Speech by Anwar Ibrahim at “Business Opportunities in the Muslim World” Conference in Washington DC, June 26 2009.

Ladies and Gentleman, respected guests, friends and colleagues from the United States and throughout the Muslim world.
I must apologize to the organizers, US Chamber of Commerce, CIPE, US Muslim World Engagement Project and to the guests attending today that I cannot be with you in person.
I have fond memories of the time I spent in Washington DC. This visit would have offered a much anticipated opportunity to visit friends and colleagues. However, as you may know, I have a rather difficult time dealing with the Malaysian Courts. No matter how we demonstrate their inadequacies in trying to prosecute against me they remain relentless in their resolve to inconvenience me. Consequently, I must make a series of previously unscheduled appearances in Court this week.
The stakes are high, so high indeed that we are once again witnessing the emasculation of the judiciary at the hands of the Executive. It is clear that the strategy is to have me incarcerated in order to stem the tide for greater freedom and democracy but I can say for sure that they are mistaken.
May I begin by saying that commerce and enterprise have been one of the primary mechanisms through which the Muslim world has engaged its neighbors to the East and West. Muslim traders and businessmen were among the primary agents of what we can accurately describe as globalization in the early centuries of the advent of Islam. While these early Muslims were possessed of a certain zeal to spread their newfound faith, one cannot deny the skill with which new trade routes were established to connect the rapidly growing empire. Ibn Saghir observed that as early as the middle of the 8th century faraway outposts on the edge of the Sahara were trading regularly with merchants from Basra, Kufa and Khorasan – at that time this distance was nothing short of epic. I would mention further that Ibn Saghir also noticed the regular interactions between Muslim and Jewish traders at the time. Southeast Asia is a telling example of a faraway land populated with diverse religions that was transformed into a major hub of Islamic civilization, not by military confrontation but rather through trade, commerce and the peaceful proselytizing of sufi saints.
The great European trading cities like Venice were frequent ports of call for traders from the Muslim world and great cities like Cairo and Istanbul were places of frequent mixing and intermingling. The focal point of the Muslim world and its spiritual center, Mecca, was as much a place of spiritual repose and retreat as it was the meeting point for caravans from East and West. Once a year this gathering would become the locus of exchange of goods and ideas and news and information from all points in the Muslim world and beyond.
Amidst the commercial activity were profound exchanges of philosophy and metaphysics and debates that cross and intersected religious divides. President Obama, in his historic Cairo speech earlier this month, alluded to the intellectual indebtedness of Europe to the Muslim world. There is no doubt that Renaissance Europe owes much of its antecedents to the transmission of knowledge in Muslim Spain and North Africa in the cities of Toledo, Granada and Fes – which themselves represented a thriving economy as well as a pre-Columbian conduit for exploration to the New World.
This historical legacy underscores the need for a forum such as this in which views can be expressed with forthrightness and sincerity. Our goal is in clear sight. Our objective today is to consider the historical moment in which we live – a global recession of epic proportions; a Muslim world in transition and flux, and an American administration truly committed to engagement and understanding.
Credit is due to President Obama for his efforts to begin a rapprochement with the Muslim world. His initial pronouncements to close Guantanamo Bay, end the war in Iraq and assert his administration’s efforts towards a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict were received with cautious optimism. The address in Cairo along with his visit to Turkey in April asserted his belief that America and the Muslim world can be partners not only in ensuring greater security but also in pursuing a common agenda.

We are not talking about merely tolerating the differences in culture and religion or merely respecting the divergent views and perspectives but this is a common agenda defined by common and shared values of freedom, human rights and the pursuit of a meaningful and purposeful livelihood. In this agenda, there should be no color bars, no geographical boundaries and no linguistic and religious divide.
Nevertheless, reality does bite hard – and the administration has faced obstacles in each of these major endeavors. Skeptics will be quick to point out that thus far everything has been mere rhetoric. They say this administration won’t be much different from the previous. However, we say that it is premature to draw conclusions on eventual outcomes.
As a matter of fact, I remain optimistic that if America can find credible partners in the Muslim world with which to pursue this agenda the possibilities for charting a new course are immense.
The recession which has spread around the world has highlighted the fundamental weaknesses inherent in our traditional financial systems. The ripple effect of the collapse on Wall Street last fall with economies around the world has also laid waste to the notion of firewalls protecting certain areas. It is true that the decoupling school of thought was fast becoming the new mantra of progress particularly for the emerging markets until of course the financial meltdown jolted everyone back to their senses. But we should not look at this financial crisis only in a negative light. On the contrary, it is abundantly clear that the ties that bind people around the world are strong and can be harnessed even during these contractionary times.
Promoting stronger commercial relationships between these two worlds must be punctuated with an unrelenting commitment to good governance and transparency. It is not simply the realm of government to achieve these objectives. In fact, no matter how much governments impose legislation on ethical practices, these rules only have a transformative impact on the way business is done if there is a competitive advantage to be gained.
Rather it is increasingly part of the competitive forces driving investment and strengthening shareholder value to engage in responsible business practices.

Saudi Arabia and Jordan have taken a lead in this respect, commissioning intensive research into responsible competitiveness within their own kingdoms. Other Muslim countries ought to consider similar strategies in their efforts to attract investment from abroad that is increasingly concerned with issues such as climate change, sustainability and fair labour practices.
Underlying these responsible practices are credible institutions which adhere to the rule of law and nurture the development of healthy and vibrant civil societies. For businesses to operate efficiently courts must only be impartial and fair but must also be seen to be so in their adjudication of disputes. For corruption and the abuse of power, be it corporate or government, the media must be free to report and analyse the actions of those who wield power. Free and fair elections are only the starting point for democracy; as fundamental as they are, they are just one piece in a larger puzzle. This means that governments in the end must reflect the hopes and aspirations of their people.

Thank you.