OIC at a croosroads four decades on

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Muslim people can get rid of hegemony from West only through cooperation among each other. Too bad they are unwilling to try it.
And their lack of confidence in themselves is showing in their being on receiving end everywhere in the world.

I agree with author that OIC should shift its focus to non-Arab countries.

OIC at a crossroads four decades on | The Jakarta Post

Veeramalla Anjaiah , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 09/25/2009 12:19 PM | World

Exactly 40 years ago on this day, just after an Israeli arson attempt on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the leaders of several Muslim-majority countries gathered in the Moroccan capital Rabat to establish the first ever global Muslim organization, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

At that time, the main purpose of the establishment of the OIC was to garner global support for the Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest Islamic shrine in the world, and the Palestinian issue. It was also aimed at becoming the collective voice of Muslims around the world.

“The organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world and ensuring to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world,” the OIC says on its website.

The OIC Charter says the organization aims to preserve Islamic values, promote solidarity among Muslim states, increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific and political areas, uphold world peace and security, and advance in science and technology.

But the 57-member OIC, representing 1.5 billion Muslims, today finds itself at a crossroads on its 40th birthday.

Though it proudly proclaims that it has 40 years of history in generating solidarity among Muslims, sharp and lingering disagreements over core issues such as religious practices, terrorism, democracy, human rights, poverty, education and religious tolerance among member states could point to major challenges ahead for the OIC.

For Muslims the world over, the present-day challenges are more complex and severe than 40 years ago.

Terrorism is a serious threat to mankind. Many in the West allege that radicalism, especially Wahhabism, in Islam has contributed to present-day terrorism, while overlooking the fact that the root causes of this menace were created by the West and Israel, critics say.

Since the end of the Cold War, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks in the US, Islamophobia has been on the rise in Europe and America.

Unfortunately most of the world’s current conflicts are in Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, critics say.

All these years, they go on, the OIC has remained a mere talking shop particularly on the Palestinian issue.

But they concede the OIC has made many positive contributions.

Under the leadership of OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a well-respected Turkish scholar, the OIC has succeeded in projecting the true values of Islam and removing several misperceptions and stereotypes about Islam in the West through numerous dialogues and publications.

In 1999, the OIC adopted its own Convention on Combating International Terrorism, long before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Another landmark in OIC history was the adoption of the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam in 1990. However, this was not as significant as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because the Cairo Declaration adhered to Islamic sharia.

In 2005, the OIC adopted its so-called Ten-Year Program of Action, which propagates several reforms in all spheres of Muslim activities, including trade, good governance, education, science teaching and promotion of human rights.

The second-largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the UN, the OIC must focus on economic integration of member countries, which have a combined GDP of US$8 trillion, and promote intra-trade and investments, observers say.

They add it is also the time to shift the focus to non-Arab countries, because this group now constitutes more than 60 percent of world’s Muslim population.

Indonesia, for instance, home to the world’s biggest Muslim population, was never given a major role to play in the OIC.

Of the 20 organizations related to the OIC, none is headquartered in Indonesia.

No Indonesian has ever been elected to the highest post of OIC secretary-general.

Similarly, it would be also appropriate for the OIC to incorporate India and China - which have a combined 250-300 million Muslims - as observers.

It remains to be seen whether the 40-year-old OIC has really matured enough to represent the followers of the fastest-growing religion in the world and tackle the challenges they face.

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Funny how the rest of the world, save Africa, is doing just fine despite the “hegemony of the West”…Gee, maybe there is something internal that has caused the “Muslim world” to be in decline for centuries–long before any Western hegemony? For example, see this thread and the facts regarding the massive birth rates of Muslim nations http://www.paklinks.com/gs/world-affairs/337326-india-emerging-world-centre-hunger-malnutrition-6.html . **The top 40 countries in terms of birth rates **(you know, the reason for the “fastest growing religion” stat that Islamists love to quote without realizing the negative implications of that out of control growth) **are all either Muslim, African, or both. **Is this because of the “hegemony of the West”?

India, Pakistan, Israel, and Taiwan were all created in 1947-49. Take a look at their trajectories since then. India and Pakistan started with the same basic culture, same history, same economic condition, etc. Yet look at where India is today (rising, future superpower) and where Pakistan is (on the brink of being a failed state or even disintegration). Is this because of the “hegemony of the West”? Is it just a coincidence that of the quarter the one which is doing by far the worst is the Muslim one (the only significant difference between India and Pakistan…)? How about throwing off the chains of the hegemony of mullahs and molvis as a starting point?

The West created Wahhabism? Israel did not even exist when Wahhabism and Islamism began. What does the West have to do with the local Islamic movements using terrorism as a means (did the West say you get a one way ticket to heaven and 72 virgin sex slaves if you blow up people or was that what imams said?) in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Pakistan (lal masjid was because of Jerusalem being under Israeli control?), Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Russia, China, Nigeria, and surely a few others I do not remember at this moment? Once again the blame is placed elsewhere…

Why does the OIC even exist? There is no Organization of Christian States, organization of Buddhist states, etc.

Why was this necessary? Every other group adheres to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is no Buddhist declaration of human rights, no Confucian declaration, no Greek Orthodox declaration, etc.

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Re: OIC at a croosroads four decades on

When the OIC makes an effort to address the issue of non-Muslim minorities, then they can make progress.

The Hi/Bye Thread
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Women's rights will come before rights for minorities. Speaking of the OIC, its "human rights" document does not even call for equal rights for half the "ummah." What a joke.

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Re: OIC at a croosroads four decades on

OIC is a tea-party at best. In other words OIC's influence on global policies is zero, zilch, nada.

The real global organizations are mainly three (2 are economic, and one is military) and they are: G-20/G-8, Pacific Rim, and NATO.

Pakistan will develop the day we become full member of these three organizations, and try to emulate their handwork and global-citizen behavior.

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Re: OIC at a croosroads four decades on

OIC should make efforts to move away from West. For this, OIC has to promote economy among Muslim countries, so as to stop dependence of Islam's Western enemies.

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Islam, like Christianity a multibillion dollar religious enterprise, has no “enemies.” Paranoia is another problem among many Muslims. No one talks of a global conspiracy against Buddhism or “enemies of Confucianism.” There is no global conspiracy against Islam. What would be the motive? Mass conversions to Christianity? Do you see any efforts to do that? Mass conversions are things of the past. Is the motive to prevent Muslims from becoming powerful politically, economically, and militarily? This makes no sense. The Muslim world is a backwater and falling further and further behind. There is no need to waste time to keep those who are falling further behind “down.” Muslims have done quite well at that for the past 300 years. Who is rising? China and India. Why is there no conspiracy to keep them weak? They are real threats; Syrian or Sudanese power is a figment of some people’s imaginations.

What trade do you want among Muslim countries? Arab states trade little with even each other. What makes you think they then would want to trade with Pakistan or Senegal? What logic is there in Turkey emphasizing trade with Senegal and not neighboring Greece?

As to a shift, there will be a natural shift everywhere to more trade with the East due to the rise of China and India. However, note that these are both non-Muslim powers. Their rise to superpower status will only push the Islamic world even more to the periphery unless Islamic nations begin to finally modernize and reform.

Here are Pakistan’s largest trading partners:

                    [Exports - partners](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/notesanddefs.html?countryName=Pakistan&countryCode=pk&regionCode=sas#2050):                        
                                                                                                          [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/field_listing_on.gif](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2050.html?countryName=Pakistan&countryCode=pk&regionCode=sas&#pk)                                                                                                                                      US 16%, UAE 11.7%, Afghanistan 8.6%, UK 4.4%, China 4.4% (2008)

                    [Imports - partners](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/notesanddefs.html?countryName=Pakistan&countryCode=pk&regionCode=sas#2061):                        
                                                                                                          [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/field_listing_on.gif](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2061.html?countryName=Pakistan&countryCode=pk&regionCode=sas&#pk)                                                                                                                                      China 15.4%, Saudi Arabia 12.2%, UAE 11.3%, Kuwait 5.5%, US 4.8% (2008)

So one-fifth of Pakistan’s exports go to two Christian powers alone. I notice that many Muslims decry relations with Western powers yet don’t complain about the $$$$ they make from them. How would Pakistan replace the loss of that trade? Will Nigeria step in to fill the void?

~*~ TIME PASS~*~ MaY...........
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I bet you live in the West, don’t you? :rolleyes:

~*~ TIME PASS~*~ MaY...........
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Excellent points! Bravo.

"Islamic nationalism" is a hoax and it is just another face of "Arab tribalistic nationalism".

Just read the recent history of despicable role played by mad-socialists like Nasir, or the bath-room bathist of Iraq or Syria, and one would not touch Islamism with a 10 foot pole.

And yet, there are Pakistanis living and breeding in the comfy West, who love to f@rt stinky hot air about the greatness and viability of they mythical "Islamic worl-ed".

There is just one request to these Islamists. Baba hum ko choro, hum baghair Islamism kay he theek hain.

Hum Arab/Irani Mullah of 1970s say pehlay kafir nahi thay.

thank you.

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Re: OIC at a croosroads four decades on

I agree. Arabs use the “ummah” as a tool to get other Muslims to service their needs. Notice how the “ummah” card is only used when it suits the Arabs? Where is the “ummah” on Kashmir? Where was the “ummah” when a tsunami devastated Indonesia?

**Top donors to tsunami relief

**1) USA $2.8 billion
2) UK $2.1 billion
3) Australia $1.3 billion
3) Germany $1.3 billion
5) Canada $700 million

Where is the “ummah”?

Iran: $627,000
Kuwait: $100 million
Pakistan: $200,000 (India gave $183 million)
Qatar: $25 million
Saudi Arabia: $300 million–but only $30 million came from the government
Turkey: $38 million
UAE: $20 million

Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Schumacher alone gave $10 million…