http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=81312&d=27&m=4&y=2006
Thursday, 27, April, 2006 (29, Rabi` al-Awwal, 1427)
Fight Ignorance, Urges Yudhoyono
M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News
RIYADH, 27 April 2006 - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the Islamic countries to fight "proactively and constructively" ignorance, backwardness and injustice. He also called on the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to bridge the "development gap" within the Muslim world by intensifying efforts to promote economic cooperation and spread opportunities.
Yudhoyono made the call in his speech at the local Imam Muhammed Ibn Saud Islamic University here yesterday.
He was addressing an elite audience of university professors, social activists, high-ranking Saudi officials and Indonesian delegates. Haj Minister Fuad Al-Farsi was also present.
The Indonesian president also addressed a large group of Saudi businessmen at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) later. Hashim Yamani, minister of commerce and industry, attended the RCCI meeting.
"We were front-line states in the battle against terrorism and we were resolute in rejecting any links between terrorism and Islam," said Yudhoyono.
He also reiterated Jakarta's continued support to the Palestinian cause.
"The Palestine issue figured during my talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah," said the president.
He said the Muslim nations must adopt new technology and modernity.
"This is essential, because globalization is creating a 'flat world' with level playing field," he said, referring to a recent book by New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman.
He further said that India and China should not be the only rising powers taking advantage of globalization, the Muslim world too can be part of that picture.
"The OIC can play a greater role in helping to manage and resolve conflicts within the Muslim world or conflicts involving Muslim minorities," said the president.
He, however, said that there is much to be done by the OIC beyond conflict resolution because the Muslim world is very diverse in terms of its economic capacity and resources.
"The diversity ranges from Bangladesh with per capita GDP of $350 to the UAE with per capita GDP of $21,000; it ranges from Oman with six computers per 1,000 persons to Bahrain with 160 computers for every 1,000 people," said Yudhoyono.
On the other hand, the Indonesian president suggested that the diverse resources of the Muslim world could be used intelligently to help spread opportunities.
"The OIC can play a very useful role in closing the development gap within the Muslim world," he said.
Yudhoyono also spoke about the Danish cartoon crisis that erupted in February, the challenges facing the Muslim world, the United Nations' millennium development goals, the clash of civilizations concept, trade and investment relations among OIC states and inter-faith dialogue.
Referring to the poor ranking of Muslim countries in the context of global economic competition, Yudhoyono said that no Muslim country had figured among the top 10 or 20 trading nations.
"Look at the world's 25 biggest economies, you have the US at the top of the list with a GDP of about $11 trillion. In the top 25, there are only three Muslim countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Turkey," he said, adding that no Muslim country ranked among the 30 best performing nations in the UN Human Development Index.
"Only if you expand the list to the top 50, will you find five Muslim countries: Brunei, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE - all ranked between 33 and 47," he said, while referring to the global competitiveness in which Islamic states have no place as well.
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