Badawi urges Ummah to adopt cohesive economic strategy

ISLAMABAD—The visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has advised the Ummah to shun all sectarian differences and work as a cohesive force if they ever wanted to achieve economic resurgence amidst them.
While addressing the inaugural session of second World Islamic Economic Forum, he said that despite providing 77% of global energy needs the Ummah is quite behind their western counterparts in economic and technological prowess. He stressed on a cohesive working procedure, which would help assimilate ideas and innovations through close interaction with each other, and strongly recommended specialized education besides standard education.
He also stressed on the Ummah to play due solidarity, sectarian tolerance and mutual understanding of each other, and to portray proper and due spirit of Islam in order to alleviate the danger of clash of cultures, and said that reforms in OIC could help the Ummah to initiate progress in their respective countries. Speaking on the occasion, president Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ali expressed his dismay at the fact that Muslims lagged in economic and technological fields, and 50% of population of Muslim Countries lived below the poverty line.
However, he was optimist about the fact that 56 members Countries of the Islamic Development Bank were well on their way to progress, and literacy rate was also encouraging, since it has decreased from its 44% of 1990 to 34% in 2005. He said that the 70% of primary school enrollment in 1960 has increased to a whooping 96% in 2004. Similarly registration in secondary education levels has also increased, and although not significant yet sufficiently better than most countries.
He also stressed on provision of better medical facilities and drinkable water projects in the Muslim countries. Earlier, the former deputy premier of Malaysia, and Chairman World Islamic Forum Foundation, Tan Musa Hatam presented the welcome address briefing about the aims, objectives and agenda of the forum were briefed.—INP