View source for Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG): Historical perspective (Full article)

The title is an article by Davi Sofyan<ref>Davi Sofyan Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Majalengka, Indonesia</ref> et al<ref>Yudha Munajat Saputra Department of Sports Science, Faculty of Sports and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia </ref> <ref>Juntika Nurihsan Department of Educational Psychology and Guidance, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia</ref> <ref>Nurlan Kusmaedi Department of Sports Science, Faculty of Sports and Health Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia </ref> published in “Journal Sport Area” Vol. 6 No. 2 (2021): August . The following is the full article.<ref> https://doi.org/10.25299/sportarea.2021.vol6(2).6476</ref> <ref>http://journal.uir.ac.id/index.php/JSP</ref>

=Abstract=

The beauty  of philosophy  and approach  in Islam is that it wants to provide a dignified and decent life for all human  beings regardless of their race,  ethnic or their nationality.  To uplift humanity  and protect their honour, Islam introduces the concept of solidarity in jurisprudence and solidarity regulated in Islamic law. In order to strengthen solidarity in the field of sports, the Islamic Solidarity Sport Federation  (ISSF) was formed to serve the needs of Muslims in sports.  For the first time the biggest sporting event for Muslims was held outside the Middle East region, precisely in the city of Palembang, Indonesia. The Islamic Solidarity Games  (ISG) event aims to strengthen relations for countries that are predominantly Muslim. This article aims to provide an overview of the implementation  of the Islamic Solidarity Games  1st, 2nd, 4, and especially in the 3rd edition in Palembang, Indonesia, covering the background,  objectives, implementation, and real impact for the host of the event as well as the dynamics  of the strength  of the international  sports system.  This study uses a literature review to support the achievement of the objectives of writing this article.  The findings from this literature study are that the ISG as a form of sport can be a solution behind the tensions between the Arabian Peninsula  countries.  ISG has  the potential to become a new force in the international sports system.

Keywords: Islam, Islamic identity, solidarity, islamic solidarity games, sports power dynamics.
 
=Introduction=

Islam  teaches  its  people  to  respect  each  other,  honor  each  other,  care  for  each  other,   do  mutual cooperation, do mutual assistance, do cooperation in kindness, promoting unity, and share in both open and narrow circumstances.  Religious solidarity and shared identity is one of the fundamental messages used by Islamists  (Sheikh,  2017).  The meaning  of solidarity is unity,  harmony,  cohesion,  and similarity  so that solidarity also gives the true meaning of Islamic norms and values comprehensively (Ahmad & Eijaz, 2011 ), beliefs,  attitudes,  or influences that bind different groups of people in one entity (Jones, 2013).  Significant Muslim communities are also formed based on a common identity that develops as important consequences for international Muslim solidarity (Pratisti et al., 2019). In addition, Islamic solidarity pursues cohesion and enhances interaction between Islamic countries which can provide a basis for Islamic unity or the formation of an Islamic community model (Zandi, 2007).  Contributing to the development of a poor and disadvantaged Islamic community is  another important tool of Islamic solidarity (Akpmar, 2017).  Solidarity can also be interpreted  as a  sense of sensitivity to others,  always there when needed without  measuring it with the material.  Many  aspects  of life can be realized  from the values of solidarity,  ranging  from economic,  social, political,  cultural, ethnic aspects including sports.

Exercise  and physical  strength have become the focus of attention  of leaders and rulers in the Arab world (Amara, 2014). Apart from not contradicting  the Prophet  Sunnah, sports are recommended  in Islam which of course must  be in accordance  with  the rules  of Islamic  law.  They  realize  that sport has  its own  power  in promoting  and positioning  the nation-state  in the  eyes  of the  international  community  and  affirming  that Islam  is  a peaceful  religion.  The  Islamic  world,  accepts  modern  sports  as a symbol  of modernization  in Muslim  societies and as a special tool for nation-state  development  (Amara, 2008).

Modern  sports have become  an extraordinary magnet  in  the joints  of human  life, even  for some groups considered  to be a religion  that has a very  strong  influence.  Sports  can also be used  as a tool to show  the world  the superiority  of individuals,  groups,  nation-states  over individuals,  groups,  and other nation-states. The fact that sport as a social institution  has a structure  that is gradually  developing  every day in economic and cultural  organizations  has made a revaluation  of this social  phenomenon  given the changing  economic and social conditions  of the world  (Altungiil  & Devecioglu,  2015).  Sports are not only seen as an effort to achieve  a healthy  mind  in  a healthy  body,  but  also  become  an  integral  part  of the national  revolution  to achieve ideological goals (Douglas, 2013).  Sports are basically also a symbolic  brand used by,' ...  1) national elites  to  strengthen  a  sense  of national  unity,  2)  promote  values  such  as  peace  and  friendship   between nations,  international relations  and solidarity  through  assistance,  3) strengthen  economic  autonomy'  (Amara & Theodoraki,  2010).

This study aims to explore historical  information  on the holding  of the Islamic  Solidarity  Games.  This is important  to do so that Muslim  solidarity  is getting  stronger  by seeing  the mandate  of holding  the Islamic Solidarity  Games  and  eliminating  the  stigma  of the  western  world  towards  the  eastern  world,  especially countries  with  a majority Muslim  population  so that western  nations  do not underestimate   them regarding sports. The Islamic  Solidarity  Games also has the potential  to become a new force in the international  sports system.

=Methods=

The purpose  of this article  is to look at the historical picture  of organizing  the Islamic  Solidarity  Games (ISG) from the first edition  to the fourth  edition  and see the extent to which  the implementation of ISG can be  said  as a new  power  dynamics  in  the  international  sports  system.  The  research  in the  article  uses  the method  of literature  study.  In this study,  data sources  were collected  from  official writings  by government and government  institutions,  articles, newspapers,  and other sources related  to the history  and development of ISG from 2005 to 2017, and in 2021  planned  to be held  in Turkey.  Reference  collection  was done using search  engines  Taylor  &  Francis  Online,  Harzing's  Publish  or Perish  Version  7, Researchgate,   Elsevier, which  are trusted  article  search  engines. The analysis  used involves  the process  of investigating, recording, processing,  and interpreting sources or primary historical data including the background, objectives, implementation,  and host of the ISG event.

=Results and Discussions=

History of Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG) from Mecca to Baku Major  events  not  only  affect  the  local  economy,  but  also  generate  international   interest  in  the  host country,  which  allows many  direct  and indirect  impacts  (Anh,  2014).  Besides  aiming  to strengthen  the ties of friendship  between  Muslim-majority nations,  each country  that is hosting  the ISG certainly  has  its own mission  in its administration.  The mission  can't be explicitly  expressed  and explained  verbally,  but it can be seen from  the implementation  process  from the preparation,  opening,  implementation,  and closing.  Deeper how  the  host  provides  optimal  service  to  the  member  countries  of this  ISG  tournament.  Apart  from  all conflict-prone   situations,  the value  of solidarity  is  the motivating  force  in  forming  the  Islamic  Solidarity Sports  Federation  (ISSF)  in  1980  during  the  Eleventh   Conference   of Foreign   Ministers   in  Islamabad (Trotier, 2015).  The establishment  of the ISSF is to serve the needs of member countries  of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation  (OIC) in all aspects of sports activities.

The choice of Mecca as the host of the first edition of ISG, has a high symbolic value, not only for Saudi
Arabia,  but also for other participating  countries because Mecca embodies the central of Islam (Trotier,
2015).  In  this  event,  non-Muslim  citizens  in  participating  countries  are  permitted  to  take  part  in competitions. This shows that the implementation of ISG is not nuanced with racism because it holds that in the eyes of sports,  humans have the same opportunity to do sports activities.  Outside the competition, organizers offer cultural activities and art exhibitions to encourage transnational gatherings and to strengthen feelings of Muslim unity (Trotier, 2015). The cancellation of this game in Tehran revealed the difference between the noble ideals of solidarity between Muslim-majority countries and the harsh reality of foreign policy (Trotier, 2015).  Looking at the case that occurred in this second edition, it can be said that the values of solidarity between nations through sports activities at certain moments are excluded by certain egocentric groups or nation-states.

The third edition of ISG was held in Indonesia precisely in the city of Palembang, Indonesia, although the largest country in Southeast Asia does not have a reputation as a sporting country and therefore receives little attention during international sporting events such as the Olympics (Trotier, 2017b). Hosting the ISG, it enables Palembang to strengthen ties with the Muslim world, to stay at the forefront of attention and position itself not only as a sports city but also as a central for tolerant and open-minded Islam (Trotier, 2017a).

This was reinforced by Presidential  Decree Number 23 of 2013 concerning changes in the organizing
committee of the Islamic Solidarity Games which established the South Sumatra province, precisely the city of Palembang as the host of the third edition  of Islamic Solidarity Games (Presiden Republik Indonesia, 2013). According  to Tench and Yeomanz (Prastya, 2013),  it stated that "sports  activities are a form of cultural diplomacy". At a glance the tagline 'Harmony in Unity', is in line with the Olympic Charter (Prastya, 2013), one of which points that 'sport  is a  human right',  every individual  must have the right to sport, without discrimination in any form and in the spirit of the Olympics, on the basis of mutual understanding, spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play.

In his remarks,  President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that 'Harmony
in Unity,  which is the theme of this year's Islamic Solidarity Games, has a very deep meaning.  Can play a role in conducting public diplomacy in order to show a positive image of Islam, while dismissing the wrong perception so far. Besides showing a good image of Islam,  public diplomacy can also display a  positive image of Indonesia for the international world.  Indonesia has shown increasing interest in organizing sports events.  After the consolidation of democracy, political leaders rediscovered sporting events as a promising tool for domestic and foreign policy.  By hosting the first Asian Beach Games 2008, South East Asia Games 2011, Islamic Solidarity Games 2013 and ASEAN University Games 2014, Indonesia entered the arena by following other developing countries (Trotier, 2017b).

Some of the shortcomings  in the implementation  of the lack of media role in promoting the Islamic
Solidarity Games (ISG) event resulted in the public not knowing information about the grand event, other than that from the recognition of several sources namely traders around the Jakabaring Sport Center (JSC), the high ticket prices set by the committee when the public wants to watch a competition event is the reason for the lack of visitors during the ISG (Lupikawaty et al., 2013),  a multi-dimensional investigation of how local residents understand the impact of limited large sporting events (Ahmed, 2017).

This was proven by the election of Azerbaijan precisely in Baku City as the host of the fourth edition of
ISG.  Evidence  shows   that  organizing  mega  sports  events  enables  Azerbaijan  to  gain  international recognition and, as a consequence, ensure political consolidation (Rojo-Labaien, 2018). In the field of public diplomacy,  Azerbaijan  has worked to actively involve itself by registering successes, and hosting various types of international sports and cultural contests. Mainly derived from the country's efforts to improve its international  position  as  a  rapidly  developing  modem  nation  (Ismayilov,  2014).  From  the  historical description of the implementation of the Islamic  Solidarity Games, we can see how the host  countries promote their country, and how important the event is for the country in maintaining diplomatic relations between participating countries. More than that, the host effect can enhance the positive image in the eyes of the international world.

Islamic Solidarity Games as a New Dynamics of the Strength of the International Sports System
The growth  and development  of sports organizations  throughout  the world,  global  acceptance  of 'sports rules',  and the formation  of international  and global competition  are bound in a series of streams  that shape the world  of sports  (Maguire,  201 la).  The  development  of national  and international  sports  organizations, the growth  of competition  between  national  teams,  the acceptance  of specific rules  throughout  the world, namely  the 'Western',  'sports'  forms, and the formation  of global competitions  such as the Olympics  and the World  Cup  are  all  indications  of globalization   in  the  world  of sports  (Maguire,  2011b).  Sport  is  a key instrument in  many  domestic  and  foreign  policies  of governments   and  is  also  a factor  in promoting   the country's image both regionally  and internationally (Kissoudi, 2008).

The  aim  of the  Islamic  Solidarity  Sport  Federation   (ISSF)  is  to  strengthen   Islamic  solidarity  among
youths,  promote   Islamic  identity  in  sports,  embed  principles   of non-discrimination  in  accordance  with Islamic  teachings,  promote   cooperation   among  member  states  on  issues  that  relating  to  sports,  uniting positions  in  international   sporting  events,  and  cooperating  with  international   sporting  bodies,  as  well  as preserving  sporting  principles  and promoting  the Olympic  movement  in the Muslim  world  (Amara,  2008). Referring  to  the  opinion,  the  implementation  of ISG  which  incidentally   as  the  biggest  sports  party  for Muslims  can contribute  to the development  of the sports world by not clashing  with Olympic values or even having more value as an international  sports system.

Sport has always been a tool for Western  countries  to show  their hegemony  towards  nations  outside  the West.  Many countries  in the Arab world became  independent  or at least autonomous  from Western  powers (Silva  & Gerber,  2012).  It seems  that  this  is what  inspired  the  Arab  nations  to do  something  that  is not always oriented  toward the west. Therefore,  in the field of Islamic  sports want to offer  a sporting  event that bears the  same  level  as a sports  party  initiated  by Western  nations.  To prove  that most  Muslim  countries have power,  so that their identity  as Muslims  is maintained  in the eyes of the world.  As another  example, Amara  (Dine,  2013),  explained  that ' ...  sports  broadcasts  in the Islamic  world,  which  are increasingly  and successfully  used by Gulf countries to position  themselves  internationally'.

The  use  of sports  to  get  'soft power'  is illustrated  in  the  increasing  influence  of the  Gulf Cooperation Council  countries   (UAE  and  Qatar  in  particular)   in  the  global  sports  arena.  This  influence  has  had  a significant  impact on staging  international  sporting  events, ownership,  and sponsorship  of top soccer clubs, and  important investments  in sports  television  broadcasts  (Amara,  2017).  Belief in sports  as  'strength  for good', and perhaps  also as intrinsic moral activity is an important  principle  of the international sports regime (Jedlicka, 2018).

The big event in sports  activities  (Mega  Sport Event)  is a profit-making effort,  although  not  always  for the host community, city or country  (McGillivray  et al., 2019).  Sports  events  are an excellent  platform  for developing  sympathy, harmony  and respect.  Sports competitions  provide unique  opportunities  for friendship and solidarity  (Ubaidulloev,  2018).  In the context of globalization,  it is not surprising  that we are witnessing a convergence  of sports and foreign policy that is getting closer (Jackson & Haigh, 2008).

The image of a nation  through  sports  is usually  associated  with organizing  major  sporting  events, while winning  in sports has been  considered  with  a lot of prestige  (Kobierecki  & Strozek,  2017).  Sports  can be considered  a unique  case of world  politics,  which  as a policy  field at the global  level is regulated  by non• governmental   organizations   or  organizations   (Chatzigianni,   2018).  I  am  of the  opinion  that  the  Islamic Solidarity   Sports  Federation   (ISSF)  as  a  non-governmental  and  non-profit   institution  bas  succeeded   in organizing  a major  sporting  event that shows  the world  that Muslims  have  a strong unity.  This shows  that Islam has the potential  to become  a new  force in the international  sports  system,  although  it requires  more concrete proof. But at least, Islam has shown internationally the ability to organize sports.

The Importance  of Islamic Solidarity  Games for Turkey under the Leadership  of President  Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.  After President  Erdogan  secured  a decisive  victory  in the June 2011 elections,  Erdogan  immediately  and deliberately  began to shift the legacy of a decades-old  secular government  and Turkey's foreign policy  away from the West  and towards  the Islamic  world  (Yayla,  2019).  Since 2002, President  Recep Tayyip  Erdogan has offered  Turkey  and the world  a vision  of stability  and economic  growth,  while  vowing  to restore  the glory of the Ottoman  Empire,  the caliphate  was  finally rnled  by him  (Journalists  and Writers  Foundation, 2019).

Characteristic  or  'major  events'  are  large-scale,   planned   events   of  limited   duration   that  can  have substantial social, economic, political,  environmental,  and/or cultural impacts on the host region (McCloy & Thibault,  2013).  Furthermore,   (Rensmann,   2015),  revealed   that,   '...   sport  in  domestic   foreign  policy ultimately  has  the  aim  of increasing  influence  in  international relations  ...'.  Some humans  will  be  empty forever  without  doing  sports,  moved  by Turkey's  vision  in the field  of sports  to become  the number  one sports country,  it is possible  to involve  the contribution  of every Turkish  citizen  (Aka  & Ozer,  2016).  Do not  rule  out this possibility  might  be realized  if you  see Erdogan's  political  progress  on the  international scene  and the policies  issued  by Erdogan  make  Turkey  a new power  in international  sports.  Overall,  this leads to two different  leadership  styles for Erdogan:  in Turkey, Erdogan  is an expansionist  whose  focus of attention  is  on  expanding  the  range  of leadership,  government,   and  state  control.  Abroad,  Erdogan  is collegial  and focuses on reconciling  differences  and building  consensus  to gain prestige  and status through empowering  others and sharing accountability  (Kesgin, 2019).

Participation   in  international   sporting  events  has  provided  the  right  opportunity   for  Turkey's   "zero problem  implementation   with  the  neighbour  country  policy"  (Polo,  2015).  According  to  Sonntag  (Polo, 2015),  who  stated  that  'organizing an international  sporting  event,  or the victory  of a Turkish  team  in an international  event, was presented  and celebrated  as a true national  success'.  An example  is the linkage  of the Olympic Games to Istanbul will be celebrated  as a personal victory for Erdogan,  evidence that under his leadership  Turkey has successfully  guided to a new position  on the world stage (Polo, 2015).  Likewise, with the implementation  of the fifth edition of Islamic  Solidarity  Games held in Konya,  Turkey,  it is possible  for Erdogan  to celebrate  a similar issue as his success in conducting  multilateral  and international diplomacy as a 'new force', especially in the field of sports.

=Conclusion=
In an effort to strengthen  the solidarity  of fellow Muslims,  organizing  sporting  events can be a solution behind the tensions between the Arabian Peninsula  countries  and may even be with countries outside, which of course is a country with a majority  Muslim population.  Islamic Solidarity  Games (ISG) gives meaning  to the existence of lslam,  especially  sports for Muslims  in the eyes of the world.  Through ISG, Western nation-state hegemony  over Muslims  can be abated. Because  in accordance  with the Olympic  charter, that  every human  being has the basic right to do and be involved  in sports activities  and activities.  To prove  that ISG bas  the potential  to become  a new  force  in the international  sports  system,  it needs  hard  work  of Islamic countries,  government   organizations,   non-governmental  organizations,   and  Muslims  in  general  who  are bound  through  solidarity  to realize  this.  Future research is deemed necessary  to further prove  the existence of the Islamic Solidarity Games by conducting  quantitative  and qualitative  studies.

=References=

References are available on the website of the journal.

=Notes=