Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the OIC member states to formulate a comprehensive strategy to cope with the adverse changes of economy, ecology and security, also seeking their help for filing cases with the International Court of Justice for ensuring Rohingyas’
legal rights.
“In a world faced with challenges of economy, ecology and security, the OIC has to devise a comprehensive strategy to meet adverse changes in the strategic spaces in which each of us operates as states,” she said.
The prime minister was speaking on behalf of the Asia Group at the 14th Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) titled “Makkah Al Mukarramah Summit: Hand in Hand Towards the Future”, in the holy city of Makkah.
She said the OIC should be able to solve its own problems as it has more than a third of the world’s strategic resources and majority of its youth.
Sheikh Hasina recalled the Abu Dhabi CFM (Conference of Foreign Ministers)which created a pathway to move the International Court of Justice forensuring the legal rights of Rohingyas and addressing the question of accountability and Justice.
“We thank Gambia for steering the process this far… we make an appeal tothe OIC member states to support launching the cases with voluntary funding and technical help,” she said.
The premier said Bangladesh has given shelter to more than 1.1 millionforcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar despite resource constraints.
“But their dignified return is still uncertain – as Myanmar consistently fails to honour its promises to create a conducive environment for their return to Northern Rakhine,” she said.
About Bangladesh’s stand against terrorism, the premier said, “As Bangladesh does, let us pursue a course of zero tolerance to terror, deny our territories for use by any individual or group for launching any terror and extremist agenda and fight it together.”
In this context, she recalled her four-point formulae for the Muslim world pronounced in Riyadh Conference to stop terrorism.
The formulae included stop supply of arms, stop flow of financing for terrorism, remove divisions within the Ummah, and pursue peaceful settlement of conflicts through dialogue.
The premier congratulated the OIC’s initiatives to adapt with the 21st century, saying, it is heartening to see OIC taking much needed path of reform and renovations to adapt itself with the twenty-first century.
She, however, suggested giving values of Islam, fraternity, equality and justice as demonstrated by Rasul-E-Kareem (S.A.) while adapting the changes.
About the Palestine crisis, the premier said OIC was conceived to get back the land and sovereign rights of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, safeguard, dignity and rights of the Ummah, and strengthen solidarity and cooperation amongst peoples of the Muslim world.
“But seven decades on – the Palestine question still persists, and our nations and communities still stand divided,” she lamented.
Sheikh Hasina said Islam – which came as harbinger of light to a dark world – is now wrongly perceived with ideology of extremism and violence because of its misinterpretations.
Recalling the bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, she said Bangladesh extends sympathies and solidarity to the bereaved families of the Christ-Church attacks.
“We also condemn the terror attacks in Sri Lanka, which saw the death of one of my grandchildren – the eight-year-old Sheikh Zayan.”
The premier said Bangladesh share the pain and agony of helpless people of Palestine, Syria, and elsewhere getting mercilessly murdered every day.
Describing poverty as the biggest challenges, she said it is both a cause and a consequence of ignorance, disasters and erosion of human values.
“We’ve to implement the ‘OIC-2025: Programme of Action’ through joint Islamic action to address this anomaly,” she said
“We should make the best use of OIC institutions like the Islamic Development Bank by synchronising their policies and practices with OIC agenda under the Programme,” she continued.
Sheikh Hasina requested the OIC member countries to give their valuable support for Bangladesh candidate – an expert in migration studies and action – Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque for the post of Deputy Director General of International Organisation for Migration.
She recalled with the most profound respect, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “whose bold vision for a revival of the Muslim world as an abode of peace, tolerance and compassion keeps inspiring us till date.”
The premier invited all to participate in turning the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), which Bangladesh is hosting, into a centre of excellence.
“Incubation of ideas and innovations into marketable products and services is what Islamic world needs today,” she said.