Step I: acknowledge the crisis

Deep crisis8221; are the two words Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi used to sum up the Muslim world on Thursday... Badawi was...

Deep crisis8221; are the two words Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi used to sum up the Muslim world on Thursday8230; Badawi was speaking at a meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference OIC in Malaysia, which has gathered scholars and diplomats from 15 Muslim countries to discuss the problems of the Muslim world and OIC reform.

There are, indeed, 8220;many challenges8221; that need to be overcome. And, while the valid point of Western world domination was mentioned, the OIC needs to attend to problems closer to home. Peace, security and stability were identified as pressing points for the OIC8217;s agenda. They have been pressing points for decades8230;

Poverty and illiteracy were also mentioned. This is getting closer to home. Let8217;s go a step further: Why are poverty and illiteracy such problems? To begin with, the West cannot be blamed for everything. The West, to take blame mongering to its absurd conclusion, could be criticised for causing the Muslim world8217;s growing overpopulation problem for inventing the medical technologies that increase life expectancy 8212; could it not? No, 8220;closer to home8221; demands brutal honesty and cutting to the bone. This in itself is not something that comes easily in Muslim societies, and it comes no easier to Muslim governments and their representatives. Closer to home means facing up to issues such as corruption and lack of investment in education and scientific research. The work ethic must also be examined8230; Dependency on a patriarchal state or on Big Brother figures in the private sector or in society, render the work ethic a meaningless concept. 8220;Tradition8221; has too often been used as an excuse to foster unearned privilege. It is the way of the Third World, and the Third World is the way of poverty and illiteracy 8212; and we are back to two of the major problems mentioned by Badawi at the OIC conference.

The negation of the contemporary world must be turned around and a sense of pride in achievement must be fostered. At least Badawi is making an effort to bring skeletons out of the collective Muslim closet. This is a starting point for much hard work for many years to come.

Excerpted from an editorial in Lebanon8217;s 8216;The Daily Star8217;, January 28