56 Nations to Discuss Issues of the Muslim World at Kuala Lumpur Summit

The stage is set for the convening of the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019, where the ummah’s state of affairs will come under the spotlight, with participants endeavouring to chart the way forward for the Muslim world.

All eyes will be on the proceedings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here, the venue for the four-day gathering that ends on Saturday.

It will be steered by Prime Minister and summit chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is known for his vocal views on issues concerning the Muslim world, New Straits Times reported.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are expected to join him, according to a statement by summit organisers.

Erdogan and Rouhani are already in town for the summit.

Indonesia will be represented by its vice-president, Ma’ruf Amin, and Uzbekistan by its state adviser to the president, Rustam Kasimov.

With 450 delegates from 56 countries of the Muslim world present, issues such as Islamophobia, the incarceration of Muslims and mass migration of Muslims due to civil wars are expected to be highlighted.

"We feel that we need to overcome Islamophobia. We need to find a way to address our shortcomings, our dependency on non-Muslims to protect ourselves against the enemies of Islam," he said in the opening address at the opening dinner of the summit here.

"We hope at the end of the summit, we will be able to affirm a few specific initiatives that can be the catalyst to bigger things," added Dr Mahathir, who is the chairman of the summit, as quoted by The Star Online.

"We will never claim to be the perfect Muslim or the model of a good Muslim nation, but we can attest that we have been able to live with our non-Muslim citizens in peace and harmony for decades and this tradition had existed since our independence," he said. 

Participants in the summit, themed “The Role of Development in Achieving National Sovereignty”, comprise thinkers, intellectuals, politicians and community leaders.

Discussions will be framed by seven thrusts, namely national development and sovereignty; integrity and good governance; culture and identity; justice and freedom; peace, security and defence; trade and investment; and technology and Internet governance.