OIC, Challenges and Solutions

The ministers are expected to debate issues such as the current crisis in Palestine, the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the U.S. and Israeli threats against Muslim nations, particularly the recent Israeli air strikes against Syria.

They will also discuss Western propaganda against the Islamic world, the establishment of an Islamic common market, launching a satellite television network for Muslims, and forming an Islamic tribunal.

At the end of the two-day summit, the OIC heads of state will issue a resolution proposing solutions to the problems of the Islamic world.   

The OIC, which is the world's biggest Muslim organization and the third largest international organization after the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), hosts the leaders of Islamic states every three years and plays a crucial role in resolving the crises of Muslim nations.

Established in 1969, the organization has always made significant efforts to resolve the problems of the Muslim world, but has not been very successful.

The OIC, which is the umbrella for over 1.4 billion Muslims, has not realized its major objectives. This is mainly because many of the organization’s member states are inclined toward the West and particularly the United States. Also, the OIC headquarters in Saudi Arabia has often responded to developments in the Islamic world with only short-term solutions. The OIC has never realized its potential because it lacks the means necessary to fulfill its responsibilities. 

The ideas to form an Islamic common market, a Muslim army, and an Islamic court and also the proposal to secure a permanent seat for Muslim states on the UN Security Council have been at the top of the agenda of OIC debates for many years. However, these ideas were never materialized. 

The OIC leaders have always raised the problems of their own countries in the organization’s meetings instead of discussing the problems of the Muslim world. During the OIC’s Ninth Summit in Doha, Qatar, the bitter row between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi delegations presented a disappointing picture of the status of the organization.

In addition, the fact that the OIC has failed to resolve the dispute between Libya and Chad and the problems of Islamic countries, including Palestine, Iraq, and the Islamic countries of the Horn of Africa, illustrates the ineffectiveness of the organization.

The OIC currently faces numerous challenges that are bound to be compounded by new developments in the international arena.   

The September 11 attacks on the U.S. that prompted the U.S. military campaigns against Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are other challenges seriously threatening the Muslim world. Also, the U.S. and certain Western states have targeted Islam, claiming that it encourages terrorism.

Therefore, it is necessary for the OIC heads of states -- who are coming together for the first time since September 11, 2001 -- to exercise patience and prudence in analyzing the problems of the Muslim world and to refrain from trying to prioritize the problems of their respective countries.

AA/HG

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MNA