IPOH, July 29 — The global Muslim community is divided, said the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah.
“In light of the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) trend and the terrible conflicts, it seems only fitting that, since the last gathering of this conference, our focus should once again be on humanity.
“We are not standing together. Some of us thrive, while others, even at this very moment, are suffering dreadful hardships and deprivation,” Sultan Nazrin said in his royal address at the 7th World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilisation (WCIT) Casuarina Meru Hotel here.
Sultan Nazrin emphasised on the word “together” on the this year’s theme for the conference ‘Together We Stand: Muslims and Global Humanity’.
“So today, I want to reflect on how we can help some of the most vulnerable members of our international community in particular, those living in poverty and hardship, as well as children from all backgrounds.
“I want to reiterate that we do not stand ‘together’ until all of us are standing. We must not be content to leave a single member of our global community behind,” he said.
He said that it is a duty for a Muslim to help others.
“As the Quran teaches, ‘If anyone saves a life, it will be as if he had saved all of humanity,’” he said, adding that the message was unequivocal.
He said children of all faiths and backgrounds are disproportionately affected by poverty, humanitarian crises, and conflict.
“There are currently four million children in Sudan facing acute malnutrition, 3.5million children living under severe to catastrophic levels of need, while in Gaza, half of the 1.7 million people displaced from their homes are children.
“These children are losing their families, their homes, their loved ones and, all too often, tragically, their lives.
“Even those who survive through conflict and famine are at risk of losing their futures, as they do not have access to education,” he said.
