Summit points to split in Muslim world
The Kuala Lumpur Summit beginning on Wednesday will bring together the leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Qatar with 450 Muslim intellectuals from around the world. It will also raise eyebrows. An initiative of Malaysia's outspoken prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, the summit's guest list indicates a clear preference for Muslim states of a certain type: supporters of political Islam who portray themselves as champions of global Muslim causes.
Yet the attempt to consolidate such a group will face stiff resistance from a deeply divided Muslim world. And its credibility as a champion of global Muslim causes ranging from Kashmir in India to Xinjiang in China, especially those that clash with members' national interests, will be put to the test.
Conceived on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year, the summit emerged out of frustration with the underwhelming response to India's clampdown in Kashmir. When India announced its revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and placed the region under lockdown, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation deplored the move and echoed Pakistan's call for a UN-supervised plebiscite.
However, the OIC's criticism was hollowed out by a lack of consensus among its members on how best to deal with the issue. So while Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia locked horns with India over Kashmir at the UN, Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, where he was feted. Despite being a core member of the OIC's contact group on Kashmir, Saudi Arabia took a subdued approach to the issue outside the organization, calling on India and Pakistan to resolve their disputes
Pakistan's dismay, so did
Muslim states.
Beyond the issue of Kashmir, however, the summit also reflects the violent split between supporters and opponents of political Islam across the Muslim world. Muslim-majority states have backed rival sides in civil conflicts that have often pitted Islamists against secular nationalist forces in the Middle East.
In Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia backed the military's move in 2013 to oust president Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader whose government enjoyed Qatar's and Turkey's patronage. In Libya, both Egypt and the UAE have lent support to Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army in the onslaught against Qatari/Turkish-backed Islamist groups. Iran has long thrown its weight behind Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and more recently the Houthis in Yemen, while recruiting thousands of young men into Shiite religious militias to wage war on its behalf in Syria and Iraq.
Amid such differences, then, Malaysia's attempt at rallying the global patrons of political Islam faces a host of challenges. The gathering cannot claim to be representative of the wider Muslim world. The six states invited to the summit make up a fraction of the 49 states represented at the OIC. They include not a single African or Arab state apart from Qatar
For starters, the gathering cannot claim to be representative of the wider Muslim world. The six states invited to the summit make up a
peacefully. the majority
To of fraction of the 49 states represented at the OIC. They include not a single African or Arab state apart from Qatar. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, was initially put forward as one of the summit's key sponsors. However, its name has disappeared from recent press statements, casting doubt on its participation.
In addition, key Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia - which considers itself a natural leader of the Muslim world - Egypt, and others will also view the summit with suspicion. The divisive nature of the summit may eventually temper the enthusiasm of Pakistan, Indonesia and Qatar. All three are likely to want to avoid antagonizing Saudi Arabia.
According to a former senior Pakistani official to whom I spoke, Pakistan felt obliged to honor Malaysia's invitation after the latter's vocal stand on Kashmir. Pakistan's participation, he insisted, is not meant as a challenge to Riyadh, which Islamabad considers a strategic partner. In February, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman visited Islamabad, where he pledged US$20 billion in investments.
Indonesia also is keen on attracting investments from Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has announced plans to invest $6.7 billion, a figure that Jakarta would like to see increase. In a signal of closer ties, the two sides signed in 2014 their first ever defense cooperation agreement. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz led a delegation of 800 people on a visit in 2017, injecting further momentum into the relationship.