That is the desire of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference:

SANAA (AFP) Foreign ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) opened a meeting with a call for a Muslim permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged a greater role for Muslim countries in world affairs and demanded a "permanent representation for the Islamic world on the UN Security Council".

"The Islamic world, which represents one fifth of total mankind, cannot remain excluded from the activities of the Security Council which assumes a fundamental role in keeping security and peace in the world," he said Tuesday.

Uh, no; I don't think we should ever agree to an Islamic seat on the UN Security Council. Islam is just a religion - no more important in secular world affairs than any other religion. Having a seat secured to an Islamic representative would be as absurd as having a seat reserved for a Catholic or a Bhuddist.

This is not to say that there shouldn't be a seat on the UN Security Council for the middle east or Africa. I'd like to see India on the Council to provide a seat for south Asia and Brazil to provide a seat for South America; the two particular nations because they are the largest, most powerful and influential nations of their respective areas. A middle eastern seat would naturally be either Turkey or Iran, while Africa would fall to Egypt, Nigeria or South Africa - but we shouldn't get into sectarian set-asides on the world body.

Among the many things needed in the reform of the Moslem world is a recognition by Moslems that they are just one of many religions - respected only for how much good they do in the world, but not accorded any special privileges.

Hat Tip: Dean's World