KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Muslims were divided because they neglected the true teachings of Islam.
He said, due to differences amongst them, Muslims tended to fight each other and did not want to work with other Muslim countries.
“We should be guided by the Quran, it’s the best guide for all. If you follow the Quran, you’ll not be split into different political parties … but when we ignore the Quran, we forget that the source of Islam is the Quran which contains the words of Allah,” he said.
He said this when addressing the two-day Global Muslim Conference on Unity and Economy organised by the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia here yesterday.
Dr Mahathir reckoned that other factors that might cause divisions among Muslim communities were weaknesses in managing wealth and assets, as well as failure to maintain stability.
He noted that Muslim countries were blessed with numerous assets like oil, but the question was whether money generated from these resources were being used proficiently.
“I’m quite sure we have the money to finance the poor people in the Muslim world, we have the capacity to help
them.
“… If we use our wealth properly, we can provide infrastructure for all poor Muslim countries, they will have medical care, schools and these people will grow their country and could contribute to the development of the ummah,” he said.
He said stability of a country was vital to attract more investments that would benefit the people. — Bernama