The Senegalese President made a vibrant speech in which he did not spare the west for its role in the degradation of relationships between the west and Muslims, creating a gap that can lead to a real clash of civilizations. However, it is the role that Senegal can play as chairman of the OIC in the next three years that will impact the most on the Muslim world.

Senegal is one of the few African nations that can claim to be fully democratic with a free and powerful media, a high respect of human rights and the free flow of information with the freedom of expression practiced locally. These are the basic but essential prerequisites that are needed to ensure the liberation of the people from the shackles of government control and suppression that is existent in too many Muslim states.

Senegal can use its momentum and the fresh handing over of the chairmanship to its presidency to help boos the Muslim democratic image in the Islamic world. It could do tie-ups with Indonesia for example to help it push for more freedom of the press, freedom of expression and certainly the respect of human rights in Muslim countries that are still behind their own walls of Berlin.

Indonesia had its fair share of troubles and oppression during the reign of late President Suharto. Since the ‘reformasi’, the country has witnessed an incredible transformation, a shift towards democratic principles that has amazed observers across the world. It is now cited as a rare case where Islam and democracy can live together. Today it is comparable to Senegal , one of the oldest Muslim democracies where rights are respected and the defense of freedoms are guaranteed by a powerful opposition and a very gullible press.

Indonesia played a major role during the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in November last year held in Singapore . It helped keep the Asian body intact and prevent the expulsion of Myanmar from the organization. This was done by the diplomatic approach of the Indonesian presidency at the summit.

Experts told WFOL at the Asean summit that Indonesia had played a great role as a democratic Muslim nation and used persuasion to buy time for Myanmar and repulse an offensive by western powers that tried to control the decision making process within the Asean.

The OIC meeting at Dakar was so far without any strong pressures from western nations and incredibly enough, France did not have much to say in the pact signed between Chad and Sudan on the 13^th. France plays a dominant role in Chad , almost virtually controlling the political future of the country thanks to its strong presence in the country. Sources say Paris , with Nicholas Sarkozy as President, is pulling stings behind the scene to create permanent tension between Chad and Sudan and Chad and libya .

As a nation fully entrenched in the democratic process, Senegal is moving away from its French influence and has promised to open its borders for more OIC based partners in a political will to embrace the Islamic Ummah internationally. This implicates greater ties with the Muslim world and continued cooperation with countries like France and the United States or Russia and China . However, it also entails the loss of influence of the French nation, a former colonial power in Senegal , with the current changes the country is witnessing.

This shift in diplomatic guns also indicates that the OIC meeting is being carried without too much influence from the Western nations that has the habit of interfering in the affairs of the Muslim world.

The US is said to be pressing for a seat as observer after having failed to influence some members of the OIC to push for a permanent seat as special observer nation within the conference. Had the US have the chance to be a permanent seat holder in the body, it would have been able for Washington to decide all the moves and participate in all the decision making process of the organization.

Leaving a sense of power and control over the Muslim states is an essential part of the end of the Bush regime. Hence the multiple attempts at brining the Muslim organization to agree to a deal that will revolutionize the way things are done in the Muslim world.

Recent information obtained by WFOL say the US is seeking higher influence on the OIC. Washington is apparently not pleased with the fact that the OIC is standing united on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the condemnation by the whole Islamic world of the torture and other inhuman methods used by the U.S.

Though it is expected that the fragile peace pact signed between Chad and Sudan may not hold for a long time, the effect may be greater than expected to the extent that Sudan would have proven that it is willing to deal with the Chad issue peacefully. Sources within the corridors of the OIC meeting at Dakar said Sudan was always willing to sit with Chad and deal with the issues but Chad was using rhetoric’s and even accused Sudan of using Chad rebels to cross its borders on Wednesday 12^th March itself.

There were reports that the Sudanese Minster of Foreign Affairs present at the Summit was also willing to hold a live debate with his Chadian counterpart but that the latter refused on the basis that there was still a conflict between the two nations.

This reinforces the perception that France is well behind the scene in the war that is ongoing between the two nations and that is currently on hold with the fragile peace pact signed in Dakar on 13^th March.

Senegal which has a proven track record of diplomacy has once again proven that by using the Islamic principle of peace and harmony, it could bring two warring factions to the peace talks, thus diminishing the role played by former western colonial powers in the region.

Nevertheless, the Senegalese and Indonesian governments would gain by working together on various projects for the enhancing of Islamic democracy within the OIC. This could be done through various forums and discussions that could be held in Senegal , Indonesia and any other willing nations from the OIC. The two nations have proven that democracy and Islam can be together and that Muslims can find a bridge where Islam meets democracy.