SOMENI HII KUHUSU OIC LABFA ITASAIDIA KUIELEWA
History and goals of OIC
Since the nineteenth century,Muslims had aspired ideas of uniting their community to serve their common political, economic, and social interests. Despite the presence of secularist, nationalist, and socialist ideologies, in modern Muslim states, King Faysal of Saudi Arabia cooperated with other Muslim leaders to form the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The formation of the OIC happened in the backdrop of the loss of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The final cause sufficiently compelled leaders of Muslim nations were to meet in Rabat to establish the OIC in May 1971.
According to its charter, the OIC aims to preserve Islamic social and economic values; promote solidarity amongst member states; increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political areas; uphold international peace and security; and advance education, particularly in the fields of science and technology.
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.
On August 5, 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the 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.
President George W. 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.Sada Cumber became the US representative on March 3, 2008.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference rejected the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights as not being consistent with Sharia Law. In its place, they supported the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam . While many claim it is not an alternative to the UDHR, but rather complementary, Article 24 states "All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari'ah." and Article 25 follows that with "The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration."
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference on March 28, 2008 added its voice to the growing criticism of the film 'Fitna' by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, which features disturbing images of terrorist acts alleged to be superimposed over verses from the Quran.
Ninth meeting of PUOICM
The ninth meeting of the Council of PUOICM was held on 15 and 16 Feb 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 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.OIC is also discussing how it might send peacekeeping troops to Muslim states, as well as the possibility of a change in the name of the body and its charter.Additionally, return of the sovereignty right to the Iraqi people along with withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq is another one of the main issues on the agenda.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud 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 Makkah Al Mukarramah to seek the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Structure and organisation
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 Organisation, entrusted with the implementation of the decisions of the two preceding bodies, and is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The current secretary general of this international organisation is Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, from Turkey, since January 1, 2005.
Standing Committees
Standing Committee on Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC).
Standing Committee on Economic and Commercial 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 and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), located in Ankara, Turkey.
The Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), located in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Islamic University of Technology, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Islamic Centre 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 In Niger, located in Say, Niger.
The Islamic University In Uganda, located in Mbale, Uganda.
Specialised institutions
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), located in Rabat, Morocco.
The Islamic States Broadcasting Organisation (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.
Organisation 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.
General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions,(CIBAFI)located in Manama, Bahrain.
The Secretary General of the OIC
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)
Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia): (1971-1973)
Hassan Al-Touhami (Egypt): (1974-1975)
Dr. Amadou Karim Gaye (Senegal): (1975-1979)
Habib Chatty (Tunisia): (1979-1984)
Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada (Pakistan): (1985-1988)
Dr. Hamid Algabid (Niger): (1989-1996)
Dr. Azeddine Laraki (Morocco): (1997-2000)
Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz (Morocco): (2001-2004)
Prof.Dr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu (Turkey): (2005 to present)
Members
Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of 1969 Suspended 1980 - March 1989
Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of 1969
Chad, Republic of 1969
Egypt, Arab Republic of 1969 Suspended May 1979 - March 1984
Guinea, Republic of 1969
Indonesia, Republic of 1969
Iran, Islamic Republic of 1969
Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of 1969
Kuwait, State of 1969
Lebanon, Republic of 1969
Libya, Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 1969
Malaysia 1969
Mali, Republic of 1969
Mauritania, Islamic Republic of 1969
Morocco, Kingdom of 1969
Niger, Republic of 1969
Pakistan, Islamic Republic of 1969
Palestine, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization 1969
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of 1969
Senegal, Republic of 1969
Sudan, Republic of the 1969
Somalia 1969
Tunisia, Republic of 1969
Turkey, Republic of 1969
Yemen Arab Republic 1969 From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Bahrain, State of 1970 From 2003 as Kingdom of Bahrain
Oman, Sultanate of 1970
Qatar, State of 1970
Syrian Arab Republic 1970
United Arab Emirates, State of 1970
Sierra Leone, Republic of 1972
Bangladesh, People's Republic of 1974
Gabon, Republic of 1974
Gambia, Republic of the 1974
Guinea-Bissau, Republic of 1974
Uganda, Republic of 1974
Burkina Faso 1975
Cameroon, Republic of 1975
Comoros, Federal Islamic Republic of the 1976
Iraq, Republic of 1976
Maldives, Republic of 1976
Djibouti, Republic of 1978
Benin, Republic of 1982
Brunei Darussalam, Sultanate of 1984
Nigeria, Federal Republic of 1986
Azerbaijan, Republic of 1991
Albania, Republic of 1992
Kyrgyzstan, Republic of 1992
Tajikistan, Republic of 1992
Turkmenistan, Republic of 1992
Mozambique, Republic of 1994
Kazakhstan, Republic of 1995
Uzbekistan, Republic of 1995
Suriname, Republic of 1996
Togo, Republic of 1997
Guyana, Republic of 1998
Côte d'Ivoire, Republic of 2001
Suspended or Withdrawn
Zanzibar Jan 1993 Withdrew August 1993
Observer States
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1994
Central African Republic 1997
Northern Cyprus, Turkish Republic of (as Turkish Cypriot State) 1979 Official 2004
Thailand, Kingdom of 1998
Russian Federation 2005
Observer Muslim Organisations 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
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Membership in the OIC:
India has the second largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia) and has shown an interest in joining the OICs as an observer nation. While India's candidacy is supported by several OIC members including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iran and Egypt, some influential OIC members like Pakistan have blocked India's inclusion into the OIC. They argue that though India is home to more than 135 million Muslims, they form just over 13% of India's total population. (By comparison, Muslims form only 7.3% of Guyana's population, and no more than 15% of Russia's.)[citation needed]
Philippines - The Philippine government has made attempts to join the OIC, but this was opposed by the country's Muslim minority. Muslims make up only 5% (4.5 million) of the 90 million population in this predominantly Christian country.