A network of Asian Muslim groups today criticised the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for its alleged failure to go beyond rhetoric and address the problems facing the Muslim world.

The Asian Muslim Initiative Network (Amin) - representing 48 Muslim civil society organisations and individuals from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Japan - expressed disappointment that the member countries do not even appear to be united.

"We regard the whole conference as a let down to the ummah and only proved...that Muslim leaders are incapable to place their voice as a united force to be reckoned with," said Amin convener Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid in a statement.

Despite the "glamorous preparation" and high costs, he stressed that the 0ct 16-18 summit in Putrajaya failed to even reach a consensus on the appointment of a new secretary-general to replace Dr Abdelouahed Belkeziz of Morocco.

Azmi said although there were many pronouncements on the need to revamp OIC's structure and procedures to make it more relevant, it was puzzling why the decision for such a review was done by 'consultants' as stated in the 'Putrajaya Declaration.'

"Is not this a political decision that should have been concluded in the conference? Why can't the members decide on this and mandate the secretariat to detail the technicalities of the proposal later?"

Include civil society

Azmi - who is also president of the Kedah-based Muslim group Teras - criticised the summit for failing to address the pressing problems of Palestine and Iraq.

"The very basis of the historical inception of OIC that is the Palestinian issue is shockingly missing in the declaration. Have the Muslim leaders chosen to ignore the Palestinian cause?" he asked.

He added that a time-table for the United States' withdrawal from Iraq should have been issued, since a resolution on the matter was passed at the OIC foreign ministers meeting in Teheran last May.

"The very valid demand that the US be given a deadline to pull out of Iraq should have been agreed upon in the summit. However again the conference has failed to deliver," he said.

Meanwhile, Azmi also urged the Malaysian government - as incoming chairman of OIC - to allow for the participation of civil societies to voice their concerns.

He said that only by including civil groups in upcoming actions could OIC's relevance be realised.

Failing which, he warned, the conference "will be irrelevant to the ummah and be perceived as an exclusive club for Muslim elite leaders to serve themselves and not the ummah ".