Organization of Islamic Cooperation
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second intergovernmental organization after the United Nations with membership of countries from four continents. The organization is the collective voice of the Islamic world and a guarantee to protect and support the interests of the Islamic world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among different people of the world. But in some cases, it is not affected by the influence of some governments, including Saudi Arabia, and deviates in taking a position.
Since the first summit in 1969 (Rabat - Maghreb), the Organization of the Islamic Conference has held 10 summits at the summit level and 34 regular summits at the level of foreign ministers. The meeting of foreign ministers is held every year and the summit is held once every three years. The hosting of each country must be approved by the official summit.
The host country heads the organization for a period of time until the next summit. In the meeting of foreign ministers and heads of state , the items on the agenda of the organization, which include political, economic, cultural, administrative and financial affairs, are not discussed, and the organization's decisions about them are published through resolutions. The total number of resolutions of regular meetings is more than 100.
Also, at the end of the meeting of heads of state or foreign ministers, a statement containing the main points proposed in the meeting and a summary of the decisions is published. The summit is the highest decision-making authority in the organization; But the meeting of foreign ministers is actually the main decision-making center.
Members
Asia
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Malaysia.
Middle East
Jordan, UAE, Iran, Bahrain, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen
Africa
Algeria, Uganda, Brunei, Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Chad, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Comoros, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria.
Europe
Albania, Türkiye.
Latin America
Suriname, Guyana.
Supervising members
Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central Africa, Thailand, Cyprus.
Organizational goals
The objectives of the Islamic Conference Organization are seven, which are specified in the following order in its charter:
· promotion of Islamic solidarity among member countries;
· Supporting cooperation among member countries in economic, social, cultural, scientific and other basic matters and consultation among member countries in international organizations;
· Efforts to eliminate racial discrimination and end colonialism in all its forms;
· Adopting the necessary measures to support international peace and security based on justice;
· coordinating efforts to protect the holy places and liberate them and support the struggle of the Palestinian nation and help this nation regain [its] rights and liberate its land;
· Support the struggle of all Islamic nations to protect their dignity, independence and national rights;
· Creating an atmosphere to promote cooperation and understanding between Islamic countries and other countries.
A regulation has also been prepared regarding the method of executive affairs and decision-making in the official meetings of the organization, which is not the basis for decision-making in the organization. Also, decision-making in the organization is based on majority voting, but in practice, decisions of the organization are made by consensus during official meetings.
The intellectual roots of the Islamic Conference Organization
The scope of membership of the Organization of the Islamic Conference generally includes countries that have a series of common features or close historical, geographical, cultural, etc. The official axis of their gathering is the common point they have in their religious beliefs. Islamic history is also a source of inspiration for Muslim thinkers and a source of movement among the political forces of Islamic societies.
In fact, on the basis of a simple comparison between the dire situation of Muslims in the present era and their authority and greatness during nearly 13 centuries, a single theory has emerged in Islamic societies that considers the current weakness of Islamic countries in their division and dispersion and also considers the basic way for saving from the current disturbances in the adherence to "Islamic unity" and the growth of the "Islamic solidarity" process.
Belief in "unity", which has been ruling Islamic societies since the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, is not rooted in political values, but has a religious basis. In fact, the Holy Quran, the only eternal guide of Muslims, contains references and statements that reflect specific political values in this context.
The history of the formation of the Islamic Conference Organization
With the beginning of the Second World War, the period of pursuing pan-Islamist ideas, in which the revival of Islamic creativity was also considered, ended and the Islamic world entered a new period of its political life. The facts of this period left a deep impact on the political thoughts of Muslims.
The most important facts
· The defeat of Muslims in the 1948 war in Palestine and the establishment of the Zionist state;
· The establishment of the Islamic state of Pakistan in the Muslim parts of India;
· The beginning of the era of decolonization and the gradual independence of Islamic countries in the region;
· The emergence of nationalism as an important political force;
Based on this, Islamist forces in the Islamic world wanted to form a united front of Islamic countries in the existing international system. The presence of this force led to a clear and tangible result with the formation of the Islamic Conference organization, but contemporary efforts to realize this goal go back to the 1950s. The establishment of the "General Islamic Conference" which took place with the efforts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in 1952, was one of the first actions of Islamic countries in this regard.
The defeat of the Arabs from Israel in 1967 and at the same time, the fire in Al-Aqsa Mosque (on August 21, 1969), provided the ground for the implementation of the plan to establish a conference of Islamic leaders and created a wave of anger and cynicism towards the Jews in the Islamic world. .
It was with the establishment of this conference in Rabat (Morocco) that this movement became practical. At the end of this conference, a declaration was published, which stated that "their governments and nations are determined to reject any solution to the Palestinian question that does not include the return of Al-Quds to its pre-June 1967 status."
And they organized the following meetings which in the third meeting of foreign ministers held in Jeddah (March 1972), the charter of the organization was approved and thus the organization of the Islamic Conference officially came into being.
Secretariat
One of the pillars of this organization is the secretariat of the organization, which is responsible for following up and implementing the decisions made in the conference of heads and the meeting of foreign ministers. The Secretary General of this organization, as the head of the secretariat, is elected by the majority of votes for a period of four years.
According to the charter of the Islamic Conference, the headquarters of the secretariat is the city of Jerusalem, and until the end of the Zionist occupation, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is the headquarters of the secretariat.
International Court of Islamic Justice
At the fifth summit of the Islamic Conference in Kuwait in 1987, with the approval of a resolution, the International Court of Islamic Justice was also announced as one of the pillars of this organization which its headquarter is in Kuwait and consists of seven judges for a period of four years, whose area of authority is on issues that the member states have unanimously referred to the court and issues that are raised in binding treaties. and interpretation of bilateral or multilateral treaties and research on any subject of international law and research on an event that causes a weakening of international obligations. Although this institution has not been officially recognized.
Specialized committees
To follow up and implement the resolutions of the organization's meetings, specialized committees are formed, which are divided into two groups: permanent committees and temporary committees; Such as information and cultural cooperation committees, commercial and economic cooperation committees, scientific and technological cooperation committees, and temporary committees that are established according to the needs of the Islamic world. For example: Islamic Peace Committee and Afghanistan Special Committee. Of course, this organization also has sub-organizations that the member governments of the organization are also members of these organizations, such as the Islamic Jurisprudence Assembly, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Islamic Trade Development Center .
The history of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Since its establishment in 1969, the Organization of the Islamic Conference has held eleven summits and several extraordinary meetings, but since the beginning of the wave of Islamic awakening, its meetings have been postponed.
First meeting: Morocco 1969
The first meeting of heads of Islamic countries, which actually became the basis for the formation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was held in Morocco in September 1969, even though there were requests to organize a conference of Islamic countries before this year, but there wasn’t a consensus about it, because some countries, including Egypt, introduced this plan as an American conspiracy to influence the Arab world and break Arab nationalism.
But the Arab-Israeli war and the intensification of the Zionist regime's crimes against the Palestinians, including the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque, angered the Muslims of the world and became the basis for strengthening Islamic unity in the fight against the enemies. Following these events, at the invitation of the King of Maghreb, an extraordinary conference with the participation of 24 countries was held in Morocco to discuss the dangers that threaten Islamic sanctities, which provided the preparations for the formation of the Islamic Conference Organization.
Second meeting: Pakistan 1974
The second meeting of the heads of member states of the Organization of Islamic Conference, which is the first meeting after the official approval of this meeting, was held on February 22-24, 1974 in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. Zionist occupation is one of its most important issues of this meeting.
The members of this meeting emphasized the common religion and common struggle and solidarity among each other for collective development, considered the ideal of Palestine to be the ideal of all Islamic countries and said that they will not allow the use of force against this ideal for the realization of regional interests or other interests. They held Islamic countries responsible for what happened in Palestine.
Emphasizing the sanctity of the city of Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque, this meeting also emphasized that Islamic countries will not sign any agreement or protocol that would allow the Zionist occupation of Jerusalem to continue, and consider any negotiations to achieve a compromise in the region subject to Israel's withdrawal from Jerusalem. .
The third meeting: Mecca 1981
The third meeting of the heads of member states of the Islamic Conference was held on January 25-28 in Macca, and after the three-days negotiations, this meeting had approvals that can be reviewed in various fields, the Islamic work plan to deal with the Zionist enemy, the plan to support [ Quds] and the Middle East, the resolution of the meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, emphasis on Islamic solidarity, approvals regarding the Iran-Iraq war were among the other things agreed in this meeting. The statement of the meeting about the imposed war, without mentioning Iraq's responsibility in the military aggression against the Islamic Republic, called for an immediate stop to the conflicts and a ceasefire between the two sides.
The fourth meeting: Morocco 1984
This meeting was held on January 16-19, 1984 in the city of "Dar al-Bayda" in Morocco. This meeting once again emphasized its past positions on the subject of the occupation of the Zionist regime and the support of the Holy Quds and the Iran-Iraq war, as well as positions regarding the US aerial aggression against Syria and the Golan Heights and the coalition between the US and the Zionist regime, and considered it as a threat to the region.
The fifth meeting: Kuwait 1987
This meeting was held on January 26-29, 1987 in Kuwait. The final statement of this meeting, referring to the names of the countries and organizations participating in it, and emphasizing the renewed support for the Palestinian ideal, condemned the American policy of unlimited support for the Zionist regime, and demanded Communications with European groups for greater respect for international laws and charters in this field. The summit also asked the participating members to avoid any direct or indirect contact with the Zionist regime. The Islamic countries present in this meeting also condemned Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Zionists from southern Lebanon.
Sixth meeting: Senegal 1991
The sixth meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference was held in Dakar on December 9-11, 1991. In addition to emphasizing the previous positions on the liberation of the occupied territories, especially the Golan Heights, and the need to support the ideal of Palestine and the Holy Quds, condemned the Zionists' crimes in southern Lebanon . Iraq's occupation of Kuwait was one of the other topics discussed in this meeting, and the members condemned Iraq's occupation of Kuwait.
Seventh meeting: Morocco 1994
The seventh meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference was also held for the third time in Morocco and the city of Dar Al-Bayda.This meeting was held between 13 and 15 December 1994, and the participating members, emphasizing the support of the ideal of Palestine and the occupied Jerusalem, and also expressed their support for the compromise process based on the "Land for Peace" approach and other plans.
This meeting, of course, condemned the conspiracy of the Zionists in the division of the Ibrahimi Shrine in the city of Al-Khalil( Hebron) and called for the stability of the Syrian and Lebanese citizens in the Golan of Syria and South Lebanon against the occupation of the Zionists. Supporting the territorial integrity of Bosnia and condemning the aggression of the Serbs to this country were among the other approvals of the final statement of this meeting.
Eighth meeting: Iran 1997
The 8th summit of the Islamic Conference was held on December 9-11, 1997 in Tehran. Topics such as Holy Quds and the ideal of Palestine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, Somalia, the US invasion of Libya in 1986, solidarity with Iran and Libya regarding the D'Amato law, emphasis on the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction in the region and the necessity of getting rid of nuclear and toxic waste were discussed in this summit.
Ninth meeting: Qatar 2000
The next meeting of heads of Islamic countries was held in Doha, Qatar, on November 12 and 13. The final statement of the meeting, referring to member and observer countries and organizations participating in the meeting, emphasized the necessity of breaking relations between member countries with Israel and condemned the crimes of the Zionists in occupied Palestine and the Holy Quds and the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque in closing its doors.The statement supported the Syrian people in the occupied territories and called on the Zionist regime to fulfill its obligations under international charters.
Congratulating the victory of the Lebanese nation in expelling the Zionist enemy from the south of its lands, the statement called for determining the fate of the kidnapped Lebanese from the prisons of the Zionist regime.
Qatar Extraordinary Meeting: March 2003
In the shadow of increasing threats from the West about attacking Iraq, the Organization of the Islamic Conference organized an extraordinary meeting on March 5, 2003, almost a month before the American attack on this country. In this meeting, the member states condemned any possible attack on Iraq. and emphasized the necessity to support the security of Iraq, they also announced that none of the member states should participate in a possible attack on Iraq.
The dangerous situation in occupied Palestine and increasing the crimes and aggressions of the Zionists in the occupation of the cities and limiting the communication of the Palestinian nation with the outside world were the second focus of the negotiations in the extraordinary meeting in Doha. Stopping the construction of the racist barrier wall, stopping Zionist settlements and ending the occupation of Palestinian cities were among the other demands of the Islamic countries in this meeting.
10th Meeting: Malaysia 2003
The 10th summit of Islamic countries was held in Malaysia on October 16 and 17. This meeting passed resolutions on the ideal of Palestine, the Holy Quds, as well as the dispute between Jammu and Kashmir and the occupation of Syria and Lebanon by the Zionist enemy, as well as the conflict between the Arabs and Israel. Islamic countries condemned the threats of the Zionist regime against Yasser Arafat and the continuation of the Zionist violence against the Palestinian people and the Zionist settlement.
This conference, which had previously taken strong positions against the foreign attack on Iraq, welcomed the formation of the Transitional Government Council in Iraq and called the occupiers to respect the civil, religious and cultural freedoms of Iraqis.
Mecca extraordinary meeting: 2005
This meeting was held on the 7th and 8th of December 2005 in Macca, and the situation of occupied Palestine and Iraq, Jammu and Kashmir, Somalia, Cyprus, and Sudan were discussed. Simultaneously with the increase of terrorist activities in Iraq, this meeting condemned the terrorist activities in this country and also condemned the insulting and insulting images of Muhammad bin Abdullah (Khatim al-Anbiya) and expressed concern about it.
11th meeting: Senegal 2008
This meeting was held on March 13 and 14, 2008 in Dakar, supporting the ideal of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflicts, condemning the military attack of the Zionist regime on the Gaza Strip, worrying about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and inviting the Quadrilateral Committee and the international community to resolve these problems, the emphasis on the Arab initiative to solve the Lebanon crisis and the strong condemnation of the crimes of the Zionists in the attack on Lebanon were among the other topics discussed in this meeting.
This meeting also condemned the actions of the United States in imposing unilateral sanctions against Syria and declared the Syrian Penal Law invalid and emphasized its solidarity with the Syrian nation. Declaring solidarity with the government and people of Sudan, emphasizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia were among the other issues of this meeting.
Postponement of the 12th meeting in Egypt
The twelfth summit of Islamic countries was supposed to be held on March 15, 2011 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, but due to the popular revolution in this country and the unrest in Egypt, this summit was not held.
Mecca Extraordinary Meeting: 2012
The extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held on August 24 and 25, 2012 at the invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.
In this summit, more than 40 countries out of a total of 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation were present.
"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad", the former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was also sitting in this Meeting next to the King of Saudi Arabia. This situation caused each of the guests to have a short chat with the President of Iran after meeting with King Abdullah.
Emergency meeting of heads of Arab and Islamic countries in 2023
The 2023 emergency summit of heads of Arab and Islamic countries regarding the attacks of the Zionist regime on Gaza was held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023. This meeting was held in order to cease Israeli attacks in occupied Palestine. Following the military defeat, the Zionist regime is engaged in continuous crimes, including the continuous bombing of residential areas, the killing of civilians, women and children.
In addition, this regime has resorted to using prohibited weapons, including bombs containing white phosphorus, in the bombing of the Gaza war. An extraordinary meeting of heads of Islamic countries and the Arab League was held jointly to defend Palestine and condemn the crimes committed by the Zionist regime against Palestinians, especially in Gaza, in Saudi Arabia in the city of Riyadh, and at the end, a joint statement was issued.
References
1-Aghaei, Dawood, International Organization, Tehran: Nasle Nikan, 2003, first edition.
2- Ziaei Bigdeli, Mohammad Reza, Public International Law, Tehran: Ganje Danesh, 2000, 14th edition.