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

‫منظمة المؤتمر السلمي‬

Organisation de la Conférence Islamique
Organisation 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)

Website
http://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

[4] [5]
State of Palestine 1969
Saudi Arabia 1969
Senegal 1969
Sudan 1969
Somalia 1969
Tunisia 1969
Turkey 1969
From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's
Yemen 1969
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 1979[6] Designation changed in 2004[7]
Cypriot State'
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
Name Country of origin Took 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 Arabia Makkah 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