Not long ago, we wrote about the loud statement made by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohammad, who, while speaking in Turkey, declared that these two countries, together with Pakistan, could become a kind of axis for the revival of Islamic civilization.
We commented on this news at the time: «We would like to believe this, but words alone are not enough. A young Malaysian journalist’s question to the leader about specific measures to protect Muslim minorities such as the Uyghurs, and Mahathir’s response, are telling in this regard. He rightly noted that it is easy to make statements, but effective action is needed, emphasizing once again that cooperation between Malaysia, Turkey and Pakistan could contribute to this.
Well, in their time, the cooperation of post-war Germany and France became the foundation upon which the still unfinished edifice of a united Europe was later built. However, this required going beyond bilateral relations, initiating a supranational integration process, and inviting other European countries to join.
Can Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia initiate a similar process? Or will each remain on its own, and all talk of Islamic unity will remain talk? The question posed is still relevant today, and it seems that it will remain so for a long time to come, considering Muslims’ distrust of well-known fake structures of inter-Muslim cooperation, such as the OIC, OIS, etc., whose imitation activities mainly amount to holding meaningless conferences that are necessary for their organizers to waste budgets and attend lavish banquets.
Recently, however, there has been a slightly more optimistic outlook on the prospects of the so-called «Islamic Trio» outlined by Mahathir and the benefits it can bring to the entire Ummah. In particular, after a meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced to journalists that Pakistan, Malaysia, and Turkey have agreed to create a new global television channel to report on and counter Islamophobia. If these plans come to fruition, it can be seen as a transition from words to deeds and a good practical start for the «Islamic Trio».
Of course, there is still a long way to go from this to the possibility of creating an Islamic NATO, a common market, and so on. However, launching such supranational projects for the benefit of the entire Ummah could be the first step in this direction.