberations and recommendations of today’s meeting will be a concrete addition to and a turning point in joint Islamic media action. Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, We gather today in Tehran at a moment when our Islamic Ummah is confronted with numerous challenges that jeopardize not only its stability, security and development efforts, but also its identity and life style. Some of these challenges are political, some economic and others are related to scientific research, education, cultural action and development assistance. But today’s meeting addresses the challenges that face our media rhetoric, institutions and the frameworks which govern our media action in various domains. Perhaps the first issue requiring our consideration and attention is the discourse of extremism which found its way into some of our societies and managed to attract some of our youth under slogans that utilize Islam as a means although they have no relevance to Islam. On the contrary these slogans constitute the greatest vilification and distortion of Islam, its principles, culture and civilizational nature. We must address this extremist discourse, deconstruct it and comprehend its background and the climate in which it emerges, as well as its political, economic, social and religious contexts. We must also deepen our scrutiny of those forces which penetrate this extremist discourse, its systematic pattern and the media aura to serve their goals, policies and objectives. It is perhaps legitimate to enquire -before this elite of media leaderships of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which represents the Muslim Ummah- about the way in which our media discourse addresses the ideologies of extremism, fanaticism and depraved thought. Have our media been capable of properly monitoring, explaining and covering this phenomenon? Have they managed to train media professionals capable of understanding, following up and exposing this raging discourse inciting to violence, killing and brutality in the name of Islam in an objective analytical manner on the ground? Or, have our media been confined to the narrow self-serving political interpretation of these phenomena and their implications? Excellencies Ladies and Gentlemen The extremist and violent discourse, aimed at hijacking and controlling Islam, has fuelled anti-Islam speech, otherwise known as Islamophobia. Islamophobia flows in the hearts and minds of political parties in many countries around the world. It is a trend which believes that Islam falls short of interpretations for temporary issues, and that we as Muslims are outside the realm of history and far removed from societal, political, scientific or cultural evolution. It also views Muslims, for being Muslims and not for any objective or historical contexts, as being backward, crippled, narrow-minded, stagnant and parroters. The frontline for confronting this hate speech is our public information speech. It may be appropriate to conduct an objective analysis of how our information sector has addressed this hate speech, how it has dealt with and refuted it? and in which logical context has it argued and countered its argument? Through such a process, we can assess whether our information institutions, at all levels, are a match for this hate discourse. Dear Brothers and Sisters, While we are countering extremist discourse from within us, and hate speech from outside, we find ourselves confronted with another challenge, namely, the engagement of media outlets in some Member States in fierce and unabated media campaigns against other Member States. No one here, and no one in the OIC General Secretariat challenges the right to clearly critically and transparently discuss public issues, but we argue wholeheartedly against our media to be a source of defamation and vilification of other Muslim communities only because of political differences transient in the context of history. Thus, we should revisit the idea of a code of conduct for media organizations and information discourse, which was mooted by the 7th and 8th ICIMs. This code did not see the light because of the reservations expressed by some Member States on the grounds that it restricts media freedom. The document in terms of its text is not the issue; the issue is to agree on a framework of ethics that provides professional criteria for media coverage, so that is does not go down in the dumps of bathos, which benefits no one, serves the hate speech that confronts us, and depicts a regrettable interface for some of our media institutions. Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, While the information sector is required to address all these challenges, it is also duty-bound to represent a conscious rather than an intoxicating and bustling discourse, in order for it to keep abreast of the natural advancement towards reform, progress and compliance with the great Islamic values of justice, equality, freedom of worship and opinion, and participation in public decisions. Our Media are also required to stand up to racism and “apartheid” policies practiced by Israel against the Palestinian People, and the violations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which exemplify the most revolting forms of the rhetoric of hate. Furthermore, our media is required to, or rather must, focus attention on the events taking place in the Muslim World, so that we understand each other better, and break down stereotypes of ourselves. A simple glimpse would show us how unwilling our media are to cover political, economic, cultural, artistic, and sports events taking place in the Muslim World. Your Excellencies the Ministers, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, We have submitted to this Session several draft resolutions, which shall contribute to integrating and elevating Islamic Media Action, and consolidating coordination on media affairs within the Organization. Part of the draft resolutions relates to the role of the media in supporting the Cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Ash-Sharif, including supporting the infrastructure of the media sector in the State of Palestine. Other draft resolutions address the need to establish projects and programs aimed at countering the distorted image of Islam and Muslims, as well as supporting the work of Islamic media action institutions in expanding horizons for dialogue and intercultural exchange, boosting the capacity and productivity of journalists and media institutions in Member States via professional exchange programs and media joint production projects, and providing the necessary resources to the Department of Information in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to enable it to fulfill its duties properly. Undoubtedly, the joint Islamic media action in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation demands that we take into consideration the geography of the 57 Muslim States, from Indonesia in the East to Guyana and Suriname in the Caribbean in the West, in addition to Muslim communities in non-Member States, and to re-examine the limited human and material resources allocated to the media sector in the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and the joint Islamic media action institutions, which are struggling to survive, not to mention moving towards enhancing their media action. I am hopeful that our Conference will be successful in articulating a clear vision that includes clear implementation and follow-up mechanisms, in order to put the resolutions of this Session into effect. Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, represented in the summit, Council of Foreign Ministers, sectoral ministerial conferences, committee of permanent representatives, General Secretariat, and its various organs, accords due attention to the media aspect. It has adopted many resolutions which would, if implemented, provide platforms, channels and opportunities for us to face up to the information-related challenges encountering us from every side. Needless to point out to your auspicious gathering the role of information in shaping the world conscience, in promoting stereotypes for global issues, in framing the mobility of communities, and in influencing public opinion and conviction. Therefore, we are required to look and follow up seriously the resolutions adopted on information affairs, review what needs to be reviewed, to modernize what needs to be modernized. Not less important is to provide material, moral and organizational capabilities that turn those resolutions into reality on the ground. We also hope that the troika of this Conference would form a ministerial committee to follow up these resolutions with a view to their implementation; particularly those related to the International Islamic News Agency (IINA), and the Islamic Broadcasting Union (IBU). I hope that this Conference will yield fruitful outcomes that rise to the expectations, hopes, and aspirations, to contribute to boosting and advancing the process of developing the joint Islamic media action to uphold and service the causes of the Muslim Ummah and counter the imminent challenges it is facing. Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatuh.
