Organisation of the Islamic Conference

MAIN POINT

Contents

1   History and goals

2   Members

o 2.1   Democracy

o 2.2   Freedom

o 2.3   Literacy and scholarship

o 2.4   Economy

3   Positions

o 3.1   Ninth meeting of PUOICM

o 3.2   Human Rights

o 3.3   Antisemitism

o 3.4   Terrorism

o 3.5   Dispute with Thailand

o 3.6   Dispute with India

4   Structure and organisation

o 4.1   The Islamic Summit

o 4.2   The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers

o 4.3   The Permanent Secretariat

o 4.4   Standing Committees

o 4.5   Subsidiary organs

o 4.6   Specialised institutions

o 4.7   Affiliated institutions

5   The Secretary General of the OIC

6   Member states

اإلسالمي المؤتمر منظمةOrganisation de la Conférence IslamiqueOrganisation of the Islamic Conference

Flag

   Member States

   Observer States

   Blocked States

Administrative center Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Official languages Arabic, English,French

Membership 57 member states

Leaders

 - Secretary-General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu

Establishment

 - OIC Charter signed September 25, 1969 

Population

 -  estimate Over 1.4 billion (2008) 

Websitehttp://www.oic-oci.org/

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

ROLE OF OIC

FUNCTION

WORKING ON FURTHER

MEMBER OF COUNTRIES

CONCLUSION

Introduction OF OIC

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an inter-governmental organization grouping fifty-six States. These States decided to pool their resources together, combine their efforts and speak with one voice to safeguard the interest

and ensure the progress and well-being of their peoples and those of other Muslims in the world over. 

The Organization was established in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on 12 Rajab 1389H (25 September 1969) when the First meeting of the leaders of the Islamic world was held in this city in the wake of the criminal arson perpetrated on 21 August 1969 by

Zionist elements against Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem. It was indeed in order to defend the honour, dignity and faith of the Muslims, to face this bitter challenge launched in the holy city of Al-Quds so dear to them and against the

Mosque of Al-Aqsa, the first Qibla and third holiest Shrine of Islam, that the leaders of the Muslim world, at their Summit in Rabat, seized that event - which brought about

unanimous worldwide condemnation and reprobation - to think together of their common cause and muster the force required to overcome their differences, unite and lay the foundations of this large grouping of States, that is, the Organization of

the Islamic Conference which they entrusted, in absolute priority, with liberating Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa from Zionist occupation. 

Six months after that historical meeting, i.e. in Muharram 1390H (March 1970), the First Islamic Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Jeddah set up a permanent General Secretariat, to ensure a liaison among Member States and

charged it to coordinate their action. The Conference appointed its Secretary General and chose Jeddah as the Headquarters of the Organization, pending the liberation of

Jerusalem, which would be the permanent Headquarters. 

Two and a half years after Rabat, in Muharram 1392H (February 1972), the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, meeting in its Third Session, adopted the Charter of the Organization, whose purpose is to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among

Islamic States in the political, economic, cultural, scientific and social fields.

Under the Charter, the Organization aims to:

. Strengthen: 

a) Islamic solidarity among Member States; 

b) Cooperation in the political, economic, social, cultural and scientific fields: c) The struggle of all Muslim people to safeguard their dignity, independence and national rights. 

2. Coordinate action to: 

a) Safeguard the Holy Places;b) Support the struggle of the Palestinian people and assist them in recovering their rights and liberating their occupied territories. 

3. Work to: 

a) Eliminate racial discrimination and all forms of colonialism; b) Create a favorable atmosphere for the promotion of cooperation and understanding between Member States and other countries. 

The Charter also enumerates principles which OIC Member States undertake to inspire themselves from, in order to achieve the objectives of the Organization. 

The Charter also enumerates the principles governing OIC activities, namely: 

1. Full equality among Member States 2.Observation of the right to self determination and non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States 3. Observation of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of each State 4.The settlement of any dispute that might arise among Member States by peaceful means such as negotiations, mediation, conciliation and arbitration 5. A pledge to refrain, in relations among Member States, from resorting to force or threatening to resort to the use of force against the unity and territorial integrity or the political independence of any one of them 

In order to achieve its objectives, the Organization has main bodies, secondary organs, institutions and specialized committees.

The Islamic Conference is composed of the following main bodies

The Conference of Kings and Heads of State and Government, is the supreme authority of the Organization which meets once every three years to lay down the Organization's policy 

The Conference of Foreign Ministers, which 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 General Secretariat, which is the executive organ of the Organization, entrusted with the implementation of the decisions of the two preceding bodies. 

In order to coordinate and boost its action, align its view points and stands, and be credited with concrete results in the various fields of cooperation: political, economic, cultural, social, spiritual and scientific, among Member States, the Organization has created different committees, nearly all, at ministerial level, a number of which are chaired by Heads of State. The Al-Quds Committee, the Standing Committee for Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC), the Standing Committee for Economic and Trade Cooperation (COMCEC), the Standing Committee for Scientific and Technical

Cooperation (COMSTECH) and the Islamic Peace Committee are the ones Chaired by Heads of State. Fourteen Committees which have been thus established, deal with other important issues such as Palestine, the Sahel, Afghanistan, Kashmir etc. 

The number and types of secondary organs and institutions, working toward the achievement of the OIC objectives, have been steadily increasing, and cover various areas of cultural, scientific, economic, legal, financial, sports, technological, educational, media, as well as vocational, social and humanitarian. Depending on their degree of autonomy vis-a-vis the parent organization, they are classified as subsidiary and specialized organs, or affiliated institutions. 

Last but not least, it is worth mentioning that by the 3rd year of the World Decade for Cultural Development launched by the United Nations in 1988 under the auspices of UNESCO - the Organization of the Islamic Conference had built Islamic Colleges, and Cultural Institutes and Centres to spread Islamic culture and dispense the Teaching of Arabic, the language of the Holy Qur'an, as well as other languages

Pakistan's Role In the OIC.

Pakistan with its legacy rooted in the Islamic faith and its consistent support for Muslim causes, as well as in response to the overwhelming public support for the cause of liberation of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, was a founding member of the OIC in 1969. 

Relations with the Islamic world are the corner stone of foreign policy of Pakistan. As a founding member of the OIC Pakistan has an abiding commitment to the purposes, principles and objectives of its Charter. Pakistan has played an important role in strengthening cooperation among Muslim States by its active participation in the programmes and activities of the OIC. The efforts by Pakistan have received due acknowledgment in the OIC signified by its membership of all key OIC's Specialized Committees and Contact Groups on critical issues of the Islamic world - Palestine, Afghanistan, Jammu & Kashmir, Bosnia, Kosovo and Sahel. 

Pakistan is the Chairman of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) which has its Headquarters in Islamabad. Pakistan also host the Secretariat of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry( ICCI). The Office of the OIC's Secretary General's Special Representative on Afghanistan is based in Islamabad.

The Headquarters of the Islamic Telecommunication Union would also be established in Islamabad. Pakistan is the Chairman of the Council and the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUOICM).

Mr. Sharif-ud-Din Pirzada a noted Lawyer and a former Foreign Minister of Pakistan served as the Secretary General of the OIC from 1984 to 1988 . Pakistan is a member of all OIC subsidiary, affiliated and specialized Organs.

Pakistan hosted the second Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore on 22nd to 24th February 1974. Pakistan also hosted the Second Conference of the OIC Foreign Ministers (ICFM) held in Karachi from 26th to 28 December 1970, Eleventh ICFM in Islamabad from 17th to 22nd May 1980 and the Twenty-first ICFM held in Karachi on 25th to 29th April 1993. The Special Sessions of the OIC Foreign Ministers Conference in 1980 and in 1994 were also held in Pakistan.

To commemorate Fifty years of the Independence of Pakistan an Extra-ordinary Session of the Islamic Summit was held in Islamabad on 23rd March 1997. A large

number of the Islamic Heads of State and Government, in a grand gesture of solidarity with Pakistan attended the Summit meeting and conveyed their full support to the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Pakistan on this auspicious occasion. 

HISTORY AND BLACKGROUND

Since the 19th century, many Muslims had aspired to ummah to serve their common political,

economic, and social interests. Despite the presence of secularist, nationalist, and socialist

ideologies, in modern Muslim states, they have cooperated together to form the Organisation of

the Islamic Conference. The formation of the OIC happened shortly after the 1967 Arab-Israeli

War. Leaders of Muslim nations met in Rabat to establish the OIC on September 25, 1969.[1]

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

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 in as

much as they are compatible with the Sharia, or Quranic Law.[2]

On 24 February 2009, the International Zakat Organization in cooperation with the Organizatioin

of the Islamic Conferences announced the selection of the BMB Group to head up the

management of the Global Zakat and Charity Fund, with its CEO Rayo Withanage becoming the

co-chairman of the zakat fund. The fund is expected to contain 2 billion ringgits in 2010, about

US$650 million.[3

Members

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has 57 member states

Member State Joined Notes

 Afghanistan 1969 Suspended 1980 - March 1989

 Algeria 1969

 Chad 1969

 Egypt 1969 Suspended May 1979 - March 1984

 Guinea 1969

 Indonesia 1969

 Iran 1969

 Jordan 1969

 Kuwait 1969

 Lebanon 1969

 Libya 1969

 Malaysia 1969

 Mali 1969

 Mauritania 1969

 Morocco 1969

 Niger 1969

 Pakistan 1969 Blocking India from membership

 State of Palestine [4] 1969[5]

 Saudi Arabia 1969

 Senegal 1969

 Sudan 1969

 Somalia 1969

 Tunisia 1969

 Turkey 1969

 Yemen 1969From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

 Bahrain 1970

 Oman 1970

 Qatar 1970

 Syria 1970

 United Arab Emirates 1970

 Sierra Leone 1972

 Bangladesh 1974

 Gabon 1974

 Gambia 1974

 Guinea-Bissau 1974

 Uganda 1974

 Burkina Faso 1975

 Cameroon 1975

 Comoros 1976

 Iraq 1976

 Maldives 1976

 Djibouti 1978

 Benin 1982

 Brunei 1984

 Nigeria 1986

 Azerbaijan 1991

 Albania 1992

 Kyrgyzstan 1992

 Tajikistan 1992

 Turkmenistan 1992

 Mozambique 1994

 Kazakhstan 1995

 Uzbekistan 1995

 Suriname 1996

 Togo 1997

 Guyana 1998

 Côte d'Ivoire 2001

Suspended or Withdrawn

 Zanzibar 1993 Withdrew August 1993

Observer States

 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1994

 Central African Republic 1997

 North Cyprus as 'Turkish Cypriot State'

1979[6] Designation changed in 2004[7]

 Thailand 1998

 Russia 2005

The collective population of OIC member states is over 1.4 billion as 2008.

Democracy

Most OIC member countries are non-democratic. There are no OIC countries which are rated as

a "Full Democracy" under the Democracy Index guidelines, and only 3 of the 57 members are

rated as high as a "Flawed Democracy." The rest are rated either an "Authoritarian Regime" or a

"Hybrid Regime."

Freedom

Only 3 OIC member states were rated as Free in the Freedom in the World report in 2010 based

on Political Rights and Civil Liberties in the member countries.

Reporters Without Borders in its 2011 Press Freedom Index rated only Mali and Suriname among

the OIC members as having a Satisfactory Situation. All other members had worse ratings

ranging from Noticeable Problems to Very Serious Situation.

Freedom of religion is severely restricted in most OIC member states. In 2009, the US

Department of State cited OIC members Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan as

being Countries of Particular Concern, where religious freedom is severely violated.

Literacy and scholarship

OIC members on average are countries with lower literacy rates. Though some members such as

the former CIS states, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have over 99% literacty, literacy

rates are as low as 54% in Pakistan and Bangladesh and under 30% in Mali, Niger, Burkina

Faso, etc. The bottom 5 countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world are all OIC members.

Also, while some Islamic countries like Islamic Republic of Iran exhibited a high scientific

publication growth rate in 2009-10,[8] this is still only a fraction of scientific papers published by

any OECD nation. Some OIC countries have tried to kick-start scientific research. Saudi Arabia

has established KAUST and UAE has invested in Zayed University, United Arab Emirates

University, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, etc.[9] Dubai's Prime Minister and UAE

Vice-President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has also endowed a foundation with

$10 billion for invigorating Arab scientific research.[10] However, these investments are yet to yield

any significant results.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference

The OIC members have a combined GDP (at PPP) of USD 10,140,000,000,000.. Turkey had the

highest GDP in 2010 among OIC members at $729 billion at nominal exchange rates.[11] The

richest country on the basis of GDP per capita is Qatar at USD 103,204 per capital

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, convenes 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 inJeddah, 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 social, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (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

Secretaries-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference[47]

No. NameCountry of

originTook office Left office

1 Tunku Abdul Rahman  Malaysia 1971 1973

2 Hassan Al-Touhami  Egypt 1974 1975

3 Amadou Karim Gaye  Senegal 1975 1979

4 Habib Chatty  Tunisia 1979 1984

5 Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada  Pakistan 1985 1988

6 Hamid Algabid  Niger 1989 1996

7 Azeddine Laraki  Morocco 1997 2000

8 Abdelouahed Belkeziz  Morocco 2001 2004

9 Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu  Turkey 2005 Incumbent

Member states

The OIC has 57 member states.

[edit]Past Islamic Summit Conferences

Number Date Country Place

1st September 22–25, 1969  Morocco Rabat

2nd February 22–24, 1974  Pakistan Lahore

3rd January 25–29, 1981  Saudi ArabiaMakkah Al Mukarramah and Taif

4th January 16–19, 1984  Morocco Casablanca

5th January 26–29, 1987  Kuwait Kuwait City

6th December 9–11, 1991  Senegal Dakar

7th December 13–15, 1994  Morocco Casablanca

1st Extraordinary March 23, 1997  Pakistan Islamabad

8th December 9–11, 1997  Iran Tehran

9th November 12–13, 2000  Qatar Doha

2nd Extraordinary March 5, 2003  Qatar Doha

10th October 16–17, 2003  Malaysia Putrajaya

3rd Extraordinary December 7–8, 2005  Saudi Arabia Makkah Al Mukarramah

11th March 13–14, 2008  Senegal Dakar

12th 2011  Egypt Cairo

13th 2012  Indonesia Palembang