Muslims to Acquire Knowledge - Tun Mahathir

Xinhuanet 2002-05-07 16:14:47

　　KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Malaysian Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad (At present ex- PM) Tuesday reminded Muslims of the importance of knowledge and skills, saying the acquisition of knowledge that contributes to the well-being of the Muslims is a primary obligation.

　　The prime minister said the quest for knowledge was the first step towards the fulfilment of the Muslim injunction to be charitable, and to endow the wealth earned for the well-being of the Muslims and their need for institutions and facilities to perform their ritual and injunction obligations as Muslims.

　　"With skills we can enrich ourselves and enrich our society. Wecan produce things and invent things, trade and manufacture," he said in his keynote address at the Seventh Conference of the Ministers of Endowment and Islamic Affairs which opened here Monday.

　　Mahathir reminded Muslims that they were craftsmen and thinkersbut for a long time they had stopped improving their production ortheir thinking.

　　They kept on laboriously producing things by hand one by one, which could not supply the needs of the six billion plus people inthe world, he said.

　　He noted that because Muslims did not know how to mass produce goods to meet the demand of a mass market, they became poor and consequently were not able to give alms and to endow towards the Muslim community.

　　"On every occasion we pray for Allah's help but Allah will not help us because we have not help ourselves," he said.

　　"It is shameful and unislamic that all we Muslims can do when the Israelis massacred the Palestinians in Jenin and elsewhere is to appeal to others for pity and help," he said, noting it was clear that Muslims had not been doing anything to change their ownhelplessness.

　　Mahathir said Muslims had themselves to blame if they could notexpect charity from fellow Muslims who were equally poor and oppressed.

　　"If we want to fulfill the Islamic injuction that we be charitable then we must use our brains and brawn among us and to provide the amenities for the performance of what is obligatory for us as Muslims," he said.

　　Some 250 delegates from over 50 Islamic countries are attendingthe conference.

Original title: Malaysian PM Urges Muslims to Acquire Knowledge
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-05/07/content_383130.htm
Xinhuanet 2002-05-07 16:14:47