The flag of the Organ of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Membership in the OIC:
The 'Organization of the Islamic Conference' ('OIC'; ''; ; ; ; ; ) located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia is an inter-governmental organization with a Permanent Delegation to the
United Nations. It groups 57 nations, most of which are
Islamic, in the
Middle East, North, West and Southern
Africa,
Central Asia,
Europe,
Southeast Asia, the
Indian subcontinent and
South America. It is the second largest
international organization after the
United Nations. The official languages of the organization are
Arabic,
English and
French.
History and goals
The primary goals of the OIC are, according to its Status, "to promote solidarity among all Islamic member states.
The OIC was set up in
Rabat,
Morocco, on
September 25,
1969 in reaction to an
arson attack against the
Al-Aqsa Mosque on
August 21,
1969. It is the second largest
international organisation after the
United Nations.
The flag of the OIC (shown above) has an overall green background (symbolic of
Islam). In the center, there is an upward-facing red
crescent enveloped in a white disc. On the disc the words "
Allahu Akbar" are written in modern
Arabic calligraphy.
In 1982, the foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the controversial plan to Immigrate, Populate, Dominate to serve as a guidance for the member states in the matters of world domination and the Islamic presence in other non-muslim countries.
On
August 5, 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the controversial
Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam to serve as a guidance for the member states in the matters of human rights.
Recent Issues
The
Parliamentary Union of the OIC member states (PUOICM) was established in
Iran in 1999 and its head office is situated in
Tehran. Only OIC members are entitled to membership in the union.
[1]
President Bush announced on June 27 2007 that the United States will establish an envoy to the OIC. Bush said of the envoy ``Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states, and will share with them America's views and values.''
[2]
Ninth meeting of PUOICM
The ninth meeting of the Council of PUOICM was held on 15 and 16 Feb 2007 in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
[3]. Speaker of Malaysia's
House of Representatives,
Ramli bin Ngah Talib, delivered a speech at the beginning of the inaugural ceremony. OIC secretary-general Prof Dr
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said prior to the meeting that one main agenda item is stopping Israel from continuing its excavation at the
Western Wall near the
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.
[4] OIC is also discussing how it might send peacekeeping troops to Muslim nations,
[5] and the possibility of a change in the name of the body as well as its charter.
[6] Additionally, return of the sovereignty right to the Iraqi people along with withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq is another main issues on the agenda.
[7]
Pakistani Foreign Minister
Khurshid Kasuri told reporters on
14 February 2007 that the Secretary General of OIC and foreign ministers of seven “like-minded Muslim countries” will meet in
Islamabad on
25 February 2007 following meetings of
President Musharraf with heads of key Muslim countries to discuss “a new initiative” for the resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kasuri said this will be a meeting of foreign ministers of key Muslim countries to discuss and prepare for a summit in
Mecca to seek the resolution of the
Arab-Israeli conflict.
[8]
Structure and Organization
The OIC system consists of:
The Islamic Summit
The largest organ, attended by the Kings and the Heads of State and Government of the member states, convened every three years.
The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers
It meets once a year to examine a progress report on the implementation of its decisions taken within the framework of the policy defined by the Islamic Summit.
The Permanent Secretariat
It is the executive organ of the Organization, entrusted with the implementation of the decisions of the two preceding bodies, and is located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia. Current secretary general of this international organization is
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, from
Turkey, since
January 1 2005.
Standing Committees
★ Standing Committee on Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC).
★ Standing Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation (COMCEC).
★
Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (
COMSTECH).
★ Islamic Committee for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs.
★ Permanent Finance Committee.
★ Financial Control Organ.
Subsidiary Organs
★ The
Statistical, Economic, Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC), located in
Ankara,
Turkey.
★ The
Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), located in
Istanbul,
Turkey.
★ The
Islamic University of Technology, located in
Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
★ The
Islamic Center for the Development of Trade, located in
Casablanca,
Morocco.
★ The
Islamic Fiqh Academy, located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
★ The
Executive Bureau of the Islamic Solidarity Fund and its
Waqf, located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
★ The
Islamic University of Niger, located in
Say, Niger.
★ The
Islamic University of Uganda, located in
Mbale,
Uganda.
Specialized Institutions
★ The
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), located in
Rabat,
Morocco.
★ The
Islamic States Broadcasting Organization (ISBO) and the
International Islamic News Agency (IINA), located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
Affiliated institutions
★
Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), located in
Karachi,
Pakistan.
★
World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), located in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
★
Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities (OICC), located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
★
Sports Federation of Islamic Solidarity Games, located in
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.
★
Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC), located in
Benghazi,
Libya.
★
Islamic Shipowners Association (ISA), located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
★
World Federation of International Arab-Islamic Schools, located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
★
International Association of Islamic Banks (IAIB), located in
Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
★
Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation,(ICYF-DC)located in
Istanbul,
Turkey.
The Secretary General of the OIC
# H.R.H.
Tunku Abdul Rahman (
Malaysia): (1971-1973)
# H.E.
Hassan Al-Touhami (
Egypt): (1974-1975)
# H.E. Dr.
Amadou Karim Gaye (
Senegal): (1975-1979)
# H.E. Mr.
Habib Chatty (
Tunisia): (1979-1984)
# H.E.
Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada (
Pakistan): (1985-1988)
# H.E. Dr.
Hamid Algabid (
Niger): (1989-1996)
# H.E. Dr.
Azeddine Laraki (
Morocco): (1997-2000)
# H.E. Dr.
Abdelouahed Belkeziz (
Morocco): (2001-2004)
# H.E. Prof. Dr.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (
Turkey): (2005 to present)
Members
''Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the "><" icon.''
| Country | Joined | Notes |
|---|
| , Islamic Republic of | 1969 | Suspended 1980 - March 1989 |
| , People's Democratic Republic of | 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Arab Republic of | 1969 | Suspended May 1979 - March 1984 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Islamic Republic of | 1969 |
| , Hashemite Kingdom of | 1969 |
| , State of | 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya | 1969 |
| 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Islamic Republic of | 1969 |
| , Kingdom of | 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Islamic Republic of | 1969 |
| , State of | 1969 |
| Yemen Arab Republic | 1969 | From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's Democratic Republic of Yemen |
| , Kingdom of | 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Republic of the | 1969 |
| 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , Republic of | 1969 |
| , State of | 1970 |
| , Sultanate of | 1970 |
| , State of | 1970 |
| n Arab Republic | 1970 |
| , State of | 1970 |
| , Republic of | 1972 |
| , People's Republic of | 1974 |
| , Republic of | 1974 |
| , Republic of the | 1974 |
| , Republic of | 1974 |
| , Republic of | 1974 |
| 1975 |
| , Republic of | 1975 |
| , Federal Islamic Republic of the | 1976 |
| , Republic of | 1976 |
| , Republic of | 1976 |
| , Republic of | 1978 |
| , Republic of | 1982 |
| Darussalam, Sultanate of | 1984 |
| , Federal Republic of | 1986 |
| , Republic of | 1991 |
| , Republic of | 1992 |
| , Republic of | 1992 |
| , Republic of | 1992 |
| , Republic of | 1992 |
| Zanzibar | January 1993 | Withdrew August 1993 |
| , Republic of | 1994 |
| , Republic of | 1995 |
| , Republic of | 1995 |
| , Republic of | 1996 |
| , Republic of | 1997 |
| , Republic of | 1998 |
| , Republic of | 2001 |
| Observer States |
|---|
| 1994 |
| 1997 |
| (Turkish Cypriot State) | 1979 |
| , Kingdom of | 1998 |
| n Federation | 2005 |
| Observer Muslim Organizations and Communities | |
|---|---|
| Moro National Liberation Front | 1977 |
| Observer Islamic Institutions | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States | 2000 |
| Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation | 2005 |
| Observer International Organizations | |
|---|---|
| League of Arab States | 1975 |
| United Nations | 1976 |
| Non-Aligned Movement | 1977 |
| Organization of African Unity | 1977 |
| Economic Cooperation Organization | 1995 |
Membership attempts
★ - has the
third largest Muslim population in the world and had shown its interest in joining the OIC, as an observer nation. While India's candidature is supported by several OIC members including Saudi Arabia and Egypt,
[1] some influential OIC members like Pakistan have blocked India's inclusion into the OIC. They argue that though India is home to more than 175 million Muslims, they form just over 16% of India's total population. Another factor affecting India's induction into the OIC is the
Kashmir dispute. Some members of the OIC support the Pakistani claim over the entire region of
Kashmir.
[2] Also, India established full diplomatic relations with
Israel in 1992 and reduced its support for the Palestinian cause. Relations between India and OIC severed in 2001 when the latter criticised India for not doing enough to stop the alleged human rights violations against Muslims in the Indian state of
Jammu and Kashmir. India rejected the charge saying the OIC did not have "
locus standi" on matters relating to India's internal affairs.
[3] The
Indian government no longer seeks OIC membership.
★ - The Philippine government has made attempts to join the OIC, but was opposed by its Muslim minority of the state. Muslims make up only 5% (4.5 million) of the 90 million population in this predominately Catholic country.
[4]
Past Islamic Summit Conferences
| Number | Date | Country | Place |
|---|
| 1st | 1969, September 22-September 25 | | Rabat |
| 2nd | 1974, February 22-February 24 | | Lahore |
| 3rd | 1981, January 25-January 29 | | Mecca and Taif |
| 4th | 1984, January 16-January 19 | | Casablanca |
| 5th | 1987, January 26-January 29 | | Kuwait City |
| 6th | 1991, December 9-December 11 | | Dakar |
| 7th | 1994, December 13-December 15 | | Casablanca |
| 1st Extraordinary | 1997, March 23 | | Islamabad |
| 8th | 1997, December 9-December 11 | | Tehran |
| 9th | 2000, November 12-November 13 | | Doha |
| 2nd Extraordinary | 2003, March 5 | | Doha |
| 10th | 2003, October 16-October 17 | | Putrajaya |
| 3rd Extraordinary | 2005, December 7-December 8 | | Makkah Al Mukarramah |
Economy
Main articles: Economy of the OIC
The OIC members have a combined
GDP (at
PPP) of $5,540 billion. The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita (ppp) is
United Arab Emirates.
Notes
1. An Indo-Arab blunder?
2. OIC supports Pakistan on Kashmir, The Hindu, Saturday, 18 October 2003. (accessed on 10 December 2006)
3. India Rejects OIC Resolution on Kashmir
4. Metro Broadcast Corp, ''Filipino Muslims oppose Manila's bid to join OIC'', 24 May 2006
See also
★
Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
★
Islamic University of Technology
★
International Islamic Relief Organization
★
List of OIC countries by population
★
Abdullah O. Nasseef
External links
★ 'Official'
The Organization of the Islamic Conference
★ 'Official'
Islamic Conference with documents and information from the latest Summit (Arabic, English, French)
★ 'UN'
Organization of the Islamic Conference
★
April 14 2006:
Intifada Conference In Tehran Has Multiple Objectives Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty
★
December 12 2005:
Guardian Unlimited - An extraordinary meeting Brian Whitaker
★
April 15 2005:
Dinar Standard - Is Intra-OIC Trade finally taking off?
★
October 18 2003:
speech from Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad speech at the 10th OIC Summit
★
September 5 2003:
Fredrick Töben Speaks at Iran's Intifada Conference National Vanguard
★
September 14 2001:
statements from the Organization of Islamic Conference
★
May 26 2001:
OIC Calls for Suspension of Ties with Israel CNN Archives
★
The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC)
★
Islam and Science: The data gap
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