Dhaka: Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Saturday urged the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to reinforce their efforts to convince Myanmar to take back Rohingyas to their homeland.

‘In the OIC, we should take strong actions manifesting solidarity with them and strengthen efforts in persuading the government of Myanmar to take urgent measures for a sustainable return of Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine,’ he said, reports the UNB.

The Foreign Minister made the call while addressing the inaugural session of the 45th Session of Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC (OIC-CFM) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.

He said hundreds of thousands of desperate Rohingya people are fleeing a vicious purge in Myanmar while more than 1.1 million people are forcibly displaced from Myanmar. ‘The exodus of Rohingya is the world’s most rapid and intense crisis of forcibly displaced people since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. They’re often described as the world’s most persecuted minorities.’

‘Solidarity for us refers to solidarity in terms of human individual and social-economic inclusion,’ the Foreign Minister added.

Mentioning that a number of countries –- which are not OIC members-- have large number of Muslims as their citizens, the minister stressed the need for building bridges with those non-OIC countries so that a large number of Muslim population do not remain untouched by the good works of OIC. 

‘The Muslims may be minority in those (non-OIC) countries, but in terms of number, they often exceed the total population of many OIC member countries. There is a need to build bridges with those non-OIC countries, so that a large number of Muslim populations don’t remain untouched by the good work of OIC. That is why, OIC reforms and re-structuring,’ Ali said.

Talking about the theme of the 45th CFM, he said the theme ‘Islamic Values for Sustainable Peace, Solidarity and Development’ is based on three pillars – peace, solidarity and development – which are interlinked.

‘Today, we’re facing formidable challenges of Islam phobia, terrorism, extremism, conflict and inequality – within and among states,’ the minister added.

He said Palestine continues to remain occupied while the Palestinians continue to suffer from systematic violation of their human rights. 

‘Terrorism and extremism in all forms and manifestations have become pervasive. Islam phobia is real and rampant. Anti-Muslim prejudice has grown considerably in recent years in every corner of the world,’ the Foreign Minister said.

He said Islam was revealed to ensure the worldly and other-worldly well-being of all mankind on an equal footing. Indeed, Islam is not intended for a certain people, race or ethnicity.

About technological transformation, the Foreign Minister said, ‘We’re witnessing a rapid technological advancement in the fourth industrial revolution that is transforming our world.  This is bringing dramatic socio-economic changes within societies and economies. Our future will depend on how we harness the advantages and address challenges of the fast technological transformation.  Our efforts have to be innovative, flexible and inclusive.’

He said development is achievable only through attaining peace and prosperity of a nation and for upholding justice, rule of law, and people’s empowerment. ‘These inter-linkages have to be understood as a people-centric development for sustainable peace.’

‘As the world is changing in many ways – infringing upon every area of a peaceful society, life, development, we cannot do the business as usual. We need to re-think our work, method and process of functioning to cater to the needs of the current era and beyond. Otherwise, we risk in situating our Organisation in redundancy,’ the Minister said.

Mahmood Ali conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for Foreign Minister of Ivory Coast Marcel Amon Tanoh for his stewardship of the 44th CFM.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the session. This is the second time that Bangladesh is hosting a CFM after holding the first in 1983.

Some 600 delegates, including 27 foreign ministers and 12 state ministers, joined the meeting where Canada is attending the event as a special guest country. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland is leading the Canadian delegation.

There will be a brainstorming sideline session on the humanitarian challenges of the Muslim world with a special focus on the Rohingyas.