S.E. ABDELOUAHED BELKEZIZ, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Your Excellency Mr. Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the Republic of Yemen;
Your Highnesses and Eminences;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor for me to express profound delight for attending this Inter-Governmental Regional Conference on Democracy and Human Rights and the Role of the International Criminal Court, taking place in Sanaa, this unique historic capital of Yemen, the cradle of civilisation and civility.
I am pleased to thank the Government of the Republic of Yemen for hosting this gathering that addresses issues, which are objects of world attention and interest as the world begins the new millennium. This is an indication of the desire of the host country to participate actively in deepening political dialogue about international issues that could determine the course of international politics in the coming decades. Gratitude and appreciation are also due to the Government and the generous people of Yemen for all manifestations of warmth and hospitality accorded to delegates.
I must not fail to express deep appreciation for the efforts of the “No Peace without Justice” organisation. The organisation has adopted a theme with a rich political significance. The theme also has a close relation to the happenings around us in this region of the world and a definitive link with the higher objective of humanity: enthroning genuine and just peace in all parts of the world.
The desire of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to be present at this Inter-Governmental meeting emphasizes its deep interest in the crucial issues slated on the agenda. The issues have implications for the future of member states of our Organisation and the Islamic world as they pass through an extremely delicate and difficult phase of the current international situation that is known to everybody. Ever since Islam came into being, these issues and their concepts have never been alien to the Islamic world. If modern democracy today manifests itself in the supremacy of liberal concepts -- general freedoms, true people representation, respect for human rights, political accountability, the rule of law and justice in its widest sense--, Islam has lived with these principles and concepts since its early days, because they are firmly rooted in the fundamentals of the Islamic Sharia.
Islam introduced the institution of shura (consultation). This is the rule of people by themselves through collective consensus, very much similar to the system of direct democracy. Islam is the first religious and political system in the world to advocate for the principle of human equality. It encouraged equality and regarded it as one of the essential pillars of social and political justice. It also waged a war against discrimination, racism and marginalization in all its manifestations, proceeding from the concept of unity of the human kind that descended from a single soul. This means complete equality among man without regard for their races, genders, and their social and political status, thereby establishing human brotherhood in its clearest manifestations.
The system of Baia (oath of allegiance) to the head of state in Islam is, in modern terms, close to a direct election of the head of state through a religious allegiance that creates a unique bond of political and religious loyalty between the ruler and the ruled, bringing together the profane and the sacred, so long as the leader works for the interest of the society. Islam also laid down the concept of checking the leader, holding him accountable and putting him aright if he falters, or even deposing him. It made this checking a form of Jihad, a holy war. (The greatest form of Jihad is bravery to tell the truth to a despotic ruler).
Islam also made its door wide open to general freedoms, in particular freedom of opinion. It introduced an elaborate concept of human rights – based on the principle of right of respect for human dignity, whose significance is wider than a principle of human rights that is too much tilted towards the political notion at the expense of the moral notion. Islam made justice in its widest sense a key factor for regulating every aspect of the society.
In short, for many centuries, Islam has brought a concept that is parallel to democracy, aimed at good governance on the basis of the principles of consultation (shura), respect for general freedoms, checks and balances, justice, human dignity and separation of powers. All of these are the pillars of modern democracy. Indeed they are the pillars of the highest human values known to modern man in the age of modernity and enlightenment.
Islam is therefore one with modern notions of good governance as we have seen in the early Muslims. Since democratic exercise and its practical application are different from one country to another because of the conditions of every country and their social and political situations as well as levels of development, as we see today in the various modes of democracy in Western countries, for instance, where the American method of democracy is different from the British or the French, countries of the Muslim world too have their own different applications of democratic modes. There is no doubt that some Muslim countries still need to improve their democratic methods to be in line with the international pattern, without renouncing their civilisational legacies that are in principle not in conflict with modern democracy. Therefore the wide-ranging international campaign these days calling for need to uphold democratic principles can increase the dedication of these countries to strengthening their democratic methods. This is in their own interest and in the interest of their development and progress. Every sincere support for these countries to embark on this course, far from narrow interests and biased strategies, will assist them to achieve their objectives.
Member States of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are genuinely interested in the issue of the International Criminal Court. They believe that its inception will open wide opportunities for international justice, and are hopeful that the Court will be a restraining force that will help political accountability become possible at the international level, having hitherto been restricted to domestic levels. When this is achieved, humanity would witness a new era when internal and international security will be better enthroned, when societal peace will prevail and human rights will be respected.
Islam has laid an elaborate foundation for justice in the society and in the world, proceeding from the basis that peace cannot be established without justice; that there can be no justice without law; and that there is no good in law if it lacks the institution or court for its implementation, to sanction violators, so that there will be no one above the law or beyond accountability no matter how highly placed. This is what the International Criminal Court augurs and we welcome the commencement of its work. We hope that all peace and justice loving countries of the world would support this Court in its work. The Court would strengthen the notion of justice in the world in a manner never before witnessed in the history of humanity. I wish your deliberations a resounding success.
Wa salam alaykum wa rahmotullah wabarakatuh.
