The fourth emergency Islamic summit, to be held in Makkah on Aug. 14-15, will be another milestone in achieving unity and solidarity of the Islamic world, especially in the backdrop of the potential challenges facing it.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has invited heads of state, kings and leaders from 57-member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the summit with this objective in mind. The summit aims at closing ranks, strengthening unity and cooperation, putting an end to division and sedition, in addition to addressing major problems and crises facing the Islamic nation. The bloody crackdown of Muslim civilians in Syria and the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are the two grave contemporary issues of the Islamic world, and hence these two figure high on the agenda of the summit.
Saudi Arabia has been in the forefront of other Islamic nations in all endeavors to achieve their unity and addressing their core issues and crises. The Kingdom, with its strategic significance, is making great strides under the wise leadership of King Abdullah to maintain its enhanced role as the vibrant and unifying force of the Islamic nation as a whole. This pivotal role could be seen in the formation of OIC and the efforts to achieve Islamic unity and solidarity as well as to end bloodshed and fighting.
The pan Islamic body of OIC was founded in 1969 with the objectives of enhancing and consolidating the bonds of fraternity and solidarity among the Islamic states and safeguarding their common interests. Protecting and defending the true image of Islam, encouraging dialogue among civilizations and religions, and strengthening intra-Islamic economic and trade cooperation are other major objectives. The world’s second largest organization strives to achieve these goals with upholding principles of unity, and adhering to the Islamic ideology irrespective of all peripheral issues.
When examining the history of OIC, including the circumstances that led to its very foundation, it is evident that the underlying spirit was that of fostering Islamic unity and solidarity. The organization was established upon a decision of the historic summit, held in Rabat, Morocco on Sept. 25, 1969, following a arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holy mosque. Calls made by King Faisal and King Hassan II of Morocco to hold an Islamic summit to discuss the Al-Aqsa issue was instrumental in the subsequent foundation of OIC. The organization was formed to become 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 peoples around the world.
In 1970, the first meeting of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) was held in Jeddah, and the conference decided to establish a permanent secretariat for OIC in Jeddah. Heads of state, kings and leaders from 30 Islamic states approved the charter of OIC during their summit meeting held in Jeddah in 1972. According to the charter, OIC convenes Islamic summit on a regular interval of three years. There is a provision to hold extraordinary summit when the Islamic world faces with grave situations and major challenges. A preparatory meeting of foreign ministers from the member countries precedes the summit in order to finalize the agenda of the conference. So far, 11 Islamic summits have been held, including the first Morocco summit of 1969.
The second Islamic summit was held in Lahore, Pakistan in 1974. After a gap of seven years, Makkah hosted the third summit in 1981. This session on Palestine and Jerusalem was held in response to a call made by King Khaled. The fourth summit was held in Casablanca, Morocco in 1984 while Kuwait and Senegal hosted the fifth and sixth summits in 1987 and 1991 respectively. Casablanca was also the venue of the seventh summit in 1994. Tehran and Doha hosted the next two summits in 1997 and 2000 while the 10th summit was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia in 2003. The 11th Islamic summit, which was held in Dakar, capital of Senegal, in March 2008, adopted the present charter of OIC, which laid down the objectives and principles of the organization and fundamental purposes to strengthen the solidarity and cooperation among the member states. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is the ninth secretary general of OIC who assumed the office in January 2005. The 2008 Dakar summit extended his tenure for another four-year period. Over the last 40 years, the membership has grown from its founding members of 25 to 57 states. The organization has the singular honor to galvanize the Ummah into a unified body and have actively represented the Muslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims of the world.
The forthcoming event is the second extra ordinary Islamic summit, convened by King Abdullah in Makkah, in a row. The third extraordinary summit, held in Makkah in December 2005, was an unprecedented show of Islamic unity and solidarity. King Abdullah opened the summit with a call for moderation and tolerance and a rejection of extremist violence. He urged Muslim countries to open a new era of unity, strength and glory by setting aside their differences and working together for their overall progress. The Muslim leaders, who came from across the globe, were united in the call to combat terrorism and defend the image of Islam.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said leaders stressed the need to stop blaming outside forces for problems in the Muslim world and focus on cooperation. “They agreed on stressing the importance of cooperation between Muslims; putting an end to complaints of foreign conspiracies; and concentrating on common efforts to face development challenges.”
Makkah summit: Another milestone in fostering Islamic solidarity
