by Theleaders-Online | December 17, 2019 9:29 am
PUCHONG: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that the KL Summit, to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) tomorrow, is not aimed at replacing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In a statement, Mahathir said KL Summit is a non-governmental organisation, supported by the Malaysian government, and is not about creating a new Islamic bloc.
“The summit is not a platform to discuss about religion but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim ummah.
“Today, the ummah is facing oppression, incarceration, civil wars resulting in total destruction of cities and nations, leading to mass migration of displaced Muslims to non-Muslim countries.
“In addition, ‘there is a rise in Islamophobia and irrational practices that go against the tenets of Islam, yet being proclaimed as being part of the religion,” he said.
Mahathir was commenting on a report by Pakistan Today, which alleged that the summit was intended to be a platform to replace OIC.
On the summit, Mahathir said it was these concerns that had led to the establishment of KL Summit and this year’s edition attempts to go beyond intellectual debates and discussions.
“The summit is an attempt to spark a new approach in ummah collaboration.
“If it is able to achieve something, then we will present our solutions to the larger Islamic grouping and bigger Muslim nations to evaluate on whether these initiatives should be pursued on a larger scale,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mahathir expressed regret that Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan would not able to attend the summit.
However, he appreciated Imran for taking time to call him about his inability to attend the summit.
By Irman Hashim
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