PRESIDENT ASSAD 9TH OIC SUMMIT SPEECH (November 13, 2000)
"With an inquisitive look at the past decades, we see that a big backward
movement has taken place in the states of this region, which was accompanied by
the emergence of new and different concepts, particularly in the last decades,
foremost among which is the concept of the new world order, or globalization as
some call it. It is something different from the world order. But we see there
is a mix, knowingly or unknowingly, between the two terms. Globalization which
is a political, economic and cultural case, is not new. Islam, since its
emergence, has crossed geographical borders and penetrated the various nations
and cultures. But it did not cancel them, rather it asserted commitment to the
homeland and nationhood, building this commitment on sound foundations that are,
to a large extent, different from what we see in our current case. Consequently,
the hardships and the negative aspects from which we suffer at present are not
an absolute result of globalization, which could be a case full of positive
aspects if it rested on justice and equality as Islam rests on, in addition to
the other principles of Islam."
" The New World order in its literal sense is not like this. ‘’ World’’ is
understood as the participation of all world countries and their agreement on a
certain way or method for running the affairs of this world in a manner that
realizes their interests without exception. What we see today, however, and what
we experienced during the past few years is not a world order; it is the order
of a state or a few states on this planet, and the rest are mere states swimming
within this world order., Some of them float to the surface with difficulty, and
must continually prove their good will, obedience and commitment. They are
always wrong and are required to atone for their sins. Others have sunk to the
bottom to stay there until further notice. Thus, what conforms to the desires of
those states has become democracy and justice, and what realizes their interests
is human rights human rights and civilization."
"Regardless of one or different terms given to this order, or the theories that
come up from time to time, some of which call for submission to this order,
others caution against it, and still others call for resisting it, it is
actually a complete scene depicting the absence of balance in this world. This
balance is not necessarily of economic or military nature; it is rather a
balance of values, ethics, and concepts. It is a balance of justice and equity
among peoples and nations, between West and East, between North and South.
Resistance seeking the liberation of the land should not be described as a
militant struggle in one place and terrorism in another.
" Nor are human rights the rights of a state in one country and the contrary in
another country." Moreover, democracy was described as backwardness by certain
people whereas commotion was promoted to the rank of democracy by other people.
But the most serious of paradoxes resulting from this situation is the
classification of human beings into classes, the criteria for which remain
unknown to us. For instance, we see that the killing of two soldiers of the
murderers in the Israeli army is much more important than the fall of dozens of
martyrs of innocent Arabs, Moslems, and Christians, in Palestine, and thousands
in Lebanon and other Arab and Moslem countries. And the capture of three
occupiers in the occupied Lebanese territory raises much concern whereas dozens
of kidnapped Syrians and Lebanese, and hundreds of Palestinian and Arab
detainees do not move the conscience of the International Community."
"It is very strange that lists should be issued to determine the value of a
human being with a certain people and other lists for other peoples.
Democracy is now explained as a right to interference in the internal affairs of
other countries and peoples. And when those countries ask for democratization of
relations with others, they are taught lessons that those should accept others’
opinions, who refuse the other in terms of opinion existence, religion and
principles of right and goodness."
"This situation about which I am talking is the cause of suffering mostly for
our Islamic peoples. During the post-world Second period, i.e. the so-called
Cold War period, the conflict between the two blocs, socialist and capitalist,
was crystal clear. This conflict created contrasting axes and gatherings. States
dominated others under varied pretexts. But at the same time there were calls
for dialogues of civilizations. Those calls increased in the post- Cold War era
due to increased conviction that the reasons of international tension have
ended. Apparently this was not suitable to the interests of some, so they
created a new enemy in order to keep the tension stay-put with its entailed
reasons and justifications of hegemonizing various states and regions of the
world."
"This new enemy that emerged in the nineties is our Islamic religion, the
religion of justice, love and ethics, which was deformed in the media and
education to look as a religion for killing, extremism and terrorism. Whenever
there is unrest in any region in the world, fingers of accusation are pointed at
Islam, even though there are no Moslems in that region. And every act of
destruction or terrorism is considered done by a Moslem until the opposite is
proven and most often the opposite is proven. But the accusation remains."
"In parallel, the Islam was fought through nurturing extremism which was used to
strike against Islam and Moslems as some have convinced others that this will
protect them against the danger of Communism. Now, this extremism, which is
being promoted from outside the Islamic nation, is pictured as true Islam- with
the intended purpose of continued deformation of its clean and pure picture.
Israel is the most skillful in deforming this picture and other picture. Nothing
is more indicative of its skill and dexterity than its calls for help which we
hear nowadays with regard to what is going on in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the
other occupied Arab territories. It is calling, in a manner provocative to the
feelings, for a cease of Palestinian violence!!! And a cease of destroying the
Israeli tanks by stones used by the Intifada children and youngsters!! It is
showing the victim as the murderer and the killer as the innocent, and showing
the Palestinian people who lived on the land of Palestine uninterruptedly for
thousands of years as no longer having the right of living on the land of their
grandfathers. Rather, it is showing that the Aqsa, the first Qibla and the third
Holy Mosque, is also an aggressor on an alleged temple, in the existence of
which they want to convince the world even though they have to falsify history.
They want to place before the Arabs and Muslims two alternatives: either this
Aqsa Mosque remains under Israeli sovereignty-with the implied purpose of
destroying it in Future; or it remains under Israeli air sovereignty, with the
eventual incidence of bombing it by planes whenever they want to ( and they
certainly want to ) and with underground sovereignty, eventually pulling the
land from beneath it, and pulling the carpet from beneath history and Islamic
existence on the land of Palestine. Here Israel racism appears crystal clear… Al
Aqsa with its Islamic dimension and Al-Quds with its Arab dimension, both
Islamic and Christian, have become a danger threatening historical Zionist
expansionism. Therefore, they are perpetually endeavoring to blow up and
obliterate those dimensions."
"Those words are not of our own thinking, nor do they rest on expectations and
analysis coming from nothing. They are derived from Israel’s history and
practices since its inception in 1948. If we disregard the countless crimes and
massacres, we cannot overlook the Israeli attempt of burning down the Aqsa
Mosque over thirty years ago, which was a fundamental reason for the convening
of our first Conference, not to mention their continued attempts at judaising
Al-Quds through destroying its Islamic and Christian landmarks and through
asserting that it is the united and eternal capital of Israel, despite the fact
that the Torah talks about the land of Canaan, which is Palestine. The
Canaanites were an Arab tribe who built Al-Quads three thousand years BC The
existence of the Hebrews in Palestine throughout history was only short-lived
and distant intervals as a minority amongst native inhabitants of the country."
"This Israeli arrogance and practices which have no connection whatever with the
ethics and teachings of any heavenly religion could not have happened without
encouragement and support from several states. The Israelis kill … and Arabs and
Muslims are accused of being terrorists and anti-Semite, although they Know very
well that we are Semites and older than any other Semitic peoples."
"They crush the principles of human rights … and we are condemned and described
as not humane and ignorant. They curse the old Nazis and exercise the practices
of a new Nazism about which we never read in history books. The Israelis pile up
chemical and nuclear weapons … our governments move up asking the concerned
states and sides to work for the removal of such weapons, and the answer comes
in the form of bombing a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan ( and if they are asked
for an answer, they have one for every thing … they will say those are medicines
of mass destruction !).The Israelis violate the United Nations Charter from A to
Z … and Libya and other states are besieged. Iraq is destroyed for the sake of
UN resolutions and UN resolutions are destroyed for the sake of Israel."
"The last of those regrettable matters, yet funny at the same time, is that
resolution 242, which is one resolution, is interpreted in the Syrian direction
differently from the Palestinian direction, because they believe that UN
Security Council Resolutions are to be interpreted according to latitudes,
longitudes and coordinates. But this will be change our
convictions in the need for reaching just and comprehensive peace based on UN
Resolutions and on the principle of land for peace, and Israeli withdrawal from
the occupied Golan and from the occupied Palestinian territories back to the
lines of 4th June 1967 as well as complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied
Lebanese Territories, and giving the Palestinian people their complete rights
including their right to self-determination, repatriation of refugees and an
independent and sovereign state with Al-Quads as its capital, in addition to the
release of all Arab detainees imprisoned in Israeli jails and detention camps."
"This is our stance which we repeat at every forum and on every occasion,
emphasizing that human beings never have been divided into a chosen people and
other peoples who came up by accident. Every creature on this earth is chosen by
Al-Mighty God, who is the source of justice in the universe. He did not give the
land to those who do not own it and He will return it to those who lived on it
for thousands of years, no matter how long it takes and whatever sacrifices are
made."
"Our peoples’ expectations from us are great. Their frustrations in the past and
present are greater. Some call for Jihad. But this does not imply that those
people want war. All of us assess the circumstances and know the capabilities.
They do not ask for more than the possible which our states can provide,
particularly as a conviction has been generated amongst a lot of those peoples
that many states, especially Israel, do not wish us good, and they endeavor to
keep us within our current conditions of poverty and backwardness so that we
keep on paying the price and they receive the payment materially and morally.
Since we are meeting here, not with the purpose of calling for war, but to let
the whole world listen to what we say, at least let this voice be loud and
heard; otherwise our voice will remain inside the walls of this hall, without
influence, without value. From this place we call for severing relations with
Israel for the purpose of deterring and preventing it from continuing its
murderous acts against the Palestinian people, from desecrating our Islamic and
Christian monuments and harming our rites and beliefs. We also emphasize that
the fate of Al-Aqsa Mosque is the core of the currently raging conflict between
the Zionist and the Muslims. Wrong is he who believes that the relation with
Israel contributes to the protection of this edifice and protection of the
Palestinian People. On the contrary, this relation contributes to its
destruction, which is prohibited by Islam. We can not forget to stress also the
importance of strong relations between our states and peoples, consolidating
solidarity and integration among ourselves in all domains. It is our hope that
this meeting will be a good opportunity for the resolving of disputes between
the countries of our Islamic Community."
"We hope that this, our Conference, will not be a Conference of good will, our
religion is the religion of good will and righteousness. Obedience is to God
alone, and commitment is to Islam, the nation and the homeland. Let this Summit
be a gathering for proving our desire and our ability for having a place in this
world. And as our great Messenger, Prophet Mohammad has said: " A strong
believer is better and more loved by God than a weak believer ."
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