12/14/2004 7:03:00 AM GMT
Source: AP
Malaysia's leader, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, called on the Muslim nations Tuesday to empower women by providing them with enough education and work opportunities to help curb poverty all over the Muslim world.
"Although there are pockets of the very rich and affluent in the Muslim world, poverty and income inequities remain a widespread feature of the Muslim world," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said in a written speech.
Mr. Badawi’ s written speech was read out at an international conference on helping impoverished Islamic countries by Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yackop as Abdullah canceled his appearance at the last minute.
In his speech, Mr. Badawi said that at least 30 Muslim countries have an annual per capita income of less than US$1,000 (آ€752).
Thus, Muslims are "perceived to be synonymous with poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, corruption, oppression and even tyranny," said Mr. Badawi, who chairs the world's largest Muslim grouping.
Part of the problem is that women - who form two-thirds of illiterate adults in Muslim countries - are usually deprived of education which makes them incapable of contributing to economic development, Mr. Badawi said.
Malaysia is one of the most progressive members of the OIC, Organization of the Islamic Conference, providing equal opportunities to women who work alongside men in all fields.
However, Mr. Badawi didn’t mention any countries in his criticism, but apparently he was referring to some of the Middle East countries as well as Afghanistan, where traditions force women to remain as homemakers.
"Empowering women to take a more active role in the economy will enable them to be economically independent as individuals," Mr. Badawi said. "This will automatically help to lower poverty levels in a country, especially if (they) are able to participate in the economy."
Moreover, Muslim countries should start creating more effective financial policies, train unskilled workers and cooperate more with other Islamic nations in economic development, Mr. Badawi added.
He also said that Malaysia was a living proof that there is a big chance for such programs to succeed in most of the Muslim countries.
Malaysia has become one of Southeast Asia's richest and most industrialized nations after it succeeded in reducing its poverty rate from 50 percent to 5 percent.