The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, previously known as the Organization of The Islamic Conference is an international organisation of Muslim countries. It is the second-largest intergovernmental body next to the United Nations.
It plays an important role in international politics and is hence, important for the UPSC exam, especially in the International Relations segment.
History:
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference was established by the First Islamic Summit Conference held in Morocco in September 1969, to marshal the Islamic world after an act of arson at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jersualem by a 28-year-old Australian in 1969.
Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Features
- It has 57 members spread over 4 continents.
- Its official languages are Arabic, English and French.
- The membership spans roughly 1.81 million people.
- The organisation was set up to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslims in the world and also to promote international peace and harmony among various people of the world.
- OIC expresses solidarity with conflict-hit Muslim regions such as Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Bosnia, as well as with the peoples of the Turkish Cypriot state, Kosovo and Jammu and Kashmir.
- There are OIC permanent delegations to the UN and the EU.
- The OIC has many organs and universities under its wing.
OIC Members
- There are 57 members in the OIC today. 56 of them are in the UN as well.
- Pakistan is a founding member.
- Palestine is also a member of the OIC (it is not a member of the UN).
- Not all members are Muslim-majority ones although they have a significant Muslim population. (E.g. Countries in West Africa and South America).
- Observer states:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Central African Republic
- Northern Cyprus (Turkish Cypriot State)
- Thailand
- Russia
- Observer International Organisations:
- NAM
- UN
- League of Arab States
- African Union
- Economic Cooperation Organisation.
OIC and India
As a country with the world’s second largest Muslim community, India had been invited to the founding conference at Rabat in 1969, but was humiliatingly ejected at Pakistan’s behest. India stayed away because of a multiplicity of reasons:
- It did not want to join an organisation founded on religion.
- There was the risk that improving bilateral relations with individual member states would come under pressure in a grouping, especially on issues such as Kashmir.
Reference: https://www.oic-oci.org/
