Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Mecca Summit

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Inaugural Meeting of their Heads conducted on May 31st in the holy City of Mecca ; End with the signing of  MOU. The OIC, the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations that 57 countries of four continents of the world are members. The organization is the voice of the Muslim world and guarantees the protection and protection of the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among the people of the world. Afghanistan has since joined the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and has been active in its meetings. Due to the importance of the issue, we have dedicated this week’s analysis to the recognition of this organization, the Mecca Summit and its results.

Philosophy of Existence and history of OIC

On August 21, 1969, the Israelis burnt the Mosque Al Aqsa (the first Qibla and the third Muslim shrine). This incident provoked the anger of Muslims in the world, followed by the fact that 25 Islamic countries, along with representatives from India and the PLO, held their first summit on September 22-25, the same day in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and at that summit, this Israeli action Has strongly condemned and called on the participating countries to establish the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

By holding this conference in Rabat (Al- Maghrib), this move took a practical step. At the end of the conference, a statement was issued stating that “their governments and nations are determined to reject any solution to the Palestinian issue that does not entail the return of Quds to the situation prior to June 1967 ,” as well as the summits The next meeting was approved at the Third Foreign Ministerial Meeting (March 1972) in Jeddah, where the organization’s charter was approved, and thus the OIC was formally established.

The possibility of the membership of the Organization of the Islamic Conference generally includes countries that share a broad range of issues. The official center of their gathering is a shared point of religious beliefs. Islamic history is also the source of the inspiration of Muslim scholars and the movement among the political forces of Islamic societies.In fact, based on a simple comparison between the great situation of Muslims in the present era and their authority and dignity over the course of nearly 13 centuries, a single theory has emerged in Muslim societies, which is the reason for the current weakness of Islamic countries that is their disunity and dispersion, and the way to escape from the current situation in the harmony of the “Islamic Alliance” and the growth of the process of Islamic Unity. The belief in the “unity” that dominated Islamic societies since the advent of Islam in the Arabian era as a religion, derives from political values ​​that have a religious basis.

Objectives of Organization

The objectives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation as below:

• To enhance and consolidate the bonds of fraternity and solidarity among the Member States;
• To safeguard, support and protect the common interests
• To strengthen intra-Islamic economic and trade cooperation; in order to achieve economic integration leading to the establishment of an Islamic Common Market;
• To exert efforts to achieve sustainable and comprehensive human development and economic well-being in the Member States;
• To protect and defend the true image of Islam, to combat defamation of Islam and encourage dialogue among civilizations and religions
• To enhance and develop science and technology and encourage research and cooperation among Member States in these fields;
• To ensure active participation of the Member States in the global political, economic and social decision-making processes to secure their common interests;
• All member states must commit themselves to the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.
• All member states are Independent and equal in rights and duties.
• All member states should resolve their disputes peacefully and refrain from using or threatening to use force in their relations.
• All member states are committed to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of other member states and should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of others.
• Member States should promote and promote, at the national and international levels, good governance, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.

Opportunities and Challenges

The issue of cooperation between the Islamic countries to promote relations between these countries is one of the important wishes of the member states, which has been considered in all past meetings But, as expected, it has not been able to make significant unions and partnerships between countries with a majority Muslim population. The organization, like the United Nations, has become just a forum for exchange of views and limited actions to resolve problems among its members.

The most important opportunities to the Organization of Islamic Cooperationare as follows:

A: The potential capacities of the Islamic countries in today’s world

1  Having a quarter of the world’s population.

3 Relative geographical relation between the territories of the member states

3  Effective presence in the United Nation,

4 The power to solve the problems of the Islamic world.

5 Possibilities of economic and geo-economic potential.

On the other hand, there are many challenges ahead of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, including:

1 Lack of cooperation within the organization between members.

2 Lack of independence in decision making and lack of strong motivation for organizational linkages.

3  Problems among the Islamic countries.

Mecca Summit and its achievements

Organization of Islamic Cooperation on 31 May in Mecca,  While numerous challenges have been existed, the existence of wars and internal tensions in several parts of the Islamic world, including the (Levant) Damascus, and Palestine and North Africa , were held at the 14th Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit .  At the meeting, no attention was paid to the tensions and uprisings in Algiers and Sudan, nor was it supported by the legitimate right of nations to determine their own destiny, perhaps because of the fact that the majority of the countries of this union were driven by tyrannical and military regimes They manage and lead.

The final statement of the organization does not address the fundamental rights of citizens and the consolidation of democracy in northern African countries, such as Sudan and Algeria, and has been largely forgotten by addressing the marginalized issue of Palestine. The leaders of the organization of Islamic Cooperation Organization condemned the Palestinian state of affairs in their final statement on the centrality of the issue of Palestine and Quds-al-Sharif, and condemned the Zionist regime’s attacks. In a final statement on the centrality of the Palestinian issue, Quds Sharif and the right of the Palestinian people to have an independent state. Participating countries condemned the “illegal and irresponsible” decision to recognize Quds as the capital of the “Israel” regime, and called for sanctions and appropriate measures against any country that had moved its embassy to Quds or opened commercial offices in the occupied Quds.

The final statement emphasized: Security and Peace in the Middle East, with the total withdrawal of Israel from occupied Palestinian territory in 1967.

“The transfer of American and Guatemalan embassies to Quds and the illegal identification of Quds as the capital of Israel is a blatant violation of the Palestinian nation’s legal, historical and natural rights, and targets its prospects for freedom and independence,” the statement said.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called on Member States to establish ties with the Zionist regime to stop all types of normalization of relations with the regime so that they will adhere to the special resolutions on Palestine and Quds. .

In this statement, the attack on oil stationshas been condemned in two cities of Al-dawadi and Afif in Saudi Arabia, They also condemned acts of sabotage against four commercial ships near the international waters of the United Arab Emirates” and described it as “a criminal act” that threatens the safety and security of international maritime traffic. However, no plans were proposed to end the Yemen’s war and to reduce tensions between the Gulf state and Iran.

In paragraphs 36 to 39 of the statement emphasized the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and expressed its support for any efforts by the Afghan National Unity Government to ensure peace and security .  As a result of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (was set up in Indonesia) took prompt support.  In this statement, Afghanistan’s only solution to the Afghan war has been the dialogue between the Afghans and the Afghan Consensus, and they have continued to make peace with the Taliban.

The way to become effective

With attention to the internal weaknesses and external challenges facing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, if the member countries want to have an effective role in regional and international affairs, there should be changes in their structure and status in the international system. Otherwise, they will not play an effective role in international affairs.

• The OIC has been severely disunited among its members. First and foremost, member states should work to resolve their existing problems through understanding and dialogue.
• Not having a permanent representative in the UN Security Council for its huge deficit is assumed.The Islamic Cooperation Organization should strive to strengthen its role in the international community, with the permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council.
• In the third step, the organization will need to make certain force peacekeeping has to Member States in the field of Security and the prevention of conflict, cooperation and the role of force by UN peacekeepers among member states.
• It also needs to build on the macroeconomic capacities of the member states in order to strengthen economic cooperation and create a common market among member states.However, the strengthening of scientific, cultural and educational cooperation among member states should also be a permanent priority in the organization’s attention.