newsdesk@thestar.com.my
NEW YORK: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made his call for moderation the thrust of his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly, saying it is time for moderates to reclaim the agenda for peace and pragmatism.
He said there was a need to marginalise the extremists, saying a “global movement of the moderates” of all faiths was needed to work together to make this a success.
These extremists, he added, had held the world hostage with their bigotry and bias, adding that “we must choose moderation over extremism”.
“We must, and I repeat, we must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us.
“We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side.”
Malaysia, he reiterated, was concerned with the increasing trend in some parts of the world to perpetuate or even fuel Islamophobia.
“Attempts to demonise Islam offend the one-and-a-half billion adherents of the religion. It intensifies the divide between the broad Muslim world and the West,’’ he said.
Najib said the real issue “is not between Muslims and non-Muslims but between the moderates and extremists of all religions, be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism.”
“Across all religions, we have inadvertently allowed the ugly voices of the periphery to drown out the many voices of reason and common sense.”
He commended a group of American Evangelical Christians who had worked tirelessly to prevent the threatened burning of the Quran with the compelling argument that such an act was un-Christian.
“This is a clear example of what can be achieved when moderates in each faith stand up to the extremists who are trying to hijack the universal values of our religions.”
He also commended President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for affirming the rights of supporters of the Cordoba House, which would include a mosque and a multi-faith community centre, to be located near the site of the World Trade Centre.
“We must support the objectives of the Cordoba Initiative, an organisation that focuses on promoting peace, understanding and moderation, both between Muslims and non-Muslims and within the Muslim communities.”
Najib also shared with other heads of government at the United Nations that “although Islam is the official religion (in Malaysia), we honour other religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism – by making their religious and cultural celebrations national holidays and celebrate them as national events.”
“It is this equilibrium that leads to moderation or wasatiyyah in the Islamic tradition of mutual peace.”
Malaysia, he added, was well poised to play its part in promoting understanding, given its geographical position.
“To further strengthen our process of national unity, I have introduced a philosophy known as 1Malaysia ... a vision that seeks renewal and rejuvenation to bring all people together in a just and harmonious relationship.
“1Malaysia calls for the acceptance of diversity as a source of greater unity.
“We seek to celebrate our multi-ethnic and multi-religious society for strategic strength and harmony,” he said.
Amal kesederhanaan
Daripada Ahmad Zaini Kamaruzzaman di New York
bhnews@bharian.com.my
2010/09/28
NAJIB ketika berucap pada Perhimpunan Agung Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu ke-65, di New York, malam tadi.Najib gesa dunia wujud kembali keamanan dengan agenda Gerakan Kesederhanaan Sejagat
DATUK Seri Najib Razak menggesa semua negara tanpa mengira agama kembali mewujudkan keamanan dengan mengamalkan agenda Gerakan Kesederhanaan Sejagat bagi mengelakkan penduduk dunia daripada terus tenggelam ke dalam kehancuran umpama hidup dalam neraka.
Najib gesa dunia wujud kembali keamanan dengan agenda Gerakan Kesederhanaan Sejagat
DATUK Seri Najib Razak menggesa semua negara tanpa mengira agama kembali mewujudkan keamanan dengan mengamalkan agenda Gerakan Kesederhanaan Sejagat bagi mengelakkan penduduk dunia daripada terus tenggelam ke dalam kehancuran umpama hidup dalam neraka.
Dalam ucapan sulungnya pada Perhimpunan Agung Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) ke-65, malam tadi, Perdana Menteri berkata, sudah tiba masanya pemimpin dunia kembali kepada agenda keamanan pragmatik dan menghapuskan ekstremis.
“Gerakan Kesederhanaan Sejagat akan menyelamatkan kita daripada tenggelam kepada kehancuran, terus berputus asa dan kehinaan. Sudah tiba masanya bagi kita mengamalkan kepemimpinan yang membawa harapan dan mengembalikan maruah serta martabat untuk semua.
"Menerusi keazaman yang lebih kuat dan usaha kolektif, kita mampu mewujudkan dunia yang lebih aman, selamat dan kesamarataan," katanya.
Najib juga berkata, antara cabaran penting dihadapi komuniti antarabangsa yang perlu ditangani secara kolektif ialah memastikan keadilan, kesamarataan dan keamanan berkekalan untuk kini dan selama-lamanya.
Katanya, adalah penting bagi dunia mencapai keamanan yang berasaskan kemahuan sendiri dan bukan secara paksaan atau dipengaruhi oleh ketakutan.
Namun, Perdana Menteri menegaskan ia hanya boleh dicapai jika semua pihak bersedia berbincang menerusi dialog yang akan membantu mewujudkan kefahaman dan persefahaman, selain daripada penghargaan dan hormat menghormati ke arah membina masa depan lebih cemerlang untuk penduduk dunia.
Mengenai proses perdamaian di Asia Barat, beliau menjelaskan Malaysia mengalu-alukan peranan Amerika Syarikat (AS) menerusi pentadbiran Presiden Barack Obama dan sekutunya mencari penyelesaian komprehensif bukan saja untuk isu Palestin-Israel, malah wilayah berkenaan secara keseluruhan.
Bagi merealisasikannya, beberapa perkara perlu ditangani, antaranya Israel perlu memenuhi harapan komuniti antarabangsa yang mahu konflik itu diselesaikan dan AS menggesa Tel Aviv menghentikan pembinaan penempatan baru di Tebing Barat dan Baitulmaqdis.
Syarat lain ialah memastikan kesatuan politik di kalangan rakyat Palestin bagi mewujudkan keamanan dan pembangunan semula Semenanjung Gaza dan kedua-dua pihak bertelagah menghentikan keganasan serta memastikan keselamatan orang awam dan menghormati pasukan bantuan kemanusiaan antarabangsa.
Najib juga menyentuh mengenai Islamphobia dan mengutuk tindakan pihak tertentu yang sengaja mengapi-apikan pertelingkahan terhadap Islam serta menyemarakkan lagi usaha memecah belahkan dunia Islam yang luas dengan dunia barat.
"Isu sebenar bukan antara umat Islam dengan bukan Islam, sebaliknya antara kesederhanaan dan ekstremis. Justeru, saya mendesak kita mewujudkan Gerakan Kesederhanaan Sejagat daripada semua kepercayaan agama yang komited untuk bekerjasama memerangi ekstremis yang menjadikan dunia sebagai tebusan hanya kerana ketaksuban dan sikap bias mereka.
"Kita mesti kembali kepada perkara pokok dan moral tinggi yang dirampas daripada kita. Kita mesti memilih kesederhanaan berbanding ekstremis, memilih rundingan berbanding konfrantasi. Kita perlu memilih untuk bekerjasama dan bukan menentang sesama kita. Ia perlu menjadi keutamaan dan bukan hanya diletakkan di sisi kita," katanya.
Beliau juga tersentuh dengan tindakan kumpulan American Evanagelical Christians yang gigih menghalang ancaman membakar al-Quran di AS baru-baru ini serta kesediaan Presiden Obama dan Datuk Bandar New York menyuarakan hak membina Cordoba House yang akan menempatkan masjid dan pusat komuniti antara agama berhampiran bekas tapak World Trade Centre.
Dalam ucapannya, Perdana Menteri juga memaklumkan pengalaman Malaysia menguruskan negara berbilang kaum dan agama yang berjaya menjadikan Malaysia dan rakyatnya hidup aman damai serta keseimbangan yang mendorong kepada wasatiyyah atau kesederhanaan mengikut keadilan dalam Islam.
Najib berkata, bagi mencapai perpaduan nasional pelbagai kaum dan agama, falsafah 1Malaysia diperkenalkan akan membawa negara ke arah keharmonian dan semangat toleransi yang lebih kukuh.
Najib calls for world unity to promote moderation
NEW YORK Sept 27 – In his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly Monday, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak urged all nations to “choose moderation over extremism” in an effort to promote international peace and harmony.
The prime minister urged world leaders to embark on building a “Global Movement of the Moderates” from all faiths to work together to combat and marginalise extremists, whom he said, had held the world with their bigotry and bias.
"It is time for moderates of all countries, of all religions to take back the centre, to reclaim the agenda for peace and pragmatism, and to marginalise the extremists.
"This Global Movement of the Moderates will save us from sinking into the abyss of despair and depravation,” he said.
Expressing concern with the increasing trend in some parts of the world to perpetuate or even fuel Islamophobia, the prime minister said it had intensified the divide between the broad Muslim world and the West.
"The real issue is not between Muslims and non-Muslims but between the moderates and extremists of all religions, be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism.” He said all religions had inadvertently allowed “the ugly voices of the periphery to drown out the many voices of reason and common sense”. The Islamophobia phemonenon escalates following proposals to build a mosque in the vicinity of Ground Zero, the site of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks which destroyed the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan.
Speaking from the dark green marble podium of the UN General Assembly hall, Najib said: “We must choose moderation over extremism. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side.” Najib also praised US President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Micheal Bloomberg for rising to the recent challenge by affirming the rights of supporters of the Cordoba House to be located near Ground Zero.
He said Malaysia supported the objectives of the Cordoba Initiative as the organisation focused on promoting, peace, understanding and moderation, both between Muslims and non-Muslims and within Muslim communities.
Najib also commended efforts by the American Evangelical Christians in trying to prevent the threatened burning of the Quran with compelling argument that it was in fact un-Christian to burn the Quran.
He said all countries should encourage and support initiatives that promoted mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, and reject the extremists.
The prime minister also took the opportunity to relate Malaysia’s experience in managing issues of diversity, saying that its multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and democratic society had managed to create an “equilibrium"
that led to moderation or “wasatiyyah” in the Islamic tradition of mutual justice.
Najib also explained that the 1Malaysia concept which he had introduced was aimed at bringing all Malaysians together in a just and harmonious relationship.
Touching on the Middle East peace process, Najib said there were three prerequisites that needed to be addressed.
Firstly, he said, Israel must stop the new settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem; secondly, there should be political unity among the Palestinians; and lastly, both the Israelis and Palestinians must eschew violence and respect international humanitarian law and human rights law.
The prime minister also told the 192-nation body that the Malaysian parliament had condemned last May’s brutal attack by Israeli soldiers on the humanitarian convoy in international waters.
"We want to see the perpetrators responsible for the attack be brought to justice and adequate compensation for the innocent victims of the attack.
"We want the UN to act justly and decisively, without fear or favour, in a manner that would ensure transgressions of blatant international laws are dealt with and that justice is done,” he said.
Najib had arrived last Thursday with wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to lead the Malaysian delegation to the UN General Assembly. While here, the prime minister had joined leaders of Southeast Asian nations at the second Asean-US Summit, hosted by President Barack Obama.
Earlier today, Najib held discussions with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon at the UN building here.
— BERNAMA
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