Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) states have been urged to co-operate with other bodies to bridge the divide between the West and Islamic states in a report commissioned by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The high-level group report by the UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), released on Nov 13, has urged OIC to set up collaborative and reciprocal initiatives for monitoring media coverage of Islamic-Western relations. The OIC chair is currently held by Malaysia.

"(It) should be started to provide a comprehensive review of media outlets and to reward efforts that aim to improve coverage of relations between Muslim and Western societies," the report states.

Another recommendation in the 39-page report is to "implement educational efforts to build capacity for intercultural tolerance and respect, civic participation and social engagement".

Steps laid out include the dissemination of materials including UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation instructional materials and programmes such as the Associated Schools Project Network, Culture of Democracy, Different Aspects of Islamic Culture, Tolerance: The Threshold of Peace, and Cultures of Peace.

The report viewed the Israeli-Palestinian as the primary source of tensions as it has "taken on a symbolic value that colours cross-cultural and political relations among adherents of all three major monotheistic faiths well beyond its limited geographic scope".

In July, demonstrations were held in Kuala Lumpur by several political parties protesting the invasion of Lebanon by Israel.

Other policy issues

While the main recommendations focused on the Middle East, other policy recommendations include:

- resolving problems facing the international community within a multilateral framework;

- promoting a common understanding of international human rights principles and a universal commitment to their full and consistent application founded on respect for human rights;

- co-ordinating effective migration policies consistent with international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international agreements which guide the protection of refugees and internally displaced persons;

- commitment of all countries to work toward the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals;

- governments taking a strong stand against the desecration of holy sites and places of worship and take responsibility for their protection; civil society and international organisations helping promote a culture of tolerance and respect for all religions and religious sites;

- exercising responsible leadership by avoiding the use of inflammatory language sometimes used by political and religious leaders; avoiding violent or provocative language about other people's beliefs or sacred symbols;

- stepping up civil society activism; and

- developing partnerships in the framework of the UNAOC with international organisations that share its goals.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made references to his capacity as IOC chairperson during his presidential speech at the 57th Umno general assembly.

He said that he cannot lead by being confrontational and that Muslim countries must strategise to improve their bargaining position.

"Today, if a Muslim country is attacked, as Lebanon was recently, we must be able to, as we did, exert pressure on the West to halt the bombings," he said.

"Of course, some want more drastic action like using oil as a bargaining tool or for Muslim countries to sell down US Dollars, but how many Islamic countries are prepared to do this?"

He had earlier been subjected to criticism from former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysia has done nothing as OIC chair.

The OIC is an inter-governmental organisation made up of 57 mostly Islamic nations and is dedicated to serving the interests of the world's estimated 1.2 billion Muslims.