TOP LEFT
TOP LEFT Home Search Feedback
    Archive: 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002  

History Events Photo Gallery Branches Contacts Links
The Muslim World

 

80 years of Motamar - a journey of faith and Commitment
By Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq

Its one of the basic teachings of Islam that Muslims are brothers amongst themselves. They have a common goal, their past, present and future are indivisible. The strength of Muslim community lies in their unity. Even in the darkest period of Muslim history, voices have been raised by the people of vision for unification of Muslims to face the challenges of the times. During the 20th century, Syed Jamaluddin Afghani, Dr. Allama Mohammad Iqbal, Umer Shukru Manouto of Indonesia, Reef Abdul Karim Khatabi from Morocco, Dr. Mohammad Abdou from Egypt and Allama Rasheed Ridha from Lebanon were some of the towering personalities, who desperately tried, against very heavy odds, to unite Muslims but the first practical step was taken in 1925 by the visionary late King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who assembled a galaxy of Muslim leaders from different areas of the Muslim world in 1926 which included stalwarts like Syed Mohammad Amin-ul-Hussaini, the Great Mufti of Palestine, AI-Hajj Sheikh Ismail AI-Hafiz from Lebanon, Allama Rasheed Ridha from Egypt, Shaikh-ul-Azhar Mohammad Al-Zawahiri, Sarwat Bey from Turkey, Umer Menatou from Indonesia, Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Mufti Kifaitullah and Allama Syed Suleman Nadvi from Indo-Pak Sub-Continent. They decided to meet occasionally and to discuss Muslim issues and evolve common strategy.

2. The Second Motamar was organized in 1931 in Baitul Maqdas on the invitation of Syed Mohammad Amin-ul-Hussaini. Among others, it was participated by Ayatullah Kashif AI-Gheta from Iraq, Dr. Zia-ud-din Tabatabai, who became-later Prime Minister of Iran, Shukri AI-Quatwali from Syria, who lead a large delegation. He later became President of Syria, Mr. Riaz As-Solh from Lebanon, who later became Prime Minister of Lebano, Syed Aluba Pasha from .Egypt, from the Indo-Pak Sub-Continent, a strong delegation was led by Allama Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, which included Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar and Maulana Shaukat Ali, Maulana Ghulam Rasool Mehr, Maulana Shafi Dawoodi and from Georgia, Syed Saeed Shamil and Syed Ayaz Beg from Turkey. This assemblage of Muslim leadership decided to elect the first Cabinet and to establish a permanent Secretariat which worked in Baitul Maqdas till 1939. From 1939 to 1949 was a period of great turmoil, pressure and persecution but still informal meetings and consultations continued. The Cabinet which was inducted had at its head, Syed Mohammad Amin-ul-Hussaini, as the President, one Vice President from Asia. i.e. Dr. Allama Mohammad Iqbal and one from Africa was Syed Aluba Pasha from Egypt. The Secretary General was Dr. Syed Zia-ud-din Tabatabai from Iran.

3. During the unfortunate Civil War in 1944, it was the leadership of the Motamar, which sent a delegation to Yemen and successfully brought out a reconciliation

4. The Third Motamar was held in Karachi in 1949 because the Secretariat in Baitul Maqdas was occupied and ransacked by Zionist forces. The then Governor General Pakistan, Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din inaugurated the Conference and he invited them to establish a permanent Secretariat in Karachi

5. The Fourth Motamar was again held in Karachi in February 1951 and the Chief Guest was the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan. In this Conference, late President Bourguiba of Tunisia, who was exiled at that time and Dr. Abdul Wahab Azzam Bey, Adel Abdullah Usman from Somalia, were the outstanding participants besides the office bearers at that time.

6. The Fifth Conference was held in June 1962 in Baghdad, where the constitution of the Motamar was adopted besides a 14 point programme of action. A Liaison Officer in New York and a weekly "The Muslim World" was started. This weekly is now a full-fledged monthly magazine sent around the globe for the noble purpose of consolidating the ideals of the World Muslim community.

7. The Sixth Conference was held in Mogadishu (Somalia), in the last week of December 1964 where the theme was "Africa; the Muslim Continent", which encouraged the Muslims tremendously. In this Conference, the demand for the establishment of an Organization of Muslim Governments and for the establishment of an Islamic Chambers of Commerce, was forcefully reiterated.

8. The Seventh Conference was held in 1967 in Amman, capital of Jordan, the closest place available next to Palestinian territory. This Conference laid special emphasis on the importance of Palestinian issue and the centrality and the future of Baitul Maqdas. The same year, Motamar was given a consultative status NGO with the United Nations. 1967 also saw a very tragic, horrible and devastating Arab-Israeli war which resulted in the loss of vast territories by the front line Arab countries.

9. A Joint Conference of Rabita AI-Alam Al-lslami and Afro-Asian Islamic Organization and Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami was hosted in 1968, in which the Supreme Council of Islamic forces also participated and it was decided to coordinate the efforts of these Organizations for better results and for joint efforts to face collective challenges.

10. After the genocide of the Turkish Muslim population, Turkey was forced to protect Muslims in Cyprus. This issue needed support of the Muslim world and in 1980, an International Conference was held in Northern Cyrus to show solidarity with the brothers and sisters of Northern Cyprus. In 1981, an International Conference was held in Tokyo where the theme was: "Inter-faith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace".

11. In 1982, a Conference was held in Colombo (Sri Lanka), which reviewed the current situation and evolved future strategy

12. In 1984, an International Conference was held in Islamabad (Pakistan) and the basic issue was the "internal conflicts in the Muslim World" especially Iran and Iraq War. It was decided not to take sides but to extinguish the flames of fratricidal conflict which was consuming the lives of Muslims as well as their financial resources.

12-A. An international conference by Motamar was held in Makkah AI-Mukarramah in 1990 to consider implications and the fall out of the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq. A forceful demand for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces and liberation of Kuwait was made besides an appeal for the release of Kuwait prisoners.

13. in 1992, Motamar International Conference was held in Colombo with special reference to the areas of conflict involving Muslim societies, which were being persecuted especially the Muslim minorities. The central theme was "Justice is the foundation of Peace". Famous Colombo Declaration was issued.

14. In 1997, Motamar was held in Islamabad where the issues were "a bloody conflict in Afghanistan, the latest situation in Kashmir, the need of scientific and technical education in Muslim countries".

15. A ragional Motamar was held in llorin (Nigeria) in 2005 where a very large number of scholars, political figures, Sultans and representative of Christians denomination addressed the two days gatherings. These meeting encouraged the Muslim population of the Continent to work fro not only their community but also evolve working relations with the Christian population to maintain peace and harmony, which is necessary to harness natural resources in the country for the benefit of the entire region.

15-A. Motamar has always adopted a positive and open arms policy towards the followers of other religion basing its conviction on the eternal teachings of Islam that all human beings are a family of the Creator Motamar has a permanent feature interaction with other faiths and strives to remove irritants in the way of international peace and understanding, It has always thought of relationship with other faiths beyond mere tolerance but goes to pedestal of reverence and respect for the view and beliefs of the people. It has always adopted a policy of advancing fraternity with all sections of human family and for this effort, the President of the Motamar Dr. Abdullah Omer Nasseef has a very long and successful record of incessant and continuous efforts around the globe over a long period of time. Under his guidance, other notables are in cooperation with him. Personalities like Dr. Kamel Al-Sharif, Prof. Dr. Hamid Bin Ahmad AI-Rifaie, and Mir Nawaz Khan Marwat, are besides their other responsibilities, engaged in this noble task. The atmosphere at the Global level is polluted for the last 10 years and tensions are increasing in the West and East amongst followers of different faiths but we have to continue our efforts.

16. Large number of publication are to the credit of Motamar to advance its objectives. The following are summed up as:-

1. The Battles of the Prophet (S.A. W) of Allah. Vol. I. By Brig (Retd) Gulzar Ahmed.
2. World Muslim Gazetteer (1975 Edition), By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
3. Some Economic Aspects of Islam, By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
4. Studies on the Commonwealth of Muslim Countries, By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
5. Islam -its Message to Humanity, By Syed Ameer Ali. (Reprint)
6. The Ethics of Islam, By Syed Ameer Ali. (Reprint).
7. Protocols of Meetings of the Elders of Zion, By Victor E. Marsden.
8. Lessons from History, By Ibn Khaldum."
9. Europe's Debt to Islam, By Dr. Gustav Diercks. (Reprint)
10. Trade in Islam, By Dr. S. Hasanuz Zaman.
11. The International Jew, By Henry Ford.
12. Life and Message of the Holy Prophet (SAW), By Inamullah Khan.
13. Vindication of Islam and Muslims, By John Davenport. (Reprint)
14. The Literary and Scientific Spirit of Islam, By Syed Ameer Ali. (Reprint)
15. Our Prophet, Our Leader, By Inamullah Khan.
16. The Prophet of Revolution, By Inamullah Khan.
17. Islam and Communism, By M. Qutub.
18. Islam as seen by Historians, By J.G. Wells & Pandit Nehru.
19. World Muslim Gazetteer (1985 Edition), By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
20. Slave Trade in Africa, By Hasan M. Rawat.
21. Muslims and Indian Civilization, By Abdul Hasan Nadvi.
22. Islam as a Moral and Political Ideal, By Allama lqbal.
23. Islam and Idealism, By M. Qutub. (Reprint)
24. Islam and Humanism, By Mohammad Shahidullah
25. Why Fast? By Dr. Mohammad Hamidullah. (Reprint)
26. Why Muslims Abstain from Pork? , By AI-HajIb rahim T.Y Ma. (Reprint)
27. The Islamic Development Plan, By Dr. Kalim Siddiqui.
28. The Existence of God, By A. Galwash. (Reprint)
29. Whither Muslims? By Justice S.A. Rahman. (Reprint)
30. Islam and Western Orientalists, By Abdul Hasan Nadvi. (Reprint)
31. Unity of the Muslim World, By Brig Gulzar Ahmed. (Reprint)
32. Zionism -A Threat to World Peace, By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
33. Communications Revolution and the Muslims, By Aslam Siddiqui. (Reprint)
34. What is Islam? By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
35. What is Islamic Culture? By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
36. What is Islamic State? By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
37. What is Islamic Socio-Economic Order? By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
38. Tarikh-e-Alama-al-lslami (History of Islamic World), By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
39. Khilafat-e-lslamiya (Islamic Caliphate), By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
40. World Muslim Minorities, By Ambassador M.I. Qureshi.
41. Quaid-e-Azam and the Muslim World, By Motamar AI-Alam Al-lslami.
42. Defending Islam in the West? By Qutubuddin Aziz.
43. War in Afghanistan, By Qutubuddin Aziz.
44. Islam in the East and the West, By Ali Ja Izzet Bagovitch. (Reprint)

17. World Muslim Congress was elected to the 20 member prestigious Congo Board in 1969 and then again 2004. It is the only Muslim Organization on the Board today.

18. Motamar regularly attends QIC Summits and Islamic Foreign Ministers Conferences and actively participates in its deliberations, both verbally as well as through memoranda and promotes the cause of justice, inter-faith harmony and lobbies against oppression and persecution of minorities especially Muslim minorities in various regions of the world. Motamar has to countenance the opposition from major powers or influential countries but Motamar has never backed down from its responsibilities to take up the cause of the people subjected to injustice or violence on any ground.

19. Motamar has regular Bureau in Geneva, where its worthy representative present their view points forcefully before all the Commissions and Sub-Commissions of Human Rights and now reorganized as Human Rights Council. It participates in the deliberations of UN Anti-Drug & Crimes Commission in Vienna, ECOSOC meetings in Bangkok (Thailand). We have permanent Representative in New York who effectively participates in the meetings of the different Forums and Committees of the United Nations.

20. The National Consultative Conference on the latest developments in the Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir was held in Islamabad in 2006, where the entire political leadership of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan, as well as, senior journalists and intellectuals participated, through out the day and at the end, a declaration was read out calling for a permanent solution of this issue on the basis of the unanimous United Nations Resolutions, taking the people of the state as the primary party to the dispute and a halt to the genocide of the innocent Kashmiris by the Indian Military.

21 . The last 20 years have been a period of special trial for the global Muslim community. All kinds of pressures and atrocities have been brought on them in different parts of the world but after 9/11, the situation radically changed for the worst. Stereo typing the entire Muslim community, sometimes hounding innocent citizens only because of their faith presented an insurmountable challenges and at times some people from amongst Muslims also lost their cool but the majority of the scholars, political leaders saw things beyond the present and continued their efforts to re-establish their contacts and adopted an intellectual response to unjustified violence and diatribe against Muslims and with the passage of time, things are taking positive turn and in most of the cases, Islamophobia campaigns have in a strange way, resulted in the projection of the basic teachings of Islam and has created desire amongst Muslims and non-Muslims to know more about Islam as a faith and as a culture.

22. The immediate future requires a serious attention towards problems like Terrorism, Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan, Muslim Minorities, Human Development, Preservation of Islamic Identity & Culture; Coordination among Muslim Civil Society Organizations and the establishment of a Women and Youth Organization to give special attention to the wholesome development of women, realization of their cultural and economic rights as well as for the development of Muslim youth on healthy lines to make them capable of meeting the challenges of future in line with our faith.