The 48th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states kicks off in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday. The two-day annual meeting of the 57-nation Council will discuss political and economic issues facing Muslim countries. The meeting will be attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a guest, along with representatives of the United Nations, the Arab League and other international organizations, including the Gulf Cooperation Council.
In the context of this meeting and the role of the organization, here is the article of journalist Zafar Malik which was first published in September 2021.
The incident comes shortly after the end of the 10-year invade between Iran and Iraq, when members of a committee set up by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) led by King Hussein of Jordan and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Iraq. He arrived at the presidential palace in Baghdad to meet with President Saddam Hussein.
Saddam Hussein of Iraq, devastated by the protracted invade, was furious in those days because he believed that taking advantage of the invade, neighboring Kuwait "continued to steal oil from the Iraqi islands and sell it on the world market."
Saddam wanted the OIC to use his influence to bring back the price of oil stolen from Kuwait.
The president of Egypt and the king of Jordan conveyed a message from the Kuwaiti rulers to Saddam that their capital was in US banks, which could not be withdrawn immediately, and that an attempt to do so could be a major blow to the US economy.
After hearing the conversation with the spot face, Saddam Hussein took off his shoe in a pure Arab tribal style and placed it on the table in front of the heads of state and said, "Now I will get my capital out of Kuwait through it."
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, secretary general of the Muttahida Alam-e-Islami (World Muslim Congress), who blamed the Iran-Iraq invade for the collapse of the OIC, said: "Saddam Hussein had threatened to If Kuwait does not pay for the stolen oil, it will occupy Kuwait.
And then Saddam captured Kuwait and looted it.
How did the OIC come about?
On August 21, 1969, Denis Michael Rohan, a staunch Australian Christian, set fire to the 800-year-old pulpit inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. As a result, the roof of the old mosque building was also damaged.
The Islamic world reacted strongly to this incident. The Grand Mufti of Palestine, Amin al-Husseini, called it a "Jewish crime" and called on Islamic countries to convene a summit and take steps to prevent such incidents.
Representatives of 24 Muslim-majority countries, most of them heads of state, gathered in the Moroccan city of Rabat in response to a call from the Grand Mufti of Palestine.
On September 25, 1969, the assembly adopted a resolution stating that "in the light of Islamic teachings, Muslim governments will consult with each other to seek closer cooperation and assistance in the economic, scientific, cultural and spiritual fields." '
This resolution was the starting point for the establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation or the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Six months later, the first conference of foreign ministers of Islamic countries was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the OIC was established in 1972 as a formal organization. The summit was scheduled to be held a year later.
The OIC Charter states that “the protection of Islamic and economic values, the promotion of solidarity, the promotion of cooperation in the social, economic, cultural, scientific and political fields, the establishment of global peace and security as well as modern education. Science and technology in particular will be promoted.
Reliable Islamic scholar before the organization of the Islamic Conference
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq says that before the Islamic Summit Conference, the Muslim world was a representative organization of Muslims. When the Ottoman Caliphate came to an end in 1924, there was a period of chaos in the Islamic world. Then, on the occasion of Hajj, Saudi King Abdul Aziz gathered representatives from Muslim countries.
He said that this created an organization of the Islamic world which would provide a platform. In 1931, elections were held in Jerusalem. The Grand Mufti of Palestine has been elected the first president of the Islamic world.
Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal, a vice president from Asia, and Pasha, a vice president from Egypt. Dr. Zia-ud-Din Tabatabai from Iran was elected Secretary General. He later became the Prime Minister of Iran.
He says that Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar also became a member of the first working committee of the Islamic world. The group was targeted by Western powers after World conflict II because it was difficult for Israel to step in.
OIC is an American block
Abdullah Tariq Sohail, a senior journalist and columnist, says that "when the Islamic Conference was formed, the basic idea was the same as the previous body of the Islamic world, but there was no single organization of Islamic countries at the top level."
"It was a time of Cold invade between the United States and the Soviet bloc, but there was no bloc of Muslim countries. At that time, Muslim countries were generally under the influence of the United States, so when the Organization of the Islamic Conference was formed, the Muslim countries under the influence of the Soviet bloc were cold-blooded about it.
"That's why Saudi Arabia and the countries that belonged to the Saudi camp included Morocco and Tunisia," he said. These countries played a major role in the formation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Pakistan was one of them. Initially, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had the impression that it was an organization of the American bloc, and that it was an ally of the United States in the ongoing conflict between religion and non-religion.
Writer and analyst Farrukh Sohail Goindi says that the first Islamic Summit Conference was held in Rabat. It seemed as if it was a conference of Muslim countries of the American bloc. Iran has made every effort to hold the conference in Iran.
But the countries of the American bloc, led by the Shah of Iran, did not succeed. Despite the fact that there was a US bloc in Saudi Arabia, they openly supported holding a conference in Pakistan.
Trying to become a member of India from day one
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says that India did its best to get representation in the first conference held in Rabat in 1969 because India claimed that it had the largest population of Muslim citizens in the world which 20% of the total population.
Some Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, were of the view that India could be given observer status to represent such a large Muslim population, but then Pakistan vehemently opposed it and the then President General Yahya Khan called the conference. If India threatened to boycott, then India could not even get the status of observer.
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, secretary general of the Muttamir Alam-e-Islami and a senior politician, confirms India's attempt to join the organization and its blocking.
He says the proposal for the Islamic Summit was put forward by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and King Mohammed I of Morocco and brought the whole Islamic world together. General Yahya Khan was then the President of Pakistan. He also attended. On this occasion, India made great efforts to enter this institution and it was argued that there is no other country in the world equal to the number of Muslims there.
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| President Nixon (right) paid a brief visit to Pakistan after a brief stay in Delhi and met President Yahya Khan (left). |
But President Yahya Khan vehemently opposed the proposal. The debate over whether or not to include India continued for three days, after which it was unanimously decided that India would not be a part of the Islamic Conference. India's wish was fulfilled at the recent OIC meeting in the United Arab Emirates when it was invited to attend even though it was not a member.
Multi-party organization but failed in its goals
Referring to the organization and the role of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Abdullah Tariq Sohail says, “One of the special features of this conference was that prominent personalities from Muslim countries who were scholars and scholars were also invited. Maulana Syed Abul Ali Maududi also attended the conference from Pakistan. This first OIC conference was definitely a memorable event but it did not produce any effective result. In particular, it has played no role in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
" Farrukh Sohail Goindi says, “Keep in mind that the Islamic Conference Manifesto proposes a solution to the Palestinian problem in the form of a two-state solution, with the establishment of a Palestinian state, and with it Israel as a state. Stay tuned. '
The issue was raised at a conference of foreign ministers of Islamic countries since the organization's inception in 1972, when it was made clear that the OIC sees a solution to the Palestinian problem in the form of a two-state solution.
Farrukh Sohail Goindi says, “Interestingly, the resolution passed at the Rabat Conference stated that the governments of the Muslim countries would cooperate with each other in the fields of education, economy, society, science, culture and spirituality. That is, it spoke of the scientific, educational and economic development of Islamic countries. There was no jihadist talk.
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says that Saudi Arabia was instrumental in convening the first meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and then in 1974 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto did two things as the Prime Minister of Pakistan which Saudi Arabia did not do in the first conference.
' That is, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto personally persuaded the leaders of both the Left and the Right to attend the conference, and we saw that Colonel Gaddafi also came from Libya, including Bangladesh (which broke away from Pakistan). The new Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also came, Shah Faisal also came, Shah of Iran also came, thus we saw all these contradictions being integrated in this conference. That is, the Shah of Iran was against Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was afraid of Iran, but both Shah Iran and Shah Faisal also came. Pakistan had a dispute with Bangladesh but they also came. The policies of Colonel Gaddafi and Boumediene differed, but they also came. Anwar Sadat came from Egypt.
Farrukh Sohail Goindi says that in the summit held in Lahore in February 1974, Grand Mufti of Palestine Amin Al-Husseini, Yasser Arafat from Palestine, Shah Faisal, Eid Amin from Uganda, Boumediene from Tunisia, Colonel Gaddafi from Libya, Anwar Sadat from Egypt Hafiz al-Assad from Syria, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Bangladesh, Fakhri Koro from Turkey and all the big leaders were present. During the conference, Pakistan recognized Bangladesh as a separate country and that is why Sheikh Mujibur Rahman attended the conference as the head of government.
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says that this Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore started a great movement of thought, which created a big wave and this feeling was also created inside Pakistan and that was the feeling of Pan-Islamism.
Pakistan is the leader of the Islamic world, oil as a weapon
Farrukh Sohail Goindi says that "before the conference was held, Shah of Iran tried to hold it in Tehran and there was a lot of pressure for it but Shah Faisal supported the conference in Pakistan."
He says that Iran was a big country in regional politics at that time and among the Middle Eastern countries its inclination was towards US and Pakistan was in the middle and there was no clear inclination from US and Soviet Union. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to say that in Islamic history, if the leaders of the entire Muslim world have gathered at one time in one country, then this honor was given to Pakistan in 1974.
Without exaggeration, the conference was attended by about 50 Islamic leaders, not the Shah of Iran himself but his prime minister. The biggest achievement of this conference was that Yasser Arafat's organization Freedom of Palestine (PLO), which had been declared a terrorist organization, was included in the Islamic Summit as the representative organization of the Palestinian state. That is why Yasser Arafat was then invited to address the United Nations and the Palestinian representative body was recognized, and Yasser Arafat took part with an olive branch in one hand (and a gun in the other). For one thing, it was important that after this conference, Pakistan emerged as a leader in the Islamic world.
Farrukh Sohail Goindi says, “The OIC became so effective as an institution that at the suggestion of Bhutto, Shah Faisal started imposing conditions on the supply of oil and then it was said that the unavailability of petrol in the United States. Due to which the vehicles have started to stop.
Recitation of the Qur'an at the United Nations, but where does the decline begin?
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq says that in October 1980, as the unanimous representative of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, President General Zia-ul-Haq addressed the UN General Assembly. His speech began with the recitation of the Qur'an which had been recorded earlier. This was the rise of the OIC, after which the fall saw the OIC home. Several summits of the Islamic Summit were held later, but he is no longer in the organization.
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq says "the weakness in the Organization of the Islamic Conference came about as a result of the Iran-Iraq invade."
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| Zia ul Haq |
Not only one OIC but many institutions but most of the Muslim countries lost their strength as a result of this invade. Iran and Iraq lost power because they fought directly for ten years.
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says, “The Islamic Conference organization has both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage was that the world realized that the Islamic countries were also a strong group and could play the role of a player, but the disadvantage was that all the dynamic roles of this conference were mysteriously eliminated within the next few years. ۔ I can't say why this happened. Shah Faisal, Sheikh Mujib, Bhutto were eliminated. Although Colonel Gaddafi lived much later, he was ousted.
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says: "When three or four big players of this conference were killed then OIC as an organization died and shortly after that Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, governments in pro-Muslim countries collapsed and Western-leaning leaders came to power.
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says that now the Islamic Conference is practically a dead body and no meeting is held like this. The Foreign Ministers' Conference is held, but it no longer seems to be as dynamic in international affairs.Whenever there is a foreign conference, its news is the headline of TV channels and headlines of newspapers but people do not read it and do not give any importance to it.
According to Farrukh Sohail Goindi, in the first Islamic Summit Conference, it seemed that it was a conference of Muslim countries of the American bloc and then when it came to holding this conference in Pakistan, Shah of Iran did his best. It should be held in the country of the American bloc led by Shah Iran.
"Even though Saudi Arabia was in the US bloc, the conference was held in Pakistan and it was openly supported. Then Bhutto had a big role in this conference, in which Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat were very prominent. All of them were neutral or pro-Soviet Union, but in those days Anwar Sadat of Egypt was also in the middle, not very pro-Soviet Union, not very pro-US. At the Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore, the pro-Soviet country came to the fore. Among them, Syria was a very important country which was the pro-Soviet Union.
According to him, OIC was very important during the Cold invade because of the support of both the superpowers in its member countries. Referring to the conference, Bhutto later said in a statement of case against him that he was under great pressure not to hold the conference.
"After July 5, 1977, the OIC became ineffective," he says. That is, all effective leadership was removed.
Abdullah Tariq Sohail says that this organization of the Organization of the Islamic Conference has sunk into darkness and one of the main reasons for this is that the whole Islamic world except Iran is now in the American bloc. We cannot call Turkey anti-US, which is also a member of NATO. But two or three times Turkey has reacted against US policy. The support he gave to Syria and then to Azerbaijan against Armenia was obviously without the consent of the West. "
Afghan Jihad and the loss of the Iran-Iraq invade
Farrukh Sohail Goindi says, "When the Afghan jihad began in 1979, a conference of OIC foreign ministers was held in Islamabad, all in support of the Afghan jihad, the pro-US."
since then, the OIC has become a tool in the hands of the United States, and the dominant and resilient and leading role of the OIC has disappeared. It is now a paper organization. You could say that as long as the Cold invade between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) existed as a resistance organization. Its existence is not dynamic.
On the other hand, Raja Zafar-ul-Haq says that a committee was set up by the OIC to end the Iran-Iraq invade under the chairmanship of Guinean President Seiko Toure.
In my opinion, the Iran-Iraq invade has tarnished the image of the Islamic Conference. People saw that the Arabs were sidelined, Iran was more or less alone, the rest of the world was just spectators, but this invade damaged the Islamic world, its unity and the OIC.
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq says that there was a lot of pressure on Pakistan from the Arab world to support Iraq in this invade but President Zia-ul-Haq said that Iran is our neighbor. We cannot go against it. It provoked outrage, even to the point that people from all over the Arab world came and expressed their sorrow over the death of President Zia-ul-Haq in a plane crash in August 1988.
"But if anyone did not even send a message of condolence, it was Saddam Hussein because Zia-ul-Haq did not support his position against Iran."
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