[5-6 Dhu’l-Qa’da 1426 ah / 7-8 December 2005 ce]
FINAL CONFERENCE STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE THIRD EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE HELD IN HONOURED MECCA CONCERNING THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY, SOLIDARITY IN ACTION, HONOURED MECCA
In response to the kind invitation addressed from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz to his brothers and sister, the leaders of the Muslim Ummah, the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference was held in Makkah Al Mukarramah on 5-6 Dhu’l Qa’dah 1426 AH (7-8 December 2005).
The Summit Conference was inaugurated by recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an. Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz, delivered a speech in which he stressed that a strong Muslim believer in his Lord does not despair in God’s mercy and that Islamic unity will never be realized through the shedding of blood as misguided deviants assume. Extremism, fanaticism and excommunication will not take root in a land endowed with the spirit of tolerance and the dissemination of moderation. He affirmed his aspiration to the rise of a unified Islamic Ummah; a rule that eradicates injustice and oppression; comprehensive Islamic development targeting the removal of destitution and poverty; the spread of reason and moderation that characterize the tolerance of Islam; Muslim inventors and industrialists; an advanced Islamic technology; and to a Muslim youth who equally works for this life and the hereafter.
The Conference was also addressed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, His Excellency Dato Seri Abdullah bin Ahmed Badawi, in his capacity as Chairman of the Tenth Islamic Summit Conference. In his statement, he stressed that the Muslim Ummah could no longer be in a state of denial and that the causes for the miserable conditions in which it finds itself today must be confronted and addressed in a holistic manner, inter alia, through building capacities as well as the projection of the true image of Islam and its civilizational approaches. He informed that Malaysia had offered to host meetings to discuss good governance and the establishment of a rapid response mechanism to alleviate the impact of natural disasters in OIC Member States.
Addressing the opening session, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, reviewed the cur- rent situation of the OIC and the appropriate place it is aspiring to occupy on the international scene, taking into account the huge global developments and the need for strategic planning so as to keep abreast of these developments in such a way that safeguards the supreme interests of the Muslim world and enables it to preserve its identity, civilization and lofty human values as a fundamental factor for the cohesion of the fabric of the Muslim societies and the strengthening of their social stability.
Having taken cognizance of the reports and recommendations submitted to it by the Meeting of Foreign Ministers Preparatory to the Extraordinary Summit, and having discussed the issues on its agenda, the Conference decided to adopt the Makkah Declaration, the Eminent Persons’ Report and the Ten-Year Programme of Action to Meet the Challenges Facing the Ummah in the 21st Century, and declared as follows:
IN THE INTELLECTUAL FIELD
The Summit reaffirmed that Islam is a religion of moderation which rejects bigotry, extremism and fanaticism, and underlined in this connection the importance of combating deviant ideology using all available means, besides developing educational curricula that firmly establish the values of understanding, tolerance, dialogue and multilateralism in accordance with the tenets of Islam.
The Conference stressed that dialogue among civilizations based on mutual respect, understanding and equality between people, is a prerequisite for establishing a world marked by tolerance, cooperation, peace and confidence among nations.
The Conference called for combating pseudo-religious and sectarian extremism, and for the need to refrain from accusing followers of Islamic schools of heresy, and reaffirmed the need to deepen dialogue and promote restraint, moderation and tolerance and issuance of Fatwas by those not eligible to issue them.
The Conference underlined the importance of reforming the Islamic Fiqh Academy such as to make it the jurisprudential authority of the Ummah.