Organisation Of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• 27 Feb 2019

Why is it in news?

India was invited to be a Guest of Honour for the very 1^st time at the OIC meet in Abu Dhabi held on 1-2^nd March 2019.

About the OIC:

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969, as a result of criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It is a 57 member body (56 UN members + Palestine) with its headquarter at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Objective of the OIC:

The organisation states that it is “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.”

Some Salient Features of the OIC:

• It is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations.
• The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.

Stand of the OIC vis-à-vis India:

It has been observed that policies of the OIC are pro-Pakistan and it supports Pakistan on the issues of Kashmir. In recent attacks on the terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, it condemned the action of India which was not warranted.

Are the voices raised in favor of India for the OIC Membership?

Countries like Bangladesh and Turkey supports India’s membership at the OIC, as they believe that India has 12% Muslims and this number is more than the population of many muslim majority countries.

Source: The Diplomat