ATALAY: ''ISLAM WORLD SHOULD SOLVE ITS PROBLEMS''
ISTANBUL - An international symposium organized by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Strategic Studies Center on ''Islam World in the 21st Century'' started in Istanbul prior to Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Foreign Ministers' Conference in Istanbul on June 14.
Making the opening remark of the symposium, Turkish State Minister Besir Atalay said, ''the Islam world should concentrate on some problems, which have been waiting for a solution for a long time.''
Atalay said, ''the symposium will make a valuable contribution to the OIC Foreign Ministers' Conference. Recently, the whole world's interest in the Islam world has increased. However, this interest includes negative factors about the Islam world instead of being a beginning point.''
''We should benefit from this interest to promote the Islam and the Islam world in a better way. The western countries carry out detailed studies on various dimensions of the Islam world. Instead of ignoring these studies, the Islam world should contribute to them as equal intellectual partners. If these contributions can have higher scientific and intellectual standards, they will have the chance of affecting the world,'' he stressed.
Stressing that Islam world should focus on problems which have not been solved for a long time, Atalay said that urgency of development in political, economic and social fields in Islam world should be reflected to public opinion as well. He added that Muslim countries should find solutions to their own problems and open the path of positive change.
Noting that development of non-governmental organizations in Islam countries would ease the efforts of government as well, Atalay said that acceptance of this view in Arab League Summit which convened in Tunisia recently was pleasing.
Atalay said that Islam was a religion which contributed human mentality, adding that Islam has the essence which does not contradict with pluralist politics and democratic institutions.
Atalay said when the problems of Islam world were considered, it would be seen that they were in fact related to humanity problems having political, economic and cultural dimensions.
Atalay said every country should act according to its conditions despite the commons sides, stressing that problems should be diagnosed well and that a sensitive and constructive exchange of ideas was necessary.
Atalay said today's symposium would make an intellectual contribution to the improvement of common view in Islam world.
(UK-GC-AY-AÖ) 11.06.2004