KUALA LUMPUR: Education is a powerful weapon which has been propelling Palestinians towards their quest for change while enduring Israeli oppression.
Former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal said while development remains a “distant vocabulary” for Palestine due to the occupation, it was nevertheless striving to develop its community through education.
“One of the things that our people excel in is education. In the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, there are 53 universities and colleges. Education has become an arm for Palestinians against (Israeli) occupation (of the West Bank),” he said at the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 roundtable session titled ‘The Role of Politics in Development’.
He said the people decided to confront the occupations and fight with dignity instead of keeping quiet, even if it meant families being arrested and properties destroyed.
In calling for the Muslim community to extend help to Palestine, he said such assistance should not be accompanied and applied with conditions.
He also said it was crucial for a nation to preserve its identity as it strives for development.
“Some people confuse development by mimicking others until we lose our identity. Cultural identity must not clash with civilisation.
“We can advance in military, economy, and politics (among others), but we should preserve our Islamic identity,” said Khaled.
Another panellist, Turkish AK Party leader and former Turkey deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus, also shared his experience in the country’s administration.
He said the seven pillars of AK Party’s success story in Turkish government were efficient and effective leadership; fight against all forms of tutelage, struggle for democratisation, simultaneous execution of political and economic reforms; social and political inclusiveness, commitment to traditional values and faith of Turkish society and proactive multilateral foreign policy.
Citing a verse from surah Ar-Ra’d, which reads: “Allah will not change the condition of a people unless there is a change of what is in themselves”, he said any transformation in a nation should start at home and society.
The other panellists were Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and PKR vice president Zuraida Kamaruddin.
KL Summit secretary-general Dr Abderazzak Makri was the session moderator.