Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today made an offer to the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to discuss the Iraq crisis in Kuala Lumpur when it hosts the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit next week, saying that Malaysia can provide the facilities.

However, he said he was sceptical if any decision made at the OIC meeting would be taken seriously by anyone.

This is because some OIC member countries are even supporting the United States to attack Iraq, Bernama quoted him as saying.

The premier added so far Malaysia had not received any proposal to convene a special OIC meeting which, if held, will coincide with the 13th NAM Summit from Feb 20 to 25.

OIC is weak

He said the opinion of the 57-member grouping of Muslim countries is often ignored by the US and its Western allies because the OIC organisation was weak and did not have proper measures to protect its members from any attack.

He said France, Germany and Belgium have made a firm stand against a war o­n Iraq because these three countries were strong.

"That's why it's very important for Muslims if they want to save their fellow Muslims, they must strengthen their countries.

"Instead, what's happening now is that the Islamic countries are weak and that's why they do not wield any influence to decide o­n the fate of Muslims," he reportedly said.

Mahathir, a known critic of the West who had repeatedly advised the US to study the root causes of Muslim anger worldwide, had recently called o­n Malaysians to learn Mathematics and Science in English so that they could produce their own weapons instead of purchasing arms from the West to protect the Islamic

world.

A stupid idea

The OIC will meet in Malaysia later in October for their 10th Summit.

In the same Bernama report, Mahathir described the suggestion for Muslims to fight against US should there be a war against Iraq as "a stupid idea".

"We want to fight a holy war if we can win. If we go in just to be killed, that's not jihad. If we want to go to a war, we must have the strategy and strength. If we go just like that, I don't see any benefit from it apart from merely venting our anger," he said.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said earlier this week that he had written to the OIC secretariat expressing Malaysia's willingness to host an OIC meeting o­n Iraq o­n the sidelines of the summit.