The devastation that hit the Gaza Strip recently as a result of an 11-day series of attacks by Israeli Zionist regime forces that left more than 200 dead and 2,000 others injured has actually made many newcomers aware of the real situation in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip.
It has also actually reveal of the Israeli zionist regime over the years which has pretended to the whole world that the illegal state of Israel and Jewish illegal immigrants are victims of the violence and brutality of Palestinian fighters as well as Palestinians who have long been considered terrorists.
Since the attack and the widespread spread of atrocities and attacks by the Israeli Zionist regime against the Palestinians and the Gaza Strip, especially in the news and video footage by Palestinians spread through social media platforms, the world seems to be shocked by the reality of the situation in Palestine.
Similarly, the story of the expulsion of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah which received widespread coverage around the world contradicting the intrigues and tricks of the Israeli and western media who conspired with the Israeli Zionist regime all this while featuring news or narratives to the contrary.
Some of the ummah and the Muslim world who have been indifferent to Palestine due to the narratives and intrigues of the western media who conspired with the Israeli Zionist regime have realized and risen up when a series of incursions by the Israeli Zionist regime’s police and army on the Aqsa Mosque as well as shooting, beating and arresting Palestinians who were worshiping or who were in the grounds of the Aqsa Mosque.
All the above incidents this time really made the ummah and the Muslim World aware of what was happening in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip.
It also began to open the eyes of the people of the world to the atrocities and tyranny committed by the Israeli Zionist regime, including Jewish illegal immigrants, against the Palestinian people.
Since the attacks on the Gaza Strip, the invasion of the Aqsa Mosque and the expulsion of Palestinians in Sheikh Jaraah, there have been daily marches and demonstrations in major cities around the world denouncing and condemning the atrocities and tyranny perpetrated by the Israeli Zionist regime.
London, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Sydney, Auckland and dozens of other major cities around the world saw the presence of thousands of people joining marches and demonstrations condemning the actions of the Israeli Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip with the demonstration in Hyde Park, London saw the largest attendance in its history of over 200,000 people.
It is actually history because there has never been such a large opposition or protest around the world against the Israeli zionist regime.
In addition, as a result of such opposition and criticism from the world against the Israeli Zionist regime, especially from the west, the true history of how the Palestinian uprising began and when Palestine became a colony of the Israeli Zionist regime, including the Balfour Declaration began to unfold.
The Israeli Zionist regime that has always boasted of successfully manipulating the world by portraying them as victims is starting to get restless because of such a huge uprising.
Everything that has been hidden for so long has been revealed one by one until everything is revealed.
In several recent surveys conducted in many countries that are close and strategic partners of the Israeli Zionist regime such as the United States and European countries, nearly 70 percent of people in those countries began to doubt all the narratives carried by the Israeli Zionist regime.
Even in the United States itself, not only did its people begin to doubt the Israeli Zionist regime, but a large number of political leaders began to protest against the Israeli Zionist regime’s actions openly and even began to dispute the financial aid that had been channeled to the illegal state of Israel.
Looking at the situation, it is a very good development for the struggle to liberate Palestine from the grip of the Israeli Zionist regime where previously the western world and its citizens found it difficult to protest openly or openly condemn the actions of the Israeli Zionist regime.
But the question is, what about the country among the Islamic World and its people.
What about the main organization of the Islamic World, the OIC, which is supposed to be the champion of the liberation of Palestine and uphold the dignity of the people and the Islamic World?
Honestly, it still shows no change and clear signs of weakness are exposed especially at the OIC.
As the Israeli Zionist regime’s fighter planes sank the Gaza Strip and its inhabitants, the countries that have established normalized relations with the Israeli Zionist regime are completely silent in protesting the atrocities.
There are still countries in the Islamic World that seem to be ashamed to criticize and condemn the actions of the Israeli Zionist regime.
The countries of the Islamic World seem to be divided into 3 groups, the first one that really fights for the liberation of Palestine, the second one that does not seem to want to jeopardize the credibility and good relations with the world superpowers that are strong supporters of the Israeli Zionist regime like the United States and the third that indeed it has good relations with the Israeli Zionist regime like a country that has normalized relations with the Israeli Zionist regime.
Looking at the current situation, especially with regard to Palestine, it is clear that the ummah and the Muslim world are divided, weak and have no unity.
The crises in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq are a clear sign of the weakness of the ummah and the countries of the Muslim World especially the OIC.
If the crisis in these four countries is still not able to be resolved by the countries of the Islamic World or the OIC, how to resolve the conflict in Palestine that has lasted more than a century and almost wiped Palestine from the world map.
That does not include the conflict of Muslim countries in Africa such as Somalia, Mali and Nigeria, the influx of refugees from Islamic countries such as Syria and Libya in European countries, the oppression of Muslim minorities in Kashmir, Xinjiang and also the Rohingya people in Myanmar as well as the Islamophobic situation that is happening to Muslims around the world.
This is where the OIC must play an important role in uniting all the ummah and countries of the Islamic World.
As a single association for all countries of the Islamic World, the OIC should be a very important institution in restoring brotherhood, harmony, unity and strength of Islam in the eyes of Muslims and the world.
However, looking at the current situation of the OIC, it seems to be the subject of jokes and criticism from Muslims themselves from around the world.
The OIC seems to be lifeless and is only a mount of a handful of countries of the Islamic World for their respective interests.
The OIC should or should be an important platform and field for the strength, future and glory of the ummah and the Islamic World but looking at everything that is happening today, the OIC is indeed disappointing the ummah and the Islamic World as a whole as dysfunctional, lifeless and almost extinct.
Therefore, the OIC must change and be completely transformed in order to be able to face the current challenges that surround the ummah and the Islamic World today as well as re -plan all agendas and priorities for the sake of survival, future and restore the glory of the ummah and the Islamic World.
To carry out a comprehensive transformation of the OIC, the failure of all previous agendas must be acknowledged in order to rectify the existing weaknesses and it is not to point fingers at any party but rather to rectify the situation that makes the OIC weak, lifeless and rigid.
There are five main components that should be incorporated into the OIC so that the goals, agenda and transformation can be implemented.
- Organizational restructuring from every angle and level.
- Islam and the unity of the ummah must be made a priority.
- Re-plan each agenda based on the current situation.
- Raising Islam as the best religion for mankind.
- Restoring Islam as the world’s foremost power.
Having implemented these five key components into the OIC to be implemented and embodied by each layer of leadership and OIC staff, then only a comprehensive transformation can be done so that each layer of leadership in the OIC can embody new aspirations that will be done in the OIC where the priority is for the ummah and the Islamic World.
The leadership that leads the OIC after the transformation needs to understand its main goal which is for the ummah and the Muslim World, not any individual, country and organization.
The OIC should also avoid being used as a “riding horse” for any individual, country or organization for their personal or political interests.
After that, the OIC needs to focus on some agendas that need to be a priority at this time such as:
- Resolution of the Palestinian Issue.
- Conflict resolution in Islamic countries such as in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Islamic countries in Africa.
- Resolution of the issue of Muslim minorities in Myanmar, Kashmir and Xinjiang.
- Address the issue of Islamophobia that is happening to Muslims around the world.
- Creating economic union among the countries of the Islamic World under the OIC.
- Create a military organization under the OIC that aims for peace missions, especially for the countries of the Islamic World.
- Establish a coordination committee for closer economic, educational, cultural, technological and other cooperation between the countries of the Islamic World.
- Establish a dialogue or summit to address divisions and enmity among the countries of the Islamic World.
These are some of the recommendations that need to be taken seriously for the good of the OIC for the sake of the future and survival of the ummah and the Muslim World.
I believe that if a comprehensive transformation is done, there will be many more better proposals that can be put forward for improvement and make the OIC the best institution and organization for the ummah and the Muslim world and respected around the world.
But before that, we must all acknowledge that the ummah and the Muslim World today have failed to address what is happening to Islam and its ummah.
Acknowledging failure does not mean we are weak but acknowledging the fact to improve on existing weaknesses and become better in the future.
Hopefully the OIC is able to be the best platform for the future and survival of the people and the Islamic World.
Let us all pray for Islam to return to glory and prominence in the eyes of the world and to reunite the ummah and the Islamic world.
Islam Strengthens Unity.
The Honorable Ustaz Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi.
Chairman of the Central PAS International Affairs and External Relations Committee.
ADUN Batu Buruk.