Muslims capable of driving globalism
The second thing the Ummah can do is to be at the forefront of globalism.
I have no doubt about the ability of the Ummah to drive globalism. Remember, the Ummah is one billion strong. And remember that Muslims were among the world's first globalizers! It was the Ummah who spread the simple message of Islam to all the world's continents and cultures and races and changed humanity forever!
The Ummah of today must help find answers to global problems. We must be problem solvers, not problem creators!
The Ummah must help their communities reach the targets of the Millennium Development Goals. The Muslim world must be firm and united in the global fight against terrorism, and in dealing with nontraditional security threats: Financial crises, corruption, transnational crime, avian flu, people smuggling, natural disasters. The Muslim world must also do its part to strengthen multilateralism, to advance UN reforms and to promote governance in their communities.
In short, the best way for the Ummah to deal with the globalized world is by becoming an active part of it.
My third point is that the Ummah must do better in mobilizing our diverse resources to help fellow Muslims.
The OIC, for example, can play a greater role in helping to manage and resolve conflicts within the Muslim world or conflicts involving Muslim minorities. The OIC did this successfully when it facilitated a resolution to the conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front. Indonesia was privileged to play a role in this conflict resolution on behalf of the OIC Committee of 6.
But beyond conflict resolution, there is much to be done to promote the well-being and welfare of the Ummah. The Muslim world is very diverse in terms of its economic capacity and resources.
It ranges from Bangladesh with a per capita GDP of $350, to the United Arab Emirates with a per capita GDP of almost $21,000.
It ranges from Cote D'ivoire with foreign reserves of $2.2 billion to Indonesia with foreign reserves of $42 billion.
It ranges from Gambia with foreign debt of $0.6 billion to Turkey with a foreign debt of $145 billion.
It ranges from Oman with 0.6 computers per 1,000 people to Bahrain with 160 computers for every 1,000 people.
We must not let these gaps divide the Muslim world. Indeed, these diverse resources can be used intelligently to help spread opportunities. The OIC can play a very helpful role in closing the development gap within the Muslim world. We can also do this through regional and interregional cooperation, as well as through bilateral cooperation.
The fourth point is that the Ummah must reach out to non-Muslims. The beauty of Islam, after all, lies in its nature as Rahmatan li al'alamin (blessing for all).
I do not believe that a ""clash of civilization between Islam and the West"" is inevitable. But I also believe that Islam and the West will NOT automatically and effortlessly get along in perfect harmony. For that to happen, we need to build bridges and promote mutual understanding. The recent cartoon crisis reminds us of the ignorance and disrespect that still exist toward Islam.
This is why recently Indonesia has been actively promoting interfaith dialog, domestically as well as internationally. We have also hosted international conferences of Islamic scholars in which eminent educators from the universities and other institutions of higher learning are major participants. We also intend to convene an international intermedia dialog to help bridge gaps and narrow the misunderstanding between the western and non-western media.
In short, brothers and sisters, the challenges faced by the Ummah are great, but so is our ability to meet these challenges.
I do believe that in the affairs of the Muslim world, and indeed in global affairs in general, the friendship between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia is assuming greater significance.
Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population. Saudi Arabia is the cradle of Islamic teachings, the custodian of the two Holy Mosques, a country of tremendous symbolic and spiritual significance to the Ummah worldwide.
Both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are frontline states in the battle against terrorism, and both of us are resolute in rejecting any links between terrorism and religion.
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are active members of the OIC, and also are relevant players in international affairs.
And, of course, both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia resolutely support the struggle of the Palestinian people.
Let me say a few words about the Palestine issue. From the very beginning, we in Indonesia have always given our full support and solidarity to the Palestinian struggle to exercise their right of sovereignty in their own homeland, with Al Quds as its capital.
With equal vigor, we have always supported the international community's search for peace in the Middle East on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions stipulating, among many other things, the unconditional return of Israeli-occupied Arab territories.
We continue to give our full backing to the Road Map to Peace in the Middle East that is sponsored by the quartet of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. We remain firm advocates of the proposed solution based on two sovereign states living side by side in peace within secure, internationally guaranteed borders.
In sum, Indonesia should like to see a peaceful, comprehensive and negotiated solution to the issue of Palestine -- while maintaining our solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
At the same time, we are now deliberating how to increase our aid to Palestine and the feasibility of establishing an Office of Indonesian Interest in Ramallah. We are ready, if called upon, to offer technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority on the basis of our recent experience in political institution-building and democratic transition.
The Indonesian government will maintain close consultations with Saudi Arabia to help the cause of the Palestinian struggle and to promote peace in the Middle East.
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are also countries of enormous economic potential; indeed, the size of our GDP is about the same.
I have come here to your great country to expand and deepen these long-standing ties. In particular, I wish to expand our economic cooperation. Total Saudi investment in Indonesia in the last four years was $7.5 billion. In fact, Saudi Arabia was already the biggest foreign investor in the country in 2004, with $3 billion invested, or about 29 percent of total investment. We welcome more Saudi investment in Indonesia. We also need to expand our trade.
I do hope that Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can work together and share knowledge and resources to help us cope with the complex globalized world. Our two countries can cooperate in promoting a knowledge-based economy in the Muslim world. We can intensify our collaboration in research and development, in information and communication technology, in engineering, in energy development and conservation, including in bio-energy research.
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can also intensify our cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and also to address the roots and causes of terrorism.
The article is a condensed version of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech delivered at Islamic University of Imam Muhammad bin Sa'ud in Riyadh on April 26.
