Organization of the Islamic Conference

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Organization of the Islamic Conference

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
. It groups 57 member states, from the Middle East

Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
, Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south....
, Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
, Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is the historical name of a geographic subregion of southeastern Europe. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains, which run through the centre of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia....
, Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
, South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east....
and South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The official languages of the organisation are Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
, English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
and French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
.

e the nineteenth century, many Muslims had aspired to uniting the Muslim ummah
Ummah

Ummah is an Arabic language word meaning "community" or "nation". It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of Islamic state, or the whole Arab world....
to serve their common political, economic, and social interests.

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History and goals

Since the nineteenth century, many Muslims had aspired to uniting the Muslim ummah
Ummah

Ummah is an Arabic language word meaning "community" or "nation". It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of Islamic state, or the whole Arab world....
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 on September 25, 1969.

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

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
). In the center, there is an upward-facing red crescent

Crescent

In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circle disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points ....
enveloped in a white disc. On the disc the words "Allahu Akbar

Takbir

The 'takbir' or 'takbeer' is the Arabic language name for the phrase , . Usually translated "God in Islam is great" or "God in Islam is [the] greatest," it is a common Arabic expression, used as both an informal expression of faith and as a formal declaration....
" (Arabic for "God is great") are written in modern Arabic calligraphy

Islamic calligraphy

File:Mirror writing2.jpgIslamic calligraphy, equally known as Arabic calligraphy, is the art of artistic handwriting, and by extension, of bookmaking....
.

On August 5, 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam

Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam

The Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam is a declaration of the member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which provides an overview on the Islamic perspective on human rights, and affirms Islamic Shari'ah as its sole source....
(not to be confused with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Guinness Book of Records describes the UDHR as the "Most Translated Document" in the world....
) 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

Sharia

Sharia is the body of Islamic religious law. The term means "way" or "path to the water source"; it is the legal framework within which the public and private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Fiqh and for Muslims living outside the domain....
, or Quranic Law.http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/cairodeclaration.html

Positions

Recent issues

The Parliamentary Union of the OIC member states (PUOICM) was established in Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
in 1999 and its head office is situated in Tehran

Tehran

Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia....
. Only OIC members are entitled to membership in the union.

President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
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

Sada Cumber

Sada Cumber assumed his duties as Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference on March 3, 2008. As Special Envoy, Mr. Cumber serves as the U.S....
became the US representative on March 3, 2008.

OIC created 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'

Fitna (film)

Fitna is a 2008 Short subject by Netherlands Tweede Kamer Geert Wilders. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the film shows selected excerpts from Suras of the Qur'an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper clippings showing or describing acts of violence and/or hatred by Muslims....
by Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
lawmaker Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders is a Netherlands politician. He has been a member of the Tweede Kamer since 1998, first for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and, from 2006 on, with the Party for Freedom ....
, which features disturbing images of violent acts juxtaposed with 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

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur , is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million....
, Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
.. The speaker of Malaysia's House of Representatives

Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat or House of Representatives is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are sent to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for Royal Assent....
, Ramli bin Ngah Talib, delivered a speech at the beginning of the inaugural ceremony. OIC secretary-general Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is a Turkish people science historian and currently the Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , the second largest public international organisation after the United Nations....
said prior to the meeting that one main agenda item was stopping Israel from continuing its excavation at the Western Wall

Western Wall

The Western Wall , sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel , and as al-Buraq Wall by Muslims, is an important Jewish religious site located in the Old City ....
near the Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque , also known as al-Aqsa, is an Holiest sites in Islam in the Old City of Jerusalem. The mosque itself forms part of the al-Haram ash-Sharif or "Sacred Noble Sanctuary" , a site also known as the Temple Mount and considered the holiest site in Judaism, since it is believed to be where the Temple in Jerusalem once stoo...
, Islam's third holiest shrine. The OIC also discussed 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 was another one of the main issues on the agenda.

Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
i Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

Mian Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri is a Pakistani politician and diplomat. He was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 2002 to 2007....
told reporters on 14 February 2007 that the Secretary General of OIC and foreign ministers of seven "like-minded Muslim countries" would meet in Islamabad

Islamabad

Islamabad is the Capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan. The Rawalpindi/Islamabad List of most populous metropolitan areas in Pakistan is the third largest in Pakistan with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants, 1.5 million in Islamabad and three million in Rawalpindi....
on 25 February 2007 following meetings of President Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf , Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Basalat, is a former President of Pakistan. Previously, he was Prime Minister of Pakistan as well as Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army of the Pakistan Army....
with heads of key Muslim countries to discuss "a new initiative" for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Israeli?Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute between Israelis and the Palestinian people. It forms part of the wider Arab?Israeli conflict....
. Kasuri said this would be a meeting of foreign ministers of key Muslim countries to discuss and prepare for a summit in Makkah Al Mukarramah

Mecca

Mecca , also spelled Makkah , Makka is a city in Saudi Arabia. Home to the Masjid al-Haram, it is the holy city in Islam and plays an important role in the faith....
to seek the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Controversies

Due to its passive reaction and inability to react in time to the world events involving Muslim states and Muslims, the OIC is sometimes satirically called "Oh! I See."

Alleged Antisemitism

The OIC attracted attention at the opening session of the meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 16 October 2003, where Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
in his speech argued that the Jews control the world: "They invented socialism

Socialism

Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equality for all individuals, with a fair or Egalitarianism method of compensation....
, communism

Communism

Communism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarianism, classlessness, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general....
, human rights

Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
and democracy

Democracy

Democracy is a form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek language d?????at?a , "popular government" which was coined from d???? , "people" and ???t?? , "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political syst...
, so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal rights with others. With these they have gained control of the most powerful countries and they, this tiny community, have become a world power”. He also said that “The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world

List of conspiracy theories

A Conspiracy is defined by law as an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act. While in the strictest sense a "conspiracy theory" is a theory about a conspiracy, the term usually refers to a theory that attributes the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events , or the concealment of such causes from pub...
by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them”. The speech was very well received by the delegates, including many high ranking politicians, who responded with standing ovations". International, non-Muslim reactions, however, were appalled. "We view them with contempt and derision," said the US State Department, and the foreign minister of Italy, the current chair of the European Union, called the incident "gravely offensive". However, Malaysian officials later argued that what Dr Mahathir had been trying to say, was that despite having been a marginal and persecuted community the Jews have survived - by use of brains not brawn. The former prime minister said this in relation to the decline of Muslim knowledge in the 20th Century.

Terrorism

On a meeting in Malaysia in April 2002, delegates discussed terrorism

Terrorism

Terrorism, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is the systematic use of terror, "violent or destructive acts committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands." At present, there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism....
, but failed to reach a definition of it. They rejected, however, any description of the Palestinian fight with Israel

Arab–Israeli conflict

The Arab?Israeli conflict spans roughly one century of political tensions and open hostilities, though Israel itself only was established in 1948....
with terrorism. Their declaration was explicit: "We reject any attempt to link terrorism to the struggle of the Palestinian people in the exercise of their inalienable right to establish their independent state with Al-Quds Al-Shrif (Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
) as its capital." In fact, at the outset of the meeting, the OIC countries signed a statement praising the Palestinians and their "blessed intifada

Intifada

Intifada is an Arabic Language word which literally means shaking off, though it is generally translated into English as rebellion or uprising....
." The word terrorism was restricted to describe Israel, whom they condemned for "state terrorism

State terrorism

State terrorism refers to acts of terrorism conducted by governments....
" in their war with the Palestinian people.

At the 34th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM), an OIC section, in May 2007, the foreign ministers termed Islamophobia the worst form of terrorism.

Dispute with Thailand

Thailand responded harshly to OIC criticism of its battle within the Muslim majority provinces of Pattani

Pattani

Pattani may refer to* Pattani Province, in southern Thailand* Pattani , in southern Thailand* Pattani , which includes the above province** Pattani Kingdom, a former semi-independent kingdom...
, Yala

Yala Province

Yala is the southernmost Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Songkhla province, Pattani province and Narathiwat province....
and Narathiwat

Narathiwat Province

Narathiwat is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Yala Province and Pattani Province. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan....
in the south of the country. In a statement issued on October 18, 2005 secretary-general Ihsanoglu vocalised concern over the continuing conflict in the south that "claimed the lives of innocent people and forced the migration of local people out of their places". He also stressed that the Thai government's security approach to the crisis would aggravate the situation and lead to continued violence. Thailand quickly rebuffed this criticism over its alleged heavy-handed policies. Then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin Shinawatra

, born July 26, 1949 in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, is a Thai businessman, Politics of Thailand, former List of Prime Ministers of Thailand, and former leader of the Populism Thai Rak Thai Party....
responded to the OIC Secretary General by saying: "I would like him to read the Qur’an, which stated clearly that all Muslims, regardless [of] where they live, must respect the law of that land." He asked, as in with Muslims killing each other in Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, "why don’t the OIC make statement of concern". The Thai

Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
Foreign Minister

Foreign minister

A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet Political minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation....
Kantathi Suphamongkhon

Kantathi Suphamongkhon

Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon is the 39th Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. He served as Foreign Minister during the administration of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from 11 March 2005 until the military coup d'etat on 19 September 2006....
went on to say: "We have made it clear to the OIC several times that the violence in the deep South is not caused by religious conflict and the government grants protection to all of our citizens no matter what religion they embrace. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement dismissing the OIC’s criticism and accusing it of disseminating misperceptions and misinformation about the situation in the southern provinces. "If the OIC secretariat really wants to promote the cause of peace and harmony in the three southern provinces of Thailand, the responsibility falls on the OIC secretariat to strongly condemn the militants, who are perpetrating these acts of violence against both Thai Muslims and Thai Buddhists."

Dispute with India

India has also hit out at the OIC for supporting Pakistan's claims to a plebiscite in Kashmir. Further to this, during the 2008 Amarnath land transfer imbroglio the OIC's condemnation of the "ongoing excessive and unwarranted use of force against the Kashmiri people" was met by an Indian response that said: "The OIC has once again chosen to comment upon Jammu and Kashmir and India's internal affairs on which it has no locus standi...To call for international involvement in the sovereign internal affairs of India is gratuitous, illegal and only reflects reversion to a mindset that has led to no good consequences for Pakistan in the past." .

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

Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
. The current secretary general of this international organisation is Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
, 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
COMSTECH

COMSTECH is an abbreviation for the OIC's Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation for the promotion and cooperation of science and technology activities among the OIC member states....
).
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
Ankara

Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and the country's List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of cities in Turkey after Istanbul....
, Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
.
The Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), located in Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
, Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
.
The Islamic University of Technology
Islamic University of Technology

Islamic University of Technology or IUT is an internationally recognized educational and research institution in Bangladesh. The main objective of IUT is to contribute in developing the human resources of the member states of the OIC, particularly in different fields of Engineering, Technology and Technical Education....
, located in Dhaka
Dhaka

Dhaka ? formerly Dacca and Jahangir Nagar, is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia....
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh

, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
.
The Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade, located in Casablanca
Casablanca

Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Greater Casablanca region.With a population of 3.1 million ??????)...
, Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
.
The Islamic Fiqh Academy
Islamic Fiqh Academy

Islamic Fiqh Academy is an Academy for advanced study of Islam based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was created at the decision of the second summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference 1974 and inaugurated in February 1988....
, located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
The Executive Bureau of the Islamic Solidarity Fund and its Waqf
Waqf

A waqf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or Charitable trust. It is conceptually similar to the common law trust law....
, located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
The Islamic University In Niger, located in Say, Niger
Say, Niger

Say is a town in southwest Niger, situated on the Niger River. It is the capital of the Say Department in the Tillab?ri Region. The municipality has 12,000 inhabitants, and its economy is dominated by agriculture, herding and small trade....
.
The Islamic University In Uganda
Islamic University in Uganda

The Islamic University in Uganda is a university for advanced study of several undergraduate and post graduate subjects based in Mbale, Uganda....
, located in Mbale
Mbale

Mbale is a town in southeastern Uganda and the chief town of the Mbale District....
, Uganda
Uganda

The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania....
.

Specialised institutions

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was established by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in May 1979. ISESCO is one of the largest international Islamic organizations and specializes in the fields of education, science, and culture....
(ISESCO), located in Rabat
Rabat

Rabat , population 2 million , is the Capital of the Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Sal?-Zemmour-Zaer region.The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg....
, Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
.
The Islamic States Broadcasting Organisation (ISBO) and the International Islamic News Agency
International Islamic News Agency

The International Islamic News Agency , a specialized organ of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , is a news agency publishing in Arabic, English language and French language and focusing on news about the Islamic world and Islamic affairs....
(IINA), located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.

Affiliated institutions

Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), located in Karachi
Karachi

is the largest city, seaport and the International financial centre of Pakistan. It is List of metropolitan areas by population in terms of metropolitan population, and is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade....
, Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
.
World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), located in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur , is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million....
, Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
.
Organisation of Islamic Capitals and Cities (OICC), located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
Sports Federation of Islamic Solidarity Games, located in Riyadh
Riyadh

Riyadh is the Capital of Saudi Arabia and its largest city. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Nejd and Al-Yamama....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC), located in Benghazi
Benghazi

Benghazi or Bengasi is the second largest city in Libya and the main city of the Cyrenaica region . It is also a Districts of Libya of Libya of the wider city area....
, Libya
Libya

Libya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
.
Islamic Shipowners Association (ISA), located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
World Federation of International Arab-Islamic Schools, located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
International Association of Islamic Banks
International Association of Islamic Banks

The International Association of Islamic Banks was founded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference on the 7th of Ramadan 1397 corresponding to August 21, 1977....
(IAIB), located in Jeddah
Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.
Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation,(ICYF-DC)located in Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
, Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
.
General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions,(CIBAFI)located in Manama
Manama

Manama is the capital city and largest city of Bahrain with an approximate population of 155,000 people. Manama has emerged as the capital of independent Bahrain after periods of domination by Portugal and Persians earlier in its history....
, Bahrain
Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, in , , literally Kingdom of the Two Seas).Bahrain is an Arabic island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa regime....
.

The Secretary General of the OIC

Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Order of Australia, Order of the Companions of Honour usually known as "the Tunku" , and also called Bapa Kemerdekaan or Bapa Malaysia , was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955, and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 19...
(Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
): (1971-1973)
Hassan Al-Touhami (Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
): (1974-1975)
Dr. Amadou Karim Gaye (Senegal
Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the S?n?gal River in West Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south....
): (1975-1979)

4Habib Chatty (Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast....
): (1979-1984)

5Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada

Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada

Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada , Nishan-e-Imtiaz, , a direct descendant of Shaikh Burhanuddin Raz-i-Ilahi of the Shattar order in Burhanpur, who had, amongst others, Emperor Aurangzeb as his disciple), Barrister and a graduate in Law from Bombay University in 1945, Senior Advocate Supreme Court....
(Pakistan

Pakistan

Hamid Algabid

Hamid Algabid is a Nigerien politician, former Prime Minister and President of the Rally for Democracy and Progress party.A member of the Tuareg ethnic group, Algabid served in the government during the rule of Seyni Kountch?....
(Niger

Niger

Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east....
): (1989-1996) 7Dr. Azeddine Laraki (Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
): (1997-2000) 8Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz (Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
): (2001-2004) 9Prof.Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

Turkey

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
, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization regarded by the Arab League since October 1974 as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."...	1969
, Kingdom of	1969
, Republic of	1969
, Republic of the	1969
	1969
, Republic of	1969
, Republic of	1969
Yemen Arab Republic Yemen Arab Republic The Yemen Arab Republic , also known as North Yemen or Yemen , was a country from 1962 to 1990 in the northern part of what is now Yemen....	1969	From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's Democratic Republic of Yemen People's Democratic Republic of Yemen The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Democratic Yemen, South Yemen or Yemen was a socialist republic in present-day southern and eastern Provinces of Republic of Yemen....
, State of	1970	From 2003 as Kingdom of Bahrain
, 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
, Republic of	1994
, Republic of	1995
, Republic of	1995
, Republic of	1996
, Republic of	1997
, Republic of	1998
, Republic of	2001
Suspended or Withdrawn
	Jan 1993	Withdrew August 1993
Observer States
	1994
	1997
, Turkish Republic of (as Turkish Cypriot State, constituent of )	1979	Official 2004
, Kingdom of	1998
n Federation	2005
Observer Muslim Organisations and Communities
Moro National Liberation Front Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front is a political organization in the Philippines. It is accredited by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which allows it to represent Moro people with an observer status....	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 United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....	1976
Non-Aligned Movement Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement is an international organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc....	1977
Organization of African Unity	1977
Economic Cooperation Organization Economic Cooperation Organization The Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental international organization involving ten Asian nations. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, and investment opportunities....	1995

Membership attempts

- India has the third largest Muslim population
Islam by country

Islam is the world's Major religious groups after Christianity with over 1.0-1.8 billion adherents, comprising 20-25% of the world population while most estimates figures that there are 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide....
in the world (after Indonesia and Pakistan) 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 refer to the rules of the OIC, which state that an aspirant should not have an ongoing conflict with a member state.
- The Philippine government has made attempts to join the OIC, but this was opposed by the OIC observer in the country, the Moro National Liberation Front
Moro National Liberation Front

The Moro National Liberation Front is a political organization in the Philippines. It is accredited by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which allows it to represent Moro people with an observer status....
, which finds it unnecessary.

Past Islamic Summit Conferences

Economy

The OIC members have a combined GDP (at PPP

Purchasing power parity

The purchasing power parity theory uses the long-term equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their purchasing power. Developed by Gustav Cassel in 1920, it is based on the law of one price: the theory states that, in ideally efficient markets, identical goods should have only one price....
) of USD 7,840 billion. The highest GDP in OIC belongs to Turkey with a GDP exceeding USD 900 billion. The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita is Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , officially the State of Qatar , is an Arab emirate in Southwest Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula....
at USD62,181 per capita.

External links

Official
Official with documents and information from the latest Summit (Arabic, English, French)
Official
Official

October 18 2003: from Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad speech at the 10th OIC Summit
September 14 2001: from the Organisation of Islamic Conference

Organization of the Islamic Conference

History and goals

Positions

Recent issues

Ninth meeting of PUOICM

Controversies

Alleged Antisemitism

Terrorism

Dispute with Thailand

Dispute with India

Structure and organisation

The Islamic Summit

The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers

The Permanent Secretariat

Standing Committees

Subsidiary organs

Specialised institutions

Affiliated institutions

The Secretary General of the OIC

Members

Membership attempts

Past Islamic Summit Conferences

Economy

See also

Further reading

External links