Erdogan slams certain Islamic ‘platforms’ for inaction over Muslim woes

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized certain Islamic organizations for their failure to take action in dealing with the challenges facing Muslims.

"If we still haven't made any progress regarding the Palestinian cause, if we still can't stop the exploitation of our resources, if we still can't say "stop" to the fragmentation of the Muslim world over sectarianism, that's why,” he said while addressing the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 in the Malaysian capital on Thursday.

Erdogan was apparently referring to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has so far failed to take firm action in support of Muslim causes.

With Saudi Arabia’s king refusing to take part in the Kuala Lumpur Summit, the OIC said Wednesday it was against the interests of the Islamic community to convene meetings outside the Saudi-based organization.

Erdogan said the event would provide the opportunity for Muslim leaders “to talk freely about our issues, from Islamophobia to terrorism, divisions, internal fights ravaging our region, and sectarian and ethnic conflicts.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Turkish president called for a reconstitution of the United Nations Security Council to represent the 1.7 billion people of the Islamic world.

Currently China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia make up the UN body.

"The world is bigger than those five," Erdogan said.

Delivering his speech during the opening ceremony of the gathering, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the meeting was meant to understand why Islam, the Muslims and their countries were "in a state of crisis, helpless and unworthy of this great religion."

‘KL summit must address Muslim issues’

Mahathir said the three-day summit should address the world's perceptions of Islam, the rise of Islamophobia, the decline of the Islamic civilization and reforms in governance needed by Muslim nations.

"We are attempting to start small and if these ideas, proposals and solutions are acceptable and proved workable, then we hope to take it up to the larger platform for consideration," he said.

The Malaysian prime minister who is also chairman of the summit, spoke about the problems that the Muslims World and Muslim countries face.

“Everywhere we see Muslim countries being destroyed, their citizens forced to flee their countries, forced to seek refuge in non-Muslim countries. Many thousands, die during their fight and many more were refused asylum,” he said.

The Malaysian leader said the summit is convened not to discuss religion, but the state of affairs in the Muslim world.

"We are not here to discuss religion. But instead the state of affairs in the Muslim World. We all know that the Muslims, their religion and their countries are in a state of crisis," he said.

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