Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday renewed her call for greater unity of the Muslim Ummah and its pursuit of the great Islamic values of fraternity, justice and inclusion, reports the state-run news agency, BSS.
Reiterating “zero tolerance” policy to terrorism and violent extremism, the premier also put emphasis on criminalizing Islamophobia and using interfaith dialogue to stem it.
She expressed this view in a statement delivered on her behalf by foreign minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali in the 13th OIC Summit Conference in Istanbul Friday as the prime minister skipped the conference for unknown reason.
Referring to founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s call for unity and solidarity within the Muslim Ummah made during the 2nd OIC Summit in 1974, Sheikh Hasina suggested creation of an OIC mechanism/initiative to settle internal differences within the OIC member states.
Hasina also stressed the need for developing an OIC humanitarian mechanism and OIC support for frontline battle against climate change impacts and called for collective action for eradication of poverty through implementation of OIC-2025 Program of Action.
She underscored implementation of OIC preferential and free-trade arrangements on a fast track basis.
Sheikh Hasina called for settlement of Palestinian problem and urged other leaders to work together in solidarity with the Muslim minorities including the Rohingyas.
The conference at Summit level started Thursday in Istanbul with participation of around thirty heads of state and government and foreign ministers from more than twenty countries.
The theme being deliberated in the Summit Conference is “Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace” in the context of the turbulent times the Muslim world is passing through and daunting challenges the Ummah is facing.
Internal conflicts and fratricidal civil wars, sectarianism, terrorism and violent extremism, Islamophobia, humanitarian and natural disasters, regression of the Muslim society, problem of Palestine, poverty, issues of development and OIC ten-year Program of Action have figured prominently in the conference discussions.
The leaders of the Islamic world have gathered here to close ranks and find common grounds on major issues.
They stressed unity and solidarity to address challenges facing the Ummah. They have agreed to work for joint Islamic action which the OIC would pursue for the next three years.
Towards that end the leaders under the new chairmanship of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have adopted several outcome documents of the Summit namely — Resolution on Palestine, OIC 2025: Programme of Action, Final Communiqué and the Istanbul Declaration.
Earlier on 12 April, the Bangladesh foreign minister attended a meeting of the OIC Ministerial Contact Group on Rohingya Muslim Minority of Myanmar and discussed within the group the course of action ahead and plan of engagement with the new government in Myanmar.
Source: Prothom Alo
