At the end of an Islamic summit in Malaysia, Mahathir praised Iran and Qatar for withstanding economic embargoes and said that it was important for the Muslim world to be self-reliant to face future threats. “I have suggested that we revisit the idea of trading using the gold dinar and barter trade among us,” Mahathir said, referring to the Islamic medieval gold coin. The summit, which was snubbed by Saudi Arabia, was criticized for undermining the Saudi Arabia-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which represents 57 Muslim-majority nations. All OIC members were invited to the Kuala Lumpur Summit, but only about 20 showed up, Malaysia said. Without naming any country, Mahathir said that there is concern that Muslims in non-Muslim countries are being forced to undergo assimilation.

Source: Taipei Times December 21, 2019 16:07 UTC