"There is still a lengthy list of conflicts within the Muslim community and even between Muslim communities and non-Muslims," said Yudhoyono (R). (Reuters)

JAKARTA — The Muslim world should first heal its internal rift and stand united to revive the glory days of Islam when Muslims were at the forefront of science and culture, Muslim leaders told a conference opening Tuesday, June 20, stressing that mutual respect was a must for a successful dialogue with the West.

"There is still a lengthy list of conflicts within the Muslim community and even between Muslim communities and non-Muslims," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the 2nd International Conference of Muslim Scholars in Jakarta, Reuters reported.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi agreed, reported Malaysia's Bernma news agency.

He said Muslims must take action to heal the rifts within the ummah so as to demonstrate, by word and by deed, "that Islam is indeed a religion of moderation which rejects bigotry, extremism and fanaticism, especially terrorism."

The conference, organized by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), brings together 300 Muslim scholars, university professors and dignitaries from both national and international organizations.

The first International Conference of Muslim Scholars was organized by the NU in February 2004.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim state where Muslims make up 80% percent of the 220 million population.

The NU is also one of the largest independent Islamic organizations in the world with some estimating its membership as high as 40 million.

Reviving Glory

Premier Abdullah urged Muslims to work hard to revive their glorious past.

"Our shared history is in stark contrast to the current context, where Muslims are weak, with many living in abject poverty and deplorable conditions, with about 50 per cent of the population of Islamic countries living on less than US$2 a day, barely sufficient for subsistence living," he said.

The Malaysian premier reminded the audience of a time when Muslims excelled in various fields, including politics, philosophy, the military, science, arts and, had in fact, dominated the world trade scene.

"We must underline the importance of combating deviant ideology and develop educational curricula that firmly establish the values of understanding, tolerance, dialogue and multilateralism in accordance with the tenets of Islam."

Malaysia offers the image of a model Muslim country, heading towards the status of developed nation with huge buildings, beautiful cities and a fast track economy.

Abdullah launched on Friday, March 31, an ambitious development plan for Malaysia to become the first developed Muslim nation by 2020, with a special focus on higher education and training.

"Politics of Domination"

"Our shared history is in stark contrast to the current context, where Muslims are weak, with many living in abject poverty and deplorable conditions," said Badawi. (Reuters)

The Indonesian leader said that mutual respect is a must to render the Islam-West dialogue a success.

"It is as important to ensure that we tell our non-Muslim fellows what we want them to understand as it is to ensure we listen to what they want us to understand," he told the conference.

Badawi, current president of the umbrella Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), said both sides should first correct the wrongs, urging the West to rectify he "politics of domination."

He said such a domination was sometimes disguised as the call for modernization and democratization.

"I wonder whether these calls are, in reality, attempts to establish benchmarks for modernity and democracy in accordance with Western standards," noted Abdullah.

He hoped there was no hidden message that peace and harmony in the world were attainable only when all countries and peoples accepted Western values, adopted Western norms and practices, and emulated Western institutions.

"I call upon the leaders of the West to reflect deeply on what they would wish to accomplish in a dialogue with the leaders of the Islamic world."

The Malaysian premier stressed that it was imperative for the West to acknowledge first that Islam was not merely a religion.

"Islam is a civilization, a cultural entity, a way of life all at once. That is why in dealing with Muslims, one must take into account their religious sensitivities because Islam is their way of life."

Combating Islamophobia

Badawi suggested the media in the West were to blame for some of the misconceptions about Islam and for fanning Islamophobia.

"Al Qaeda which preaches hate and intolerance has been very incorrectly presumed as speaking on behalf of Muslims," he said, urging the media to promote voices of conciliation and rapprochement.

Badawi stressed, meanwhile, that Muslims needed to protect and promote the correct and true teachings of Islam to all believers.

Muslim has proposed setting up an international Islamic journalism center to counter mounting Islamophobia and coach non-Muslim journalists about Islam and Muslims.

Both Badawi and Yudhoyono said that the Muslim world does have a duty in fighting the ugly phenomenon of terrorism.

"The specter of terrorism still threatens many of our communities. The Muslim world must be firm and united in the global fight against terrorism," said Yudhoyono, who has dealt with several terrorist attacks in recent years.

But Badawi warned that one must cease to confuse military occupation with the fight against terrorism.

He called for an end to Western occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, saying these wars have been falsely justified under the pretext of fighting terrorism.