Modern colonialism affects Islamic societies through laws and cultural values

Rinto Setiawan, Deputy Director of the Sekolah Ngarwan Institute of Indonesia, in an interview with the Taghrib News Agency (TNA), regarding the holding of the International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, stated: "This conference covers very important and numerous issues, but from our perspective, its goal and direction still require further examination and clarification."

Stating that one of the most important obstacles to the unity of people in the current situation is the existence of modern colonialism, he added: "Colonialism in today's world is no longer exercised solely in a military form through war and territorial conquest. Rather, new forms of colonialism are imposed on societies through regulations, laws, values, ethics, and culture."

This Muslim thinker continued: "From our perspective, one of the important pathways for the influence of modern colonialism is the legal systems and constitutions of Islamic countries. For this reason, we suggest that the participants in this conference and the members of its committees pay more attention and study to this issue, because if the dimensions of this matter are not properly recognized, a kind of integration within the framework of colonial structures may take shape."

Emphasizing the necessity of specialized examination of this issue, he said: "The existence of the concept of the 'state' has allowed colonialism to exert greater influence through law and the constitution. Therefore, it is essential to hold a specialized meeting or assembly with the presence of legal experts from Islamic countries to study the legal dimensions of modern colonialism and exchange views among specialists."

In conclusion, he expressed hope that with a better understanding of the dimensions and new methods of colonialism, the ground would be laid for reducing tensions and preventing military conflicts in the region, and added: "We hope that the imposed war on Iran will end as soon as possible."