<![CDATA['Muslims caused fear of Islam': Mahathir Mohamad opens Kuala Lumpur Summit, amid Saudi disgruntlement]>

Jihad, oppressive governance and neocolonialism. These are some of the key issues facing the Muslim world, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the opening session of a highly anticipated summit of Islamic countries in Malaysia on Thursday.

In a keynote address to the three-day Kuala Lumpur Summit, Mahathir lamented the plight of Muslims worldwide saying they were embattled not only by Islamophobia and violence, but poor governance too.

"Today we have lost the respect of the world. We are no longer the source of human knowledge nor the model of human civilisation. For a long time in the 18th to mid-20th centuries Muslim countries were all dominated and occupied by European powers. We have now largely freed ourselves. But we have not done much better as independent nations. Indeed, some of us have regressed to the point of once again being dependent on our former colonial masters," said Mahathir, who is serving a second stint as prime minister after his previous term from 1981 to 2003.

Even small Muslim states were not being well governed, said Mahathir, adding that "whether authoritarian or not, good governance is not impossible. We do not have to be oppressive".

Growing Islamophobia stemmed partly from those willing to die to protect the religion, he said, warning that "disreputable acts of terror" only worsened global perceptions of the religion.

"We may claim to be performing jihad but the result is more oppression of Muslims everywhere. We are being expelled from our own countries, rejected by asylum countries, oppressed and condemned. We have caused fear of Islam to the point of Islamophobia being created," he said.

The opening of the summit comes against a backdrop of disgruntlement in Saudi Arabia, which sees the event as a competitor to the Riyadh-dominated Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a group that styles itself as the collective voice of the Muslim world.

The three-day Kuala Lumpur Summit, a non-governmental organisation initiative supported by the Malaysian government, was organised to address the state of affairs of the global Muslim community.

However, the summit quickly became the target of speculation that it was aimed at undermining the influence of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and that Saudi Arabia had taken offence that the leaders of Iran and Qatar " Riyadh's regional rivals " were among the leaders slated to speak at the event. Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan both accepted invitations to speak at the event; Saudi Arabia's King Salman was also invited but declined.

The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addresses the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Photo: AFP alt=The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addresses the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Photo: AFP

After Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan pulled out of the summit at the last minute, Mahathir's office released a statement saying the initiative was "not intended to create a new bloc as alluded to by some of its critics".

"The summit is not a platform to discuss religion or religious affairs but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim ummah [community]."

This week, the Malaysian leader said he had held an urgent video conference with King Salman to reassure him that Malaysia had no interest in undermining the OIC.

"We are too small. I explained to him that we are too small to do that," Mahathir said.

Despite this, OIC secretary general Yousef al-Othaimeen in a thinly-veiled swipe at the summit told Sky News Arabia it was "not in the interest of an Islamic nation to hold summits and meetings outside the framework of the [OIC], especially at this time when the world is witnessing multiple conflicts".

He did not refer specifically to Malaysia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Photo: AFP alt=Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Photo: AFP

Similarly, Erdogan's keynote speech to the summit appeared to be aimed at the OIC. The "biggest problem of the platforms which bring the Islamic world together periodically under the same roof is the lack of implementation," Erdogan said.

"It is a must to update the platforms such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which brings Islamic countries together, in such a way to increase their effectiveness," said Erdogan, adding that he hoped the summit would be a "breakthrough" in this respect.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Tamim of Qatar, which has a troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, told the summit countries should not resort to "conspiracy theories" to justify failure in areas of security, peace, development, good governance and human rights.

"We cannot give up to structural difficulties or what are alleged to be cultural obstacles existing in our countries and societies. Also resorting to conspiracy theories to justify failure in any of the above areas is also a form of surrender. This does not mean that there are no external conspiracies and foreign interventions. But their use to justify failures and wrong choices is an expression of intellectual indolence and political incompetence," he said.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on it over claims that the tiny oil rich sheikhdom was a sponsor of terrorism, an allegation Doha denies.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been bitter rivals, with their feud partly fuelled by religious differences. Saudi Arabia is the world's leading Sunni Muslim nation and is home to the faith's two holiest sites, while Iran is largely Shia Muslim.

Controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik talks to Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Photo: AFP alt=Controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik talks to Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur Summit. Photo: AFP

Meanwhile, retired Singaporean ex-diplomat Bilahari Kausikan also took aim at the summit, saying it had to be understood as an "extension of Malaysian domestic politics" rather than a Middle Eastern or Islamic event, accusing Malaysia of using the summit to shore up local support from a lukewarm Muslim vote bank.

"It is a time tested domestic political tactic to pose as a leader of the Islamic world to rally the Malay ground," he said on Facebook. "In truth, Malaysia has neither the carrots nor the sticks to influence Middle Eastern or Islamic international relations."

Also spotted at the summit was controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been avoiding arrest in his native India by taking refuge in Malaysia.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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