Kazakhstan leader pushes for progress, urges OIC states to rethink priorities, Arab News

"The Islamic community desperately needs peace, modernization, scientific and technological development, and education," Nazarbayev told OIC delegates. "The combined economic potential of the Ummah is inexhaustible, and we need to unite efforts to develop effective mechanisms for cooperation, mutual aid, and promotion of development."

He said current statistics emphasized the need for action, Kazinform quotes Arab News.

"Average GDP per capita at purchasing power parity in the OIC countries equals nine-and-a-half thousand dollars, while the similar figure for European countries equals more than $24,000," the president said. "There is a serious imbalance in development among the OIC countries. For example, GDP per capita between the most developed and least developed states differs by more than 100 times. OIC countries control 70 percent of global energy resources; however, they account for only 7.5 percent of global GDP and 11 percent of total volume of global trade, and this situation is totally unacceptable." He said it was time for Muslim nations to capitalize on both innovations and existing strengths and offered to share Kazakhstan's financial expertise with OIC member states.

"The global economic crisis has shown that the Islamic financial and economical model is stable and viable. One of the useful and effective products that the Ummah can offer the world is the system of Islamic financing," Nazarbayev said.

"Kazakhstan opened the Islamic bank. We are actively promoting the Islamic financing and creation of benchmarking in the area of Islamic finance instruments in the region. I propose that an international conference on Islamic banking takes place in Almaty, as well as to develop Almaty as a regional financial center that is actively engaged in Islamic finance." He said the growing population of Muslim nations requires a shift in thinking from leaders of the Muslim world.

"International experts have estimated that by the year 2030 the population of the Muslim Ummah will account for more than 2.2 billion people, which will be more than a quarter of the world's population," Nazarbayev said. "These immense human resources require adequate levels of education and science. The creation of intellectual elite capable of generating new ideas that would serve the renaissance of the Islamic civilization must be our common goal." He spoke of the intellectual dominance of the Muslim world in earlier times and said it was time for a rebirth of scholarship and science.

"In the early days of the Renaissance, the peoples of Christian Europe wore oriental dresses and read philosophic works of the Muslim authors. The introduction of Arabic figures and counting system led to breakthroughs in mathematics, algebra, and geometry, which created the ground for the subsequent development of teaching system, architecture, trade - and further prosperity for all of Europe. Relying on this powerful historical foundation, we are obliged to unite our efforts to revive the intellectual role of the Islamic civilization. It is crucial to understand the reason for the loss of intellectual mightiness and constructive dynamism by the Muslim Ummah," Nazarbayev said.

"Why are Islamic countries - with their immense natural and human resources, and financial capacities - at a modest level in the hierarchy of the global development? Why are Islamic universities not in the top leading higher educational institutions of the world? Why have there been no world-scale discoveries in natural sciences and technology in Muslim countries over the last twenty years? It is impossible not to notice these realities. Apparently, neither money, nor rich natural resources will play a defining role in achieving innovations and the development of Islamic civilization. But the intellectual environment and socio-political climate will."

He urged OIC support to establish nuclear weapon free zones in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Nazarbayev also stressed the importance of tolerance and respect for other religions and cultures towards Islam regaining respect among the peoples of the world.

"Kazakhstan is a secular state with a Muslim-majority population. We stand for unity of all Muslims on the basis of enlightenment, moderation and tolerance both toward each other and toward representatives of other religions," Nazarbayev said. "Preserving cultural and religious traditions and peculiarities of different ethnic groups, we put social and economic modernization - improving peoples' standard of living - at the top of our priorities. The more successful Muslim countries are, the more attractive the image of Islam will be throughout the world."

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