Q: You have visited many countries in recent times. What have you discovered about the Muslim world?
A: There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world and they occupy 22 per cent of the land mass. And yet the total gross domestic product of this group is a little over seven per cent of the world.
About 70 per cent of the natural resources come from this 22 per cent land mass and yet the total exports are a little over US$800 billion (RM2.66 trillion).
I have been to over 23 countries in the last five months and have never seen or learnt so much in my life about diversity in Islam. We are still engaged in issues such as who is a better or lesser Muslim.
It is imperative that Muslims should have an intra-faith dialogue among ourselves. Only then should we be engaging in inter-faith dialogue. We, who have taken the same stand in recognising the unity of Allah, should be united. We need to work for economic strength and education.
Q: What are some of the issues in the Muslim world that need improving?
A: In the Muslim world, we are lacking in good governance, rule of law, access to justice, higher education in science, technology and research, health, strong civil society, transparency and accountability. These are the human rights that all Muslims deserve in our lives, as stated by the Quran.
Q: What are your duties as a special envoy?
A: My responsibilities are to engage with the Muslim communities around the world and work with Muslim organisations in the US.
There are about five million or more Muslims in the US, representing more than 80 countries and cultures. They practise their faiths in over 1,200 mosques. America has allowed us to engage in a quality of life that is very much appreciated. One of the reasons why I am engaged with the OIC is because the Muslims of America wanted a voice in the OIC.
Malaysia is one of the very few Muslim countries I have visited that practises plurality in society.
I also feel the status of women, which is a very important in Islam, is reflected in the successful professional Malaysian sector. This is an important issue with the Muslims in the world.
Q: What is the emphasis your programme is placing on the status of women in Islam?
A: If you look at the life of Prophet Muhammad, after his departure, the two sources of most information were from women. Women have always played a very important role in the early stages of Islam.
We have to work to enhance the status of women. Part of the reason we are lagging behind is because we are disabling half of our Muslim world, which is made up of women. There are many countries today, such as Malaysia and Bangladesh, in which this issue is being debated. It is female leadership, such as in this country, that is needed. We need these empowered women to move on to the next level.
Q: How is it that a religion that started with innovations in science and technology and equality for men and women ended up lagging behind in these issues?
A: Fourteen hundred years back, Prophet Muhammad's leadership allowed Muslims to enjoy a free and open society where all had an opportunity to engage in the intellectual pursuit. We have come very far from that.
We've led ourselves to become a very closed society and we are paying for that today.
If we look at America, we came from 80 countries to an enabling environment where we can pull ourselves up. You have a choice to take yourself to wherever you want to be. The open society gives you that confidence and we (the Muslim world as a whole) went away from that.
Q: How would you encourage this enabling environment?
A: We need to engage in education. An educated society is a progressive and moderate society. I don't know if I am politically correct in saying this, but if you look at Central Asia today, it is a progressive and moderate society because every Muslim across the board is educated there.
With education , you can build a strong civil society, which can then ask and demand strong governance. Strong governance will give access to justice and rule of law. And those are the elements that will engage in science and technology and innovation.
There are people who say Islam does not need innovation because 1,400 years ago it emerged as a perfect religion. We need to go away as far as possible from these thoughts because innovation is part of our life.
Islam is a faith of tolerance and intellect. It is a faith where you do personal research.
I admire that Malaysia is on that path. Forty years back, Malaysia was an agricultural society. Today, it is a high-paying export economy. And that's because of your leadership. You decided to get yourself out of that situation by educating yourself and took yourself to the next level.
Q: Does this partnership between the US government and the OIC address fundamentalism in any way?
A: Fundamentalism and extremism in Islam come from a narrow interpretation of the Quran.
Islam allows people to live together and create an environment where you have respect for each other and other faiths. The challenge today is the narrow interpretation that is out there.
Education, a strong civil society and economic development are factors that can help us fight back.
On the other hand, ignorance, isolation and poverty will run into those narrow interpretations.
Q: How is the US going to work with Muslim countries, like Iraq for example, to ease existing tension between the two countries?
A: The US is committed to peace and stability in all regions, including the Middle East.
Even today, you see the American presence in Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Europe. You will see that Japan alone for the past 27 years has grown nine per cent every year.
Wherever there has been American presence, societies have opened up and are more progressive and moderate.
Q: But what about Iran?
A: Iran is an important country in the region and has a responsible part in the region within the OIC.
The US is committed to securing a diplomatic resolution with Iran on the nuclear issue. Once that is resolved, there will be enough opportunities to work with Iran on other areas through the OIC.
Q: Would you agree a large part of the Muslim world would see this as a public relations move by the US to build better relations with Muslim countries in view of the invasion of Iraq and the tension with Iran and Afghanistan?
A: We are living in a large universe which has turned itself into a small village. It is imperative that societies live together.
If any of us has the idea that we can live without each other in a peaceful environment, then I think we are fooling ourselves.
America as a global leader is committed to working with all societies. This commitment has nothing to do with any other engagement we have. As a global leader, we have no choice but to live together and bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world.
Q: Is aid to the Muslim world part of this partnership?
A: This is an OIC and US government partnership, but it is also a public and private partnership.
The US government plays a role in facilitating and bringing our expertise and resources to the initiatives. I can go out and raise funds from the private sector. I have raised a lot of funds (about US$10 million) from the private sector.
It is a three-way partnership and this is the way to move forward. Relying more on the government sometimes does not work because you are involved in political thinking. It creates a lot of discomfort.
Q: How important is it for Muslim governments to create an enabling environment for Muslims to progress?
A: The government can only do so much. Most of a progressive, moderate and open society is developed by the people.
As Muslims ourselves, we need to make sure that we have an educated society to ask and demand good governance, strong civil society, economic development and create checks and balances.
A knowledge society creates a complete person of education. It would allow you to live a lifestyle which is very open.
Q: There is much difference between secular policy and Islamic policy. How would the partnership address the differences in how the policies are pursued?
A: If you look at the models (in Muslim nations), a lot of them are successful. Turkey is a secular society but does not want to be called a moderate Muslim country. Faith has nothing to do with government.
Malaysia is building its own model. No one model is a rigid or correct model. These models bring a certain commitment and if the society finds a certain comfort in it, then we should be able to live through these models.
Q: Would you say that Islam is a religion that encourages not just Muslims but people of all religions to prosper and progress?
A: The Quran talks about the people of the book, who are not just the Muslims but the Jews and Christians. If you bring them all together in a society, it is then about learning and sharing from each other. Such societies are built by learning and living with each other.
Q: So if a Muslim country suppresses other religions in education or certain aspects of lifestyles, would that be an improper Muslim country?
A: The beauty of the scripture or revelation is that you can pick and choose. There are certain schools of thought which would particularly go for a very narrow interpretation. That's not Islam, nor is it the majority of Islam.
Q: As a Muslim, how do you feel about the issue of conversion?
A: As a Muslim, for me Islam is very personal. If you look at the Quran, it clearly says there is no compulsion in faith.
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