The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has again been severely criticized for its failure to respond strongly to Israeli violence against Palestinians.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference was established in 1969 in response to Israeli arson attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
“Its establishment is based on the fact that Jerusalem is the holy city of the entire Muslim world. It must be protected and must return to the embrace of Islam. However, time and again we see the Israeli government and settlers take over it. Aqsa Mosque, we witnessed this throughout the month of Ramadan, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference did not respond at all. If we observe the actions of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and its countries, it is trivial, it is very weak.
According to the charter of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia will become the temporary headquarters of the agency “until the city of Al Quds (Jerusalem) is liberated, making it the permanent headquarters of the organization”.
The charter of the Organization of the Islamic Conference clearly shows that the existence of Muslim organizations is deeply rooted in the Palestinian problem. It also emphasizes the role of Saudi Arabia in it. But a clear difference is observed between the Gulf countries of past verses contemporary governments.
In recent years, as Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has had a strong influence on the Saudi monarchy after he became the crown prince in 2017, there are questions about the ability of the Islamic Conference to formulate smart policies to support Muslim causes such as Palestine and Kashmir.
In September last year, the UAE, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, unabashedly restored relations with Israel. Riyadh has not issued any statement to oppose the UAE’s move.
Since the foreign policy of the UAE conflicts with the constitution of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, its impact was clearly visible at the Organization of the Islamic Conference meeting last year. The UAE thwarted Pakistan’s attempts at the Organization of the Islamic Conference to investigate India’s human rights violations against Indian-administered Kashmir Muslims and to allow right-wing Hindu extremists to lynch Indian Muslims with impunity.
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, the absolute Gulf monarchy strengthened ties with Indian Hindu nationalist far-right Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Silence of OIC in this Chaos:
Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was dissatisfied and frustrated with the changing priorities of the Organization of the Islamic Conference last year that were inconsistent with the agency’s principles. He warned the Organization of the Islamic Conference that if it continues to remain silent on the issues of Palestine and Kashmir, it may leave the organization.
Al Arian, a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and a professor at Sabahaddin Zam University in Istanbul, Turkey, said that the Organization of the Islamic Conference has been urging the international community to “take collective action” to stop Israel’s massacre of Palestinians.
However, because the leadership of the Organization of the Islamic Conference is based in Saudi Arabia, the organization did not respond to Turkey’s views.
It refuses to take any practical action or take any firm stand on this. Or at least it has brought pressure on the State of Israel to the international community.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference has also been criticized by propaganda groups and activists for failing to do enough to strengthen the cause of Kashmir, Rohingya and Uighur Muslims.
Some regional experts have expressed concern about the waning role of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in resolving Palestine and other issues.
