What ails the Muslim Ummah?

Mahathir Mohammad, the world’s oldest prime minister, is hosting the KL Summit later this month to discuss the problems being faced by the Muslim world. Pakistan is among the five countries – dubbed M5 – seen as the pioneers of the summit, along with Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar, and Malaysia.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to attend the event along with dignitaries including Turkish President Erdogan and the Emir of Qatar. The new summit will bring together Islamic leaders, scholars, and clerics to propose solutions to the many problems faced by the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims- including rising Islamophobia.

The role of politics in development, food security, preserving national identity, and redistributing wealth are among the topics to be discussed. Mahathir has decried that no Muslim country was fully developed, and many were considered as failed states. There is infighting forcing Muslims to leave their homeland, while the religion of Islam was being linked to terrorism: a solution must be sought urgently. 

Mahathir Mohammad is the man who led the economic development of Malaysia. He is also a keen advocate of closer solidarity among the Muslim Ummah. He has said that the summit will be a meeting of minds that have the ‘same perception of Islam and problems faced by Muslims.’ The move will be considered as one of the first steps to revive the glory of Islam.

The plan for the summit was discussed when Mahathir met Imran Khan and Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The three leaders have taken a responsibility to address the problems of the Muslim world. They agreed to set up an English Language TV channel to give Muslims a platform to tell their side of the story through the media.

Mahathir has also been vocal on a range of contentious issues. He was praised for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the UN earning the ire of India. Many Indian traders threatened to boycott Malaysian palm oil but he stood by his comments. He has raised the plight of Rohingyas in Myanmar and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Since returning to power last month, he has been strict on powerful nations such as China.

According to Mahathir, Muslims were successful before because they followed the teachings of the Holy Quran, but then became weak when they did not give enough time to the pursuit of knowledge beyond religion, and became divided among different sects. This summit will be a small beginning towards reviving the glorious history of Islam.