KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 ― The Prime Minister’s Office today clarified that the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019 taking place here from tomorrow to Saturday is not intended to create a new bloc as alluded to by some of its critics.

In addition, it said, the summit is not a platform to discuss religion or religious affairs but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim ummah.

"As a small nation, Malaysia is fully aware of its limitations and capabilities. We are merely attempting to contribute what little we can to the betterment of the ummah (Muslims),” the PM’s Office said in a statement today.

The statement came against the backdrop of a report which alleged that Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said that the KL Summit was intended to be a platform to replace the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The PM’s office said the report contained some misinformation that Dr Mahathir would like to correct.

The statement noted that members of the Muslim community are currently faced with oppression, the incarceration of millions, placed in detention camps as well as affected by civil wars resulting in total destruction of cities and nations, leading to mass migration of displaced Muslims to non-Muslim countries.

It said they also have to contend with the rise of Islamophobia and irrational practices that go against the tenets of Islam yet proclaimed to be in the name of Islam.

"It is these concerns that have led to the establishment of the summit, and this year’s edition attempts to go beyond intellectual debates and discussions,” it said.

"(It will) instead pursue specific measures, pillars or objectives which are deemed achievable and implementable,” the statement said.

It pointed out that the summit is also very much aware that to pursue these pillars and objectives with too big a grouping will make it unwieldy and may fail even before it starts.

The PM’s Office explained that the selection of key nations as KL Summit 2019 participants is for the specific objectives, but the list is not exhaustive once these initiatives have taken off.

The summit, it said, attempts to spark a new approach in ummah collaboration.

"And if it is able to achieve something, then it would be able to be presented to the larger Islamic grouping and a bigger number of Muslim nations to evaluate whether these initiatives should be pursued on a larger scale,” it said.

The statement noted that for this summit only a few national leaders have been asked to participate.

"But Malaysia wishes to reiterate that all 56 countries of the Islamic world were invited and all 56 are represented at various levels,” the PM’s Office said.

"We pray that our initiative will receive the blessings of Allah s.w.t,” it concluded. ― Bernama