Statement By H.E. Alhaji Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh
President of The Republic Of The Gambia
The 11th Islamic Summit Conference (OIC) Dakar, Republic Of Senegal 13th – 14th March 2008
Monday 17th March 2008

Mr. Chairman

Your Majesties

Your Excellencies

Your Highnesses

Distinguished Delegates

I wish to extend my delegation’s thanks and appreciation to His Excellency President Abdoulaye Wade, the government and people of the Sister Republic of Senegal for the warm welcome and excellent hospitality accorded us during our stay in this beautiful city of Dakar, and for the leadership they have demonstrated in hosting this important Summit of our noble organization, the Organization of Islamic conference (OIC). May I also seize this opportunity to congratulate H.E. Maitre Abdoulaye Wade on his election as Chairman of the 11th Session of the OIC and I wish him and the Senegalese Government success in their endeavours.

Islam as a religion and Muslims as followers or believers of this religion are sweepingly branded and categorized as a terrorist religion or its followers simply terrorists. Do we blame these non-Muslims especially in the so-called developed world who see us and our noble religion as synonymous to terrorism? I believe not.

Mr. Chairman

Your Majesties

Your Excellencies

Your Highnesses

Distinguished Delegates

I think that we the leaders of the Islamic Ummah are to be blamed squarely for this outrageous perception of Islam and Muslims. The perception is outrageous and diametrically opposed to the true meaning of Islam because Islam is the embodiment of peace.

Why have I put the blame on all of us who are gathered here as leaders of the Islamic Ummah, including of course the leadership of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) as well as allied organizations like the Arab League?

The simple reason is that we are not united and words and deeds do not truly reflect the spirit and letter of Islam. Quite often we allow ourselves to be used by and for the cynical purposes of the enemies of Islam. By the way the enemies of Islam are not just the non-believers or non Muslims but in fact the worst perpetrators are the enemies within. You have in today’s world people who claim to be Muslims but who highjack the Islamic faith and rain terror on earth in the name of Islam! They bomb Mosques during Friday prayers killing countless of Muslims who are there to worship Allah according to Islam! To me such elements are not Muslims but indeed terrorists. Those who kill and maim Indiscriminately Including women and children cannot lay claim on a religion that preaches peace and tolerance. They call themselves Muslims but target only Muslims in their most heinous and outrageous killing sprees.

We as leaders of the Islamic Ummah must come out on a united front not only to fight but to also dissociate ourselves

and our religion from such terrorist elements if we are to be seen as credible in the eyes of our followers and in defence of our noble religion. However, such an action alone would not suffice as a panacea to bring respect and dignity to Islam and Muslims around the world.

To be able to achieve such a feat, we must turn to the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Hadiths. If we do, we will inshallah regain our dignity and our lost glory. We should also not ally ourselves to those powers that are waging War on Islam. They encourage division in and promote hatred amongst our ranks. In the name of Democracy, they are waging war on Islam in Muslim countries as well as in their countries and what is outrageous, is the fact that there are Muslim Countries that are supporting these anti Islam Fascists. They have burnt the Quran, they have desecrated our Noble and Glorious Quran, they have raped and killed our women and children

in our Islamic countries they are now creating tension and recipes for war between and among key Muslims Nations, they have ridiculed and caricatured our beloved Prophet of Islam yet some of us call them our strategic allies and friends. what type of Muslims are we?

Mr. Chairman

Your Majesties

Your Excellencies

Your Highnesses

Distinguished Delegates

The problems of Muslims all over the world can be solved not by turning to others who are only interested in our resources but by we the Muslims ourselves. Allah has endowed us with all that it takes to solve those problems. We are endowed with the material riches of the earth in of terms oil and precious minerals in such abundant quantities that there is absolutely no reason for any Muslim anywhere to go hungry, to die from preventable or curable diseases, to lack access to education and a decent life. Perhaps the greatest gift we Muslims have from Allah is the Holy Quran and the teachings of our Prophet, Muhammad (SAW). This is our divine constitution. There is no problem on the face of the earth whose solution is not found in the Quran and the Hadiths.

In the world we live in today, Muslims in most parts of the world especially Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from abject poverty and deprivation. The same is true for our brothers and sisters of Palestine. With all the resources at our disposal, there is no justification for such suffering. We have virtually turned our backs on our suffering peoples for which Allah will hold us accountable. We have let them

down. Should we do things contrary to the teachings of our religion which lays emphasis on the spirit of sharing and caring for each other?

Mr. Chairman

Your Majesties

Your Excellencies

Your Highnesses

Distinguished Delegates

It is a virtue in Islam to say the truth no matter what it takes. The truth also can be bitter but as a Muslim, I believe in telling the truth. Telling each other the truth will make us live with peace in ourselves and with each other. It is the truth that Allah wants from any human being, more so from a Muslim.

Mr. Chairman I am confident and sincerely believe that all hope is not lost. We still have a chance. The OIC can be turned around as a forum where meaningful decisions can be taken and implemented in line with the teachings of Islam; and decisions that are capable of impacting positively on the less fortunate among us and at the same time enable us to be respected and dignified in the world at large. It is also within our powers to eradicate the myth and unsavory perception or link between Islam and Muslims to terrorism. This is the challenge that we face as leaders and as an organization. We must start by first respecting ourselves and regain our dignity and ensure that the others see us in that dignified light. We must invest a lot of resources in basic social sectors such as education, health, agriculture and infrastructure development. Investments in education destroy the greatest enemy in man –ignorance, which is the root cause of many problems in the world. We must look after the welfare of our Muslim populations. These key areas mentioned will make us Muslims live dignified lives and in a decent and respectable environment where our common religion can be practiced with respect and Muslims become respected the world over.

We do not need those from outside our faith to help us do what we can do ourselves. In order to create development in the less endowed Muslim countries, I take this opportunity to call on the richer countries to increase their funding of our various financing institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank, the Saudi Fund, Badea, Kuwati Fund and all other development finance institutions. The terms and conditions of these institutions must equally be flexible and highly concessionary in nature. They must be based on Sharia laws and principles of lending and borrowing.

Mr. Chairman

Excellencies

Distinguished Delegates

Let me conclude by expressing the hope that this Summit will gear the Muslim world towards more resolute action in bringing about the transformation in our relationship necessary to facilitate peace and mutual trust and respect; amongst Members of the Islamic Ummah for the sustained development of the peoples of the Ummah. I pray that the Almighty Allah provides us the strength, courage and goodwill to take the decisions that would positively transform our image as an organisation but above all bring back hope, dignity and respect to all our people wherever they may be living.

“wassalumu alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh”