12 August 2012 By Tariq Alhomayed An important Islamic summit is taking place in
Mecca, in terms of location and timing, attended by
representatives of more than 50 Arab and Islamic
states at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz. This summit
is taking place during these eminent days in order to
look at the situation in the Arab and Islamic world.
This summit took place at a time that some Arab and
Islamic stats are witnessing disastrous events, and
the best example of this can be seen by what is
happening in Syria, in terms of the criminal acts
committed by the al-Assad against the Syrian people.
This is not to mention other occurrences against
Muslim communities in different parts of the worlds,
including ethnic cleanings and more. The importance of
the Mecca summit today is that the Arab and Islamic
world is now facing an unfortunate truth that many
have tried to avoid for a long time, and that is the
necessity of confronting ourselves and acknowledging
our mistakes, as well as the need to reform the
situation to ensure that it does not deteriorate
further. For in the past, it was not praiseworthy to
criticize the situation in the Arab and Islamic world,
and those who did this were viewed as traitors. A
large number of people would warn against
"self-flagellation", whilst today we have reached the
state where we are killing each other, and the
criticism has become professional. In addition to
this, "revolution" is now nothing more than an empty
label, as some Islamists have begun calling for
freedom and democracy, whilst just a few years ago
they were defending Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and jihad
in Iraq! The Mecca summit takes place at a time when our
region is suffering from hateful sectarianism created
by certain regional states, most prominently Iran and
its agents' al-Assad and Hezbollah, not to mention all
those in our region affiliated to Tehran. Our region
used to be one of peaceful coexistence with all
minorities; however sectarianism has now become a
political weapon and a card to be played to strengthen
national interests. Therefore, the Arabs and Muslims
must confront their own problems and crises, and this
is in order to ask the important question: where are
we going? Do we want to build nations and societies
that respect the right of co-existence and which
protect the blood of its citizens? Why did we not
learn that exclusion, mistrust and burying our hands
in the sand will only lead us to further
deterioration? It is not feasible to place all the
blame on the West, for the al-Assad regime, for
example, is not the creation of the west, but rather
the creation of decades of complacency and political
half-measures! The bitter truth is that just in the
same manner that there are experiences and models that
seek construction and peace in the Arab and Islamic
world; there are also models that are devoted to
backwardness, ignorance and contempt of humanity. The
most prominent example of this is the al-Assad regime,
both that of the father and the son. Is this what we
want for our region and children? Will the Muslims
accept sectarian division and exclusion being
something that only leads to trouble? There are many
questions that are looking for practical answers,
rather than statements and promises. The reality in
our nations is saddening, and the evidence of this is
the brain drain and the deterioration of education
standards, not to mention the erosion of the right of
co-existence and respect for differences. From here, and for all of the above reasons, the
Islamic Solidarity Summit in Mecca, called for by King
Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, is very important. This is
because the Muslims today must confront themselves,
and so rather than repeating, for example, worn-out
statements regarding Palestine, we must ask ourselves:
how long will this inter-Palestinian division last
for? And so on. It is true that this summit cannot achieve
everything, however its importance is in that it
places the Arabs and Muslims in front of their own
problems, and that is important in itself.
Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that
position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also
completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's
degree from George Washington University in Washington
D.C. He is based in London. Comments 💬 التعليقات |