ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

organization founded in 1972 by islamic states to promote their cooperation by coordinating economic, social, scientific, and cultural activities.

As a response to the August 1969 burning of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the first Islamic Conference of Kings an d Heads of State was convened in Rabat in September of the same year. This summit resolved that Islamic nation states should foster "close cooperation and mutual assistance in the economic, scientific, cultural, and spiritual fields." As a first step toward facilitating such cooperation, the summit established the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, which eventually ratified the charter of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at its third meeting in March 1972. Membership in the OIC is based on a commitment to the United Nations and its declarations on human rights, as well as an affirmation of the fundamental principles of mutual equality, respect for sovereignty, and the peaceful settlement of disputes among member states. The charter also enumerates the following principal objectives: the promotion of global Islamic solidarity; the eradication of racial discrimination and colonialism; the liberation of Palestine; support for the struggles of oppressed Muslim peoples everywhere; and a dedication to international peace, security, and justice.

Four specialized institutions have been established within the framework of the OIC: the Islamic Development Bank; the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; the Islamic States Broadcasting Organization; and the International Islamic News Agency. The general secretariat of the OIC has permanent observer status at the United Nations and maintains its headquarters in Jidda, Saudi Arabia. The Doha Declaration (November 2000) called for an end to the occupation in Palestine and invited those member states that had established relations with the State of Israel to "put an end to all forms of normalization with Israel until it genuinely and accurately implements U.N. resolutions relevant to the issue of Palestine." The Kuala Lumpur Declaration on International Terrorism, issued during the extraordinary session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in April 2002, rejected "any attempt to link Islam and Muslims to terrorism" and condemned acts of international terrorism, emphasizing "the importance of addressing the root causes of international terrorism." The following states were members of the OIC as of August 2003: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei Dar es Salaam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana (Republic of), Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakh-stan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Surinam, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emi-rates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and Zanzibar. Three countries held observer status: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, and Thailand.

see also jerusalem.

Bibliography

Ahsan, Abdullah. The Organization of the Islamic Conference: An Introduction to an Islamic Political Institution. Herndon, Va: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1988.

Selim, Mohammad El Sayed, ed. The Organization of the Islamic Conference in a Changing World. Giza, Egypt: Center for Political Research and Studies, Cairo University, 1994.

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