OIC Journal Issue 15 English

September - December 2010the OIC Journal www.oic-oci.org


About OIC

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organizationafter the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization isthe collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Mus-

lim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various peoples of theworld.

The Organization was established pursuant a decision adopted by the historical summit which took placein Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on 12th Rajab 1389 AH/ 25 September 1969 AD, following the criminal

arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

In 1970, the first ever meeting of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Minister (ICFM) was held in Jed-dah. It adopted the decision to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization'ssecretary general. Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is the 9th Secretary General who assumed office in Janu-

ary 2005 after being elected by the 31st ICFM Session.

The first OIC Charter was adopted by the 3rd ICFM Session held in 1972. The Charter was amended tokeep pace with the developments that have unraveled recently across the world. The 11th Islamic Sum-mit held in Dakar in March 2008 endorsed the new Charter, which has become the pillar of the OIC fu-ture Islamic action in line with the requirements of the 21st century. The new Charter provides for the

dissemination and safeguard of Islamic teachings and values based on moderation and tolerance, as wellas the need to strive for the projection and defense of the true image of Islam. The new Charter also

called for encouraging inter-civilizational and interfaith dialogue. Over the last 40 years, the OIC mem-bership has grown from its founding members of 30 to 57 states.

The Organization has the singular honor of galvanizing the Ummah into a unified voice and representingMuslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. The Organ-

ization has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organiza-tions to protect the vital interests of the Muslims and to work for the settlement of conflicts and disputes

involving Member States. In safeguarding the true values of Islam and Muslims, the organization hastaken various steps to remove misperceptions and have strongly advocated elimination of discriminationagainst Muslims in all forms and manifestations. It has also engaged in fighting Islamophobia by setting

up a dedicated observatory to track and monitor the phenomenon and its disturbing manifestations The Member States of the OIC face many challenges in the 21st century. To address these challenges,the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit held in Makkah in December 2005, laid down a

blue print called the Ten-Year Program of Action (TYPOA) which envisages joint action by the MemberStates, promotion of tolerance and moderation, modernization, extensive reforms in all spheres of activi-

ties including science and technology, education, and development of trade. It also emphasizes goodgovernance and the promotion of human rights in the Muslim world, especially with regard to the chil-

dren's and women's rights as well as family values enshrined in Islamic Shariah [law].

One of the outstanding achievements since the adoption of the Ten-Year Programme of Action (TY-POA) has been the recent reinvigoration and restructuring of the various OIC bodies. Among the OIC'skey bodies the Islamic Summit, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the General Secretariat, in ad-dition to the Al-Quds Committee chaired by the king of the Kingdom of Morocco, as Al-Quds remainsthe paramount issue on the OIC's agenda, and three permanent committees, one of which is concernedwith science and technology (COMSTECH) that is chaired by the President of the Islamic Republic ofPakistan, the second committee is concerned with economy and trade (COMCEC) which is chaired bythe President of the Republic of Turkey, while the third one is concerned with information and culture

(COMIAC) which is chaired by the President of Senegal.

The OIC has subsidiary organs, notably Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centrefor the Islamic Countries (SESRIC), the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA),

the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) and the Islamic Center for the development of Trade(ICDT). Other specialized organs operating under the OIC include the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). There are also affiliated or-gans such as the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and the Islamic World Academy of

Sciences (IAS). The OIC subsidiary, affiliated and specialized organs play a vital role in boosting cooperation in various

fields among the OIC Member States.

For more details, visit the OIC website at www.oic-oci.org

In view of the vital need for effective action to alleviate the ordeal faced by the Pakistani people, the OICSecretary General launched a Flash Appeal to the Member States of the OIC, their citizens, philanthro-

pists, civil society organizations, and to all people of good will in the international community at large togenerously partake in the relief effort and contribute towards the alleviation of the plight of floods victims

in Pakistan.

To this end, donations in cash and kind are all welcome.In terms of medicine, anti-typhoid, anti-cholera, anti-malaria, anti-tetanus, anti-diarrhea, anti-snake venom

are urgently required. Additionally, food and non-food items such as dried milk for children and families, dates, high nutrition

biscuits, food packets consisting of tea, sugar, milk, vegetable oil as well as water coolers, mosquito nets,blankets, floor mattresses are in urgent need.

The government of Pakistan has entrusted the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)to coordinate the relief efforts nationwide, whose contacts are as follows:

Fax numbers (0092519202518//0092519224205//0092519206140)Website: www.ndma.gov.pk

The OIC General Secretariat has also opened a special account as indicated below for any cash assistance:

Name of Account: OIC Pakistan Floods Assistance FundDollar Account No: 5600758

Swift Code: SAMBSARIIBAN: SA 294000 0000 000005600758

Samba Financial GroupMain Branch, Al-Andalous Street

Jeddah - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Flash Appeal for Emergency Assistanceto the Floods Victims in Pakistan


Central Asian countries occupy a strategic location and are endowedwith natural resources still mostly untapped. Several of them are rich inIslamic heritage and their relations with the Muslim world is seeped inhistory. Some are among the last countries to join the family of OICMember States in the 1990s; their entry was welcomed like a relative longlost in the cold and returned to the warm fold of the family.

With all these factors and more it is only natural that the OIC shouldtake particular interest in strengthening relations between Central Asiancountries and the rest of the Muslim world. There has also been a growinginterest of Central Asia in getting involved in the activities of the OIC.The rest of OIC Member States in turn are intensifying their engagementwith the region.

The 2010 session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) tookplace for the first time in a Central Asian member state, Tajikistan. Dur-ing that session, the 37th, a special brainstorming meeting was held toelaborate on the means for fostering cooperation between the CentralAsian countries themselves and between them and the rest of OIC Mem-ber States. The discussions revealed the eagerness on all sides for such in-creased cooperation and the tremendous opportunities and potential forwin-win relations in different fields.

Since then, frequent high-level visits between Central Asian countriesand the OIC and its institutions were reciprocated, economic developmentprojects were signed, and OIC participation in the meetings of regional or-ganizations concerning Central Asia region has beeen expanded.

The next CFM, also in a Central Asian member, Kazakhstan, willmost probably build on that momentum.

However, just as there are great potentials there are also huge chal-lenges facing the region, ranging from terrorism and drug trafficking topoverty, instability and natural disasters. Tackling them would require co-ordinated efforts and collective action. The OIC is committed to support-ing the Central Asian member states in their individual and collective at-tempts towards tackling these challenges.

A case in point is OIC's focused involvement in resolving the Afghani-stan issue. It is our belief that stability and economic development are nat-urally related. Hence our conviction and promotion of a comprehensiveapproach led by greater Afghan ownership and with increased regionalcooperation and effective international partnership as the way forward to-wards stability and development in Afghanistan and the region.

The OIC has been present and active on the Afghan front and will con-tinue and expand its engagement. It has appointed a permanent representa-tive in Afghanistan with the aim of providing a platform for dialogueamong the parties and direct assessment of developments and proposals.

The OIC is determined to be a contributing factor to the process thatwould lead to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

Ekmeleddin IhsanogluOIC Secretary General

There were the obligatory clips ofterrorist training camps, the planes flyinginto the Twin Towers, the victims of so-called “honor killings”. The Muslim ex-perts - looking officially “Islamic” intheir long beards and hats - included onewho declared that one day the flag of Is-lam would fly over the White House.The non-Muslim experts - Robert Spen-cer (a leading anti-Muslim advocate inthe Park51 Islamic centre controversy),Ayaan Hirsi Ali (a prolific anti-Muslimwriter) and Franklin Graham (who hassaid Islam "is a very evil and wicked re-ligion") - are well known, even famous,for spewing anti-Muslim hate.

Of course, these characters emphati-cally agreed with the caricatures withlong beards and white hats, repeating thepropaganda that Islam requires its adher-ents to dominate people. Among the“normal” Muslims interviewed were awoman in niqab (fewer than one per centof Muslim women in America wear thefull face veil and accompanying robes),and Muslims in the Muslim ”hood”, cit-ies like Dearborn, Michigan and Patter-son, New Jersey.

Do some Americans fear black peo-ple? For sure. But we don't validate

those fears by allowing them to be ex-pressed with fake innocence on respect-ed news shows. Why are fears of Mus-lims validated by television airings?

Are there criminals in America whoare African American? Yes, again. Butthey're not presented as representativefigures of the community by reputablenews programs. Why do such shows goout of their way to find the scariest, mostcartoonish Muslims possible and presentthem as spokespeople for Muslims?

No serious journalist would ask arandom black guy with a briefcase on thestreet to explain the pathology of an Af-rican American criminal because of thecoincidence of shared skin color. But se-rious journalists called on ordinary Mus-lim Americans to explain the behavior ofhomicidal maniacs and extremists, there-by making the link between the craziesand the mainstream community.

Are there people willing to offer allsorts of racist theories about black crime,from problems in black genes to defi-ciencies in black culture? Plenty. But theonly time they show up on mainstreamnews shows are as examples of racism,not as experts on race.

We are having a national conversa-tion about belonging. The threatenedQur'an burning in Florida and the contro-versy over the proposed Islamic centre inlower Manhattan are examples of this na-tional conversation about whether Amer-ica can stretch her arms wide enough toembrace Muslims too. Irresponsible andsensational depictions of Muslims in thepopular media are not the cause of Islam-ophobia, but they certainly can make itworse. Recent news shows and media re-ports do nothing to shed light or under-standing on this national conversation,which is too bad.

But the conversation must continue.And I hope it continues in our mosques,churches, synagogues and other holyplaces, with Americans of all faiths talk-ing face to face about differences andabout our shared humanity - free of thestereotypes that lately are so prominentin our television shows and magazines.

* Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) was the first Muslim elected to USCongress. This article is distributed bythe Common Ground News Service(CGNews) with permission from the au-thor.

Source: On Faith, 13 October 2010,newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith

Copyright permission is granted forpublication.

Washington, DC - At a time whenour nation is seeing a rise in intolerantbehavior, crossing every cultural line, weseem simultaneously stuck with a nation-al news media that is preoccupied withconflict and controversy when we des-perately need one that weighs facts andreports fairly. A recent national newsprogram reinforced these concerns. Letme explain what I mean.

Imagine a respected television showor news magazine article with the title,Should Americans Fear Black People?

Imagine staccato hip-hop music forthe teaser, with clips of black gang mem-bers toting guns, hanging around urbanscenes, looking scary. Imagine thezoom-in close up of a shoulder tattoo,proclaiming "Thug for Life".

As the host (some household name)opens the show, imagine that the whiteexpert opining about the root causes ofurban decay is a nationally recognizedracist like, for instance, David Duke, aformer Louisiana State Representativeand a leader in the Ku Klux Klan - aonce widespread white supremacy move-ment. With a straight face, and no senseof irony, the host solicits Duke's views,and he proceeds to declare, "When theAmerican people saw the Los Angeles ri-ots, they received a peek into their fu-ture", referring to the 1992 riots thaterupted following the acquittal of fourwhite police officers who were on trialfor beating Rodney King, an AfricanAmerican motorist.

Imagine the television cameras goingin search of voices of “real” black peo-ple. Where do they go? The 'hood ofcourse! I mean, where else do black peo-ple live?

The intrepid host invites regularAmericans to ask the experts to explainblack pathology: "Why is their rap musicso degrading to women?" Cynthia fromWyoming wonders. "Why are so manyblacks at the bottom of the economic andeducational ladder?" Chuck from NewYork muses.

Is this starting to get a little uncom-fortable? Of course it is. Just ask DonImus, an American radio host fired in2007 for making racist and sexist re-marks, about the wisdom of indulging inracial stereotyping against blacks. AddJews, Catholics, and others as well. Nota good idea.

Now replace black with Muslim, andthat's just about how ABC News treatedIslam and Muslims on the recent televi-sion shows 20/20 and This Week withChristiane Amanpour.

Keith EllisonUS Congressman

Should wefear Islam?

80

OUR MESSAGEVIEWPOINT

Maximizingpotentials inCentral Asia


Issued by

the Organization of

the Islamic Conference

________________

Editor - in - Chief

Isam Salim Shanti

________________

General Supervisor &

Managing Editor

Maha Mostafa Akeel

________________

Editors

Ahmed Salem

Abdelhamid Salehi

________________

Layout & Design

Mohammed Abdelqader Qalaba________________

Advisory Board

Ali Abolhassani Shahreza

Hasan Oker Gurler

_________________Address:

Madinah Road, P.O. Box 178, Jeddah-

21411 Tel: 6515222

Fax: 6512288 Telx.: 601366 Islami SJ.

Website: www.oic-oci.org

E-mail: [email protected]

OIC Permanent Observerto the UN New York Office

320 East - 51st Street

New York 10022

New York - U.S.A.

www.oicun.org

[email protected]

OIC Permanent Observerto the UN Geneva OfficeICC-20 Route Pre-Bois-

Case Postal 1818

CH 1215 Geneve - SUISSE

www.oic-un.org

oic@oic - un.org

Muslim-Westreconciliation

There seems to be a gap in the mu-tual perspective between the Muslimworld and the West.

Whether it is due to religious mis-understandings, historical residue ofconflicts, wars and colonialism, orpure racism and hatred, a prism of dis-torted images and perceptions existsthat is causing flares of bigoted ex-pressions and sometimes, sadly, vio-lent acts.

The Organization of the IslamicConference has repeatedly and em-phatically emphasized the importanceof cultural and interfaith dialogue topromote world peace and stability. Itcalls for and promotes tolerance, di-versity and mutual respect.

Addressing Islamophobia, Christia-nophobia, anti-Semitism and otherforms of religious bigotry requiresjoint international efforts emanatingfrom a genuine belief in the rights ofall groups to live in dignity, and basedon a broad long-term agenda that ca-ters to the interest and well-being ofthe general society with all its shadesof residences, protected by the com-mon sought principles of justice andequality.

Tools like education, media and di-alogue forums are the keys to bridgingthe gaps and filtering the misconcep-tions. But each of us is also responsi-ble, within our own communities andinteractions, for correcting informa-tion, reaching out and creating oppor-tunities for dialogue and communityservice.

The OIC seeks a historic reconcili-ation between the Muslim world andthe West. This might be a far-fetchedobjective, but it is a valid one and de-serves our efforts. The road of a thou-sand miles starts with a step. We haveto take that step for the benefit of allhumanity. Good intentions and wisestatements are not enough. They haveto be backed by practical plans and ac-tive pursuits.

The views expressed by the writers/authors of the articles published in TheJournal do not necessarily represent theviews of the OIC, but are the personalviews of the authors themselves. How-ever, OIC reserves the right/discretionto amend, revise, edit, delete or scruti-nize any part or portion of the text asand wherever deemed necessary.

A word

4

Ihsanoglu addressesOSCE Summit:Underlines scope ofcooperationbetween OIC andOSCE

14

Afghanistan: Pushing forstability, securityand development

19-21 December: 3rd MinisterialConference on Women's Role in theDevelopment of OIC Member States -Tehran, Iran.

22-23 December: 19th Meeting of theECO Council of Foreign Ministersand 11th Summit of the ECO - Istan-bul, Turkey.

27-29 December: 39th Session of thePermanent Finance Committee(PFC) - OIC Headquarters, Jeddah,Saudi Arabia.

11-13 January: 14th General Assem-bly of COMSTECH - Islamabad, Pa-kistan.

17-18 January: 2nd Meeting of theIntergovernmental Group of Experts(IGGE) on Considering the Rules forObserver Status - OIC Headquarters,Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

OIC Calendar December 2010-February 2011

In New York the OICmakes its mark

28Sayeeda Warsi:OIC is a very importantorganization

OIC humanitariandelegation visitsGaza,Launches $30 milliondevelopmentprograms

Education,networking andhuman rightsemphasized at the OICMuslim minoritiessymposium in Warsaw

33

66

36

38

68

The Islamic Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization in Rabat (ISESCO)www.isesco.org.ma

Affiliated InstitutionsIslamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry(ICCI) www.icci-oic.orgOrganization of Islamic Capitals and Cities(OICC) www.oicc.orgOrganization of the Islamic Shipowners As-sociation (OISA) www.oisaonline.comWorld Federation of Arab Islamic Interna-tional Schools (WFAIS) www.wfais.orgIslamic Conference Youth Forum for Dia-logue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC)www.icyf.comIslamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS)www.ias-worldwide.org

Subsidiary OrgansThe International Islamic Fiqh Academy(IIFA) www.fiqhacademy.orgThe Statistical, Economic and Social Re-search and Training Center for IslamicCountries (SESRIC) www.sesrtcic.orgThe Research Center for Islamic History,Art and Culture (IRCICA) www.ircica.orgThe Islamic Center for the Development ofTrade (CIDC) www.icdt-oic.orgThe Islamic University of Technology(UIT) www.iutoic-dhaka.edu

Specialized Institutions and OrgansThe Islamic Development Bank (IDB)www.isdb.orgInternational Islamic News Agency (IINA)www.islamicnews.org.saThe Islamic States Broadcasting Organiza-tion (ISBO) www.isboo.org

Conference of AgricultureMinisters in Khartoum

26th Session of theStanding Committeefor Economic andCommercialCooperation

OIC Related Links

8

61

22-23 January: Meeting of the Steer-ing Committee on Health - OICHeadquarters, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

25-26 January: 3rd Meeting of theWork Group Entrusted with the Con-sideration of Setting up an Imple-mentation Program for the Causesand Issues Contained in the Ten-Year Program of Action - Cairo,Egypt.

28-29 January: 23rd UniversityCouncil Meeting and 18th Gradua-tion Ceremony of Islamic Universityin Uganda (IUIU) - Kampala, Ugan-da.

7-11 February: 3rd Session of the Is-lamic Conference of the Ministersin-charge of Childhood - Tripoli,Libya.

24-27 February: First OIC HealthExpo - Tunis, Tunisia.

Experts considers legalmeans of lifting Israel'ssiege on Gaza

Ninth Session of COMIAC


Issued by

the Organization of

the Islamic Conference

________________

Editor - in - Chief

Isam Salim Shanti

________________

General Supervisor &

Managing Editor

Maha Mostafa Akeel

________________

Editors

Ahmed Salem

Abdelhamid Salehi

________________

Layout & Design

Mohammed Abdelqader Qalaba________________

Advisory Board

Ali Abolhassani Shahreza

Hasan Oker Gurler

_________________Address:

Madinah Road, P.O. Box 178, Jeddah-

21411 Tel: 6515222

Fax: 6512288 Telx.: 601366 Islami SJ.

Website: www.oic-oci.org

E-mail: [email protected]

OIC Permanent Observerto the UN New York Office

320 East - 51st Street

New York 10022

New York - U.S.A.

www.oicun.org

[email protected]

OIC Permanent Observerto the UN Geneva OfficeICC-20 Route Pre-Bois-

Case Postal 1818

CH 1215 Geneve - SUISSE

www.oic-un.org

oic@oic - un.org

Muslim-Westreconciliation

There seems to be a gap in the mu-tual perspective between the Muslimworld and the West.

Whether it is due to religious mis-understandings, historical residue ofconflicts, wars and colonialism, orpure racism and hatred, a prism of dis-torted images and perceptions existsthat is causing flares of bigoted ex-pressions and sometimes, sadly, vio-lent acts.

The Organization of the IslamicConference has repeatedly and em-phatically emphasized the importanceof cultural and interfaith dialogue topromote world peace and stability. Itcalls for and promotes tolerance, di-versity and mutual respect.

Addressing Islamophobia, Christia-nophobia, anti-Semitism and otherforms of religious bigotry requiresjoint international efforts emanatingfrom a genuine belief in the rights ofall groups to live in dignity, and basedon a broad long-term agenda that ca-ters to the interest and well-being ofthe general society with all its shadesof residences, protected by the com-mon sought principles of justice andequality.

Tools like education, media and di-alogue forums are the keys to bridgingthe gaps and filtering the misconcep-tions. But each of us is also responsi-ble, within our own communities andinteractions, for correcting informa-tion, reaching out and creating oppor-tunities for dialogue and communityservice.

The OIC seeks a historic reconcili-ation between the Muslim world andthe West. This might be a far-fetchedobjective, but it is a valid one and de-serves our efforts. The road of a thou-sand miles starts with a step. We haveto take that step for the benefit of allhumanity. Good intentions and wisestatements are not enough. They haveto be backed by practical plans and ac-tive pursuits.

The views expressed by the writers/authors of the articles published in TheJournal do not necessarily represent theviews of the OIC, but are the personalviews of the authors themselves. How-ever, OIC reserves the right/discretionto amend, revise, edit, delete or scruti-nize any part or portion of the text asand wherever deemed necessary.

A word

4

Ihsanoglu addressesOSCE Summit:Underlines scope ofcooperationbetween OIC andOSCE

14

Afghanistan: Pushing forstability, securityand development

19-21 December: 3rd MinisterialConference on Women's Role in theDevelopment of OIC Member States -Tehran, Iran.

22-23 December: 19th Meeting of theECO Council of Foreign Ministersand 11th Summit of the ECO - Istan-bul, Turkey.

27-29 December: 39th Session of thePermanent Finance Committee(PFC) - OIC Headquarters, Jeddah,Saudi Arabia.

11-13 January: 14th General Assem-bly of COMSTECH - Islamabad, Pa-kistan.

17-18 January: 2nd Meeting of theIntergovernmental Group of Experts(IGGE) on Considering the Rules forObserver Status - OIC Headquarters,Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

OIC Calendar December 2010-February 2011

In New York the OICmakes its mark

28Sayeeda Warsi:OIC is a very importantorganization

OIC humanitariandelegation visitsGaza,Launches $30 milliondevelopmentprograms

Education,networking andhuman rightsemphasized at the OICMuslim minoritiessymposium in Warsaw

33

66

36

38

68

The Islamic Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization in Rabat (ISESCO)www.isesco.org.ma

Affiliated InstitutionsIslamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry(ICCI) www.icci-oic.orgOrganization of Islamic Capitals and Cities(OICC) www.oicc.orgOrganization of the Islamic Shipowners As-sociation (OISA) www.oisaonline.comWorld Federation of Arab Islamic Interna-tional Schools (WFAIS) www.wfais.orgIslamic Conference Youth Forum for Dia-logue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC)www.icyf.comIslamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS)www.ias-worldwide.org

Subsidiary OrgansThe International Islamic Fiqh Academy(IIFA) www.fiqhacademy.orgThe Statistical, Economic and Social Re-search and Training Center for IslamicCountries (SESRIC) www.sesrtcic.orgThe Research Center for Islamic History,Art and Culture (IRCICA) www.ircica.orgThe Islamic Center for the Development ofTrade (CIDC) www.icdt-oic.orgThe Islamic University of Technology(UIT) www.iutoic-dhaka.edu

Specialized Institutions and OrgansThe Islamic Development Bank (IDB)www.isdb.orgInternational Islamic News Agency (IINA)www.islamicnews.org.saThe Islamic States Broadcasting Organiza-tion (ISBO) www.isboo.org

Conference of AgricultureMinisters in Khartoum

26th Session of theStanding Committeefor Economic andCommercialCooperation

OIC Related Links

8

61

22-23 January: Meeting of the Steer-ing Committee on Health - OICHeadquarters, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

25-26 January: 3rd Meeting of theWork Group Entrusted with the Con-sideration of Setting up an Imple-mentation Program for the Causesand Issues Contained in the Ten-Year Program of Action - Cairo,Egypt.

28-29 January: 23rd UniversityCouncil Meeting and 18th Gradua-tion Ceremony of Islamic Universityin Uganda (IUIU) - Kampala, Ugan-da.

7-11 February: 3rd Session of the Is-lamic Conference of the Ministersin-charge of Childhood - Tripoli,Libya.

24-27 February: First OIC HealthExpo - Tunis, Tunisia.

Experts considers legalmeans of lifting Israel'ssiege on Gaza

Ninth Session of COMIAC


ICG meeting.Ambassador Moniruzzaman under-

lined the added value that the OIC canbring to process of intra-Afghan recon-ciliation, similar to the efforts carried outby the OIC in the 1980's. Quoting fromthe OIC Secretary General's statement atthe Kabul International Conference heldin July 2010, he spoke of the comprehen-sive strategy that needed to be taken for-ward by a greater Afghan ownershipwith increased regional cooperation andeffective international partnership. OICSpecial Representative also elaboratedon the OIC's assistance to reconstructionand development of Afghanistan throughthe OIC Assistance Fund for the Afghan

people.Increased attendance of the OIC Mem-

ber States and the participation of the OIC Special Repre-sentative drew particular attention as a significant devel-opment in line with the comprehensive strategy forbringing security, stability and prosperity to Afghanistan.

Ambassador Moniruzzaman also represented OIC atthe first meeting of the High-Level Core Group on Af-ghanistan, which was held on the sidelines of the FourthRegional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghani-stan (RECCA-IV) in Istanbul on November 3.

54

IN FOCUS

OIC attends International Contact Group Meeting on Afghanistan

The meeting of the Special Representatives for Afghanistanand Pakistan (SRAP) at Villa Madama in Rome, Italy, 18 October 2010.(epa)

Rome, Italy - Upon invitation by the Chairman of theInternational Contact Group (ICG) and the Government ofItaly, an OIC delegation led by interim Special Represen-tative of the OIC Secretary General for Afghanistan, Am-bassador A.H.M. Moniruzzaman participated in the ICGMeeting on Afghanistan held in Rome on 18 October2010. Special Representatives for Afghanistan from 42countries and international organizations, including for thefirst time 14 OIC Member States, were represented at the

Istanbul, Turkey - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) announced aseries of measures taken by the Foreign Ministers of theOIC Member States to achieve accelerated economic re-covery in Afghanistan. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in hisstatement at RECCA IV that the Conference of the OICCouncil of Foreign Ministers held in the Tajik capital inMay 2010 adopted a resolution to start building a railwayline linking Dushanbe to Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan.The railway line is expected to reinforce commercial ex-changes among Central Asian countries and would linkAfghanistan to its neighboring OIC Member States.

The Dushanbe-Mazar-i-Sharif railway project is thesecond such project publicized by the OIC, which has pre-viously announced the start of a feasibility study of Dak-ar-Port Sudan railway line which will link the east of Af-

A Railway Line to link Afghanistan to neighboring countriesrica to the west of the continent.

Ihsanoglu stated that the coming into force of the OICTrade Preferential System (TPS-OIC) would improve thecompetitiveness of the Afghan economy and create newtrade opportunities, voicing his confidence that the Af-ghan trade deficit estimated at US$ 6.7 billion would godown with the chances offered by the OIC and the pro-grams it is preparing for the development of strategiccommodities in Afghanistan.

The OIC Secretary General maintained that with thestandard of living in Afghanistan drastically falling far be-low the poverty average of the OIC Member States (meas-ured in terms of Human Poverty Index at nearly 60%), theOIC will introduce a number of humanitarian programsand projects with a view to reducing poverty in the coun-try.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - OIC wishes to con-tribute to the process of peace and stability in Af-ghanistan, according to Ambassador Moniruzza-man, representative of the Organization of theIslamic Conference (OIC) in Kabul.

“In my work, I shall always be guided by themandate of the OIC and the directives of the Sec-retary General. The High Peace Council is al-ready in place with the objective of providing aplatform for dialogue among the parties in Af-ghanistan. The OIC supports this process,” saidthe Ambassador to the OIC Journal.

As the Representative of OIC in Afghanistan, a newlyestablished position, he will be based in Kabul. This willfurther facilitate the on-going efforts of the OIC SecretaryGeneral in political and socio-economic sectors as envis-aged in the resolution 12/37-Pol adopted by the meeting ofthe council of Foreign Ministers held in Dushanbe, Tajiki-stan earlier this year.

“My duties will include keeping contacts with the Af-ghan Government as well as all segments of the Afghansociety and to make assessments on developments withproposals that can contribute to the process of develop-ment in Afghanistan,” explained Amb. Moniruzzaman, acareer diplomat from Bangladesh.

He had already undertaken a short visit to Kabul mak-ing contact with the Afghan Government and preparation

for setting up a resident Mission of OIC there. Healso attended the meeting of the InternationalContact Group held in Rome on 18 October,2010 .

There are on-going OIC projects in humani-tarian fields such as building and runningschools, training centers and health centers. Witha resident Mission of OIC now in Kabul, therewill be further possibilities of carrying out moreprojects and holding conferences that focus onpertinent areas.

Amb. Moniruzzaman would be working inclose cooperation and coordination with the UN and otherinternational organization generally and not necessarilyonly in humanitarian programs.

“It is an accepted reality that there is no military solu-tion. Peace is the way to normalcy and progress. Afghani-stan is a country of enormous prospect and there is a direneed to give peace and normalcy a chance.”

Five neighboring countries of Afghanistan are mem-bers of the OIC. The Organization believes that at the cen-ter of any approach towards the resolution of Afghanistanissue there should be more focus on potentials and capabil-ities of the region. “The next Islamic summit in Egypt willsurely discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan andwill decide on the necessary actions that the OIC needs toundertake in that regard,” said the Ambassador.

Contributing to the peace process and stability in Afghanistan

Istanbul, Turkey - In his address at the Fourth Region-al Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan(RECCA IV), held in Istanbul on 3 November 2010, Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the OIC, under-lined the OIC's commitment to peace, stability and socio-economic recovery in Afghanistan and its role in the rec-onciliation and reintegration process in the country as itwas the case in 1980's.

Referring to the OIC's Member States active involve-ment and contribution to efforts at promoting peace andsecurity in Afghanistan, through International and OICContact Groups on Afghanistan, the Secretary General in-dicated OIC's readiness to host the next ICG meeting onAfghanistan at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah in comingmonths.

The Plenary Session was opened on November 3rd byDr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Af-ghanistan and Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister of Foreign Af-fairs of Turkey and was attended by 27 countries and 14regional and international organizations, institutions andbodies. It aimed at enhancing regional cooperation and co-ordination on Afghanistan among international communi-ty.

The objective of the Conference was to build on thecommitments made since previous RECCA Conferences(Kabul, New Delhi, and Islamabad) and to identify a set ofresults-based deliverables for consideration by regionaland international partners to promote economic coopera-tion in support of Afghanistan and the region. The FourthRECCA was designed to complement the achievements ofthe London and Kabul Conferences by focusing on, andcommitting to, the regional aspects of the objectives out-lined under the five clusters of the Kabul Process.

Ihsanoglu highlighted transportation, agriculture devel-opment, trade exchanges, energy, human resource andtechnological development as critical economic sectors forthe rapid socio-economic revival of Afghanistan. He re-called the resolution adopted at the last OIC CFM in Du-shanbe regarding the rail transportation project linking Du-shanbe- Mazar-i Sharif-Herat and the railway project fromTurkmenistan to Kazakhstan and Iran with the financing ofthe Islamic Development Bank, which would complement

the ongoing arrangements by the OIC General Secretariatto adopt a special program for the comprehensive develop-ment of the Central Asian countries in the OIC.

He also stressed the importance of the OIC Trade Pref-erential System to improve the competiveness of the Af-ghan economy, including wealth creation and the openingup of the economy to intra-OIC foreign direct investment.He also welcomed recent signing by Afghanistan of theOIC Agreement for Promotion, Protection and Guaranteeof Investment; and General Agreement for Economic,Technical and Commercial Cooperation during the last26th Session of the OIC Standing Committee for Econom-ic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) held in Istan-bul the month before, which constitutes a major step to-wards generating momentum for active economiccooperation between Afghanistan and other OIC MemberStates.

Finally, Ihsanoglu emphasized on developing strongcooperation with Afghanistan on the socio-economic frontfor achieving durable peace and security in Afghanistanand called on the international community to take advan-tage of the favorable regional and international compas-sion for the people of Afghanistan to mobilize the desiredeconomic support for the immediate implementation of thevarious projects.

The recommendations and deliverables that were con-sidered at the Fourth RECCA Conference were presentedthrough four working group papers and were approved atthe Senior Officials Meeting on November 2nd which cov-ered:

a. Economic Development (Agriculture, SME and La-bor Migration)

b. Trade, Transit and Border Managementc. Human Resources (Education and Vocational Train-

ing) andd. Infrastructure (Mines, Energy, and Transport). An Academic Forum and a Business to Business For-

um were also held on the margins of the Conference on2nd and 3rd of November respectively.

The Fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conferenceon Afghanistan (RECCA V) will be hosted by the Repub-lic of Tajikistan.

RECCA IV: Ihsanoglu indicates OIC's readinessto host the next ICG meeting on Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN: PUSHING FOR STABI LITY, SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENTThe Afghanistan issue remains at the forefront of OIC activities. With 57 Member States and the capaci-

ty of its subsidiary, specialized and affiliated organs the OIC is an important and potent stakeholder in Af-ghanistan. Recently, there has been increased attention by the OIC towards bringing peace and develop-ment to Afghanistan.


ICG meeting.Ambassador Moniruzzaman under-

lined the added value that the OIC canbring to process of intra-Afghan recon-ciliation, similar to the efforts carried outby the OIC in the 1980's. Quoting fromthe OIC Secretary General's statement atthe Kabul International Conference heldin July 2010, he spoke of the comprehen-sive strategy that needed to be taken for-ward by a greater Afghan ownershipwith increased regional cooperation andeffective international partnership. OICSpecial Representative also elaboratedon the OIC's assistance to reconstructionand development of Afghanistan throughthe OIC Assistance Fund for the Afghan

people.Increased attendance of the OIC Mem-

ber States and the participation of the OIC Special Repre-sentative drew particular attention as a significant devel-opment in line with the comprehensive strategy forbringing security, stability and prosperity to Afghanistan.

Ambassador Moniruzzaman also represented OIC atthe first meeting of the High-Level Core Group on Af-ghanistan, which was held on the sidelines of the FourthRegional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghani-stan (RECCA-IV) in Istanbul on November 3.

54

IN FOCUS

OIC attends International Contact Group Meeting on Afghanistan

The meeting of the Special Representatives for Afghanistanand Pakistan (SRAP) at Villa Madama in Rome, Italy, 18 October 2010.(epa)

Rome, Italy - Upon invitation by the Chairman of theInternational Contact Group (ICG) and the Government ofItaly, an OIC delegation led by interim Special Represen-tative of the OIC Secretary General for Afghanistan, Am-bassador A.H.M. Moniruzzaman participated in the ICGMeeting on Afghanistan held in Rome on 18 October2010. Special Representatives for Afghanistan from 42countries and international organizations, including for thefirst time 14 OIC Member States, were represented at the

Istanbul, Turkey - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) announced aseries of measures taken by the Foreign Ministers of theOIC Member States to achieve accelerated economic re-covery in Afghanistan. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in hisstatement at RECCA IV that the Conference of the OICCouncil of Foreign Ministers held in the Tajik capital inMay 2010 adopted a resolution to start building a railwayline linking Dushanbe to Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan.The railway line is expected to reinforce commercial ex-changes among Central Asian countries and would linkAfghanistan to its neighboring OIC Member States.

The Dushanbe-Mazar-i-Sharif railway project is thesecond such project publicized by the OIC, which has pre-viously announced the start of a feasibility study of Dak-ar-Port Sudan railway line which will link the east of Af-

A Railway Line to link Afghanistan to neighboring countriesrica to the west of the continent.

Ihsanoglu stated that the coming into force of the OICTrade Preferential System (TPS-OIC) would improve thecompetitiveness of the Afghan economy and create newtrade opportunities, voicing his confidence that the Af-ghan trade deficit estimated at US$ 6.7 billion would godown with the chances offered by the OIC and the pro-grams it is preparing for the development of strategiccommodities in Afghanistan.

The OIC Secretary General maintained that with thestandard of living in Afghanistan drastically falling far be-low the poverty average of the OIC Member States (meas-ured in terms of Human Poverty Index at nearly 60%), theOIC will introduce a number of humanitarian programsand projects with a view to reducing poverty in the coun-try.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - OIC wishes to con-tribute to the process of peace and stability in Af-ghanistan, according to Ambassador Moniruzza-man, representative of the Organization of theIslamic Conference (OIC) in Kabul.

“In my work, I shall always be guided by themandate of the OIC and the directives of the Sec-retary General. The High Peace Council is al-ready in place with the objective of providing aplatform for dialogue among the parties in Af-ghanistan. The OIC supports this process,” saidthe Ambassador to the OIC Journal.

As the Representative of OIC in Afghanistan, a newlyestablished position, he will be based in Kabul. This willfurther facilitate the on-going efforts of the OIC SecretaryGeneral in political and socio-economic sectors as envis-aged in the resolution 12/37-Pol adopted by the meeting ofthe council of Foreign Ministers held in Dushanbe, Tajiki-stan earlier this year.

“My duties will include keeping contacts with the Af-ghan Government as well as all segments of the Afghansociety and to make assessments on developments withproposals that can contribute to the process of develop-ment in Afghanistan,” explained Amb. Moniruzzaman, acareer diplomat from Bangladesh.

He had already undertaken a short visit to Kabul mak-ing contact with the Afghan Government and preparation

for setting up a resident Mission of OIC there. Healso attended the meeting of the InternationalContact Group held in Rome on 18 October,2010 .

There are on-going OIC projects in humani-tarian fields such as building and runningschools, training centers and health centers. Witha resident Mission of OIC now in Kabul, therewill be further possibilities of carrying out moreprojects and holding conferences that focus onpertinent areas.

Amb. Moniruzzaman would be working inclose cooperation and coordination with the UN and otherinternational organization generally and not necessarilyonly in humanitarian programs.

“It is an accepted reality that there is no military solu-tion. Peace is the way to normalcy and progress. Afghani-stan is a country of enormous prospect and there is a direneed to give peace and normalcy a chance.”

Five neighboring countries of Afghanistan are mem-bers of the OIC. The Organization believes that at the cen-ter of any approach towards the resolution of Afghanistanissue there should be more focus on potentials and capabil-ities of the region. “The next Islamic summit in Egypt willsurely discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan andwill decide on the necessary actions that the OIC needs toundertake in that regard,” said the Ambassador.

Contributing to the peace process and stability in Afghanistan

Istanbul, Turkey - In his address at the Fourth Region-al Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan(RECCA IV), held in Istanbul on 3 November 2010, Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the OIC, under-lined the OIC's commitment to peace, stability and socio-economic recovery in Afghanistan and its role in the rec-onciliation and reintegration process in the country as itwas the case in 1980's.

Referring to the OIC's Member States active involve-ment and contribution to efforts at promoting peace andsecurity in Afghanistan, through International and OICContact Groups on Afghanistan, the Secretary General in-dicated OIC's readiness to host the next ICG meeting onAfghanistan at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah in comingmonths.

The Plenary Session was opened on November 3rd byDr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Af-ghanistan and Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister of Foreign Af-fairs of Turkey and was attended by 27 countries and 14regional and international organizations, institutions andbodies. It aimed at enhancing regional cooperation and co-ordination on Afghanistan among international communi-ty.

The objective of the Conference was to build on thecommitments made since previous RECCA Conferences(Kabul, New Delhi, and Islamabad) and to identify a set ofresults-based deliverables for consideration by regionaland international partners to promote economic coopera-tion in support of Afghanistan and the region. The FourthRECCA was designed to complement the achievements ofthe London and Kabul Conferences by focusing on, andcommitting to, the regional aspects of the objectives out-lined under the five clusters of the Kabul Process.

Ihsanoglu highlighted transportation, agriculture devel-opment, trade exchanges, energy, human resource andtechnological development as critical economic sectors forthe rapid socio-economic revival of Afghanistan. He re-called the resolution adopted at the last OIC CFM in Du-shanbe regarding the rail transportation project linking Du-shanbe- Mazar-i Sharif-Herat and the railway project fromTurkmenistan to Kazakhstan and Iran with the financing ofthe Islamic Development Bank, which would complement

the ongoing arrangements by the OIC General Secretariatto adopt a special program for the comprehensive develop-ment of the Central Asian countries in the OIC.

He also stressed the importance of the OIC Trade Pref-erential System to improve the competiveness of the Af-ghan economy, including wealth creation and the openingup of the economy to intra-OIC foreign direct investment.He also welcomed recent signing by Afghanistan of theOIC Agreement for Promotion, Protection and Guaranteeof Investment; and General Agreement for Economic,Technical and Commercial Cooperation during the last26th Session of the OIC Standing Committee for Econom-ic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) held in Istan-bul the month before, which constitutes a major step to-wards generating momentum for active economiccooperation between Afghanistan and other OIC MemberStates.

Finally, Ihsanoglu emphasized on developing strongcooperation with Afghanistan on the socio-economic frontfor achieving durable peace and security in Afghanistanand called on the international community to take advan-tage of the favorable regional and international compas-sion for the people of Afghanistan to mobilize the desiredeconomic support for the immediate implementation of thevarious projects.

The recommendations and deliverables that were con-sidered at the Fourth RECCA Conference were presentedthrough four working group papers and were approved atthe Senior Officials Meeting on November 2nd which cov-ered:

a. Economic Development (Agriculture, SME and La-bor Migration)

b. Trade, Transit and Border Managementc. Human Resources (Education and Vocational Train-

ing) andd. Infrastructure (Mines, Energy, and Transport). An Academic Forum and a Business to Business For-

um were also held on the margins of the Conference on2nd and 3rd of November respectively.

The Fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conferenceon Afghanistan (RECCA V) will be hosted by the Repub-lic of Tajikistan.

RECCA IV: Ihsanoglu indicates OIC's readinessto host the next ICG meeting on Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN: PUSHING FOR STABI LITY, SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENTThe Afghanistan issue remains at the forefront of OIC activities. With 57 Member States and the capaci-

ty of its subsidiary, specialized and affiliated organs the OIC is an important and potent stakeholder in Af-ghanistan. Recently, there has been increased attention by the OIC towards bringing peace and develop-ment to Afghanistan.


Dr. Isam Salim Shanti Editor in Chief

"OIC is a crucial and strategic partnerto the UN." This is what the Secretary Gen-eral of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, stated last September in New Yorkduring the 65th sessions of the General As-sembly of the United Nations. Such state-ment and acknowledgment at this level re-flected the echelon of relationships andcooperation between the UN and the OIC,the second largest international organiza-tion, and representing 57 Muslim countriesand 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

Undoubtedly, the Organization of theIslamic Conference (OIC), is now standingtall and confident about itself and its workat all levels, making qualitative leaps in alldirections and handling international issueswith professionalism and expertise, scoringpositive and unprecedented results that arefelt officially and publicly, and gaining rep-utation as a genuine and unique umbrella ofa group of countries enjoying the largestvoting bloc at the United Nations in NewYork and Geneva.

Virtually, when Mr. Ki-Moon statedthat OIC is a crucial and strategic partner tothe UN he was alluding to the level of coop-eration in politics, economic, cultural, hu-manitarian, and peace and security betweenthe two largest inter-governmental organi-zations, not only in terms of their represen-tations but too in terms of the capabilities ofthese two organizations to serve the worldbetter and ensure peace and tranquility inmany parts of today's turbulent world.

The UN and the OIC have been engag-ing in various types of cooperation in Af-ghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Gaza Strip, Iraq,many parts of Africa, as well as in issues ofcultural nature such as Islamophobia andthe dialogue of civilizations. Both organiza-tions are also conducting cooperation in is-sue related to natural disasters such as inPakistan and Indonesia. Most recently, theUN and the OIC began to build partnershipfor Africa's Development and the UN's Mil-lennium Development Goals (MDGs). Inaddition, the OIC has already initiated im-plementation of humanitarian programs incooperation with the United Nations in anumber of Muslim countries, according to aplan for coordinating international effortsand redirecting them by taking advantage ofthe capacities of Islamic relief organizationsand other humanitarian organizations thatwork with the OIC.

But to understand the statement of Mr.Ki-Moon, and many other similar state-ments by leaders and officials around theworld, and the level of cooperation not onlywith the United Nations but also with otherinternational and regional organizations aswell as the changes that have occurred overthe past few years, would require a thor-ough examination based on objectivity andprofessionalism. This article, however,would only shed the light on certain qualita-tive initiatives and practices in a quick fash-ion.

During the early years of the 1990s theworld witnessed strategic changes to its in-ternational relations at the global and indi-vidual state levels. The old internationalsystem of the bi-polarity regime had cometo an end when the Soviet Union collapsedand the Eastern Bloc dismantled. This dra-matic change was accompanied with theemergence of the uni-polar regime underthe leadership of the United States of Amer-ica. In his speech in March 1992, the formerUS President George Bush announced that

states, and to articulate a new less reactiveand more assertive path in the MuslimWorld. Therefore, the summit presented theTen-Year Program of Action (TYPOA), anunprecedented and significant documentthat guarantees different framework andmechanism to face up current and futurechallenges at all levels, and ensures the de-livery of Islamic solidarity and joint Islamicaction.

The TYPOA in essence upholds trans-parency and accountability in governance,human rights, women rights, children andminorities, promotes sustainable develop-ment and poverty alleviation, presents amap for dealing with health, science andtechnology, and calls for an action in thedefense of Islam and fighting extremism. Itis a document that provides the OIC with aroad map to overcome the main obstaclesfacing the Muslim World in today's world.

As a result, the 11th Ordinary Summitof OIC, in March 2008 in Dakar, Senegal,was able to adopt the new Charter for theOIC, which provides the legal backgroundsand guidelines that would enable the OIC toembark on the process of change in the newworld system. The new charter marked thebeginning of using new mechanisms toachieve tangible results in terms of advanc-ing the interests of the Muslim countriesand Muslims in a contemporary manner.

All these bold initiatives and visionscoincided with a new leadership at the OICof Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, an expert ofOIC and international politics and a promi-nent academic, who from the early days ofhis tenure made clear that the OIC will notbe as effective and as efficient unless thetools to be used are modernized, contempo-rary, practical and usable. Just like the lead-ers of the Muslim countries had a vision toeffect change, Prof. Ihsanoglu had also thevision, the know-how, and the will to effectchange and reform and transfer the OICinto the new world order safely but quickly.

In his speech in January 2005 Prof. Ih-sanoglu stated: "the OIC has not been ableto fully achieve its potential and establishitself as a powerful entity capable of active-ly voicing the Muslim causes and makingitself heard in the international arena…TheOIC must acquire more weight and impacton the world scene…We can change ourmethodology for adopting resolutions andfind mechanism for their implementation.Otherwise, many of our resolutions will re-main a mere expression of good will to-wards each other." From his early daysProf. Ihsanoglu opened up the General Sec-retariat to the outside world. Nowadays, hebecame in demand in the key capitals ofworld countries, and his office in Jeddahhas been hosting high-profile visitors fromaround the world.

Five years since Mecca Summit, a lothave been done and a lot more still need tobe done. The process of change and reformstill ongoing, the implementation of theTYPOA is still ongoing, the will and deter-mination of the Member States and theGeneral Secretariat still at its peak, and thechallenges ahead are still great and diffi-cult. However, the past experience providedan important lesson, that the continuation ofcooperation between the OIC and its mem-bers, between the OIC and its sister organi-zations, and between the OIC and the Westare all crucial and strategically important toovercome the difficulties in the MuslimWorld and abroad at all levels

Today's OIC:Successes and

Challenges

76

OPINION

OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu congrat-ulated the people of Afghanistan for their determinationand courage to consolidate peace and democracy throughtheir participation in the recent parliamentary elections.

Reiterating his belief that democratic process will helppeople of Afghanistan build a better future for their coun-try, the Secretary General conveyed his deep appreciation

OIC hails parliamentary elections in Afghanistanto the Afghan Government, civil society and electoral bod-ies for their efforts towards holding the parliamentary elec-tions under the current circumstances.

Ihsanoglu expressed his hope that the outcome of theelections would further consolidate democracy, peace andstability as well as enhance economic welfare in the coun-try.

The country is about to com-plete a railway to Iran and is study-ing the feasibility of another line toPakistan.

Experts said during the confer-ence that greater economic oppor-tunities would help in the fightagainst extremism in the country.

OIC Secretary General Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu said in his state-ment at the conference that stabili-ty and economic development aremutually related, and that a com-prehensive approach encompassingall political and socio- economicaspects is of necessity to addressthe challenges in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is a richly en-dowed country. It possesses enor-mous human and natural resources.We need to continue to invest in

human capacity building as well asmeaningful economic cooperation to

pursue concrete projects in critical areas,” he stressed. Hesaid that the OIC and its institutions are ready to expandtheir engagement in Afghanistan in political, economicand humanitarian fields. To underscore the importance ofthe development of infrastructural base as a priority to-wards achieving economic recovery in Afghanistan, theOIC Council of Foreign Ministers last May adopted a reso-lution to embark on rail transportation project to link Du-shanbe-Mazare Sharif-Herat. The Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB) has also financed the railway project linkingTurkmenistan-Kazakhstan-Iran. On vocational training, ef-forts are being intensified within the OIC subsidiary or-gans to create special projects for Afghanistan.

The Secretary General concluded by highlighting thecommendable initiative and generous support of the Unit-ed Arab Emirates towards the appointment of a new OICPermanent Special Representative in Kabul in order to co-ordinate and intensify the OIC's engagement with Afghani-stan.

The security situation remained high on the list of con-cerns for foreign investors.

Dr. Rassoul pledged the Afghan government's "strongcommitment to ensure the safety and security of all com-panies and financial institutions who decide to invest inAfghanistan and take part in the reconstruction of ourcountry".

No major deals were announced and officials acknowl-edged that large-scale foreign investment will remain elu-sive until Taliban militants and others are brought undercontrol.

First Afghanistan International Investment Conferencecreates advisory group to attract investors, create jobs

Dubai, UAE - An international group was created toadvise the Afghan government on laws and policies thatcan attract investors in a bid to support job creation andhelp stabilize the war-torn country.

The Afghanistan International Investment Friends, an-nounced at a conference in Dubai on November 30, wouldhelp the government enact legislation to encourage andprotect private investments, economic growth and employ-ment, said delegates. The UAE will separately advise rele-vant Afghan ministries on implementing the conference'srecommendations, including on the group's formation anddevelopment.

The first Afghanistan International Investment Confer-ence was attended by more than 700 delegates. It broughttogether representatives from more than 500 companies tolook at possible projects such as farming, railways andmining.

Zalmai Rassoul, the Afghan Foreign Minister, estimat-ed that in the next three to four years $10 billion would beused for foreign investments and government spending oninfrastructure.

Afghan officials focused the delegates on projects inmining, telecommunications and transport, with large rail-way systems being constructed in the country that theyhoped would attract foreign partners and create jobs forAfghans.

Dr. Rassoul urged investors to take advantage of min-eral concessions, farm the country's vast tracts of fertileland and participate in railway and road construction.

the Cold War had ended and that the newera would witness many changes includingregional wars, internal disturbances, andeven the disappearance of existing coun-tries and the appearance of new countries.Unfortunately, many, if not most, of theseregional wars and internal disturbanceshave actually taken place within the mapof the Muslim World or in countries whereMuslims form large minorities.

Another dramatic event took place in2001 when the United States was attackedin New York City and Washington DC bysome terrorists, which led to the declara-tion of "war against terrorism" by the USAdministration. This American declarationresulted in the occupation of two Muslimcountries, Afghanistan and Iraq, and full-fledged campaigns against suspected ter-rorists mainly in the Muslim countries.Failing to differentiate between individualacts of some Islamists extremists and fun-damentalists and the religion of Islam con-tributed to the formation of what is be-came known as "Islamophobia," mainly inthe Western World.

These important and critical develop-ments as well as the growing sense of ur-gency by the leaders of the Muslim Worldto face-up the ever-changing world createdcatalysts to encounter the new challengeson the one hand, and to alleviate the im-pact of misunderstanding and misjudgmentof Islam and Muslims around the world. InDecember 2005, in the holy City of Mec-ca, two important events took place mark-ing a new watershed in the collective workof Muslims at the international arena. Theformer was the results of the extraordinarysummit; and the latter was the new leader-ship of OIC, embodied in the election ofEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu as the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC prior to the summit.

The summit stressed in its futuristic vi-sion and resolutions on the fact that theOIC should begin to move beyond thecomfort zone of reacting to events andmeasures by other international bodies and

IN FOCUS

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (L), Secretary-General of the OIC and Zalmai Rassoul (R), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan at the Afghanistan

International Investment Conference (AIIC) in Dubai, UAE on 30 November 2010. (epa)


Dr. Isam Salim Shanti Editor in Chief

"OIC is a crucial and strategic partnerto the UN." This is what the Secretary Gen-eral of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, stated last September in New Yorkduring the 65th sessions of the General As-sembly of the United Nations. Such state-ment and acknowledgment at this level re-flected the echelon of relationships andcooperation between the UN and the OIC,the second largest international organiza-tion, and representing 57 Muslim countriesand 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

Undoubtedly, the Organization of theIslamic Conference (OIC), is now standingtall and confident about itself and its workat all levels, making qualitative leaps in alldirections and handling international issueswith professionalism and expertise, scoringpositive and unprecedented results that arefelt officially and publicly, and gaining rep-utation as a genuine and unique umbrella ofa group of countries enjoying the largestvoting bloc at the United Nations in NewYork and Geneva.

Virtually, when Mr. Ki-Moon statedthat OIC is a crucial and strategic partner tothe UN he was alluding to the level of coop-eration in politics, economic, cultural, hu-manitarian, and peace and security betweenthe two largest inter-governmental organi-zations, not only in terms of their represen-tations but too in terms of the capabilities ofthese two organizations to serve the worldbetter and ensure peace and tranquility inmany parts of today's turbulent world.

The UN and the OIC have been engag-ing in various types of cooperation in Af-ghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Gaza Strip, Iraq,many parts of Africa, as well as in issues ofcultural nature such as Islamophobia andthe dialogue of civilizations. Both organiza-tions are also conducting cooperation in is-sue related to natural disasters such as inPakistan and Indonesia. Most recently, theUN and the OIC began to build partnershipfor Africa's Development and the UN's Mil-lennium Development Goals (MDGs). Inaddition, the OIC has already initiated im-plementation of humanitarian programs incooperation with the United Nations in anumber of Muslim countries, according to aplan for coordinating international effortsand redirecting them by taking advantage ofthe capacities of Islamic relief organizationsand other humanitarian organizations thatwork with the OIC.

But to understand the statement of Mr.Ki-Moon, and many other similar state-ments by leaders and officials around theworld, and the level of cooperation not onlywith the United Nations but also with otherinternational and regional organizations aswell as the changes that have occurred overthe past few years, would require a thor-ough examination based on objectivity andprofessionalism. This article, however,would only shed the light on certain qualita-tive initiatives and practices in a quick fash-ion.

During the early years of the 1990s theworld witnessed strategic changes to its in-ternational relations at the global and indi-vidual state levels. The old internationalsystem of the bi-polarity regime had cometo an end when the Soviet Union collapsedand the Eastern Bloc dismantled. This dra-matic change was accompanied with theemergence of the uni-polar regime underthe leadership of the United States of Amer-ica. In his speech in March 1992, the formerUS President George Bush announced that

states, and to articulate a new less reactiveand more assertive path in the MuslimWorld. Therefore, the summit presented theTen-Year Program of Action (TYPOA), anunprecedented and significant documentthat guarantees different framework andmechanism to face up current and futurechallenges at all levels, and ensures the de-livery of Islamic solidarity and joint Islamicaction.

The TYPOA in essence upholds trans-parency and accountability in governance,human rights, women rights, children andminorities, promotes sustainable develop-ment and poverty alleviation, presents amap for dealing with health, science andtechnology, and calls for an action in thedefense of Islam and fighting extremism. Itis a document that provides the OIC with aroad map to overcome the main obstaclesfacing the Muslim World in today's world.

As a result, the 11th Ordinary Summitof OIC, in March 2008 in Dakar, Senegal,was able to adopt the new Charter for theOIC, which provides the legal backgroundsand guidelines that would enable the OIC toembark on the process of change in the newworld system. The new charter marked thebeginning of using new mechanisms toachieve tangible results in terms of advanc-ing the interests of the Muslim countriesand Muslims in a contemporary manner.

All these bold initiatives and visionscoincided with a new leadership at the OICof Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, an expert ofOIC and international politics and a promi-nent academic, who from the early days ofhis tenure made clear that the OIC will notbe as effective and as efficient unless thetools to be used are modernized, contempo-rary, practical and usable. Just like the lead-ers of the Muslim countries had a vision toeffect change, Prof. Ihsanoglu had also thevision, the know-how, and the will to effectchange and reform and transfer the OICinto the new world order safely but quickly.

In his speech in January 2005 Prof. Ih-sanoglu stated: "the OIC has not been ableto fully achieve its potential and establishitself as a powerful entity capable of active-ly voicing the Muslim causes and makingitself heard in the international arena…TheOIC must acquire more weight and impacton the world scene…We can change ourmethodology for adopting resolutions andfind mechanism for their implementation.Otherwise, many of our resolutions will re-main a mere expression of good will to-wards each other." From his early daysProf. Ihsanoglu opened up the General Sec-retariat to the outside world. Nowadays, hebecame in demand in the key capitals ofworld countries, and his office in Jeddahhas been hosting high-profile visitors fromaround the world.

Five years since Mecca Summit, a lothave been done and a lot more still need tobe done. The process of change and reformstill ongoing, the implementation of theTYPOA is still ongoing, the will and deter-mination of the Member States and theGeneral Secretariat still at its peak, and thechallenges ahead are still great and diffi-cult. However, the past experience providedan important lesson, that the continuation ofcooperation between the OIC and its mem-bers, between the OIC and its sister organi-zations, and between the OIC and the Westare all crucial and strategically important toovercome the difficulties in the MuslimWorld and abroad at all levels

Today's OIC:Successes and

Challenges

76

OPINION

OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu congrat-ulated the people of Afghanistan for their determinationand courage to consolidate peace and democracy throughtheir participation in the recent parliamentary elections.

Reiterating his belief that democratic process will helppeople of Afghanistan build a better future for their coun-try, the Secretary General conveyed his deep appreciation

OIC hails parliamentary elections in Afghanistanto the Afghan Government, civil society and electoral bod-ies for their efforts towards holding the parliamentary elec-tions under the current circumstances.

Ihsanoglu expressed his hope that the outcome of theelections would further consolidate democracy, peace andstability as well as enhance economic welfare in the coun-try.

The country is about to com-plete a railway to Iran and is study-ing the feasibility of another line toPakistan.

Experts said during the confer-ence that greater economic oppor-tunities would help in the fightagainst extremism in the country.

OIC Secretary General Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu said in his state-ment at the conference that stabili-ty and economic development aremutually related, and that a com-prehensive approach encompassingall political and socio- economicaspects is of necessity to addressthe challenges in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is a richly en-dowed country. It possesses enor-mous human and natural resources.We need to continue to invest in

human capacity building as well asmeaningful economic cooperation to

pursue concrete projects in critical areas,” he stressed. Hesaid that the OIC and its institutions are ready to expandtheir engagement in Afghanistan in political, economicand humanitarian fields. To underscore the importance ofthe development of infrastructural base as a priority to-wards achieving economic recovery in Afghanistan, theOIC Council of Foreign Ministers last May adopted a reso-lution to embark on rail transportation project to link Du-shanbe-Mazare Sharif-Herat. The Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB) has also financed the railway project linkingTurkmenistan-Kazakhstan-Iran. On vocational training, ef-forts are being intensified within the OIC subsidiary or-gans to create special projects for Afghanistan.

The Secretary General concluded by highlighting thecommendable initiative and generous support of the Unit-ed Arab Emirates towards the appointment of a new OICPermanent Special Representative in Kabul in order to co-ordinate and intensify the OIC's engagement with Afghani-stan.

The security situation remained high on the list of con-cerns for foreign investors.

Dr. Rassoul pledged the Afghan government's "strongcommitment to ensure the safety and security of all com-panies and financial institutions who decide to invest inAfghanistan and take part in the reconstruction of ourcountry".

No major deals were announced and officials acknowl-edged that large-scale foreign investment will remain elu-sive until Taliban militants and others are brought undercontrol.

First Afghanistan International Investment Conferencecreates advisory group to attract investors, create jobs

Dubai, UAE - An international group was created toadvise the Afghan government on laws and policies thatcan attract investors in a bid to support job creation andhelp stabilize the war-torn country.

The Afghanistan International Investment Friends, an-nounced at a conference in Dubai on November 30, wouldhelp the government enact legislation to encourage andprotect private investments, economic growth and employ-ment, said delegates. The UAE will separately advise rele-vant Afghan ministries on implementing the conference'srecommendations, including on the group's formation anddevelopment.

The first Afghanistan International Investment Confer-ence was attended by more than 700 delegates. It broughttogether representatives from more than 500 companies tolook at possible projects such as farming, railways andmining.

Zalmai Rassoul, the Afghan Foreign Minister, estimat-ed that in the next three to four years $10 billion would beused for foreign investments and government spending oninfrastructure.

Afghan officials focused the delegates on projects inmining, telecommunications and transport, with large rail-way systems being constructed in the country that theyhoped would attract foreign partners and create jobs forAfghans.

Dr. Rassoul urged investors to take advantage of min-eral concessions, farm the country's vast tracts of fertileland and participate in railway and road construction.

the Cold War had ended and that the newera would witness many changes includingregional wars, internal disturbances, andeven the disappearance of existing coun-tries and the appearance of new countries.Unfortunately, many, if not most, of theseregional wars and internal disturbanceshave actually taken place within the mapof the Muslim World or in countries whereMuslims form large minorities.

Another dramatic event took place in2001 when the United States was attackedin New York City and Washington DC bysome terrorists, which led to the declara-tion of "war against terrorism" by the USAdministration. This American declarationresulted in the occupation of two Muslimcountries, Afghanistan and Iraq, and full-fledged campaigns against suspected ter-rorists mainly in the Muslim countries.Failing to differentiate between individualacts of some Islamists extremists and fun-damentalists and the religion of Islam con-tributed to the formation of what is be-came known as "Islamophobia," mainly inthe Western World.

These important and critical develop-ments as well as the growing sense of ur-gency by the leaders of the Muslim Worldto face-up the ever-changing world createdcatalysts to encounter the new challengeson the one hand, and to alleviate the im-pact of misunderstanding and misjudgmentof Islam and Muslims around the world. InDecember 2005, in the holy City of Mec-ca, two important events took place mark-ing a new watershed in the collective workof Muslims at the international arena. Theformer was the results of the extraordinarysummit; and the latter was the new leader-ship of OIC, embodied in the election ofEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu as the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC prior to the summit.

The summit stressed in its futuristic vi-sion and resolutions on the fact that theOIC should begin to move beyond thecomfort zone of reacting to events andmeasures by other international bodies and

IN FOCUS

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (L), Secretary-General of the OIC and Zalmai Rassoul (R), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan at the Afghanistan

International Investment Conference (AIIC) in Dubai, UAE on 30 November 2010. (epa)

September - December 2010the OIC Journal www.oic-oci.org8

PALESTINE FILE

9

Journal that it highlighted important aspects of the unjustsiege of Gaza and that the recommendations will be instru-mental in the joint Islamic action for the Palestinian cause.Regarding the suggestion to bring the case to the Interna-tional Criminal Court, he said that the Palestinian Authori-ty has been for almost a year and a half seeking to be rec-ognized as a state at the ICC and there are requirementsthat need to be achieved to be members in the ICC, whichis very important and needs presenting a strong legal filein order to be able to put pressure so that the court prose-cutor investigates the war crimes committed during Israeliaggression the Gaza in 2009.

As for the obstacles expected in bringing the Israeli of-ficials to justice, Al-Rifai said that the main obstacle isthat there are states that are allied with Israel and thesestates are influential and decision-makers in the UnitedNations, therefore might cause a break in the Arab andMuslim stand. This in turn means that it is vital to have aunited Muslim stand, and he called for having a “workfront” to lift the siege represented in a high-level Islamicdelegation visiting the White House and other world capi-tals to put pressure on Israel to lift the siege. He alsocalled for pressuring Hamas to sign the Egyptian reconcili-ation paper between the Palestinian factions in order tohave a united Palestinian front.

On the role of the Humanitarian movements such asthe Freedom Flotilla, Al-Rifai said that they are importantin reaching the international public opinion and highlight-ing the plight of the Palestinians, which raises the moral ofour people and indicates that there is support for ourcause. As for Israel's claim that these humanitarian cam-paigns are illegal, he retaliated that Israel's presence in theWest Bank and the Gaza Strip is illegal and its siege is il-legal. And on the implications of Israel's insistence that itwill not hold negotiations with the Palestinians unless theyrecognize Israel as a Jewish state, he said that such recog-nition means forfeiting our right of return, the rights of theArab Muslims and Christians living in Israel, the right ofprotecting our religious heritage and other rights. “This isa racist request.”

Finally, Al-Rifai expressed his confidence that the OICwould continue its support for the Palestinian Authoritytowards lifting the siege.

Intergovernmental group of experts considerslegal means of lifting Israel's siege on Gaza blaspheming the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) on several of

the mosque's walls.The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islam-

ic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemnedthe attack by a group of extremist Israeli settlers. He de-scribed the wicked attack as a breach of the Geneva Con-vention and international law.

The Secretary General said that the desecration of themosque, including the burning of copies of the Quran andthe writing of racist remarks on walls are a flagrant in-fringement of freedom of worship and the inviolability ofholy places.

He reiterated that the presence of settlements on occu-pied Palestinian lands is illegal, a blatant violation of inter-national law, and a real obstacle to progress in the peaceprocess. The Secretary General called on the quartet andthe international community to compel Israel to stop allforms of settlements and practices inimical to the inaliena-ble rights of the Palestinian people.

OIC condemns torching ofJerusalem Baptist Church

building by Israeli extremistsThe Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-

lamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu con-demned racist campaign by Israeli extremists against holyplaces in Jerusalem. The Secretary General stated that theburning of the Baptist Church building in Jerusalem onOctober 30 is a blatant aggression against the holy sitesand freedom of worship.

Ihsanoglu called on the international community toshoulder its responsibilities by protecting holy places,which are being abused by Israeli extremists in Jerusalem,stressing the need to protect them against mischief and as-saults.

Israeli occupiers torch a mosque in West Bank

Israel has signed off in mid Oc-tober on the construction of 240new homes in East Jerusalem, bring-ing an end to an official buildingfreeze that began at the end of No-vember 2009 in the traditionallyArab sector of the city and furthercomplicating peace talks stuck overthe broader fate of West Bank settle-ments.

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglucondemned very strongly the Israeligovernment's approval for the con-struction of 240 new housing units inoccupied Jerusalem. He described themove as provocative, disdainful ofthe will of the international communi-ty, and capable of thwarting the inter-national efforts to restart the peaceprocess.

The Secretary General stated thebelief of the OIC that Israel's behav-ior and measures call for action by theinternational community to check thisarrogance and disregard for resolu-

The Secretary General stronglycondemned the Israeli government'sdecision to construct these new set-tler homes in East Jerusalem, in addi-tion to other 800 settlement units in“Ariel settlement”, built on the WestBank lands.

Ihsanoglu emphasized that Israelisettlement, not only affects the inali-enable rights of the Palestinian peo-ple, but also represents a flagrant vio-lation of international law and theFourth Geneva Convention. He saidthat the intransigence of Israel in itsviolation of the international law,through imposing a new reality onthe ground, settlement building, iso-lating and judaizing Al-Quds city, isa blatant challenge to the internation-al legitimacy.

The Secretary General called onthe Quartet and the internationalcommunity to compel Israel to stopall settlement acts that violate thefundamental rights of the Palestinianpeople.

New Settlements planned in Occupied Jerusalem

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of Islamic Conference Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu strongly con-demned the convening of a TourismConference in Jerusalem by the Or-ganization of Economic Cooperationand Development (OECD) on Octo-ber 20-22. The Secretary General ex-pressed OIC's deep concern over thisstep whereby Israel is trying to mis-

lead the world's public opinion and at-tempts to falsely suggest that the in-ternational community accepts Israel'sillegal claims in Jerusalem.

The Secretary General emphasizedthat occupied East Jerusalem is partand parcel of the occupied Palestinianterritory; and international law andUN resolutions do not recognize Is-raeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. He

also called on all world countries andinternational institutions to abide byinternational resolutions on Jerusalemas an integral part of the Palestinianterritories occupied in 1967, and invit-ed them to refrain from participatingin any meeting or activity that servesIsrael's illegal objectives in reinforc-ing its occupation and annexation ofthe Holy City.

OIC denounces the holding of a tourismconference in Jerusalem by the OECD

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu said that condemnatory statements must betrumped in favor of international law in order to end longperiod of humanitarian tragedy caused in the Gaza Stripby the unjust Israeli blockade. The blockade is not only aviolation of international law but also at variance with thesimplest notions of morality and a tyranny of 1.5 millionPalestinians.

At the meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Le-gal Experts considering ways and means of lifting the un-just Israeli seige, held at the OIC General Secretariat on24 October 2010, the Secretary General called for practi-cal proposals on how OIC Member States and private in-stitutions can go about ending the siege. Ihsanoglu calledon the participants to come up with ideas on how best in-ternational law can assist the subjugated people and holdtheir victimizers to account.

The Secretary General said that dealing with the issueof Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip required multi-prongedaction, including political, humanitarian and judicial. Headded that this issue commands the greatest attention atOIC meetings, with the OIC Executive Committee havingheld several meetings to discuss Israel's aggression onGaza where important decisions were made. Among thosedecisions was the one taken in November 2006 to breakthe siege and take necessary measures to bring Israeli warcriminals to justice.

The Secretary General explained that the Israeli block-ade of the Gaza Strip is also among the top priorities of hisbilateral and multilateral meetings with world leaders andother officials. He stressed that the Muslim world cannotallow the continuation of this disgraceful siege, whichdevastates the inhabitants of Gaza even as the wholeworld is watching.

The meeting also listened to the head of the Palestiniandelegation, Khalil Karaja Al-Rifai, Deputy Minister ofJustice, who gave a presentation on the difficult situationin the Gaza Strip under the Israeli siege. After studyingthe issue from the different legal and political aspects ofthe ways and means for lifting the siege and facilitatingthe reconstruction of Gaza, including the follow up on im-plementing the recommendations in the Goldstone Reportand the possibility of consulting the International Court ofJustice on the illegality of the siege, the meeting decidedto hold another meeting in light of new developments.

Commenting on the meeting, Al-Rifai said to the OIC

tions carrying international legitima-cy. He stressed that the United Na-tions had a special responsibility tohalt Israel's aggression. He called foraction at all levels to stop the settle-ments and violations, to get Israel tocomply with the provisions of inter-national law, and to end its occupa-tion of Palestinian lands.

On November 8, Israel announcedit is pushing ahead with plans to build1300 new apartments for Jewish fami-lies in Arab East Jerusalem.

Khalil Al-Rifai, Palestinian Deputy Minister of Justice (L)

Construction site in the Israeli settlement of HarGillo in the West Bank on 11 November 2010.(epa)

A Palestinian man holds a burnt copyof the Koran at the mosque in Beit Fajjar.(epa)

Israeli occupiers set fire to a mosque in the West Bankvillage of Beit Fajjar on October 4 and sprayed graffiti


PALESTINE FILE

9

Journal that it highlighted important aspects of the unjustsiege of Gaza and that the recommendations will be instru-mental in the joint Islamic action for the Palestinian cause.Regarding the suggestion to bring the case to the Interna-tional Criminal Court, he said that the Palestinian Authori-ty has been for almost a year and a half seeking to be rec-ognized as a state at the ICC and there are requirementsthat need to be achieved to be members in the ICC, whichis very important and needs presenting a strong legal filein order to be able to put pressure so that the court prose-cutor investigates the war crimes committed during Israeliaggression the Gaza in 2009.

As for the obstacles expected in bringing the Israeli of-ficials to justice, Al-Rifai said that the main obstacle isthat there are states that are allied with Israel and thesestates are influential and decision-makers in the UnitedNations, therefore might cause a break in the Arab andMuslim stand. This in turn means that it is vital to have aunited Muslim stand, and he called for having a “workfront” to lift the siege represented in a high-level Islamicdelegation visiting the White House and other world capi-tals to put pressure on Israel to lift the siege. He alsocalled for pressuring Hamas to sign the Egyptian reconcili-ation paper between the Palestinian factions in order tohave a united Palestinian front.

On the role of the Humanitarian movements such asthe Freedom Flotilla, Al-Rifai said that they are importantin reaching the international public opinion and highlight-ing the plight of the Palestinians, which raises the moral ofour people and indicates that there is support for ourcause. As for Israel's claim that these humanitarian cam-paigns are illegal, he retaliated that Israel's presence in theWest Bank and the Gaza Strip is illegal and its siege is il-legal. And on the implications of Israel's insistence that itwill not hold negotiations with the Palestinians unless theyrecognize Israel as a Jewish state, he said that such recog-nition means forfeiting our right of return, the rights of theArab Muslims and Christians living in Israel, the right ofprotecting our religious heritage and other rights. “This isa racist request.”

Finally, Al-Rifai expressed his confidence that the OICwould continue its support for the Palestinian Authoritytowards lifting the siege.

Intergovernmental group of experts considerslegal means of lifting Israel's siege on Gaza blaspheming the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) on several of

the mosque's walls.The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islam-

ic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemnedthe attack by a group of extremist Israeli settlers. He de-scribed the wicked attack as a breach of the Geneva Con-vention and international law.

The Secretary General said that the desecration of themosque, including the burning of copies of the Quran andthe writing of racist remarks on walls are a flagrant in-fringement of freedom of worship and the inviolability ofholy places.

He reiterated that the presence of settlements on occu-pied Palestinian lands is illegal, a blatant violation of inter-national law, and a real obstacle to progress in the peaceprocess. The Secretary General called on the quartet andthe international community to compel Israel to stop allforms of settlements and practices inimical to the inaliena-ble rights of the Palestinian people.

OIC condemns torching ofJerusalem Baptist Church

building by Israeli extremistsThe Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-

lamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu con-demned racist campaign by Israeli extremists against holyplaces in Jerusalem. The Secretary General stated that theburning of the Baptist Church building in Jerusalem onOctober 30 is a blatant aggression against the holy sitesand freedom of worship.

Ihsanoglu called on the international community toshoulder its responsibilities by protecting holy places,which are being abused by Israeli extremists in Jerusalem,stressing the need to protect them against mischief and as-saults.

Israeli occupiers torch a mosque in West Bank

Israel has signed off in mid Oc-tober on the construction of 240new homes in East Jerusalem, bring-ing an end to an official buildingfreeze that began at the end of No-vember 2009 in the traditionallyArab sector of the city and furthercomplicating peace talks stuck overthe broader fate of West Bank settle-ments.

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglucondemned very strongly the Israeligovernment's approval for the con-struction of 240 new housing units inoccupied Jerusalem. He described themove as provocative, disdainful ofthe will of the international communi-ty, and capable of thwarting the inter-national efforts to restart the peaceprocess.

The Secretary General stated thebelief of the OIC that Israel's behav-ior and measures call for action by theinternational community to check thisarrogance and disregard for resolu-

The Secretary General stronglycondemned the Israeli government'sdecision to construct these new set-tler homes in East Jerusalem, in addi-tion to other 800 settlement units in“Ariel settlement”, built on the WestBank lands.

Ihsanoglu emphasized that Israelisettlement, not only affects the inali-enable rights of the Palestinian peo-ple, but also represents a flagrant vio-lation of international law and theFourth Geneva Convention. He saidthat the intransigence of Israel in itsviolation of the international law,through imposing a new reality onthe ground, settlement building, iso-lating and judaizing Al-Quds city, isa blatant challenge to the internation-al legitimacy.

The Secretary General called onthe Quartet and the internationalcommunity to compel Israel to stopall settlement acts that violate thefundamental rights of the Palestinianpeople.

New Settlements planned in Occupied Jerusalem

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of Islamic Conference Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu strongly con-demned the convening of a TourismConference in Jerusalem by the Or-ganization of Economic Cooperationand Development (OECD) on Octo-ber 20-22. The Secretary General ex-pressed OIC's deep concern over thisstep whereby Israel is trying to mis-

lead the world's public opinion and at-tempts to falsely suggest that the in-ternational community accepts Israel'sillegal claims in Jerusalem.

The Secretary General emphasizedthat occupied East Jerusalem is partand parcel of the occupied Palestinianterritory; and international law andUN resolutions do not recognize Is-raeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. He

also called on all world countries andinternational institutions to abide byinternational resolutions on Jerusalemas an integral part of the Palestinianterritories occupied in 1967, and invit-ed them to refrain from participatingin any meeting or activity that servesIsrael's illegal objectives in reinforc-ing its occupation and annexation ofthe Holy City.

OIC denounces the holding of a tourismconference in Jerusalem by the OECD

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu said that condemnatory statements must betrumped in favor of international law in order to end longperiod of humanitarian tragedy caused in the Gaza Stripby the unjust Israeli blockade. The blockade is not only aviolation of international law but also at variance with thesimplest notions of morality and a tyranny of 1.5 millionPalestinians.

At the meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Le-gal Experts considering ways and means of lifting the un-just Israeli seige, held at the OIC General Secretariat on24 October 2010, the Secretary General called for practi-cal proposals on how OIC Member States and private in-stitutions can go about ending the siege. Ihsanoglu calledon the participants to come up with ideas on how best in-ternational law can assist the subjugated people and holdtheir victimizers to account.

The Secretary General said that dealing with the issueof Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip required multi-prongedaction, including political, humanitarian and judicial. Headded that this issue commands the greatest attention atOIC meetings, with the OIC Executive Committee havingheld several meetings to discuss Israel's aggression onGaza where important decisions were made. Among thosedecisions was the one taken in November 2006 to breakthe siege and take necessary measures to bring Israeli warcriminals to justice.

The Secretary General explained that the Israeli block-ade of the Gaza Strip is also among the top priorities of hisbilateral and multilateral meetings with world leaders andother officials. He stressed that the Muslim world cannotallow the continuation of this disgraceful siege, whichdevastates the inhabitants of Gaza even as the wholeworld is watching.

The meeting also listened to the head of the Palestiniandelegation, Khalil Karaja Al-Rifai, Deputy Minister ofJustice, who gave a presentation on the difficult situationin the Gaza Strip under the Israeli siege. After studyingthe issue from the different legal and political aspects ofthe ways and means for lifting the siege and facilitatingthe reconstruction of Gaza, including the follow up on im-plementing the recommendations in the Goldstone Reportand the possibility of consulting the International Court ofJustice on the illegality of the siege, the meeting decidedto hold another meeting in light of new developments.

Commenting on the meeting, Al-Rifai said to the OIC

tions carrying international legitima-cy. He stressed that the United Na-tions had a special responsibility tohalt Israel's aggression. He called foraction at all levels to stop the settle-ments and violations, to get Israel tocomply with the provisions of inter-national law, and to end its occupa-tion of Palestinian lands.

On November 8, Israel announcedit is pushing ahead with plans to build1300 new apartments for Jewish fami-lies in Arab East Jerusalem.

Khalil Al-Rifai, Palestinian Deputy Minister of Justice (L)

Construction site in the Israeli settlement of HarGillo in the West Bank on 11 November 2010.(epa)

A Palestinian man holds a burnt copyof the Koran at the mosque in Beit Fajjar.(epa)

Israeli occupiers set fire to a mosque in the West Bankvillage of Beit Fajjar on October 4 and sprayed graffiti

September - December 2010the OIC Journal www.oic-oci.org 1110

PALESTINE FILE

Rabat, Morocco - (dpa): Moroccans have a close rela-tionship with the Palestinians, particularly with Jerusale-mites. The figures announced by Bayt Mal Al-QudsAsharif (Al-Quds Al-Sharif Fund), under the chairman-ship of H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco, bears pal-pable testimony to this emotional relationship in spite ofthe geographical distance separating the two countries,and despite the limited visits undertaken by Moroccans tothis occupied city.

Every year, ordinary Moroccan citizens, together withthe government and civil institutions, organize on a specif-ic date a fundraising campaign to collect donations for thebenefit of Jerusalemites.

_Droves of Moroccans wait and watch for the launchof the fund-raising campaigns to rush to banks with dedi-cated counters for this purpose. Most voluntary donorsgive out money in the strictest confidence. For them, it is apurely charitable and humanitarian gesture. Some deem ita religious duty not to be boasted or buzzed about.

Haj Ahmad, a Moroccan who assiduously takes part inthe fundraising campaigns for the benefit of Al-QudsAsharif told DPA, "We feel greatly delighted when wehear about projects built with funds collected by Bayt MalAl-Quds. We decide hence to donate again whenever wehave the resources.”

H.M. King Mohammed VI appointed AbdelkebirAlaoui M'daghri, after being relieved from his position asMinister of Awqaf [endowments] and Islamic Affairswhich he had retained for a long time under King HassanII, as Director-General of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency.

Having held the reins of the religious sector in theKingdom of Morocco, M'daghri found himself on 12thApril 2006 entrusted with the management of the workand activities of the Agency in line with the powers in-scribed in its statutes.

A four-year period was quite enough for M'daghri tofathom the ins and outs of communicating with officials inAl-Quds City. He strived within the limits of the possibleto reinvigorate the work of the Agency, which embracedthe motto 'To Preserve the Arabo-Islamic City of Al-Qudsand its religious and cultural heritage.

When M'daghri talks about the donations collected byBayt Mal Al-Quds, he does not hide the fact that there isstill much to be done. He speaks in figures and does nothesitate to reveal the names of contributors. He points outthat the Agency has adopted a realistic approach in keep-ing with instructions from King Mohammed VI, by focus-ing on projects that benefit the inhabitants of Al-Quds ac-

cording to Arabo-Islamic civic politics.Within its work programs the Agency develops a set of

criteria for the selection of projects to be undertaken in theCity with the support of collected funds and donations.Among these criteria is the need for the beneficiary partyto be Arab Jerusalemite. The project should also cater toan existing need, just as the project must be feasible andmeets the technical and administrative conditions for im-plementation.

The Agency is keen to fund projects linked to educa-tion through the construction or restoration of schools aswell as re-financing student activities and providing schol-arships. Housing is another sector in which the Agency ismuch active, by supporting and financing individual andcollective loan programs for house construction, and therestoration and rehabilitation of decrepit houses, as well asproviding small grants to improve housing conditions forthe poor and the marginalized.

Health-care figures high on the Agency's agenda. Awide number of medical equipment and supplies are pro-vided by the Agency for the benefit of hospitals and clin-ics in the City of Al-Quds. Support is also provided for theexpansion and development of health services, medicineprocurement and treatment provision.

The size of the projects implemented over the past twoyears picked up from US$ 2.6 million to US$ 5.7 million.The Agency expects to increase this funding to US$ 12million before the end of 2010.

The figures reflect the total volume of donations theAgency collected from voluntary contributions by the OICMember States or from private institutions and charities,and the income and proceeds derived from the assets,properties and projects managed by the Agency.

In the period running from early January to the end ofJune 2010, contributions for Al-Quds hovered close toUS$ 65 million. Contributions by the Moroccan govern-ment make up the lion's share while contributions by Araband Moroccan institutions reached nearly US$ 4.5 million.Contributions by Moroccan citizens constituted US$ 1.7million.

Indeed, support for Jerusalemites is not confined tomerely raising donations; it goes far beyond by consider-ing the creation of activities for children. Last summer, theKingdom of Morocco received a delegation of Jerusale-mite children, who were taken on a tour across variousMoroccan cities and benefited from the recreational activi-ties conducted at a summer camp held for the third year ina row. The latest tour and camp carried the name of Prin-cess Lalla Khadija, the King's daughter.

The summer camp was set up in the northern Moroc-can city of Tangier with a touring that included visits toother Moroccan cities such as Casablanca and Tetouan.Mohammed Salim Al-Cherkaoui, Director of Public Rela-tion at the Agency emphasized that the Agency deployedefforts to involve the largest number of official and not-for-profit institutions in order to enable participating chil-dren to open up to the external world, network with theirpeers, gain knowledge and skills, and acquire good behav-ioral manners that would strengthen their character in theface of crises and be able to face up to daily challenges.As a matter of fact, the camp was prepared on socio-educational grounds. It was intended to teach childrenhow to achieve the greatest benefits from their visit to Mo-rocco.

The 2010 program was distinct from previous sessionsby incorporating maritime leisure excursions and enablingparticipants to enjoy Moroccan shores of northern citiesbordering both the Atlantic Ocean and the MediterraneanSea. Under the directives of King Mohammed VI, Chair-man of the Committee of Al-Quds, Bayt Mal Al-QudsAsharif has been the engine of an institutional drive toserve Jerusalemite children and youth from various groupsand ages out of a desire to enhance its presence on thefield in various social areas in the City of Al-Quds, bylaunching youth and sports programs.

Besides the camps in Morocco, the Agency took itupon itself to organize summer camps for children in theCity of Al-Quds, including, according to figures from theAgency, nearly 25 camps in 2009 spread over Sur Baher,Al-Thawri, Shuafat, Beit Hanina and A-Tur, in additionto camps set up in various districts in the Old City.

Through its representative office in Al-Quds, theAgency has deployed efforts to ensure that all materialand logistical conditions are secured to organize these

camps, which benefited 2500 children Jerusalemites. It al-located a hefty budget for the summer program by increas-ing the budget from US$ 80 thousand in 2009 to US$ 120thousand dollars in 2010._ The Agency financed the pur-chase of sports wear, stationery and special tools for artstudios. It also incurred the cost of food supply for chil-dren's camps and trips to areas outside of Jerusalem, in-cluding Beit Sahour, Bir Zeit, Umm al-Fahm, Jaffa, andother areas.

On a different note, the Agency allocated some US$40 thousand to support summer camps organized by thePalestinian Committee for Summer Camps.

The Agency team in Jerusalem works under severe cir-cumstances due to the measures imposed by the Israeli oc-cupation authorities that restrict the ability of organizers tocomplete the programs set for the camps, including the oc-cupation's interventions on many occasions to disrupt theactivities of the camps, and sometimes the utter closureunder any fabricated pretext of institutions in charge ofmanaging the programs and projects.

Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif ... A Moroccanwindow to look over Jerusalem

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu con-demned very strongly the passageand ratification by the Israeli cabinetof a new legislation designating Jeru-salem a city of special priority for theoccupation government. He warnedof the dangerous consequences of thiswrong-headed and unjust law, whichconcretizes Israel's avowed plan toJudaize Jerusalem.

The Secretary General also con-demned strongly the decision of theIsraeli Government to alter the land-marks of Al-Buraq Square and its

neighboring area, within a systematicpolicy to judaize the city of Al-Quds,stating that the square is an Islamicwaqf (endowment) and constitutespart of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Secretary General reiteratedthat East Jerusalem is an integral partof Palestinian territories occupied in1967, stressing that Israel's measuresto change its geographic and demo-graphic nature is illegal, a flagrant vi-olation of international law and theFourth Geneva Convention, and aninfringement of the inalienable rightsof the Palestinian people.

The Secretary General also called

on the Quartet and the internationalcommunity to compel Israel to stopall violations aimed at Judaizing andchanging the Arab and Islamic char-acter of the holy city.

The Secretary General warned ofthe serious threats posed on the holyAl-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundingarea due to the judaization policy tar-geting all religious, architectural, his-torical and civilizational aspects ofAl-Quds, calling on the internationalcommunity to assume its responsibili-ty regarding the protection of Islamicand Christian holy sites in the city.

OIC strongly condemns Israel's passage of a bill toJudaize Jerusalem and the plans to alter Al-Buraq Square

A report by three UN-appointedhuman rights experts said on Septem-ber 22 that Israeli forces violated in-ternational law when they raided aGaza-bound aid flotilla killing nineactivists earlier this year.

The UN Human Rights Council'sfact-finding mission concluded thatIsrael's naval blockade of the Pales-tinian territory was unlawful becauseof the humanitarian crisis there, anddescribed the military raid on the flo-tilla as brutal and disproportionate.

Secretary General of the Organi-zation of Islamic Conference (OIC)Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has welcomedthe timely submission of the Reportof the International Fact-FindingMission to investigate violations ofinternational law, including interna-tional humanitarian and human rightslaw, resulting from the Israeli attackson the flotilla of ships carrying hu-

manitarian assistance. In a statement issued in New

York, the Secretary General ex-pressed satisfaction at the submissionof the Report that afforded ample op-portunity for the ongoing 15th Ses-sion of the Human Rights Council interms of taking appropriate decisionon the future course of action, in ac-cordance with the contents of the Re-port, towards meeting the ends of jus-tice with regard to the unfortunateand brutal Israeli aggression on theFreedom Flotilla.

Highlighting that the Fact FindingMission was essentially formed inlight of the decision taken by the OICExecutive Committee Meeting heldimmediately after the Israeli attack,the Secretary General drew attentionto the unambiguous and firm conclu-sion drawn in the Report that a hu-manitarian crisis existed on the 31

May 2010 in Gaza. He further high-lighted the conclusion made in theReport that the brutal and dispropor-tionate action taken by the Israeliforces could not be justified in thecircumstances even under Article 51of the United Nations Charter.

The Secretary General calledupon the Human Rights Council toact swiftly in terms of meeting its ob-ligations - as the Human Rights con-science of the international communi-ty - towards ensuring that theviolations of international law includ-ing international humanitarian andhuman rights law, established in theReport, are taken seriously and theperpetrator as well as its functionariesbrought to face the responsibility andconsequences of their deplorable actswith a view to avoiding recurrence ofsuch incidents that result in the lossof precious and innocent lives.

Israeli attack on the flotilla broke international law: UN

Abdelkebir Alaoui M'daghri speaking at Beit Mal Al-Quds Meeting


PALESTINE FILE

Rabat, Morocco - (dpa): Moroccans have a close rela-tionship with the Palestinians, particularly with Jerusale-mites. The figures announced by Bayt Mal Al-QudsAsharif (Al-Quds Al-Sharif Fund), under the chairman-ship of H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco, bears pal-pable testimony to this emotional relationship in spite ofthe geographical distance separating the two countries,and despite the limited visits undertaken by Moroccans tothis occupied city.

Every year, ordinary Moroccan citizens, together withthe government and civil institutions, organize on a specif-ic date a fundraising campaign to collect donations for thebenefit of Jerusalemites.

_Droves of Moroccans wait and watch for the launchof the fund-raising campaigns to rush to banks with dedi-cated counters for this purpose. Most voluntary donorsgive out money in the strictest confidence. For them, it is apurely charitable and humanitarian gesture. Some deem ita religious duty not to be boasted or buzzed about.

Haj Ahmad, a Moroccan who assiduously takes part inthe fundraising campaigns for the benefit of Al-QudsAsharif told DPA, "We feel greatly delighted when wehear about projects built with funds collected by Bayt MalAl-Quds. We decide hence to donate again whenever wehave the resources.”

H.M. King Mohammed VI appointed AbdelkebirAlaoui M'daghri, after being relieved from his position asMinister of Awqaf [endowments] and Islamic Affairswhich he had retained for a long time under King HassanII, as Director-General of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency.

Having held the reins of the religious sector in theKingdom of Morocco, M'daghri found himself on 12thApril 2006 entrusted with the management of the workand activities of the Agency in line with the powers in-scribed in its statutes.

A four-year period was quite enough for M'daghri tofathom the ins and outs of communicating with officials inAl-Quds City. He strived within the limits of the possibleto reinvigorate the work of the Agency, which embracedthe motto 'To Preserve the Arabo-Islamic City of Al-Qudsand its religious and cultural heritage.

When M'daghri talks about the donations collected byBayt Mal Al-Quds, he does not hide the fact that there isstill much to be done. He speaks in figures and does nothesitate to reveal the names of contributors. He points outthat the Agency has adopted a realistic approach in keep-ing with instructions from King Mohammed VI, by focus-ing on projects that benefit the inhabitants of Al-Quds ac-

cording to Arabo-Islamic civic politics.Within its work programs the Agency develops a set of

criteria for the selection of projects to be undertaken in theCity with the support of collected funds and donations.Among these criteria is the need for the beneficiary partyto be Arab Jerusalemite. The project should also cater toan existing need, just as the project must be feasible andmeets the technical and administrative conditions for im-plementation.

The Agency is keen to fund projects linked to educa-tion through the construction or restoration of schools aswell as re-financing student activities and providing schol-arships. Housing is another sector in which the Agency ismuch active, by supporting and financing individual andcollective loan programs for house construction, and therestoration and rehabilitation of decrepit houses, as well asproviding small grants to improve housing conditions forthe poor and the marginalized.

Health-care figures high on the Agency's agenda. Awide number of medical equipment and supplies are pro-vided by the Agency for the benefit of hospitals and clin-ics in the City of Al-Quds. Support is also provided for theexpansion and development of health services, medicineprocurement and treatment provision.

The size of the projects implemented over the past twoyears picked up from US$ 2.6 million to US$ 5.7 million.The Agency expects to increase this funding to US$ 12million before the end of 2010.

The figures reflect the total volume of donations theAgency collected from voluntary contributions by the OICMember States or from private institutions and charities,and the income and proceeds derived from the assets,properties and projects managed by the Agency.

In the period running from early January to the end ofJune 2010, contributions for Al-Quds hovered close toUS$ 65 million. Contributions by the Moroccan govern-ment make up the lion's share while contributions by Araband Moroccan institutions reached nearly US$ 4.5 million.Contributions by Moroccan citizens constituted US$ 1.7million.

Indeed, support for Jerusalemites is not confined tomerely raising donations; it goes far beyond by consider-ing the creation of activities for children. Last summer, theKingdom of Morocco received a delegation of Jerusale-mite children, who were taken on a tour across variousMoroccan cities and benefited from the recreational activi-ties conducted at a summer camp held for the third year ina row. The latest tour and camp carried the name of Prin-cess Lalla Khadija, the King's daughter.

The summer camp was set up in the northern Moroc-can city of Tangier with a touring that included visits toother Moroccan cities such as Casablanca and Tetouan.Mohammed Salim Al-Cherkaoui, Director of Public Rela-tion at the Agency emphasized that the Agency deployedefforts to involve the largest number of official and not-for-profit institutions in order to enable participating chil-dren to open up to the external world, network with theirpeers, gain knowledge and skills, and acquire good behav-ioral manners that would strengthen their character in theface of crises and be able to face up to daily challenges.As a matter of fact, the camp was prepared on socio-educational grounds. It was intended to teach childrenhow to achieve the greatest benefits from their visit to Mo-rocco.

The 2010 program was distinct from previous sessionsby incorporating maritime leisure excursions and enablingparticipants to enjoy Moroccan shores of northern citiesbordering both the Atlantic Ocean and the MediterraneanSea. Under the directives of King Mohammed VI, Chair-man of the Committee of Al-Quds, Bayt Mal Al-QudsAsharif has been the engine of an institutional drive toserve Jerusalemite children and youth from various groupsand ages out of a desire to enhance its presence on thefield in various social areas in the City of Al-Quds, bylaunching youth and sports programs.

Besides the camps in Morocco, the Agency took itupon itself to organize summer camps for children in theCity of Al-Quds, including, according to figures from theAgency, nearly 25 camps in 2009 spread over Sur Baher,Al-Thawri, Shuafat, Beit Hanina and A-Tur, in additionto camps set up in various districts in the Old City.

Through its representative office in Al-Quds, theAgency has deployed efforts to ensure that all materialand logistical conditions are secured to organize these

camps, which benefited 2500 children Jerusalemites. It al-located a hefty budget for the summer program by increas-ing the budget from US$ 80 thousand in 2009 to US$ 120thousand dollars in 2010._ The Agency financed the pur-chase of sports wear, stationery and special tools for artstudios. It also incurred the cost of food supply for chil-dren's camps and trips to areas outside of Jerusalem, in-cluding Beit Sahour, Bir Zeit, Umm al-Fahm, Jaffa, andother areas.

On a different note, the Agency allocated some US$40 thousand to support summer camps organized by thePalestinian Committee for Summer Camps.

The Agency team in Jerusalem works under severe cir-cumstances due to the measures imposed by the Israeli oc-cupation authorities that restrict the ability of organizers tocomplete the programs set for the camps, including the oc-cupation's interventions on many occasions to disrupt theactivities of the camps, and sometimes the utter closureunder any fabricated pretext of institutions in charge ofmanaging the programs and projects.

Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif ... A Moroccanwindow to look over Jerusalem

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu con-demned very strongly the passageand ratification by the Israeli cabinetof a new legislation designating Jeru-salem a city of special priority for theoccupation government. He warnedof the dangerous consequences of thiswrong-headed and unjust law, whichconcretizes Israel's avowed plan toJudaize Jerusalem.

The Secretary General also con-demned strongly the decision of theIsraeli Government to alter the land-marks of Al-Buraq Square and its

neighboring area, within a systematicpolicy to judaize the city of Al-Quds,stating that the square is an Islamicwaqf (endowment) and constitutespart of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Secretary General reiteratedthat East Jerusalem is an integral partof Palestinian territories occupied in1967, stressing that Israel's measuresto change its geographic and demo-graphic nature is illegal, a flagrant vi-olation of international law and theFourth Geneva Convention, and aninfringement of the inalienable rightsof the Palestinian people.

The Secretary General also called

on the Quartet and the internationalcommunity to compel Israel to stopall violations aimed at Judaizing andchanging the Arab and Islamic char-acter of the holy city.

The Secretary General warned ofthe serious threats posed on the holyAl-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundingarea due to the judaization policy tar-geting all religious, architectural, his-torical and civilizational aspects ofAl-Quds, calling on the internationalcommunity to assume its responsibili-ty regarding the protection of Islamicand Christian holy sites in the city.

OIC strongly condemns Israel's passage of a bill toJudaize Jerusalem and the plans to alter Al-Buraq Square

A report by three UN-appointedhuman rights experts said on Septem-ber 22 that Israeli forces violated in-ternational law when they raided aGaza-bound aid flotilla killing nineactivists earlier this year.

The UN Human Rights Council'sfact-finding mission concluded thatIsrael's naval blockade of the Pales-tinian territory was unlawful becauseof the humanitarian crisis there, anddescribed the military raid on the flo-tilla as brutal and disproportionate.

Secretary General of the Organi-zation of Islamic Conference (OIC)Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has welcomedthe timely submission of the Reportof the International Fact-FindingMission to investigate violations ofinternational law, including interna-tional humanitarian and human rightslaw, resulting from the Israeli attackson the flotilla of ships carrying hu-

manitarian assistance. In a statement issued in New

York, the Secretary General ex-pressed satisfaction at the submissionof the Report that afforded ample op-portunity for the ongoing 15th Ses-sion of the Human Rights Council interms of taking appropriate decisionon the future course of action, in ac-cordance with the contents of the Re-port, towards meeting the ends of jus-tice with regard to the unfortunateand brutal Israeli aggression on theFreedom Flotilla.

Highlighting that the Fact FindingMission was essentially formed inlight of the decision taken by the OICExecutive Committee Meeting heldimmediately after the Israeli attack,the Secretary General drew attentionto the unambiguous and firm conclu-sion drawn in the Report that a hu-manitarian crisis existed on the 31

May 2010 in Gaza. He further high-lighted the conclusion made in theReport that the brutal and dispropor-tionate action taken by the Israeliforces could not be justified in thecircumstances even under Article 51of the United Nations Charter.

The Secretary General calledupon the Human Rights Council toact swiftly in terms of meeting its ob-ligations - as the Human Rights con-science of the international communi-ty - towards ensuring that theviolations of international law includ-ing international humanitarian andhuman rights law, established in theReport, are taken seriously and theperpetrator as well as its functionariesbrought to face the responsibility andconsequences of their deplorable actswith a view to avoiding recurrence ofsuch incidents that result in the lossof precious and innocent lives.

Israeli attack on the flotilla broke international law: UN

Abdelkebir Alaoui M'daghri speaking at Beit Mal Al-Quds Meeting


PALESTINE FILE

1312

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu wel-comed the positive positions con-tained in the Council of the EuropeanUnion's declaration on the MiddleEast Peace Process on December13th, 2010. The Secretary Generalhailed in particular the clear Europe-an stance, which considers the Israelisettlements, including in East Jerusa-

lem, illegal under international lawand obstacle to peace. The Europeanrefusal to recognize any changes tothe pre-1967 borders, including withregard to Jerusalem, as reiterated bythe declaration, was positively re-ceived. The OIC also shares with theEU the view that peace in the MiddleEast should be comprehensive andbased on the two-state solution in ac-cordance with the relevant UN reso-

lutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. Ihsanoglu emphasized that the

OIC supports the EU call for the im-mediate, sustained and unconditionalopening of crossings to allow themovement of humanitarian aid, com-mercial goods and persons to andfrom Gaza. The blockade is unjustand exacerbates the ordeal of the Pal-estinian civilians, and should be lift-ed.

The OIC welcomes the EU declarationon the Middle East Peace Process

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu wel-comed Brazil and Argentina's an-nouncements in early December ofrecognizing Palestine as a free and in-dependent State according to its 1967

borders. Uruguay has also followedsuit. The Secretary General statedthat this step is an important qualita-tive development in the internationalsupport to Palestine's national inalien-able rights.

The Secretary General expressed

his hope that many other countrieswould follow suit, which will lead toa wide international recognition ofPalestine as a free and fully sovereignState on the entire Palestinian territo-ries occupied by Israel in 1967, withEastern Jerusalem as its capital.

OIC welcomes Brazil and Argentina'srecognition of the Palestinian State

Israeli officials indicated in earlyDecember the possible collapse of El-Marwani Mosque within Al Aqsacompound, which prompted the Sec-retary General of the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu to warn of such dan-gers and hold Israel, the occupationauthority, fully responsible for the

safety of the Mosque. He stated thatany dangers facing the Aqsa Mosqueare a result of Israel's continued exca-vations underneath and around theholy site. The Secretary Generalcalled on the leaders of the IslamicUmmah to act promptly with a viewto putting an end to Israeli violations.

The Secretary General said thatthe serious reports coming from the

occupied city of Al-Quds on the situ-ation in the Holy Aqsa Mosque indi-cate that Muslims' first qiblah is nowin real and direct danger. The OICconsiders the Holy Aqsa Mosque ared line which the Islamic Ummahwill not hesitate to defend and thatany prejudice to the mosque willhave consequences for which Israelalone will be responsible.

Dangers threatening El-Marwani Mosque,OIC calls on the Islamic Ummah to take prompt action

Dr. Shaher Awawdeh Department of Palestine,OIC General Secretariat

No serious student of Jerusalempolitics can overlook the devastatingimpacts that the current Israeli meas-ures inflict on the future status of occu-pied East Jerusalem. Combined withthe frequently repeated rhetoric of itspoliticians about what they term “indi-visibility of Jerusalem”, Israel has in-vested heavily, and at unprecedentedrates, in enforcing several plans aimedat not only shrinking the Palestinianpresence in the city but also obliterat-ing the Arab identity, which has char-acterized Jerusalem for centuries. Theunmatched escalation in Israel's bid totransform East Jerusalem into a non-Palestinian urban space reveals a hostof unpleasant realities such as the fra-gility of the Palestinian situation andthe limited options available to havecounter actions as well as the absenceof serious international intervention ca-pable of leashing the massive attemptsaimed at Israelizing East Jerusalem.There is much evidence to suggest thatJerusalem's unique character has be-come the most visible casualty of suchrealities. .

A long-held belief, which has pre-

vailed for decades, suggests that Jeru-salem has a special ability to preserveits own unique Palestinian identity.This belief, which has typified main-stream thinking, stemmed from the er-roneous assumption that Jerusalem'sdemographic fabric as well as architec-tural and urban landscape provide thecity with enough self-immunity, thusmaking it terribly difficult to imaginethe occurrence of ground-breakingchanges to the core components of theCity's Palestinian identity. Even in thevery stretched imagination, this wasunconceivable.

The course of events, nonetheless,

proved that the very core components,mentioned above, were all under at-tack; and safe they were not. At thedemographic level, it should be notedthat Israel has spared no effort in pur-suing its attempts to create Jewish dem-ographic supremacy in East Jerusalem.In Israel's view, the high Palestinianbirth-rate could be countered only bylarge-scale settlement schemes. Thanksto numerous settlement projects, main-ly in large settlement blocks in the met-ropolitan area of Jerusalem such asGiv'at Ze'ev in the north, Ma'ale Adu-mim in the east and Efrat in the south,government-facilitated immigration en-abled Israeli settlers to outnumber theindigenous Palestinian population inoccupied East Jerusalem.

While most of settlement expan-sion efforts are made on Jerusalem'soutskirts mentioned above, the mostdangerous settlement activities, yet,are undertaken in the heart of Palestin-ian neighborhoods. Unlike settlementprojects in the outer reaches of Jerusa-lem, which are intended to seal offEast Jerusalem from the rest of theWest Bank, settlement activities in theOld City and its vicinity are there for adifferent motive as indicated by aboard member of the Israeli settlerElad Association: “Our aim is to holdon to the settlements in East Jerusa-lem, and create an irreversible annexa-tion around the Old City.” Forcefullyconfiscating Palestinian real estate hasbecome the bread-and-butter of theaforementioned views of Elad andsimilar settler groups.

Recent reports estimate that ap-

proximately 2000 settlers live in Pales-tinian districts in the Old City and itsimmediate vicinity. Neighborhoods ofSilwan, Sowaneh, Ras el-Amoud,Mount of Olives, Sheikh Jarrah andthe Christian Quarter, provide a casein point. It is worth noting that untilfew years back, the above-mentionedneighborhoods were exclusively Pales-tinian populated areas. Sadly enough,some parts of these localities have be-come today the mere shadow of what

they used to be. Parallel to the above population-

oriented settlement schemes, a differ-ent brand of settlement project is carv-ing its way through the City's alley-ways, parks, ancient walls, graveyardsand archeological sites. This is thelandscape dimension of the Israeli at-tempt to judaize East Jerusalem.

Chief in these projects is the set-tlers-made tunnel network system zig-zagging underneath various parts ofthe Old City walls and buildings.These tunnels connect archeologicalsites and several synagogues erectedby settlers in various parts of the OldCity. Some tunnels, reportedly, arewell lit and provide safe and easy pas-sage for settlers and tourists. Most im-portantly, some tunnels are mannedwith settler tour guides who also pro-vide audio-visual presentations forguided tours. Little could be left to theimagination when it comes to the kindof presentation given to tourist groupsby these fanatic settler tour guides.

Equally important, a large-scale Is-raeli project is underway to irrevoca-bly change the city skyline. This pro-ject involves erecting oversizedsynagogues in various parts of the city,altering major landmarks such as thecenturies-old walls, and establishingTalmudic parks around the city walls.The most recent chapter of this projecthas been a plan to drastically changethe historical area of Bab El-Amoud orDamascus Gate. Similar to what hadbeen made to the Dung Gate, the JaffaGate is now the subject of massiveplans to remodel its entire shape. Allthese changes are designed to impose aJewish character on Jerusalem's land-scape.

To wrap up, all the above-mentioned examples represent limitedcases in a wider and systematic megaproject aimed not only at obliteratingthe indigenous character of Jerusalem,but also at fraudulently replacing itwith a Jewish identity. One can nothelp but think that Jerusalem's Arabo-Islamic character is ebbing and is inimmediate danger. Palestinians, Arabsand Muslims do not have the luxury ofsitting on the fence or doing little tosave their sacred city. It is absolutelyright to suggest that workable multi-sectoral counter strategies should bedesigned and put into force. Quick fix-es are not ideal solutions in such cases.

It is written on the wall:Jerusalem's

indigenous identityis left high and dry


PALESTINE FILE

1312

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu wel-comed the positive positions con-tained in the Council of the EuropeanUnion's declaration on the MiddleEast Peace Process on December13th, 2010. The Secretary Generalhailed in particular the clear Europe-an stance, which considers the Israelisettlements, including in East Jerusa-

lem, illegal under international lawand obstacle to peace. The Europeanrefusal to recognize any changes tothe pre-1967 borders, including withregard to Jerusalem, as reiterated bythe declaration, was positively re-ceived. The OIC also shares with theEU the view that peace in the MiddleEast should be comprehensive andbased on the two-state solution in ac-cordance with the relevant UN reso-

lutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. Ihsanoglu emphasized that the

OIC supports the EU call for the im-mediate, sustained and unconditionalopening of crossings to allow themovement of humanitarian aid, com-mercial goods and persons to andfrom Gaza. The blockade is unjustand exacerbates the ordeal of the Pal-estinian civilians, and should be lift-ed.

The OIC welcomes the EU declarationon the Middle East Peace Process

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu wel-comed Brazil and Argentina's an-nouncements in early December ofrecognizing Palestine as a free and in-dependent State according to its 1967

borders. Uruguay has also followedsuit. The Secretary General statedthat this step is an important qualita-tive development in the internationalsupport to Palestine's national inalien-able rights.

The Secretary General expressed

his hope that many other countrieswould follow suit, which will lead toa wide international recognition ofPalestine as a free and fully sovereignState on the entire Palestinian territo-ries occupied by Israel in 1967, withEastern Jerusalem as its capital.

OIC welcomes Brazil and Argentina'srecognition of the Palestinian State

Israeli officials indicated in earlyDecember the possible collapse of El-Marwani Mosque within Al Aqsacompound, which prompted the Sec-retary General of the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu to warn of such dan-gers and hold Israel, the occupationauthority, fully responsible for the

safety of the Mosque. He stated thatany dangers facing the Aqsa Mosqueare a result of Israel's continued exca-vations underneath and around theholy site. The Secretary Generalcalled on the leaders of the IslamicUmmah to act promptly with a viewto putting an end to Israeli violations.

The Secretary General said thatthe serious reports coming from the

occupied city of Al-Quds on the situ-ation in the Holy Aqsa Mosque indi-cate that Muslims' first qiblah is nowin real and direct danger. The OICconsiders the Holy Aqsa Mosque ared line which the Islamic Ummahwill not hesitate to defend and thatany prejudice to the mosque willhave consequences for which Israelalone will be responsible.

Dangers threatening El-Marwani Mosque,OIC calls on the Islamic Ummah to take prompt action

Dr. Shaher Awawdeh Department of Palestine,OIC General Secretariat

No serious student of Jerusalempolitics can overlook the devastatingimpacts that the current Israeli meas-ures inflict on the future status of occu-pied East Jerusalem. Combined withthe frequently repeated rhetoric of itspoliticians about what they term “indi-visibility of Jerusalem”, Israel has in-vested heavily, and at unprecedentedrates, in enforcing several plans aimedat not only shrinking the Palestinianpresence in the city but also obliterat-ing the Arab identity, which has char-acterized Jerusalem for centuries. Theunmatched escalation in Israel's bid totransform East Jerusalem into a non-Palestinian urban space reveals a hostof unpleasant realities such as the fra-gility of the Palestinian situation andthe limited options available to havecounter actions as well as the absenceof serious international intervention ca-pable of leashing the massive attemptsaimed at Israelizing East Jerusalem.There is much evidence to suggest thatJerusalem's unique character has be-come the most visible casualty of suchrealities. .

A long-held belief, which has pre-

vailed for decades, suggests that Jeru-salem has a special ability to preserveits own unique Palestinian identity.This belief, which has typified main-stream thinking, stemmed from the er-roneous assumption that Jerusalem'sdemographic fabric as well as architec-tural and urban landscape provide thecity with enough self-immunity, thusmaking it terribly difficult to imaginethe occurrence of ground-breakingchanges to the core components of theCity's Palestinian identity. Even in thevery stretched imagination, this wasunconceivable.

The course of events, nonetheless,

proved that the very core components,mentioned above, were all under at-tack; and safe they were not. At thedemographic level, it should be notedthat Israel has spared no effort in pur-suing its attempts to create Jewish dem-ographic supremacy in East Jerusalem.In Israel's view, the high Palestinianbirth-rate could be countered only bylarge-scale settlement schemes. Thanksto numerous settlement projects, main-ly in large settlement blocks in the met-ropolitan area of Jerusalem such asGiv'at Ze'ev in the north, Ma'ale Adu-mim in the east and Efrat in the south,government-facilitated immigration en-abled Israeli settlers to outnumber theindigenous Palestinian population inoccupied East Jerusalem.

While most of settlement expan-sion efforts are made on Jerusalem'soutskirts mentioned above, the mostdangerous settlement activities, yet,are undertaken in the heart of Palestin-ian neighborhoods. Unlike settlementprojects in the outer reaches of Jerusa-lem, which are intended to seal offEast Jerusalem from the rest of theWest Bank, settlement activities in theOld City and its vicinity are there for adifferent motive as indicated by aboard member of the Israeli settlerElad Association: “Our aim is to holdon to the settlements in East Jerusa-lem, and create an irreversible annexa-tion around the Old City.” Forcefullyconfiscating Palestinian real estate hasbecome the bread-and-butter of theaforementioned views of Elad andsimilar settler groups.

Recent reports estimate that ap-

proximately 2000 settlers live in Pales-tinian districts in the Old City and itsimmediate vicinity. Neighborhoods ofSilwan, Sowaneh, Ras el-Amoud,Mount of Olives, Sheikh Jarrah andthe Christian Quarter, provide a casein point. It is worth noting that untilfew years back, the above-mentionedneighborhoods were exclusively Pales-tinian populated areas. Sadly enough,some parts of these localities have be-come today the mere shadow of what

they used to be. Parallel to the above population-

oriented settlement schemes, a differ-ent brand of settlement project is carv-ing its way through the City's alley-ways, parks, ancient walls, graveyardsand archeological sites. This is thelandscape dimension of the Israeli at-tempt to judaize East Jerusalem.

Chief in these projects is the set-tlers-made tunnel network system zig-zagging underneath various parts ofthe Old City walls and buildings.These tunnels connect archeologicalsites and several synagogues erectedby settlers in various parts of the OldCity. Some tunnels, reportedly, arewell lit and provide safe and easy pas-sage for settlers and tourists. Most im-portantly, some tunnels are mannedwith settler tour guides who also pro-vide audio-visual presentations forguided tours. Little could be left to theimagination when it comes to the kindof presentation given to tourist groupsby these fanatic settler tour guides.

Equally important, a large-scale Is-raeli project is underway to irrevoca-bly change the city skyline. This pro-ject involves erecting oversizedsynagogues in various parts of the city,altering major landmarks such as thecenturies-old walls, and establishingTalmudic parks around the city walls.The most recent chapter of this projecthas been a plan to drastically changethe historical area of Bab El-Amoud orDamascus Gate. Similar to what hadbeen made to the Dung Gate, the JaffaGate is now the subject of massiveplans to remodel its entire shape. Allthese changes are designed to impose aJewish character on Jerusalem's land-scape.

To wrap up, all the above-mentioned examples represent limitedcases in a wider and systematic megaproject aimed not only at obliteratingthe indigenous character of Jerusalem,but also at fraudulently replacing itwith a Jewish identity. One can nothelp but think that Jerusalem's Arabo-Islamic character is ebbing and is inimmediate danger. Palestinians, Arabsand Muslims do not have the luxury ofsitting on the fence or doing little tosave their sacred city. It is absolutelyright to suggest that workable multi-sectoral counter strategies should bedesigned and put into force. Quick fix-es are not ideal solutions in such cases.

It is written on the wall:Jerusalem's

indigenous identityis left high and dry


SPECIAL REPORT: ACM 2010

15

President of Tajiki-stan:

On the sideline of the65th Session of the Gen-eral Assembly of theUnited Nations, the Secre-tary General of the Organ-ization of the IslamicConference (OIC) Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu met withthe President of TajikistanEmamali Rahmon.

The Secretary Generalsaid there is a need for anintegration of CentralAsia in terms of econom-ic, development, and se-curity in order to addressthe problems of the re-

gion, especially on issues are related to extremism and ter-rorism.

Ihsanoglu also discussed the issue of Afghanistan withthe Tajik President and stressed that it is necessary to con-tribute to the stability of the country. Improving bilateralrelations between the OIC and Tajikistan was also dis-cussed.

On his part, the Tajik President stressed the importanceof working towards stabilizing Afghanistan, which is im-perative for the security of the region.

President Rahmon emphasized the importance of de-linking terrorism with Islam and spoke about the need foran international cooperation to tackle the threat of terror-ism.

Vice President of Sudan:On another occasion, the Secretary General met with

the Vice President of Sudan Ali Othman Mohammad Tahawhere he reiterated the OIC's support and solidarity withSudan, and commended the bilateral relations and cooper-ation between Sudan and the OIC.

Ihsanoglu also touched on the situation in Sudan ingeneral, and the implementation of a comprehensive peaceagreement between the north and the south as well as thepeace talks to reach a resolution in Darfur. The SecretaryGeneral emphasized the OIC position vis-à-vis the unityof Sudan for the interest of Sudan and the region as awhole.

On his part, the Vice President of Sudan commendedthe OIC and the Secretary General's efforts to improve theprofile of OIC at the international level, and the OIC's sup-port and efforts for preserving the unity of Sudan and re-construction and recovering processes in Darfur, particu-larly the International Donor Conference which the OIC

held in Cairo early this year.Foreign Minister of Indonesia:OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met

with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Dr.R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa on 20 September 2010 in NewYork City. They discussed the bilateral relations and themeans and ways towards closer cooperation and coordina-tion between OIC and Indonesia.

The Secretary General, upon the request of the Indone-sian Foreign Minister, gave a brief on the priorities of theOIC at the present time and in the future, emphasizing theissue of Islamophobia as it worsened worldwide in generaland in the western world in particular, especially that it be-came a tool for many western politicians to use duringelection periods.

The Secretary General stated that the OIC has done itsbest to combat Islamophobia. However, without the politi-cal support of the OIC Member States, the success will notbe foreseeable, he added. He said that the OIC has takenthe issue of Islamophobia in all diplomatic arenas as wellas academic and media institutions.

The Secretary General also stated that there is a needfor an effective disaster management system and rapid re-sponse mechanism within the OIC structure to face naturaldisasters like tsunami in 2005, the earthquake in Pakistanin 2006, and the flood in Pakistan that occurred the monthbefore.

On the issue of the Philippines - Moro, Ihsanoglustressed the importance of having Indonesia playing astronger role and deploying greater efforts to bring about apeaceful and sustainable settlement in the Philippines.

On his part, the Indonesian Foreign Minister expressedhis full support for the OIC Secretary General on the prior-ities set by the OIC, and stated that the OIC Member

States should be playinga greater role and bemore pragmatic in theirsupport for the OIC tomake it more effective inthe international arena.

He also commendedthe role played by theOIC Secretary Generalwith regard to Islamopho-bia and agreed that OICMember States should domore to support the OICinitiatives in fighting Is-lamophobia. The ForeignMinister said that Indone-sia is doing its best in thisregard, and stated that theIndonesian President

In New York City OIC makes its markwrote to the US President Barack Obama and UN Secre-tary General Ban Ki-moon, terming Islamophobia as athreat to the international security, and suggested that theUN Security Council should look into this matter.

On the issue of Philippines, the Indonesian ForeignMinister stated that Indonesia is in the same position withOIC, and that positive outcomes have been achieved inthis regard such as the enactment of a monitoring team forthe peace process and the establishment of a Moro devel-opment fund.

On the issue of natural disasters, the Indonesian For-eign Minister stressed that Indonesia, which has sufferedimmensely from Tsunami, is thus ready to support OIC in-itiatives related to disaster management and establishmentof a rapid response mechanism.

Foreign Minister of Somalia:The Secretary General also met in New York City with

the Foreign Minister of the Transitional Federal Govern-ment (TFG) in Somalia, Yusuf Hassan Ibrahim, whobriefed the Secretary General on the latest situation in So-malia. The Foreign Minister explained that despite its bestof intentions, the government in not being able to controlthe situation in the country.

The Secretary General said that the OIC has been in-strumental in bringing an international support for the So-mali TFG of President Sharif, however, the TFG shouldminimize the in-fighting in order to move forward with itsinitiative to bring peace and security in Somalia.

The Secretary General briefed the Foreign Minister onthe project of food distribution in Somalia in coordinationwith World Food Program (WFP). He said that the OIC isgoing to run the project on a test-case basis, and that thesuccess of the project will ensure its effective implementa-tion.

The Somali Foreign Minister thanked the OIC for itsextensive support to his country and assured the SecretaryGeneral of his government's support and full cooperationwith the OIC.

President of Kyrgyzstan:OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met in

New York City with the President of Kyrgyzstan RozaOtunbayeva, who briefed him on the latest situation inKyrgyzstan. The President said that her country is improv-ing slowly but steadily and that an investigation in the Julyincident has been completed, adding that a trial has begunto punish those responsible for the tragic incident.

The President, however, said that Kyrgyzstan is facingbig challenges due to drug trafficking and extremism assome foreign elements are trying to disrupt stability inKyrgyzstan.

The President thankedthe Secretary General forthe OIC support to hergovernment during thetroubled period. She invit-ed the Secretary Generalto visit Kyrgyzstan in thenear future and stated thatthe upcoming elections inher country would be cru-cial to decide on the polit-ical future of the country.

The Secretary Generalbriefed the President onthe OIC initiative towardsthe development of Cen-tral Asia as a whole aswell as on its endeavors

to bring the region closer to the Muslim World.President of Palestine:OIC Secretary General met on 23 September with the

Palestinian PresidentMahmud Abbas. The Sec-retary General expressedto the Palestinian Presi-dent the OIC deep con-cern over the issue of Is-raeli settlements in thePalestinian occupied terri-tories and Jerusalem andassured the President thefull support of the OIC tothe Palestinian NationalAuthority and the Pales-tinian people. Ihsanogluexpressed his wish for asuccess in the peace pro-cess and the current nego-tiations towards the fullattainment of the nationalrights of the Palestinianpeople.

President Abbas commended the efforts of the OICand those of the Secretary General to support and help thePalestinians in their endeavor to establish a PalestinianState with Jerusalem as its capital. With regard to Israelisettlement, he reiterated to the Secretary General his posi-tion and the position of Palestinian Authority that therewill be no direct negotiations if Israel fails to extend thehalt of settlement building in the Palestinian territories.

Foreign Minister of Gambia:Ihsanoglu met Momodou Tangara, Gambia's Minister

of Foreign Affairs, on 23 September. They had a usefuland wide-ranging exchange on the bilateral relations andthe ways and means to further cooperation, includingmeans to implement the Special African DevelopmentProgram and the OIC Summit, which will be held inEgypt in March 2011.

Foreign Minister of Egypt:The Secretary General met on 26 September with the

Egyptian Foreign MinisterAhmad Abu Gheit, anddiscussed the overallpreparations for the 13thIslamic Summit, whichwill be held in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt in March2011.

Presidents of Guyanaand Suriname:

Ihsanoglu met withthe President of GuyanaBharrat Jagdeo and thePresident of SurinameDési Bouterse. The Secre-tary General discussed bi-lateral relations and coop-eration that the leaders ofOIC Member States iden-tified in Southern American Continent, especially issuesrelated to the implementation of the Ten-Year ActionPlan, and he called for more engagement of both countriesin the overall activities of the OIC. The Presidents ofGuyana and Suriname expressed their commitment to en-hance and promote cooperation with the OIC.

New York City, USA-During the OIC Foreign Ministers Annual Coordi-nation Meeting (ACM) in September 2010 held on the sidelines of the annualmeetings of the United Nations General Assembly at the United NationsHeadquarters in New York, the OIC attended several meetings and eventsprior and after the ACM.

Bilateral meetings

PresidentRahmon

Natalegawa

PresidentOtunbayeva

Abu Gheit

PresidentAbbas



15

President of Tajiki-stan:

On the sideline of the65th Session of the Gen-eral Assembly of theUnited Nations, the Secre-tary General of the Organ-ization of the IslamicConference (OIC) Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu met withthe President of TajikistanEmamali Rahmon.

The Secretary Generalsaid there is a need for anintegration of CentralAsia in terms of econom-ic, development, and se-curity in order to addressthe problems of the re-

gion, especially on issues are related to extremism and ter-rorism.

Ihsanoglu also discussed the issue of Afghanistan withthe Tajik President and stressed that it is necessary to con-tribute to the stability of the country. Improving bilateralrelations between the OIC and Tajikistan was also dis-cussed.

On his part, the Tajik President stressed the importanceof working towards stabilizing Afghanistan, which is im-perative for the security of the region.

President Rahmon emphasized the importance of de-linking terrorism with Islam and spoke about the need foran international cooperation to tackle the threat of terror-ism.

Vice President of Sudan:On another occasion, the Secretary General met with

the Vice President of Sudan Ali Othman Mohammad Tahawhere he reiterated the OIC's support and solidarity withSudan, and commended the bilateral relations and cooper-ation between Sudan and the OIC.

Ihsanoglu also touched on the situation in Sudan ingeneral, and the implementation of a comprehensive peaceagreement between the north and the south as well as thepeace talks to reach a resolution in Darfur. The SecretaryGeneral emphasized the OIC position vis-à-vis the unityof Sudan for the interest of Sudan and the region as awhole.

On his part, the Vice President of Sudan commendedthe OIC and the Secretary General's efforts to improve theprofile of OIC at the international level, and the OIC's sup-port and efforts for preserving the unity of Sudan and re-construction and recovering processes in Darfur, particu-larly the International Donor Conference which the OIC

held in Cairo early this year.Foreign Minister of Indonesia:OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met

with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Dr.R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa on 20 September 2010 in NewYork City. They discussed the bilateral relations and themeans and ways towards closer cooperation and coordina-tion between OIC and Indonesia.

The Secretary General, upon the request of the Indone-sian Foreign Minister, gave a brief on the priorities of theOIC at the present time and in the future, emphasizing theissue of Islamophobia as it worsened worldwide in generaland in the western world in particular, especially that it be-came a tool for many western politicians to use duringelection periods.

The Secretary General stated that the OIC has done itsbest to combat Islamophobia. However, without the politi-cal support of the OIC Member States, the success will notbe foreseeable, he added. He said that the OIC has takenthe issue of Islamophobia in all diplomatic arenas as wellas academic and media institutions.

The Secretary General also stated that there is a needfor an effective disaster management system and rapid re-sponse mechanism within the OIC structure to face naturaldisasters like tsunami in 2005, the earthquake in Pakistanin 2006, and the flood in Pakistan that occurred the monthbefore.

On the issue of the Philippines - Moro, Ihsanoglustressed the importance of having Indonesia playing astronger role and deploying greater efforts to bring about apeaceful and sustainable settlement in the Philippines.

On his part, the Indonesian Foreign Minister expressedhis full support for the OIC Secretary General on the prior-ities set by the OIC, and stated that the OIC Member

States should be playinga greater role and bemore pragmatic in theirsupport for the OIC tomake it more effective inthe international arena.

He also commendedthe role played by theOIC Secretary Generalwith regard to Islamopho-bia and agreed that OICMember States should domore to support the OICinitiatives in fighting Is-lamophobia. The ForeignMinister said that Indone-sia is doing its best in thisregard, and stated that theIndonesian President

In New York City OIC makes its markwrote to the US President Barack Obama and UN Secre-tary General Ban Ki-moon, terming Islamophobia as athreat to the international security, and suggested that theUN Security Council should look into this matter.

On the issue of Philippines, the Indonesian ForeignMinister stated that Indonesia is in the same position withOIC, and that positive outcomes have been achieved inthis regard such as the enactment of a monitoring team forthe peace process and the establishment of a Moro devel-opment fund.

On the issue of natural disasters, the Indonesian For-eign Minister stressed that Indonesia, which has sufferedimmensely from Tsunami, is thus ready to support OIC in-itiatives related to disaster management and establishmentof a rapid response mechanism.

Foreign Minister of Somalia:The Secretary General also met in New York City with

the Foreign Minister of the Transitional Federal Govern-ment (TFG) in Somalia, Yusuf Hassan Ibrahim, whobriefed the Secretary General on the latest situation in So-malia. The Foreign Minister explained that despite its bestof intentions, the government in not being able to controlthe situation in the country.

The Secretary General said that the OIC has been in-strumental in bringing an international support for the So-mali TFG of President Sharif, however, the TFG shouldminimize the in-fighting in order to move forward with itsinitiative to bring peace and security in Somalia.

The Secretary General briefed the Foreign Minister onthe project of food distribution in Somalia in coordinationwith World Food Program (WFP). He said that the OIC isgoing to run the project on a test-case basis, and that thesuccess of the project will ensure its effective implementa-tion.

The Somali Foreign Minister thanked the OIC for itsextensive support to his country and assured the SecretaryGeneral of his government's support and full cooperationwith the OIC.

President of Kyrgyzstan:OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met in

New York City with the President of Kyrgyzstan RozaOtunbayeva, who briefed him on the latest situation inKyrgyzstan. The President said that her country is improv-ing slowly but steadily and that an investigation in the Julyincident has been completed, adding that a trial has begunto punish those responsible for the tragic incident.

The President, however, said that Kyrgyzstan is facingbig challenges due to drug trafficking and extremism assome foreign elements are trying to disrupt stability inKyrgyzstan.

The President thankedthe Secretary General forthe OIC support to hergovernment during thetroubled period. She invit-ed the Secretary Generalto visit Kyrgyzstan in thenear future and stated thatthe upcoming elections inher country would be cru-cial to decide on the polit-ical future of the country.

The Secretary Generalbriefed the President onthe OIC initiative towardsthe development of Cen-tral Asia as a whole aswell as on its endeavors

to bring the region closer to the Muslim World.President of Palestine:OIC Secretary General met on 23 September with the

Palestinian PresidentMahmud Abbas. The Sec-retary General expressedto the Palestinian Presi-dent the OIC deep con-cern over the issue of Is-raeli settlements in thePalestinian occupied terri-tories and Jerusalem andassured the President thefull support of the OIC tothe Palestinian NationalAuthority and the Pales-tinian people. Ihsanogluexpressed his wish for asuccess in the peace pro-cess and the current nego-tiations towards the fullattainment of the nationalrights of the Palestinianpeople.

President Abbas commended the efforts of the OICand those of the Secretary General to support and help thePalestinians in their endeavor to establish a PalestinianState with Jerusalem as its capital. With regard to Israelisettlement, he reiterated to the Secretary General his posi-tion and the position of Palestinian Authority that therewill be no direct negotiations if Israel fails to extend thehalt of settlement building in the Palestinian territories.

Foreign Minister of Gambia:Ihsanoglu met Momodou Tangara, Gambia's Minister

of Foreign Affairs, on 23 September. They had a usefuland wide-ranging exchange on the bilateral relations andthe ways and means to further cooperation, includingmeans to implement the Special African DevelopmentProgram and the OIC Summit, which will be held inEgypt in March 2011.

Foreign Minister of Egypt:The Secretary General met on 26 September with the

Egyptian Foreign MinisterAhmad Abu Gheit, anddiscussed the overallpreparations for the 13thIslamic Summit, whichwill be held in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt in March2011.

Presidents of Guyanaand Suriname:

Ihsanoglu met withthe President of GuyanaBharrat Jagdeo and thePresident of SurinameDési Bouterse. The Secre-tary General discussed bi-lateral relations and coop-eration that the leaders ofOIC Member States iden-tified in Southern American Continent, especially issuesrelated to the implementation of the Ten-Year ActionPlan, and he called for more engagement of both countriesin the overall activities of the OIC. The Presidents ofGuyana and Suriname expressed their commitment to en-hance and promote cooperation with the OIC.

New York City, USA-During the OIC Foreign Ministers Annual Coordi-nation Meeting (ACM) in September 2010 held on the sidelines of the annualmeetings of the United Nations General Assembly at the United NationsHeadquarters in New York, the OIC attended several meetings and eventsprior and after the ACM.

Bilateral meetings

PresidentRahmon

Natalegawa

PresidentOtunbayeva

Abu Gheit

PresidentAbbas



The Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu ad-dressed the Roundtable Session of the High Level Plenarymeeting on Poverty, Hunger and Gender Equality on 20September 2010. He commended the initiative of the Pres-ident of the UN General Assembly for organizing this the-matic interactive roundtable session.

Poverty is a complex issue and needs to be tackled on arange of fronts including, but not limited to, improving ec-onomic growth, Ihsanoglu stated. He stressed that povertyremains one of the big challenges to the socio-economicdevelopment of a majority of developing countries, espe-cially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Besides, thisphenomenon has brought about problems such as illitera-cy, malnutrition, disease and even crime. Global food cri-sis further worsened the already precarious conditions ofpoor people in these countries, the Secretary General said.

Ihsanoglu said the OIC has to reinvigorate its machin-ery for economic growth and cooperation among membercountries through comprehensive mobilization of the re-sources, within and outside the OIC community. A newapproach to economic cooperation was, therefore fash-ioned out to ensure that all stakeholders are sensitized onthe need for the accelerated transformation of the econo-mies of OIC Member States and the welfare of their peo-ples.

He added that since almost all OIC countries are classi-fied as developing countries, their respective economiesare still plagued by many constraints. These constraintsvary from low and unsustainable agricultural productivity,subsistence farming, population pressure, unemployment,to technological problems and closed food markets.

Poverty remains a big challenge for OIC CountriesIhsanoglu emphasized the major thrust of OIC action

for combating wide-spread poverty in its Member States isthe development of the human productive capacity throughsuch projects as vocational training and agro-food industri-al capacity-building; wealth creation through intra-OICtrade and development of strategic commodities; as well asinvestment promotion and micro-finance.

Among major programs to arrest poverty within theOIC Member States, the Secretary General numerated theestablishment of poverty alleviation funds, the OIC 'Spe-cial Program for the Development of Africa' with its $12billion facility aimed at catering for pro-poor activities,and 'Food Security and Agricultural Development'. OICstrategy on multi-stakeholder's partnership for addressingthe issue of poverty alleviation is well pronounced in thedomain of agriculture and food security, where the IslamicDevelopment Bank (IDB) had launched, in 2008, a land-mark $ 1.5 billion 'Jeddah Food Initiative', and Cotton Ac-tion Plan (2007-2011).

In conclusion, the Secretary General stated that theOIC objective of enhancing multi-stakeholder partnershipfor economic development in OIC countries has added anew impetus to the existing and long-standing relations be-tween OIC and the United Nations. Pointedly, the elabora-tion of the Millennium Development Goals and the estab-lishment of the OIC Ten Year Program of Action haveprovided the basis for policy consultation and coordinationamong these two important global institutions. He stressedthat this would assist greatly in promoting the global agen-da on pro-poor activities and human capital development.

In the spirit of the shared commitment to progress to-wards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and inhis opening remarks at the special lunch co-hosted by theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Glo-bal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Sec-retary General of the OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated thatthis meeting is for a noble cause which is central to theachievement of the vision embodied in the OIC Ten YearProgram of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

The OIC General Secretariat and the Global Fund hassigned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the36th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM)held in May 2009 in Damascus, Syria. The MoU aims atstrengthening cooperation between the two organizations inthe fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In linewith the objectives of this MoU, the General Secretariat hasbeen working with the OIC Member States and other part-ners, including the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), to ad-vocate action against AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB),and to raise awareness about the Global Fund's vision, mis-sion and work. The Secretary General said since the crea-tion of the Global Fund, 46 OIC Member States have bene-fitted in the form of US$ 4 billion allocated for fightingAIDS, 3 billion US dollars for Malaria and 2 billion US dol-lars for TB.

Ihsanoglu said that the 10-Year Program of Actionadopted by the Makkah Summit placed special emphasis onfighting diseases and epidemics. This was based on the real-ization of the fact that the achievement of the goals andbenchmarks for socio-economic development cannot bepossible without addressing serious threats to the health andwell being of the population of the OIC countries. The 10Year Program of Action therefore mandated the OIC Gener-

OIC and Global Fund call forfighting diseases in OIC Countries

al Secretariat and the IDB to draw up programs for fightingdisease and epidemics in collaboration with the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) and other relevant institutions,the Secretary General mentioned.

Ihsanoglu expressed his appreciation and gratitude toSaudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria, Uganda and Brunei-Darussalam for coming forward and extending a helpinghand to others through the Global Fund. The cooperation andsupport of the IDB extended to the Global Fund is also com-mendable.

However, the Secretary General stated that there is still along way to go in the attainment of the targets set out by theMakkah Summit as well as the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. He appealed to the governments of the OIC MemberStates to re-double their national efforts in the fight againstAIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, and to collaborate with theGlobal Fund in this regard. He called upon the donor coun-tries among the OIC Member States to come forward, in linewith the lofty Islamic values of compassion and giving, to as-sist the Global Fund in its activities, and continue and furtherenhance their financial contributions to the Fund.

In addition, he strongly urged the private sector in afflu-ent Member States to come forward and contribute to theGlobal Fund as part of their corporate social responsibility(CSR).

The Secretary General also drew attention to the tragicfloods disaster in Pakistan, which has affected more than 20million people, ravaged lives, destroyed infrastructure anddeprived people of their livelihoods. He said that among oth-er things, 3.5 million people are threatened with hunger anddisease. The terrible disaster has adversely impacted thehealth sector, in particular with the possibilities of outbreaksof Malaria, Cholera and other diseases, Ihsanoglu concluded.

On the occasion of InternationalDay of Peace observed on 21st Sep-tember 2010 under the theme 'Youthfor Peace and Development' proposedby the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu hascalled for the cessation of hostilitiesand the peaceful resolution of all con-

OIC commemorates the International Day of Peaceflicts in the Member States.

Ihsanoglu who lamented the de-structive effects of conflicts on the de-velopment of societies, noted that onlya peaceful environment could guaran-tee their progress in achieving the tar-gets of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs). He appealed to theyouth in the Muslim world to use thisday and rededicate themselves for the

cause of peace and development intheir respective countries.

The Secretary General then restat-ed the determination of the OIC tocontinue its existing cooperation withthe UN and other international and re-gional organizations to maintain globalpeace and security as well as the at-tainment of the MDGs.

OIC Secretary General Ekmeled-din Ihsanoglu stated on 22 September2010 that the OIC - EU relations dateback to 2002 with the first fora of OIC- EU ministers held in Istanbul. Hestated this during the OIC troika meet-ing with the European Union (EU).The OIC troika included the ForeignMinisters of Tajikistan and Kazakh-stan and Deputy Foreign Minister ofSyria.

The Secretary General said the re-lationship between the OIC and theEU, although progressing and devel-oping, has not reached a desired level.However, he said that the OIC - EUrelations have high potential for devel-opment with OIC being the proponent,stressing that OIC and EU enjoy goodcooperation on issues related to Mid-dle East, Afghanistan and many otherissues of international political impor-tance.

Ihsanoglu mentioned that the OICappreciates the role played by the EU,particularly with regard to the MiddleEast Peace Process. However, he said

OIC-EU Troika discuss issues of common interestthat the OIC believes that the EUshould exert more pressure on Israel towithdraw from occupied territories andurge parties to reach a sustainablepeaceful settlement of the Middle Eastconflict.

The Secretary General highlightedthen the need for cooperation betweenthe OIC and the EU Groups at theUnited Nations in Geneva and NewYork with an open mind particularlywith regard to OIC sponsored resolu-tion on defamation of religions.

On the EU part, the High Repre-sentative, Baroness Catherine Ashton,welcomed the frank and candid discus-sion expressed by the OIC troika andthe Secretary General concerning is-sues of significant importance.

Baroness Ashton stressed the im-portance of having the EU and theOIC working together on various is-sues, and reiterated the EU's commit-ment to protect individuals and fightagainst discrimination and all forms ofintolerance and of discriminationbased on religion or belief.

The OIC Contact Group on SierraLeone met at the Ministerial level onthe 22nd of September 2010 and re-viewed the latest situation in the coun-try.

The meeting expressed its satisfac-tion at the progress made by democra-cy, the rule of law and good govern-ance in Sierra Leone and urged itspolitical leaders and people to shun vi-olence and political intolerance, and todevelop a national culture of peace, di-alogue and participation.

The meeting acknowledged theimportant progress made by Sierra Le-one in the areas of infrastructure de-velopment, education and agriculturethroughout the country under the able

OIC Contact Group Meeting on Sierra Leoneleadership of H.E. President ErnestBai Koroma, despite the economicchallenges facing Sierra Leone.

The meeting expressed its thanksand appreciation to the State of Qatar,Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and theIslamic Solidarity Fund for the finan-cial support extended to the OIC As-sistance Fund for Sierra Leone.

The meeting invited all stakehold-ers to come up with concrete proposalsaimed at giving a new lease of life tothe OIC Assistance Fund for Sierra Le-one, which has been unable to copewith the pressing socioeconomic needsdue to its scant financial resources ex-hausted since December 2006.

The meeting expressed its thanks

to the international community, toDFID/UK and the OIC Member Statesand financial institutions which playedan important role during the OIC-DFID international donors' conferenceheld in London in November 2009.

The Meeting took note of theprogress of the Capacity Building Pro-gram for Oil Palm Plantation Projectin Sierra Leone and the vigorous ef-forts undertaken by the Sierra LeoneGovernment to overcome the 9 issuesidentified by the Malaysia - IDB As-sessment Mission undertaken on 1 - 10November 2009, to facilitate the im-plementation of the Rescue Plans ofthe project.

BaronessAshton



The Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu ad-dressed the Roundtable Session of the High Level Plenarymeeting on Poverty, Hunger and Gender Equality on 20September 2010. He commended the initiative of the Pres-ident of the UN General Assembly for organizing this the-matic interactive roundtable session.

Poverty is a complex issue and needs to be tackled on arange of fronts including, but not limited to, improving ec-onomic growth, Ihsanoglu stated. He stressed that povertyremains one of the big challenges to the socio-economicdevelopment of a majority of developing countries, espe-cially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Besides, thisphenomenon has brought about problems such as illitera-cy, malnutrition, disease and even crime. Global food cri-sis further worsened the already precarious conditions ofpoor people in these countries, the Secretary General said.

Ihsanoglu said the OIC has to reinvigorate its machin-ery for economic growth and cooperation among membercountries through comprehensive mobilization of the re-sources, within and outside the OIC community. A newapproach to economic cooperation was, therefore fash-ioned out to ensure that all stakeholders are sensitized onthe need for the accelerated transformation of the econo-mies of OIC Member States and the welfare of their peo-ples.

He added that since almost all OIC countries are classi-fied as developing countries, their respective economiesare still plagued by many constraints. These constraintsvary from low and unsustainable agricultural productivity,subsistence farming, population pressure, unemployment,to technological problems and closed food markets.

Poverty remains a big challenge for OIC CountriesIhsanoglu emphasized the major thrust of OIC action

for combating wide-spread poverty in its Member States isthe development of the human productive capacity throughsuch projects as vocational training and agro-food industri-al capacity-building; wealth creation through intra-OICtrade and development of strategic commodities; as well asinvestment promotion and micro-finance.

Among major programs to arrest poverty within theOIC Member States, the Secretary General numerated theestablishment of poverty alleviation funds, the OIC 'Spe-cial Program for the Development of Africa' with its $12billion facility aimed at catering for pro-poor activities,and 'Food Security and Agricultural Development'. OICstrategy on multi-stakeholder's partnership for addressingthe issue of poverty alleviation is well pronounced in thedomain of agriculture and food security, where the IslamicDevelopment Bank (IDB) had launched, in 2008, a land-mark $ 1.5 billion 'Jeddah Food Initiative', and Cotton Ac-tion Plan (2007-2011).

In conclusion, the Secretary General stated that theOIC objective of enhancing multi-stakeholder partnershipfor economic development in OIC countries has added anew impetus to the existing and long-standing relations be-tween OIC and the United Nations. Pointedly, the elabora-tion of the Millennium Development Goals and the estab-lishment of the OIC Ten Year Program of Action haveprovided the basis for policy consultation and coordinationamong these two important global institutions. He stressedthat this would assist greatly in promoting the global agen-da on pro-poor activities and human capital development.

In the spirit of the shared commitment to progress to-wards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and inhis opening remarks at the special lunch co-hosted by theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Glo-bal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Sec-retary General of the OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated thatthis meeting is for a noble cause which is central to theachievement of the vision embodied in the OIC Ten YearProgram of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

The OIC General Secretariat and the Global Fund hassigned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the36th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM)held in May 2009 in Damascus, Syria. The MoU aims atstrengthening cooperation between the two organizations inthe fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In linewith the objectives of this MoU, the General Secretariat hasbeen working with the OIC Member States and other part-ners, including the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), to ad-vocate action against AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB),and to raise awareness about the Global Fund's vision, mis-sion and work. The Secretary General said since the crea-tion of the Global Fund, 46 OIC Member States have bene-fitted in the form of US$ 4 billion allocated for fightingAIDS, 3 billion US dollars for Malaria and 2 billion US dol-lars for TB.

Ihsanoglu said that the 10-Year Program of Actionadopted by the Makkah Summit placed special emphasis onfighting diseases and epidemics. This was based on the real-ization of the fact that the achievement of the goals andbenchmarks for socio-economic development cannot bepossible without addressing serious threats to the health andwell being of the population of the OIC countries. The 10Year Program of Action therefore mandated the OIC Gener-

OIC and Global Fund call forfighting diseases in OIC Countries

al Secretariat and the IDB to draw up programs for fightingdisease and epidemics in collaboration with the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) and other relevant institutions,the Secretary General mentioned.

Ihsanoglu expressed his appreciation and gratitude toSaudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria, Uganda and Brunei-Darussalam for coming forward and extending a helpinghand to others through the Global Fund. The cooperation andsupport of the IDB extended to the Global Fund is also com-mendable.

However, the Secretary General stated that there is still along way to go in the attainment of the targets set out by theMakkah Summit as well as the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. He appealed to the governments of the OIC MemberStates to re-double their national efforts in the fight againstAIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, and to collaborate with theGlobal Fund in this regard. He called upon the donor coun-tries among the OIC Member States to come forward, in linewith the lofty Islamic values of compassion and giving, to as-sist the Global Fund in its activities, and continue and furtherenhance their financial contributions to the Fund.

In addition, he strongly urged the private sector in afflu-ent Member States to come forward and contribute to theGlobal Fund as part of their corporate social responsibility(CSR).

The Secretary General also drew attention to the tragicfloods disaster in Pakistan, which has affected more than 20million people, ravaged lives, destroyed infrastructure anddeprived people of their livelihoods. He said that among oth-er things, 3.5 million people are threatened with hunger anddisease. The terrible disaster has adversely impacted thehealth sector, in particular with the possibilities of outbreaksof Malaria, Cholera and other diseases, Ihsanoglu concluded.

On the occasion of InternationalDay of Peace observed on 21st Sep-tember 2010 under the theme 'Youthfor Peace and Development' proposedby the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu hascalled for the cessation of hostilitiesand the peaceful resolution of all con-

OIC commemorates the International Day of Peaceflicts in the Member States.

Ihsanoglu who lamented the de-structive effects of conflicts on the de-velopment of societies, noted that onlya peaceful environment could guaran-tee their progress in achieving the tar-gets of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs). He appealed to theyouth in the Muslim world to use thisday and rededicate themselves for the

cause of peace and development intheir respective countries.

The Secretary General then restat-ed the determination of the OIC tocontinue its existing cooperation withthe UN and other international and re-gional organizations to maintain globalpeace and security as well as the at-tainment of the MDGs.

OIC Secretary General Ekmeled-din Ihsanoglu stated on 22 September2010 that the OIC - EU relations dateback to 2002 with the first fora of OIC- EU ministers held in Istanbul. Hestated this during the OIC troika meet-ing with the European Union (EU).The OIC troika included the ForeignMinisters of Tajikistan and Kazakh-stan and Deputy Foreign Minister ofSyria.

The Secretary General said the re-lationship between the OIC and theEU, although progressing and devel-oping, has not reached a desired level.However, he said that the OIC - EUrelations have high potential for devel-opment with OIC being the proponent,stressing that OIC and EU enjoy goodcooperation on issues related to Mid-dle East, Afghanistan and many otherissues of international political impor-tance.

Ihsanoglu mentioned that the OICappreciates the role played by the EU,particularly with regard to the MiddleEast Peace Process. However, he said

OIC-EU Troika discuss issues of common interestthat the OIC believes that the EUshould exert more pressure on Israel towithdraw from occupied territories andurge parties to reach a sustainablepeaceful settlement of the Middle Eastconflict.

The Secretary General highlightedthen the need for cooperation betweenthe OIC and the EU Groups at theUnited Nations in Geneva and NewYork with an open mind particularlywith regard to OIC sponsored resolu-tion on defamation of religions.

On the EU part, the High Repre-sentative, Baroness Catherine Ashton,welcomed the frank and candid discus-sion expressed by the OIC troika andthe Secretary General concerning is-sues of significant importance.

Baroness Ashton stressed the im-portance of having the EU and theOIC working together on various is-sues, and reiterated the EU's commit-ment to protect individuals and fightagainst discrimination and all forms ofintolerance and of discriminationbased on religion or belief.

The OIC Contact Group on SierraLeone met at the Ministerial level onthe 22nd of September 2010 and re-viewed the latest situation in the coun-try.

The meeting expressed its satisfac-tion at the progress made by democra-cy, the rule of law and good govern-ance in Sierra Leone and urged itspolitical leaders and people to shun vi-olence and political intolerance, and todevelop a national culture of peace, di-alogue and participation.

The meeting acknowledged theimportant progress made by Sierra Le-one in the areas of infrastructure de-velopment, education and agriculturethroughout the country under the able

OIC Contact Group Meeting on Sierra Leoneleadership of H.E. President ErnestBai Koroma, despite the economicchallenges facing Sierra Leone.

The meeting expressed its thanksand appreciation to the State of Qatar,Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and theIslamic Solidarity Fund for the finan-cial support extended to the OIC As-sistance Fund for Sierra Leone.

The meeting invited all stakehold-ers to come up with concrete proposalsaimed at giving a new lease of life tothe OIC Assistance Fund for Sierra Le-one, which has been unable to copewith the pressing socioeconomic needsdue to its scant financial resources ex-hausted since December 2006.

The meeting expressed its thanks

to the international community, toDFID/UK and the OIC Member Statesand financial institutions which playedan important role during the OIC-DFID international donors' conferenceheld in London in November 2009.

The Meeting took note of theprogress of the Capacity Building Pro-gram for Oil Palm Plantation Projectin Sierra Leone and the vigorous ef-forts undertaken by the Sierra LeoneGovernment to overcome the 9 issuesidentified by the Malaysia - IDB As-sessment Mission undertaken on 1 - 10November 2009, to facilitate the im-plementation of the Rescue Plans ofthe project.

BaronessAshton


The OIC Contact Group on Somal-ia met at Ministerial level on the 22ndof September 2010 on the sidelines ofthe Annual Coordination Meeting ofForeign Ministers in New York. Themeeting reviewed the latest develop-ments in Somalia and received a brief-ing from the Somali Deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of Fisheries andMarine Resources, Prof. AbdurrahmanAdan Ibrahim, and the Secretary Gen-eral of the OIC. It also heard interven-tions from other members of the Con-tact Group. During deliberations onthe ways and means that could con-tribute to the restoration of durablepeace to the country, the meetingagreed on the following:

i. The meeting reaffirmed its re-spect for the unity, stability and terri-torial integrity of Somalia and urged

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Somaliaall countries to do the same.

ii. The meeting condemned all actsof insurgency and violence targetedagainst the TFG, its functionaries andinnocent persons stressing that suchcriminal acts were contrary to the no-ble values of Islam and called on themilitants to drop their weapons andjoin the peace process.

iii. The meeting reaffirmed its fullsupport for the TFG under PresidentSheikh Sharif Ahmed and encouragedit to continue its efforts to achieve na-tional reconciliation under the DjiboutiPeace Agreement, which remains theonly basis recognized internationallyfor a comprehensive peaceful settle-ment of the conflict in Somalia.

iv. The meeting commended theinitiative of the OIC to open a Human-itarian Coordination Office in Mogadi-shu and urged other Somali partners to

enhance their presence in the countryand to intensify their engagement withthe TFG.

v. The meeting requested theMember States to increase their assis-tance to the TFG in its peace buildingefforts during the remaining period ofthe transition and reminded the inter-national community to live up to itsobligations by intensifying its assis-tance to the TFG, especially in the se-curity sector and by redeeming all itspledges as contained in the IstanbulDeclaration of 23 May 2010. In this re-gard, it commended Turkey and theUN for jointly organizing the IstanbulConference on Somalia. It also ex-pressed its deep appreciation to theAU, IGAD and AMISOM for theirsacrifices and concrete support to theTFG.

1918


The Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met on the 22nd of Sep-tember 2010 at the Ministerial level on the sidelines of the ACM in NewYork. The meeting was opened by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC Sec-retary General, who reaffirmed, once more, full support of the OIC forand solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to thelatest round of violence perpetrated by the Indian forces against Kashmi-ri people, the Secretary General briefed the meeting on the OIC's posi-tion in this regard and called on India once more to end its human rightsviolations in the area.

The meeting then listened to the statements made by distinguishedMembers of the Contact Group in which they reiterated their continuedsupport to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and called for peaceful res-olution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Statements were also madeby the True Representatives of the Kashmiri people.

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir

The OIC Ministerial ContactGroup on Bosnia Herzegovina con-vened on 22 September 2010 in NewYork. The OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihasnoglu and other mem-bers of the OIC Contact Group ad-dressed the meeting. Therepresentative of Bosnia and Herzego-vina briefed the meeting on the currentsituation in Bosnia Herzegovina.

The meeting discussed in depth thedevelopments in Bosnia Herzegovinaand reiterated the OIC support to pre-serve unity, territorial integrity, sove-reignty and international personalityof Bosnia and Herzegovina, within in-ternationally recognized borders, as afully functional and self-sustainablestate capable of carrying out its pow-ers and fulfilling its international obli-gations without absolute blockademechanisms as well as its multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious structure. The OIC ContactGroup, in this respect, emphasized theimportance of the decision makingpowers of the Bosnia and Herzegovinalegal structures of the proper function-ing of the state and stresses the need totackle any existing mechanisms thatmay hamper theses powers, as part ofthe constitutional reform process.

The meeting condemned recentopen call for secession of one part ofBosnia and Herzegovina coming fromthe Highest State-level officials of the

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serb nationality and considers thesestatements to be a threat to the peaceand stability in Bosnia and Herzegovi-na and in the region.

The meeting expressed its deepconcern over inadequate implementa-tion of the key elements of the DaytonPeace Agreement, particularly relatingto the building of the state institutions,regulatory framework, and return ofrefugees and displaced persons of theirorigin. The meeting observed that thelack of implementation of some keyelements of the Dayton Peace Agree-ment have been found to obstruct theprocess of the reconstruction, democ-ratization, and the reintegration of thestate of Bosnia and Herzegovina .

The meeting expressed its concernthat these violations, particularly relat-ing to the right of the refugees to re-turn, have solidified blockades andprevented the people of Bosnia andHerzegovina from rebuilding a multi-cultural society. The meeting stressedthe need for more efforts and work toimplement these elements and to fullyrespect other key aspects of Dayton,particularly regarding Bosnia and Her-zegovina's rights over state propertythat had been confirmed in Dayton andsubsequent international agreements.

Since the 5+2 objectives and con-ditions (state defense property) rule oflaw, financial adequacy, status ofBrcko, signing of the Stabilization and

Association Agreement with the EUdecision by the Peace ImplementationCouncil on stable political situationidentified by the Peace Implementa-tion Council and its February 2008meeting for the closure of the Officeof the High Representative have notbeen fully implemented and the consti-tutional reform package by the interna-tional community have not been en-dorsed by Bosnia and Herzegovinastakeholders, the OIC Contact Groupunderlined that in early step from thetransition of the Office of the HighRepresentative (OHR) to the EU Spe-cial Representation (EUSR) should becarefully considered to allow for thefunctioning of the Bosnia and Herzeg-ovina central state satisfactorily.

The OIC Contact Group under-lined the importance of the rule of lawas part of any settlement impacting onthe future of the country and invites alllocal and international actors to focuson the need to fully implement the ex-isting legal obligations when present-ing solutions for the future.

The meeting called upon OICMember States and OIC Financial in-stitutions to contribute generously tothe OIC Trust Fund for the Return ofthe Displaced Persons in Bosnia andHerzegovina to enable the Fund tocontinue its reconstruction and devel-opment activities in Bosnia and Her-zegovina.

The OIC Contact Group Meetingon Iraq was held on 23 September2010, and reviewed the latest develop-ments in Iraq. The meeting waschaired by the OIC Secretary Generaland attended by delegations fromAzerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan andSenegal.

The meeting stressed the need topromote national dialogue, reconcilia-tion and broad-based political partici-pation to ensure the country's unity,security and stability and peace. TheMeeting commended the elections thattook place on 7 March 2010 and onwhich the Iraqi people expressed de-termination to opt for democracy inrunning the country and stressed theimportance of forming a strong Iraqigovernment, involving all sections ofthe Iraqi people specially that Iraq isfacing major challenges to ensure se-curity and reconstruction.

The Meeting requested the GeneralSecretariat to endeavor to support Iraq

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Iraqin the phase of reconstruction and de-velopment. The Meeting stressed theneed to continue to hold regular meet-ings between the Iraqi State and theGeneral Secretariat of the OIC and itsvarious organs, in order to implementthe joint communiqué signed in Febru-ary 2009.

The Meeting recalled the adoptionby the OIC in a successful precedentof the Makkah Al-Mukaramah Docu-ment on the situation in Iraq on Octo-ber 20, 2006.It underlined the need forthe General Secretariat to follow upthe implementation of this importantdocument within the framework of theOrganization's contribution to nationalreconciliation through the promotionof unity and coherence between Sun-nis and Shiites to work to build astable Iraq, secure, democratic, pros-perous and unified Iraq.

The meeting condemned acts of vi-olence that took place recently in Iraq.

It also expressed support for the effortsmade by the Iraqi government to putan end to the wave of violence and de-feat terrorism. The Meeting welcomedthe outcome of all expanded confer-ences of the neighboring countries ofIraq and urged neighboring countriesof Iraq to continue their cooperationwith the Iraqi government.

The Meeting expressed its appreci-ation to OIC Member States, whichmaintained its diplomatic presence inIraq, hailed the declaration of manyMuslim countries to appoint ambassa-dors to Iraq, and called on all othermembers of the organization to openor reopen their embassies in Iraq. TheMeeting also called upon all MemberStates to write off their debts to Iraq,as part of their contribution to the re-construction of Iraq. In this respect,the Meeting commended the MemberStates which have written off theirdebts to Iraq.

On the sidelines of the 65th Ses-sion of United Nations General As-sembly the OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu attended on 23September a high level meeting on So-malia in the presence of the SomaliPresident, Sheikh Sharif Ahmad, andthe Secretary General of the UnitedNations, Ban Ki-moon.

Ihsanoglu stated that consistentwith the OIC's commitment to contrib-ute to any international endeavoraimed at advancing the peace buildingprocess in the war-torn country, theOIC participated in the InternationalConference on Somalia jointly orga-nized by Turkey and the UN on 21-23May 2010 in Istanbul. The conference,held within the framework of the Dji-bouti Peace Agreement, sent out anunequivocal message of internationalsolidarity and commitment to strength-en the Transitional Federal Govern-

OIC Secretary General attends HighLevel Meeting on Somalia at the UN

ment (TFG). The Secretary General said that de-

spite the Istanbul Conference, the situ-ation on the ground in Somalia has re-mained a source of concern asinsurgents continued to launch bold at-tacks on government targets and AMI-SOM as well as on innocent civilians.He commended the TFG for its lauda-ble efforts to achieve reconciliation,but warned the militants that therecannot be any military solution to thisconflict, as the Djibouti Peace Agree-ment remains the only internationallyrecognized valuable option to achievecomprehensive national reconciliation.

The Secretary General expresseddisappointment that the TRG still notreceiving the financial support thatwas pledged by the international com-mittee, which has contributed to theweakening the loyalty of the people to

the TFG and exposing its vulnerabili-ty. He added that this also is contribut-ing to undermine the cohesion and uni-ty within the TFG as demonstrated bythe recent resignations of some minis-ters and high-level officials. As for theOIC, he said that the OIC on its parthas signed an agreement with theWorld Food Program (WFP) to deliverfood worth $36 million dollars throughthe Afgoye Corridor.

The Secretary General called onthe partners of Somalia, especially theUN, to effectively implement its strate-gy by intensifying their assistance tothe TFG as well as consolidating theirpresence on the ground by relocatingtheir offices from Nairobi to Somalia.He said that the OIC has opened itsHumanitarian Coordination Office inMogadishu to help advance the peaceprocess.


The OIC Contact Group on Somal-ia met at Ministerial level on the 22ndof September 2010 on the sidelines ofthe Annual Coordination Meeting ofForeign Ministers in New York. Themeeting reviewed the latest develop-ments in Somalia and received a brief-ing from the Somali Deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of Fisheries andMarine Resources, Prof. AbdurrahmanAdan Ibrahim, and the Secretary Gen-eral of the OIC. It also heard interven-tions from other members of the Con-tact Group. During deliberations onthe ways and means that could con-tribute to the restoration of durablepeace to the country, the meetingagreed on the following:

i. The meeting reaffirmed its re-spect for the unity, stability and terri-torial integrity of Somalia and urged

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Somaliaall countries to do the same.

ii. The meeting condemned all actsof insurgency and violence targetedagainst the TFG, its functionaries andinnocent persons stressing that suchcriminal acts were contrary to the no-ble values of Islam and called on themilitants to drop their weapons andjoin the peace process.

iii. The meeting reaffirmed its fullsupport for the TFG under PresidentSheikh Sharif Ahmed and encouragedit to continue its efforts to achieve na-tional reconciliation under the DjiboutiPeace Agreement, which remains theonly basis recognized internationallyfor a comprehensive peaceful settle-ment of the conflict in Somalia.

iv. The meeting commended theinitiative of the OIC to open a Human-itarian Coordination Office in Mogadi-shu and urged other Somali partners to

enhance their presence in the countryand to intensify their engagement withthe TFG.

v. The meeting requested theMember States to increase their assis-tance to the TFG in its peace buildingefforts during the remaining period ofthe transition and reminded the inter-national community to live up to itsobligations by intensifying its assis-tance to the TFG, especially in the se-curity sector and by redeeming all itspledges as contained in the IstanbulDeclaration of 23 May 2010. In this re-gard, it commended Turkey and theUN for jointly organizing the IstanbulConference on Somalia. It also ex-pressed its deep appreciation to theAU, IGAD and AMISOM for theirsacrifices and concrete support to theTFG.

1918


The Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met on the 22nd of Sep-tember 2010 at the Ministerial level on the sidelines of the ACM in NewYork. The meeting was opened by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC Sec-retary General, who reaffirmed, once more, full support of the OIC forand solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to thelatest round of violence perpetrated by the Indian forces against Kashmi-ri people, the Secretary General briefed the meeting on the OIC's posi-tion in this regard and called on India once more to end its human rightsviolations in the area.

The meeting then listened to the statements made by distinguishedMembers of the Contact Group in which they reiterated their continuedsupport to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and called for peaceful res-olution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Statements were also madeby the True Representatives of the Kashmiri people.

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir

The OIC Ministerial ContactGroup on Bosnia Herzegovina con-vened on 22 September 2010 in NewYork. The OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihasnoglu and other mem-bers of the OIC Contact Group ad-dressed the meeting. Therepresentative of Bosnia and Herzego-vina briefed the meeting on the currentsituation in Bosnia Herzegovina.

The meeting discussed in depth thedevelopments in Bosnia Herzegovinaand reiterated the OIC support to pre-serve unity, territorial integrity, sove-reignty and international personalityof Bosnia and Herzegovina, within in-ternationally recognized borders, as afully functional and self-sustainablestate capable of carrying out its pow-ers and fulfilling its international obli-gations without absolute blockademechanisms as well as its multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious structure. The OIC ContactGroup, in this respect, emphasized theimportance of the decision makingpowers of the Bosnia and Herzegovinalegal structures of the proper function-ing of the state and stresses the need totackle any existing mechanisms thatmay hamper theses powers, as part ofthe constitutional reform process.

The meeting condemned recentopen call for secession of one part ofBosnia and Herzegovina coming fromthe Highest State-level officials of the

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serb nationality and considers thesestatements to be a threat to the peaceand stability in Bosnia and Herzegovi-na and in the region.

The meeting expressed its deepconcern over inadequate implementa-tion of the key elements of the DaytonPeace Agreement, particularly relatingto the building of the state institutions,regulatory framework, and return ofrefugees and displaced persons of theirorigin. The meeting observed that thelack of implementation of some keyelements of the Dayton Peace Agree-ment have been found to obstruct theprocess of the reconstruction, democ-ratization, and the reintegration of thestate of Bosnia and Herzegovina .

The meeting expressed its concernthat these violations, particularly relat-ing to the right of the refugees to re-turn, have solidified blockades andprevented the people of Bosnia andHerzegovina from rebuilding a multi-cultural society. The meeting stressedthe need for more efforts and work toimplement these elements and to fullyrespect other key aspects of Dayton,particularly regarding Bosnia and Her-zegovina's rights over state propertythat had been confirmed in Dayton andsubsequent international agreements.

Since the 5+2 objectives and con-ditions (state defense property) rule oflaw, financial adequacy, status ofBrcko, signing of the Stabilization and

Association Agreement with the EUdecision by the Peace ImplementationCouncil on stable political situationidentified by the Peace Implementa-tion Council and its February 2008meeting for the closure of the Officeof the High Representative have notbeen fully implemented and the consti-tutional reform package by the interna-tional community have not been en-dorsed by Bosnia and Herzegovinastakeholders, the OIC Contact Groupunderlined that in early step from thetransition of the Office of the HighRepresentative (OHR) to the EU Spe-cial Representation (EUSR) should becarefully considered to allow for thefunctioning of the Bosnia and Herzeg-ovina central state satisfactorily.

The OIC Contact Group under-lined the importance of the rule of lawas part of any settlement impacting onthe future of the country and invites alllocal and international actors to focuson the need to fully implement the ex-isting legal obligations when present-ing solutions for the future.

The meeting called upon OICMember States and OIC Financial in-stitutions to contribute generously tothe OIC Trust Fund for the Return ofthe Displaced Persons in Bosnia andHerzegovina to enable the Fund tocontinue its reconstruction and devel-opment activities in Bosnia and Her-zegovina.

The OIC Contact Group Meetingon Iraq was held on 23 September2010, and reviewed the latest develop-ments in Iraq. The meeting waschaired by the OIC Secretary Generaland attended by delegations fromAzerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan andSenegal.

The meeting stressed the need topromote national dialogue, reconcilia-tion and broad-based political partici-pation to ensure the country's unity,security and stability and peace. TheMeeting commended the elections thattook place on 7 March 2010 and onwhich the Iraqi people expressed de-termination to opt for democracy inrunning the country and stressed theimportance of forming a strong Iraqigovernment, involving all sections ofthe Iraqi people specially that Iraq isfacing major challenges to ensure se-curity and reconstruction.

The Meeting requested the GeneralSecretariat to endeavor to support Iraq

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Iraqin the phase of reconstruction and de-velopment. The Meeting stressed theneed to continue to hold regular meet-ings between the Iraqi State and theGeneral Secretariat of the OIC and itsvarious organs, in order to implementthe joint communiqué signed in Febru-ary 2009.

The Meeting recalled the adoptionby the OIC in a successful precedentof the Makkah Al-Mukaramah Docu-ment on the situation in Iraq on Octo-ber 20, 2006.It underlined the need forthe General Secretariat to follow upthe implementation of this importantdocument within the framework of theOrganization's contribution to nationalreconciliation through the promotionof unity and coherence between Sun-nis and Shiites to work to build astable Iraq, secure, democratic, pros-perous and unified Iraq.

The meeting condemned acts of vi-olence that took place recently in Iraq.

It also expressed support for the effortsmade by the Iraqi government to putan end to the wave of violence and de-feat terrorism. The Meeting welcomedthe outcome of all expanded confer-ences of the neighboring countries ofIraq and urged neighboring countriesof Iraq to continue their cooperationwith the Iraqi government.

The Meeting expressed its appreci-ation to OIC Member States, whichmaintained its diplomatic presence inIraq, hailed the declaration of manyMuslim countries to appoint ambassa-dors to Iraq, and called on all othermembers of the organization to openor reopen their embassies in Iraq. TheMeeting also called upon all MemberStates to write off their debts to Iraq,as part of their contribution to the re-construction of Iraq. In this respect,the Meeting commended the MemberStates which have written off theirdebts to Iraq.

On the sidelines of the 65th Ses-sion of United Nations General As-sembly the OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu attended on 23September a high level meeting on So-malia in the presence of the SomaliPresident, Sheikh Sharif Ahmad, andthe Secretary General of the UnitedNations, Ban Ki-moon.

Ihsanoglu stated that consistentwith the OIC's commitment to contrib-ute to any international endeavoraimed at advancing the peace buildingprocess in the war-torn country, theOIC participated in the InternationalConference on Somalia jointly orga-nized by Turkey and the UN on 21-23May 2010 in Istanbul. The conference,held within the framework of the Dji-bouti Peace Agreement, sent out anunequivocal message of internationalsolidarity and commitment to strength-en the Transitional Federal Govern-

OIC Secretary General attends HighLevel Meeting on Somalia at the UN

ment (TFG). The Secretary General said that de-

spite the Istanbul Conference, the situ-ation on the ground in Somalia has re-mained a source of concern asinsurgents continued to launch bold at-tacks on government targets and AMI-SOM as well as on innocent civilians.He commended the TFG for its lauda-ble efforts to achieve reconciliation,but warned the militants that therecannot be any military solution to thisconflict, as the Djibouti Peace Agree-ment remains the only internationallyrecognized valuable option to achievecomprehensive national reconciliation.

The Secretary General expresseddisappointment that the TRG still notreceiving the financial support thatwas pledged by the international com-mittee, which has contributed to theweakening the loyalty of the people to

the TFG and exposing its vulnerabili-ty. He added that this also is contribut-ing to undermine the cohesion and uni-ty within the TFG as demonstrated bythe recent resignations of some minis-ters and high-level officials. As for theOIC, he said that the OIC on its parthas signed an agreement with theWorld Food Program (WFP) to deliverfood worth $36 million dollars throughthe Afgoye Corridor.

The Secretary General called onthe partners of Somalia, especially theUN, to effectively implement its strate-gy by intensifying their assistance tothe TFG as well as consolidating theirpresence on the ground by relocatingtheir offices from Nairobi to Somalia.He said that the OIC has opened itsHumanitarian Coordination Office inMogadishu to help advance the peaceprocess.



21

The Ministers of Foreign Affairsof the Member States of the Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC)condemned the mounting trend of Is-lamophobia, systematic defamation ofIslam and discrimination against Mus-lims, including measures like the banon constructions of minarets, and oth-er discriminatory measures that incitereligious hatred.

This came in the Final Communi-qué of the OIC Foreign Ministers An-nual Coordination Meeting at theUnited Nations Headquarters in NewYork on 24 September 2010.

The Meeting, which was held un-der the chairmanship of Tajikistan andwith participation of a representativeof the United Nations Secretary Gen-eral, requested the OIC Secretary Gen-eral to continue OIC initiatives to ef-fectively counter the issue ofIslamophobia through discussions anddeliberations in various internationalfora as this issue has dangerous impli-cations on world peace and security.In this context the Ministers expressedtheir recognition of the strong effort ofreligious organizations in standingstrongly against the heinous act ofburning the Holy Koran.

Palestine:The Meeting also called for the ur-

gent intensification of efforts by theinternational community, includingthe Quartet and particularly by the Se-curity Council, to support and promotethe resumption and early conclusion

OIC Foreign Ministers discuss measuresagainst Islamophobia, and issues of Member States

of peace process negotiations aimed atending the occupation of the Palestin-ian Territory, including East Jerusa-lem, and other Arab territories occu-pied by Israel since 1967, and theachievement of a just, lasting andpeaceful settlement of the question ofPalestine and the Arab-Israeli conflictas a whole.

The OIC Foreign Ministers alsostrongly condemned the heinous Israe-li military aggression on 31 May 2010in international waters against theGaza-bound convoy of humanitarianassistance 'Freedom Flotilla', which re-sulted in the death of 9 innocent civil-ians and injury to many others, andemphasized the need to carry out aprompt, credible, independent, impar-tial and transparent international inves-tigation of the Israeli attack in accor-dance with international standards. Tothis end, they welcomed the UN Secre-tary General's establishment of a 'Pan-el of Inquiry' as well as the HumanRights Council's Fact-Finding Missiontowards establishing the facts of thisdeplorable incident and ensuring ac-countability.

Iraq:On the issue of Iraq, the Foreign

Ministers welcomed the parliamentaryelections that took place in Iraq on 7March 2010 and stressed the urgentneed for the formation of an inclusivegovernment, which will be based on abroad consensus, representing the bal-ance reflected in the elections.

Afghanistan:With regard to Afghanistan, For-

eign Ministers emphasized the impor-tance of effectively involving the OICin the efforts deployed to promotepeace and development, ensure securi-ty and stability in Afghanistan andwelcomed the decision to appoint aspecial OIC Permanent Representativefor Afghanistan. They also welcomedthe Parliamentary elections held in Af-ghanistan on 18 September 2010 andexpressed the hope that it would con-tribute to strengthen stability in thecountry.

Somalia:Furthermore, the Ministers deliber-

ated on the issue of violence in Somal-ia and condemned the continued actsof terrorism and piracy off the coast ofSomalia. They reaffirmed their fullsupport for the Transitional FederalGovernment (TFG) as the only inter-nationally recognized government inSomalia and welcomed the decision toopen an OIC Coordination Office inMogadishu.

Pakistan floods:The Final Communiqué also

stressed the deep sympathy of the For-eign Ministers with Pakistan over thedevastating floods affecting the coun-try and appealed to the OIC MemberStates to generously and urgently con-tribute towards the alleviation of theplight of the flood victims in the coun-try.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the IslamicConference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu attended, on the sidelinesof the United Nations meetings, the Palestine Contact GroupMeeting in New York. The Secretary General expresseddeep concern given the tension characterizing the MiddleEast region and the absence of any prospects for peace andstability, with the threats to resort to use of force and thewidening of the circle of injustice and oppression resultingfrom the continuation of occupation and its practices.

He also expressed deep concern with regard to the situa-tion in the city of Al-Quds as he described it “a source ofgrief that requires our collective action to put an end to thesuffering of this steadfast and resolute city which undergoesseveral forms of Judaization and obliteration intended to es-tablish control over the holy city, alter its demography andfalsify its Arab Islamic identity”.

Ihsanoglu stated that the mounting daily aggressions en-dured by the city of Al-Quds require the Islamic World totake a firm position to support its sacred places and shore upits steadfast inhabitants. He called on the Islamic World to

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Palestineprovide support to Al-Quds' institutions to enable them tocontinue their role in defending its identity against all theblurring attempts it faces.

With regard to Gaza Strip the Secretary General saidthat the siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip is one ofthe major preoccupations of the OIC. He described the siegeas a war crime and a serious violation of international law aswell as a collective punishment that causes suffering to over1.5 million Palestinians. He stressed that it is time to end theagony of more than a million and a half Palestinians throughlifting the siege and enabling them to live free, in dignityand peace.

The Secretary General called on the international com-munity and its influential actors to compel Israel to complywith the international will, which is the necessity to reach apolitical solution to end the occupation that began in 1967,enabling the establishment of a Palestinian State with EastAl-Quds as its capital, consistent with international legitima-cy resolutions, the Roadmap and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The OIC participated in the Session of the InternationalConduct Group on Guinea, which was held on the sidelines ofthe 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly inNew York City. The meeting reviewed the overall situation inGuinea especially as it relates to the conduct of the secondround of the presidential election in that country. The meetingrecommended to the international community to continue tosupport the transitional process in Guinea.

Meeting of the InternationalContact Group on Guinea

On the sidelines of the 65th Ses-sion of the United Nations GeneralAssembly in New York City, the Sec-retary General of the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu attended the highlevel meeting on Sudan, of which hecommended the UN Secretary Generalfor the timely and important initiative.

The Secretary General underlinedagain the special importance which theOIC attaches to Sudan's stability, unityand security, and its close interest inthe decisive events ahead for Sudanconcerning the peace process in Dar-fur and the prospects of the referen-dum on Southern Sudan due to be heldin January 2011.

He stated that as the Sudanese par-ties are now approaching the end ofthe implementation period of theComprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA), the OIC is glad to note thatboth signatories, the National Con-gress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peo-ple's Liberation Movement (SPLM)continue to express commitment to thefull implementation of the CPA, in-cluding the timely conduct of the refe-rendums in Southern Sudan and Ab-

yei, as well as the popular consulta-tions in the Blue Nile and SouthernKordofan states in addition to the con-tinuation of the discussions on theagreement on post-referendum ar-rangements on key issues of commonconcern. In this regard, he made an ap-peal to all Sudanese to earnestly rallytheir efforts to preserve the unity oftheir country.

Ihsanoglu reiterated that the OIChas stood firm in its commitment tothe unity of the Sudan, and under-scored the need to fully implement theComprehensive Peace Agreement forSouthern Sudan, while making the op-tion of unity attractive in the referen-dum on self-determination in SouthernSudan, taking into account the fact thatStates' strength, security and stabilitylies in maintaining their unity withindiversity and plurality.

He declared that the OIC will soonstart implementing what has beenagreed upon during a high-level dele-gation visit to Southern Sudan regard-ing its development.

On the issue of Darfur, the Secre-tary General stressed the need to reacha peaceful, lasting and comprehensive

Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha (L) addresses a high level meeting on Sudan as United Nations Secretary General BanKi-moon (R) looks on, during the general debate of the 65th session General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, 24 September.(epa)

solution to the Darfur conflict in theframework of the Doha Process.

The Secretary General reiteratedthat the OIC is fully committed to pur-sue its program in humanitarian, re-covery and rehabilitation as well as re-construction areas in Darfur. He paidtribute to the genuine efforts of theJoint African Union-United Nationspeacekeeping mission in Darfur (UN-AMID).

Ihsanoglu also emphasized that theInternational Criminal Court's (ICC)moves against the President of the Su-dan could jeopardize peace effortsaimed at fostering the political democ-ratization of the country and the reso-lution of the conflict in Darfur throughthe Doha peace talks as well as the ref-erendum on self-determination forSouthern Sudan scheduled in 2011.

In conclusion, the Secretary Gener-al appealed to the UN Security Coun-cil to work out a solution, as the situa-tion in Darfur and South Sudan couldexperience an aggravation and unpre-dictable developments that might im-pact not just the stability of Sudan butof the wider region as well.

A woman from Guinea casts her ballot in the presidentialelections in Conakry, Guinea 7 November 2010.(epa)

OIC Secretary General attendsHigh Level Meeting on Sudan



21

The Ministers of Foreign Affairsof the Member States of the Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC)condemned the mounting trend of Is-lamophobia, systematic defamation ofIslam and discrimination against Mus-lims, including measures like the banon constructions of minarets, and oth-er discriminatory measures that incitereligious hatred.

This came in the Final Communi-qué of the OIC Foreign Ministers An-nual Coordination Meeting at theUnited Nations Headquarters in NewYork on 24 September 2010.

The Meeting, which was held un-der the chairmanship of Tajikistan andwith participation of a representativeof the United Nations Secretary Gen-eral, requested the OIC Secretary Gen-eral to continue OIC initiatives to ef-fectively counter the issue ofIslamophobia through discussions anddeliberations in various internationalfora as this issue has dangerous impli-cations on world peace and security.In this context the Ministers expressedtheir recognition of the strong effort ofreligious organizations in standingstrongly against the heinous act ofburning the Holy Koran.

Palestine:The Meeting also called for the ur-

gent intensification of efforts by theinternational community, includingthe Quartet and particularly by the Se-curity Council, to support and promotethe resumption and early conclusion

OIC Foreign Ministers discuss measuresagainst Islamophobia, and issues of Member States

of peace process negotiations aimed atending the occupation of the Palestin-ian Territory, including East Jerusa-lem, and other Arab territories occu-pied by Israel since 1967, and theachievement of a just, lasting andpeaceful settlement of the question ofPalestine and the Arab-Israeli conflictas a whole.

The OIC Foreign Ministers alsostrongly condemned the heinous Israe-li military aggression on 31 May 2010in international waters against theGaza-bound convoy of humanitarianassistance 'Freedom Flotilla', which re-sulted in the death of 9 innocent civil-ians and injury to many others, andemphasized the need to carry out aprompt, credible, independent, impar-tial and transparent international inves-tigation of the Israeli attack in accor-dance with international standards. Tothis end, they welcomed the UN Secre-tary General's establishment of a 'Pan-el of Inquiry' as well as the HumanRights Council's Fact-Finding Missiontowards establishing the facts of thisdeplorable incident and ensuring ac-countability.

Iraq:On the issue of Iraq, the Foreign

Ministers welcomed the parliamentaryelections that took place in Iraq on 7March 2010 and stressed the urgentneed for the formation of an inclusivegovernment, which will be based on abroad consensus, representing the bal-ance reflected in the elections.

Afghanistan:With regard to Afghanistan, For-

eign Ministers emphasized the impor-tance of effectively involving the OICin the efforts deployed to promotepeace and development, ensure securi-ty and stability in Afghanistan andwelcomed the decision to appoint aspecial OIC Permanent Representativefor Afghanistan. They also welcomedthe Parliamentary elections held in Af-ghanistan on 18 September 2010 andexpressed the hope that it would con-tribute to strengthen stability in thecountry.

Somalia:Furthermore, the Ministers deliber-

ated on the issue of violence in Somal-ia and condemned the continued actsof terrorism and piracy off the coast ofSomalia. They reaffirmed their fullsupport for the Transitional FederalGovernment (TFG) as the only inter-nationally recognized government inSomalia and welcomed the decision toopen an OIC Coordination Office inMogadishu.

Pakistan floods:The Final Communiqué also

stressed the deep sympathy of the For-eign Ministers with Pakistan over thedevastating floods affecting the coun-try and appealed to the OIC MemberStates to generously and urgently con-tribute towards the alleviation of theplight of the flood victims in the coun-try.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the IslamicConference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu attended, on the sidelinesof the United Nations meetings, the Palestine Contact GroupMeeting in New York. The Secretary General expresseddeep concern given the tension characterizing the MiddleEast region and the absence of any prospects for peace andstability, with the threats to resort to use of force and thewidening of the circle of injustice and oppression resultingfrom the continuation of occupation and its practices.

He also expressed deep concern with regard to the situa-tion in the city of Al-Quds as he described it “a source ofgrief that requires our collective action to put an end to thesuffering of this steadfast and resolute city which undergoesseveral forms of Judaization and obliteration intended to es-tablish control over the holy city, alter its demography andfalsify its Arab Islamic identity”.

Ihsanoglu stated that the mounting daily aggressions en-dured by the city of Al-Quds require the Islamic World totake a firm position to support its sacred places and shore upits steadfast inhabitants. He called on the Islamic World to

Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Palestineprovide support to Al-Quds' institutions to enable them tocontinue their role in defending its identity against all theblurring attempts it faces.

With regard to Gaza Strip the Secretary General saidthat the siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip is one ofthe major preoccupations of the OIC. He described the siegeas a war crime and a serious violation of international law aswell as a collective punishment that causes suffering to over1.5 million Palestinians. He stressed that it is time to end theagony of more than a million and a half Palestinians throughlifting the siege and enabling them to live free, in dignityand peace.

The Secretary General called on the international com-munity and its influential actors to compel Israel to complywith the international will, which is the necessity to reach apolitical solution to end the occupation that began in 1967,enabling the establishment of a Palestinian State with EastAl-Quds as its capital, consistent with international legitima-cy resolutions, the Roadmap and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The OIC participated in the Session of the InternationalConduct Group on Guinea, which was held on the sidelines ofthe 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly inNew York City. The meeting reviewed the overall situation inGuinea especially as it relates to the conduct of the secondround of the presidential election in that country. The meetingrecommended to the international community to continue tosupport the transitional process in Guinea.

Meeting of the InternationalContact Group on Guinea

On the sidelines of the 65th Ses-sion of the United Nations GeneralAssembly in New York City, the Sec-retary General of the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekme-leddin Ihsanoglu attended the highlevel meeting on Sudan, of which hecommended the UN Secretary Generalfor the timely and important initiative.

The Secretary General underlinedagain the special importance which theOIC attaches to Sudan's stability, unityand security, and its close interest inthe decisive events ahead for Sudanconcerning the peace process in Dar-fur and the prospects of the referen-dum on Southern Sudan due to be heldin January 2011.

He stated that as the Sudanese par-ties are now approaching the end ofthe implementation period of theComprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA), the OIC is glad to note thatboth signatories, the National Con-gress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peo-ple's Liberation Movement (SPLM)continue to express commitment to thefull implementation of the CPA, in-cluding the timely conduct of the refe-rendums in Southern Sudan and Ab-

yei, as well as the popular consulta-tions in the Blue Nile and SouthernKordofan states in addition to the con-tinuation of the discussions on theagreement on post-referendum ar-rangements on key issues of commonconcern. In this regard, he made an ap-peal to all Sudanese to earnestly rallytheir efforts to preserve the unity oftheir country.

Ihsanoglu reiterated that the OIChas stood firm in its commitment tothe unity of the Sudan, and under-scored the need to fully implement theComprehensive Peace Agreement forSouthern Sudan, while making the op-tion of unity attractive in the referen-dum on self-determination in SouthernSudan, taking into account the fact thatStates' strength, security and stabilitylies in maintaining their unity withindiversity and plurality.

He declared that the OIC will soonstart implementing what has beenagreed upon during a high-level dele-gation visit to Southern Sudan regard-ing its development.

On the issue of Darfur, the Secre-tary General stressed the need to reacha peaceful, lasting and comprehensive

Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha (L) addresses a high level meeting on Sudan as United Nations Secretary General BanKi-moon (R) looks on, during the general debate of the 65th session General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, 24 September.(epa)

solution to the Darfur conflict in theframework of the Doha Process.

The Secretary General reiteratedthat the OIC is fully committed to pur-sue its program in humanitarian, re-covery and rehabilitation as well as re-construction areas in Darfur. He paidtribute to the genuine efforts of theJoint African Union-United Nationspeacekeeping mission in Darfur (UN-AMID).

Ihsanoglu also emphasized that theInternational Criminal Court's (ICC)moves against the President of the Su-dan could jeopardize peace effortsaimed at fostering the political democ-ratization of the country and the reso-lution of the conflict in Darfur throughthe Doha peace talks as well as the ref-erendum on self-determination forSouthern Sudan scheduled in 2011.

In conclusion, the Secretary Gener-al appealed to the UN Security Coun-cil to work out a solution, as the situa-tion in Darfur and South Sudan couldexperience an aggravation and unpre-dictable developments that might im-pact not just the stability of Sudan butof the wider region as well.

A woman from Guinea casts her ballot in the presidentialelections in Conakry, Guinea 7 November 2010.(epa)

OIC Secretary General attendsHigh Level Meeting on Sudan


Chicago,USA - Ek-meleddin Ih-sanoglu, theSecretaryGeneral ofthe Organi-zation of theIslamic Con-ference(OIC), inau-gurated on28 Septem-ber 2010 in

Chicago City, the USA, the reopening of the American Is-lamic College (AIC) after it has been renovated. The AIC isthe first college in the United States to provide educationalprograms within an Islamic framework and philosophicalorientation.

As the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ihsanoglucommended the hard work and valuable contribution of Dr.Ali Yurtsever and his team for the excellent work and dedi-cation to bring a new life to the only Muslim college in the

OIC Secretary General inaugurates the reopening of theAmerican Islamic College (AIC) in Chicago

22

WORLD AFFAIRS

OIC Secretary General calls forjoint action against Islamophobia

The Secretary General met in Chi-cago City with Muslim Americanleaders on the sidelines of the 'Islamand Muslims in America' Conference.The Secretary General described theConference as an important first-timemeeting that brought Muslim Ameri-can leaders together in order to dis-cuss ways and means to improve theconditions of Muslims in the UnitedStates, and to invest heavily in theMuslim American youths who will beleading and representing the Muslimcommunities in America in the fu-ture. He called on all Muslims in theUnited States to get involved in all as-pects of American life, including theeconomic and political processes atthe local and national levels.

Ihsanoglu told the Muslim Ameri-can leaders that they should be inde-pendent and not count on the OIC onissues of domestic nature. He stressedthe fact the OIC is an international in-tergovernmental organization, whichcan merely play a role of facilitator,but will not be involved in domesticaffairs. He also stressed that Muslimsin the United States need to workhard on education, be moderate, andto assimilate with all Americans of allfaiths. In this context, the SecretaryGeneral told the Muslim Americanleaders that Muslims in the UnitedStates should be contributing posi-tively to all aspects of life in Ameri-

Ihsanoglu speaks to Muslim American leaders in Chicago:Education, moderation, and full

involvement at local and national levelsca, and to respect the rulesand regulations of thisgreat nation in accordancewith the American constitu-tion.

Rashad Hussein in hisremarks, which, he said,would be a sort of assess-ment of the progress in theUS-Muslim world relationsafter the Cairo speech ofthe President, and under-lined that the most impor-tant issue for the Muslimswas the jobs, like it is formany other non-Muslim com-munities, and to the contrary to the as-sumption that it would be mainly Is-lamic issues.

He stressed that the Obama admin-istration had three priorities while re-vitalizing the US-Muslim world rela-tions, which were respectively (I)establishing a framework to engagewith Muslims around the world, (II)establishing partnerships, and (III) en-gaging the political conflicts such asthe Israeli-Palestinian issue, Afghani-stan and Iraq.

First, he explained, the administra-tion did not want the security con-cerns to dominate the US-Muslimworld relations. It wanted to preventthe sense of “otherization” from pre-vailing among the Muslims. Similarly,the administration wanted to build

23

United States. On his part, Dr. Yurtsever praised the importantrole and leadership of the OIC Secretary General and his tre-mendous efforts to help revive the college.

The American Islamic College was established in 1981 asa private, not-for-profit, four-year College offering programsleading to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Arabic and IslamicStudies. In March 1983, the college purchased its presentlandmark building on 'Lake Shore Drive', and in September1983 began its first academic semester. Today, the college of-fers courses on Calligraphy, Contemporary Islamic Move-ments, Islamic Arts, and History of Muslim-Christian Rela-tions.

The College was the only Islamic institution of higher ed-ucation with degree granting authority in North America thatprovided a living context of Islamic faith, practice and ethics.In 1991 the College was granted the authority to offer the As-sociate of Arts degree in addition to the Bachelor of Arts de-gree. After some period of silence, now, under its new admin-istration, the American Islamic College opens its doors toeducate the Chicago community in particular and the Ameri-can Community in general with a variety of degrees, programsand events.

ance, stability and prosperity are nur-tured only when nations and culturescommunicate and respect each other.The Secretary General called for jointactions against Islamophobia and forcooperation to counter anti-Semitism,Christianophobia and misperceptionsabout western culture.

In conclusion, the Secretary Gener-al stressed that American Muslimshave a role and duty to lead the waythrough sound moral conduct and ac-tive participation in positive politicalmovements towards the creation of ajust, peaceful and righteous society.He added that several indications re-veal positive signs of developmentsand engender hope for a better andmore promising future for the Ameri-can Muslim community, and that thiscommunity has been blessed withcountless individuals who have beenable to rise to respectable positions inthe society and have in the processsucceeded in pulling others along withthem.

The two-day conference served asa platform to discuss issues pertainingto Islam and Muslims in the UnitedStates from a variety of viewpoints.Topics of discussions included the roleof OIC and the scope for its relationswith American Muslims, Americanforeign policy and the Muslim World;Islam in the American context and dis-cussions surrounding the future of the

Muslim community in the UnitedStates. At the official level, the Con-ference was attended by AmbassadorRashad Hussain, the Special Envoy ofthe White House to the OIC, and Am-bassador Sada Cumber, the First USSpecial Envoy to the OIC and a promi-nent businessman in the United States.

Chicago, USA - OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in hisaddress to the conference on Islam andMuslims in America, on 29 September2010 in Chicago, USA, which was thefirst event of its kind organized by theOIC in cooperation with the AmericanIslamic College in Chicago, said thatthe primary objective of the confer-ence was to reach out to the US publicwith a clear and straightforward mes-sage about the role of the OIC as wellas the scope of its relations with theUSA.

Ihsanoglu stressed that the confer-ence was guided by the principle ofdue respect to the sovereignty of thehost country and in total compliancewith its relevant laws and regulations.He also stated that the OIC considersthe individuals of the American Mus-lim community being the US citizensas first and foremost, and that theMuslim community is an integral partof the people of the USA and theyhave contributed to the development

and achievements of the USA in everyfield and walk of life.

Speaking on the presence of Mus-lims in the United States, Prof. Ihsano-glu stated that it goes a long way backin history to 1797 when PresidentJohn Adam signed a treaty declaring“the United States had no character ofenmity against the law, religion ortranquility with Muslims.” He addedthat in the year 1790 South Carolinalegislative body granted special legalstatus to a community of Muslim Mo-roccans, twelve years after the Sultanof Morocco became the first foreignHead of State recognizing the inde-pendence of the United States ofAmerica.

The Secretary General stated thataccording to President Obama's CairoSpeech, the Muslim population in

Tolerance, stability and pros-perity are nurtured only whennations and cultures commu-nicate and respect each other.

The OIC considers the indi-viduals of the American Mus-lim community being the UScitizens as first and foremost,and that the Muslim commu-nity is an integral part of the

people of the USA.

American Muslims have arole and duty to lead the waythrough sound moral conduct

and active participation inpositive political movements

towards the creation of a just,peaceful and

righteous society

America is 7 million Muslims. Ac-cording to the New York Times, in ayear “nearly 960,000 Muslim immi-grants became legal permanent USresidents. This number exceeds anyother number recorded in the previoustwo decades”.

The Times added: “it is said thatthis took place after a decision takenby the White House Executive Officeto nominate a US Special Envoy to theOrganization of the Islamic Confer-ence, with a view to promoting rela-tions between the Muslim world andthe US government,” he quoted.

On the issue of Islamophobia, theSecretary General said that it has be-come among the major preoccupationsand concerns facing Muslims nowa-days. He said that the mounting surgeof Islamophobia has shown how vul-nerable basic misunderstanding anddeep rooted bigotry of minority margi-nal groups can resurface to pit one partof humanity against the other, thusamplifying cultural fault-lines on aglobal scale. He added that it showsthe dire need for forging a new rela-tionship and understanding through re-spect for cultural diversity to combatconfrontation mainly drawn on cultu-ral considerations.

Prof. Ihsanoglu said that in callingfor the meeting the OIC sought to ini-tiate a new relationship and intercon-nection with Muslim organizations es-tablished in the United States in orderto facilitate their full integration intothe US society and act as a culturalbridge between the US and the Mus-lim World.

He assured that all OIC initiativesare taken in full coordination and con-sultation with the US authorities. Hestated that the OIC was convinced anddetermined to work hard and wouldcontinue to maintain its strong beliefthat diverse cultures should comple-ment and enhance one another. Toler-

partnership with the Muslim counter-parts in the field of entrepreneurship,education, health, and science andtechnology. In this context, he cited theUS-OIC cooperation in the field of po-lio eradication. Finally, he stressed thatthe administration was sincere in termsof making progress in resolution ofsome of the ongoing political conflicts.

The participants' discussion at themeeting centered on supporting a com-mon agenda for Muslims in the US, en-gaging with the larger community andthe media, Islamic education, econom-ic development and learning from theexperiences of other previously, orstill, discriminated against minoritygroups in gaining rights and fightingdiscrimination.

Ihssanoglu speaking at the meeting with Hussein to hisright and Yurtsever to his left


Chicago,USA - Ek-meleddin Ih-sanoglu, theSecretaryGeneral ofthe Organi-zation of theIslamic Con-ference(OIC), inau-gurated on28 Septem-ber 2010 in

Chicago City, the USA, the reopening of the American Is-lamic College (AIC) after it has been renovated. The AIC isthe first college in the United States to provide educationalprograms within an Islamic framework and philosophicalorientation.

As the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ihsanoglucommended the hard work and valuable contribution of Dr.Ali Yurtsever and his team for the excellent work and dedi-cation to bring a new life to the only Muslim college in the

OIC Secretary General inaugurates the reopening of theAmerican Islamic College (AIC) in Chicago

22

WORLD AFFAIRS

OIC Secretary General calls forjoint action against Islamophobia

The Secretary General met in Chi-cago City with Muslim Americanleaders on the sidelines of the 'Islamand Muslims in America' Conference.The Secretary General described theConference as an important first-timemeeting that brought Muslim Ameri-can leaders together in order to dis-cuss ways and means to improve theconditions of Muslims in the UnitedStates, and to invest heavily in theMuslim American youths who will beleading and representing the Muslimcommunities in America in the fu-ture. He called on all Muslims in theUnited States to get involved in all as-pects of American life, including theeconomic and political processes atthe local and national levels.

Ihsanoglu told the Muslim Ameri-can leaders that they should be inde-pendent and not count on the OIC onissues of domestic nature. He stressedthe fact the OIC is an international in-tergovernmental organization, whichcan merely play a role of facilitator,but will not be involved in domesticaffairs. He also stressed that Muslimsin the United States need to workhard on education, be moderate, andto assimilate with all Americans of allfaiths. In this context, the SecretaryGeneral told the Muslim Americanleaders that Muslims in the UnitedStates should be contributing posi-tively to all aspects of life in Ameri-

Ihsanoglu speaks to Muslim American leaders in Chicago:Education, moderation, and full

involvement at local and national levelsca, and to respect the rulesand regulations of thisgreat nation in accordancewith the American constitu-tion.

Rashad Hussein in hisremarks, which, he said,would be a sort of assess-ment of the progress in theUS-Muslim world relationsafter the Cairo speech ofthe President, and under-lined that the most impor-tant issue for the Muslimswas the jobs, like it is formany other non-Muslim com-munities, and to the contrary to the as-sumption that it would be mainly Is-lamic issues.

He stressed that the Obama admin-istration had three priorities while re-vitalizing the US-Muslim world rela-tions, which were respectively (I)establishing a framework to engagewith Muslims around the world, (II)establishing partnerships, and (III) en-gaging the political conflicts such asthe Israeli-Palestinian issue, Afghani-stan and Iraq.

First, he explained, the administra-tion did not want the security con-cerns to dominate the US-Muslimworld relations. It wanted to preventthe sense of “otherization” from pre-vailing among the Muslims. Similarly,the administration wanted to build

23

United States. On his part, Dr. Yurtsever praised the importantrole and leadership of the OIC Secretary General and his tre-mendous efforts to help revive the college.

The American Islamic College was established in 1981 asa private, not-for-profit, four-year College offering programsleading to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Arabic and IslamicStudies. In March 1983, the college purchased its presentlandmark building on 'Lake Shore Drive', and in September1983 began its first academic semester. Today, the college of-fers courses on Calligraphy, Contemporary Islamic Move-ments, Islamic Arts, and History of Muslim-Christian Rela-tions.

The College was the only Islamic institution of higher ed-ucation with degree granting authority in North America thatprovided a living context of Islamic faith, practice and ethics.In 1991 the College was granted the authority to offer the As-sociate of Arts degree in addition to the Bachelor of Arts de-gree. After some period of silence, now, under its new admin-istration, the American Islamic College opens its doors toeducate the Chicago community in particular and the Ameri-can Community in general with a variety of degrees, programsand events.

ance, stability and prosperity are nur-tured only when nations and culturescommunicate and respect each other.The Secretary General called for jointactions against Islamophobia and forcooperation to counter anti-Semitism,Christianophobia and misperceptionsabout western culture.

In conclusion, the Secretary Gener-al stressed that American Muslimshave a role and duty to lead the waythrough sound moral conduct and ac-tive participation in positive politicalmovements towards the creation of ajust, peaceful and righteous society.He added that several indications re-veal positive signs of developmentsand engender hope for a better andmore promising future for the Ameri-can Muslim community, and that thiscommunity has been blessed withcountless individuals who have beenable to rise to respectable positions inthe society and have in the processsucceeded in pulling others along withthem.

The two-day conference served asa platform to discuss issues pertainingto Islam and Muslims in the UnitedStates from a variety of viewpoints.Topics of discussions included the roleof OIC and the scope for its relationswith American Muslims, Americanforeign policy and the Muslim World;Islam in the American context and dis-cussions surrounding the future of the

Muslim community in the UnitedStates. At the official level, the Con-ference was attended by AmbassadorRashad Hussain, the Special Envoy ofthe White House to the OIC, and Am-bassador Sada Cumber, the First USSpecial Envoy to the OIC and a promi-nent businessman in the United States.

Chicago, USA - OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in hisaddress to the conference on Islam andMuslims in America, on 29 September2010 in Chicago, USA, which was thefirst event of its kind organized by theOIC in cooperation with the AmericanIslamic College in Chicago, said thatthe primary objective of the confer-ence was to reach out to the US publicwith a clear and straightforward mes-sage about the role of the OIC as wellas the scope of its relations with theUSA.

Ihsanoglu stressed that the confer-ence was guided by the principle ofdue respect to the sovereignty of thehost country and in total compliancewith its relevant laws and regulations.He also stated that the OIC considersthe individuals of the American Mus-lim community being the US citizensas first and foremost, and that theMuslim community is an integral partof the people of the USA and theyhave contributed to the development

and achievements of the USA in everyfield and walk of life.

Speaking on the presence of Mus-lims in the United States, Prof. Ihsano-glu stated that it goes a long way backin history to 1797 when PresidentJohn Adam signed a treaty declaring“the United States had no character ofenmity against the law, religion ortranquility with Muslims.” He addedthat in the year 1790 South Carolinalegislative body granted special legalstatus to a community of Muslim Mo-roccans, twelve years after the Sultanof Morocco became the first foreignHead of State recognizing the inde-pendence of the United States ofAmerica.

The Secretary General stated thataccording to President Obama's CairoSpeech, the Muslim population in

Tolerance, stability and pros-perity are nurtured only whennations and cultures commu-nicate and respect each other.

The OIC considers the indi-viduals of the American Mus-lim community being the UScitizens as first and foremost,and that the Muslim commu-nity is an integral part of the

people of the USA.

American Muslims have arole and duty to lead the waythrough sound moral conduct

and active participation inpositive political movements

towards the creation of a just,peaceful and

righteous society

America is 7 million Muslims. Ac-cording to the New York Times, in ayear “nearly 960,000 Muslim immi-grants became legal permanent USresidents. This number exceeds anyother number recorded in the previoustwo decades”.

The Times added: “it is said thatthis took place after a decision takenby the White House Executive Officeto nominate a US Special Envoy to theOrganization of the Islamic Confer-ence, with a view to promoting rela-tions between the Muslim world andthe US government,” he quoted.

On the issue of Islamophobia, theSecretary General said that it has be-come among the major preoccupationsand concerns facing Muslims nowa-days. He said that the mounting surgeof Islamophobia has shown how vul-nerable basic misunderstanding anddeep rooted bigotry of minority margi-nal groups can resurface to pit one partof humanity against the other, thusamplifying cultural fault-lines on aglobal scale. He added that it showsthe dire need for forging a new rela-tionship and understanding through re-spect for cultural diversity to combatconfrontation mainly drawn on cultu-ral considerations.

Prof. Ihsanoglu said that in callingfor the meeting the OIC sought to ini-tiate a new relationship and intercon-nection with Muslim organizations es-tablished in the United States in orderto facilitate their full integration intothe US society and act as a culturalbridge between the US and the Mus-lim World.

He assured that all OIC initiativesare taken in full coordination and con-sultation with the US authorities. Hestated that the OIC was convinced anddetermined to work hard and wouldcontinue to maintain its strong beliefthat diverse cultures should comple-ment and enhance one another. Toler-

partnership with the Muslim counter-parts in the field of entrepreneurship,education, health, and science andtechnology. In this context, he cited theUS-OIC cooperation in the field of po-lio eradication. Finally, he stressed thatthe administration was sincere in termsof making progress in resolution ofsome of the ongoing political conflicts.

The participants' discussion at themeeting centered on supporting a com-mon agenda for Muslims in the US, en-gaging with the larger community andthe media, Islamic education, econom-ic development and learning from theexperiences of other previously, orstill, discriminated against minoritygroups in gaining rights and fightingdiscrimination.

Ihssanoglu speaking at the meeting with Hussein to hisright and Yurtsever to his left


WORLD AFFAIRS

wait's contribution to achieve its unityand solidarity.

In another respect, the SecretaryGeneral stressed that the achievementof peace and stability in the MemberStates is a top priority for the Organi-zation, stating that the latter has beenseeking to focus all its efforts onachieving the success of the Sudanpeace negotiations, from the Compre-hensive Peace Agreement which putan end to the war in Southern Sudanto the OIC General Secretariat's unin-terrupted contribution to pushing for-ward peace negotiations on Darfur.

A number of development and in-vestment projects were presented tothe conference amounting to 149 de-velopment projects with a total valueof approximately $2.2 billion in theareas of peace and security keeping,poverty reduction, infrastructure, and

manpower development sectors. Another 28 investmentprojects with a total value of approximately $2 billion werepresented to the conference in the agriculture, fisheries,tourism, industry and real estate sectors.

The Conference was attended by representatives of 42countries and states, 30 international, regional and nationalorganizations, 78 non-government organizations and 84private sectors companies.

The representatives of the countries and financial inter-national, regional and national institutions pronouncedstatements expressing support to the development and pros-perity of East Sudan. The announcements included pledgesto provide an amount in excess of $3 billion.

Furthermore, the closing statement of the meeting ofthe non-government organizations stated that participantsfrom gulf organizations decided establish a charity fund forEast Sudan with a capital of $100 million. In addition, par-ticipants from non-government organizations pledged tocover the stated amount.

The participants agreed on the importance of lookinginto the establishment of means to follow-up the confer-ence decisions.

Ihsanoglu hails Kuwait's initiativefor development of East Sudan

Kuwait - His Highness Sheikh Sa-bah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah,Emir of the State of Kuwait, receivedthe Secretary General of the Organi-zation of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu duringthe Secretary General's visit to Ku-wait, to participate at the InternationalConference for Reconstruction andDevelopment of East Sudan, whichstarted on December 1, 2010 at thecapital city of Kuwait. Ihsanoglu alsomet His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah,Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait,and the Deputy Prime Minister, For-eign Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Dr.Mohamed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah.

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conferencediscussed with the political leadershipin the State of Kuwait bilateral rela-tions and issues of common concern. The meetings also ad-dressed arrangements underway to hold the 12th session ofthe Islamic Summit Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh,Egypt.

The Kuwaiti side expressed its appreciation for the ef-forts made by the OIC Secretary General to develop and re-form the Organization and to promote its role. Ihsanoglu,in turn, expressed his thanks and gratitude for the initiativeof the State of Kuwait to organize the International Confer-ence for Reconstruction and Development of East Sudan,as well as for the generous assistance provided by Kuwaitto this end.

In his statement before the opening ceremony of theConference, the OIC Secretary General hailed with appre-ciation the great initiative of the State of Kuwait, statingthat it is one of the noble initiatives which His HighnessSheikh Sabah Al Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Emir of theState of Kuwait, has been taking. Ihsanoglu said that thegovernment of Kuwait has always been there and neverhesitated in providing generous assistance whenever it wasneeded and whenever the Ummah looked forward to Ku-

OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed hissatisfaction at the agreement reached among the Iraqi politicalblocks on the distribution of sovereign posts and the formation ofa new Iraqi government.

Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed his hope that therecent positive developments at the Iraqi political scene will leadto the materialization of the Iraqi people's unity and the return ofsecurity and stability in Iraq.

The Secretary General of the OIC also stressed that the for-mation of the national unity government should contribute to aserious engagement in the building of the Iraqi State on soundand sustainable foundations in order to achieve national peaceand socio-economic development for the benefit of the entire Ira-qi people.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani formally requested Prime Min-ister Nuri Al-Maliki to form the next government on November25, part of a deal to end an eight-month deadlock over whowould lead the country - Al-Maliki or former prime minister IyadAllawi whose party won the March 7 elections - in the next fouryears. The long-awaited request from the President set in motiona 30-day deadline to accomplish the daunting task of finding ateam of that includes all of Iraq's rival factions and will overseethe country during the departure of American troops.

Iraq forms new government

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has ex-pressed concern at the recent releaseof documents by wikiLeaks indicat-ing breaches of international humanrights law in Iraq in terms of the re-ported summary executions of civil-ians, torture and ill-treatment of de-

tainees. Characterizing the reports asgrave and most disturbing, the Secre-tary General urged the need for ap-propriate measures towards investi-gating allegations made therein witha view to bringing the perpetrators tojustice in accordance with obligationsunder international human rights law.

According to 400,000 classified

US military documents obtained byWikiLeaks.org, released on October22, there were cases of US militaryofficials failing to investigate hun-dreds of reports of abuse, torture,rape and murder by Iraqi securityforces and details the deaths of15,000 civilians in previously unre-ported incidents.

OIC expresses concern over humanrights violations in Iraq reported by Wikileaks

One in five Iraqis aged 10 to 49cannot read or write, with large dis-crepancies in literacy levels betweenmen and women, a report by UnitedNations has found.

The report, released by the UN In-ter-Agency Information and AnalysisUnit in September, found that illitera-cy among women in Iraq (24 percent)is more than double that of men (11percent) while inhabitants of rural ar-eas are much more likely to be illiter-ate (25 percent) than those in urbanareas (14 percent).

These numbers are in contrast tothose in the 1980s when Iraq was rec-ognized by UN Educational, Scientif-ic and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) as achieving zero illitera-cy. It was one of the few countries inthe world to do so.

According to the UN report, theareas worst affected by illiteracy arethe Kurdish provinces of Dahuk, Irbiland Sulaimaniya in Iraq's north, andthe predominantly Shiite provinces ofWassit, Qadissiya and Muthanna inthe south. The UN financial sanctionsimposed on Iraq in 1990 have had adisastrous effect on Iraq's educationalsystem. The US invasion of Iraq in2003 and the prolonged state of warcompounded the education crisis.Significant school dropout levels andpupils' internal displacement as a re-sult of the war were the principle rea-

sons for illiteracy in Iraq. Accordingto Iraq's National Bureau of Statis-tics, 55 percent of Iraqis aged 6 to 24do not attend schools.

The UN report found that illitera-cy impacts civilian attitudes regard-ing participation in social and politi-cal life. Illiterate youth in Iraq feltthat their voices were less heard inthe country's institutions. UNESCOhopes to reduce illiteracy in Iraq by50 percent before the year 2015through several programs that aim toreintegrate school dropouts in formaleducational systems, as well as createparallel informal educational frame-works where literacy classes takeplace alongside vocational training.

One in five young Iraqis illiterate: UN

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - TheOIC participated to the 2nd Meetingof the Sudan Consultative Forum(SCF), which took place in AddisAbaba on 6 November 2010 at theinitiative of the African Union.

In his statement, the representa-tive of the OIC, ambassador HabibKaabachi, stressed the special impor-tance the organization attaches to theunity, stability and security of theSudan as well as the great interest itis giving to the decisive events aheadfor Sudan concerning the referen-dum on Southern Sudan, due to beheld in January 2011 and the peace

process in Darfur.He also highlighted the need to

immediately solve the outstanding is-sues, namely the status of Abyei, thefinalization of the demarcation of theborders between the North and theSouth and the need to reach an agree-ment on post-referendum arrange-ments on the key issues of commoninterest, in order to pave the way fora free, fair, credible and transparentreferendum in Southern Sudan.

The OIC underscored the need tofully implement the ComprehensivePeace Agreement for Southern Su-dan, while making the option of unityattractive in the referendum on self-

determination in Southern Sudan,taking into account that the strength,security and stability of any State liein its ability to maintain unity in di-versity.

On the Darfur issue, the OICstressed the importance of reaching apeaceful, lasting and comprehensivesolution to the Darfur conflict in theframework of the Doha Process andurged all the parties concerned toshow more sincere political will andreiterated a strong appeal to thearmed movements which did notjoin the Doha process to join thepeace process in order to restore dur-able peace and security in Darfur.

The OIC participates in the Second Meeting of the Sudan Consultative Forum

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (R) and Iraqi Prime Minis-ter Nuri al-Maliki (L) during the officially assign of Mali-

ki to form new government on 25 November 2010.(epa)

Sheikh Sabah Al AhmadAl Jaber Al Sabah


WORLD AFFAIRS

wait's contribution to achieve its unityand solidarity.

In another respect, the SecretaryGeneral stressed that the achievementof peace and stability in the MemberStates is a top priority for the Organi-zation, stating that the latter has beenseeking to focus all its efforts onachieving the success of the Sudanpeace negotiations, from the Compre-hensive Peace Agreement which putan end to the war in Southern Sudanto the OIC General Secretariat's unin-terrupted contribution to pushing for-ward peace negotiations on Darfur.

A number of development and in-vestment projects were presented tothe conference amounting to 149 de-velopment projects with a total valueof approximately $2.2 billion in theareas of peace and security keeping,poverty reduction, infrastructure, and

manpower development sectors. Another 28 investmentprojects with a total value of approximately $2 billion werepresented to the conference in the agriculture, fisheries,tourism, industry and real estate sectors.

The Conference was attended by representatives of 42countries and states, 30 international, regional and nationalorganizations, 78 non-government organizations and 84private sectors companies.

The representatives of the countries and financial inter-national, regional and national institutions pronouncedstatements expressing support to the development and pros-perity of East Sudan. The announcements included pledgesto provide an amount in excess of $3 billion.

Furthermore, the closing statement of the meeting ofthe non-government organizations stated that participantsfrom gulf organizations decided establish a charity fund forEast Sudan with a capital of $100 million. In addition, par-ticipants from non-government organizations pledged tocover the stated amount.

The participants agreed on the importance of lookinginto the establishment of means to follow-up the confer-ence decisions.

Ihsanoglu hails Kuwait's initiativefor development of East Sudan

Kuwait - His Highness Sheikh Sa-bah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah,Emir of the State of Kuwait, receivedthe Secretary General of the Organi-zation of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu duringthe Secretary General's visit to Ku-wait, to participate at the InternationalConference for Reconstruction andDevelopment of East Sudan, whichstarted on December 1, 2010 at thecapital city of Kuwait. Ihsanoglu alsomet His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah,Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait,and the Deputy Prime Minister, For-eign Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Dr.Mohamed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah.

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conferencediscussed with the political leadershipin the State of Kuwait bilateral rela-tions and issues of common concern. The meetings also ad-dressed arrangements underway to hold the 12th session ofthe Islamic Summit Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh,Egypt.

The Kuwaiti side expressed its appreciation for the ef-forts made by the OIC Secretary General to develop and re-form the Organization and to promote its role. Ihsanoglu,in turn, expressed his thanks and gratitude for the initiativeof the State of Kuwait to organize the International Confer-ence for Reconstruction and Development of East Sudan,as well as for the generous assistance provided by Kuwaitto this end.

In his statement before the opening ceremony of theConference, the OIC Secretary General hailed with appre-ciation the great initiative of the State of Kuwait, statingthat it is one of the noble initiatives which His HighnessSheikh Sabah Al Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Emir of theState of Kuwait, has been taking. Ihsanoglu said that thegovernment of Kuwait has always been there and neverhesitated in providing generous assistance whenever it wasneeded and whenever the Ummah looked forward to Ku-

OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed hissatisfaction at the agreement reached among the Iraqi politicalblocks on the distribution of sovereign posts and the formation ofa new Iraqi government.

Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed his hope that therecent positive developments at the Iraqi political scene will leadto the materialization of the Iraqi people's unity and the return ofsecurity and stability in Iraq.

The Secretary General of the OIC also stressed that the for-mation of the national unity government should contribute to aserious engagement in the building of the Iraqi State on soundand sustainable foundations in order to achieve national peaceand socio-economic development for the benefit of the entire Ira-qi people.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani formally requested Prime Min-ister Nuri Al-Maliki to form the next government on November25, part of a deal to end an eight-month deadlock over whowould lead the country - Al-Maliki or former prime minister IyadAllawi whose party won the March 7 elections - in the next fouryears. The long-awaited request from the President set in motiona 30-day deadline to accomplish the daunting task of finding ateam of that includes all of Iraq's rival factions and will overseethe country during the departure of American troops.

Iraq forms new government

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has ex-pressed concern at the recent releaseof documents by wikiLeaks indicat-ing breaches of international humanrights law in Iraq in terms of the re-ported summary executions of civil-ians, torture and ill-treatment of de-

tainees. Characterizing the reports asgrave and most disturbing, the Secre-tary General urged the need for ap-propriate measures towards investi-gating allegations made therein witha view to bringing the perpetrators tojustice in accordance with obligationsunder international human rights law.

According to 400,000 classified

US military documents obtained byWikiLeaks.org, released on October22, there were cases of US militaryofficials failing to investigate hun-dreds of reports of abuse, torture,rape and murder by Iraqi securityforces and details the deaths of15,000 civilians in previously unre-ported incidents.

OIC expresses concern over humanrights violations in Iraq reported by Wikileaks

One in five Iraqis aged 10 to 49cannot read or write, with large dis-crepancies in literacy levels betweenmen and women, a report by UnitedNations has found.

The report, released by the UN In-ter-Agency Information and AnalysisUnit in September, found that illitera-cy among women in Iraq (24 percent)is more than double that of men (11percent) while inhabitants of rural ar-eas are much more likely to be illiter-ate (25 percent) than those in urbanareas (14 percent).

These numbers are in contrast tothose in the 1980s when Iraq was rec-ognized by UN Educational, Scientif-ic and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) as achieving zero illitera-cy. It was one of the few countries inthe world to do so.

According to the UN report, theareas worst affected by illiteracy arethe Kurdish provinces of Dahuk, Irbiland Sulaimaniya in Iraq's north, andthe predominantly Shiite provinces ofWassit, Qadissiya and Muthanna inthe south. The UN financial sanctionsimposed on Iraq in 1990 have had adisastrous effect on Iraq's educationalsystem. The US invasion of Iraq in2003 and the prolonged state of warcompounded the education crisis.Significant school dropout levels andpupils' internal displacement as a re-sult of the war were the principle rea-

sons for illiteracy in Iraq. Accordingto Iraq's National Bureau of Statis-tics, 55 percent of Iraqis aged 6 to 24do not attend schools.

The UN report found that illitera-cy impacts civilian attitudes regard-ing participation in social and politi-cal life. Illiterate youth in Iraq feltthat their voices were less heard inthe country's institutions. UNESCOhopes to reduce illiteracy in Iraq by50 percent before the year 2015through several programs that aim toreintegrate school dropouts in formaleducational systems, as well as createparallel informal educational frame-works where literacy classes takeplace alongside vocational training.

One in five young Iraqis illiterate: UN

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - TheOIC participated to the 2nd Meetingof the Sudan Consultative Forum(SCF), which took place in AddisAbaba on 6 November 2010 at theinitiative of the African Union.

In his statement, the representa-tive of the OIC, ambassador HabibKaabachi, stressed the special impor-tance the organization attaches to theunity, stability and security of theSudan as well as the great interest itis giving to the decisive events aheadfor Sudan concerning the referen-dum on Southern Sudan, due to beheld in January 2011 and the peace

process in Darfur.He also highlighted the need to

immediately solve the outstanding is-sues, namely the status of Abyei, thefinalization of the demarcation of theborders between the North and theSouth and the need to reach an agree-ment on post-referendum arrange-ments on the key issues of commoninterest, in order to pave the way fora free, fair, credible and transparentreferendum in Southern Sudan.

The OIC underscored the need tofully implement the ComprehensivePeace Agreement for Southern Su-dan, while making the option of unityattractive in the referendum on self-

determination in Southern Sudan,taking into account that the strength,security and stability of any State liein its ability to maintain unity in di-versity.

On the Darfur issue, the OICstressed the importance of reaching apeaceful, lasting and comprehensivesolution to the Darfur conflict in theframework of the Doha Process andurged all the parties concerned toshow more sincere political will andreiterated a strong appeal to thearmed movements which did notjoin the Doha process to join thepeace process in order to restore dur-able peace and security in Darfur.

The OIC participates in the Second Meeting of the Sudan Consultative Forum

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (R) and Iraqi Prime Minis-ter Nuri al-Maliki (L) during the officially assign of Mali-

ki to form new government on 25 November 2010.(epa)

Sheikh Sabah Al AhmadAl Jaber Al Sabah


duplicate situation in Côte d'Ivoire resulting inthe existence of two parallel governments, oneheaded by the former President Gbagbo and theother headed by President Outara. He warnedthat this flagrant violation may lead to a majorsetback for the collective efforts that aim to buildan Islamic world endowed with prosperity andpeace.

The OIC Secretary General has earlier an-nounced that he is determined to make endeavorsto mediate or contribute in the framework of anyother international initiative which ensuresreaching a peaceful solution to the crisis.

He appealed to the former President Gbagboto use wisdom and utmost restraint in order toavoid further escalation and urged him to re-

spectfully accept the outcome of the election for the sakeof top national interest, and to spare his country fallinginto a prolonged conflict.

In the meantime, the participants in the meeting com-mended the work of the peace-broker in the conflict ofCôte d'Ivoire, the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Com-paore, for his tireless efforts for the implementation of theOuagadougou Peace Agreement.

2726

WORLD AFFAIRS

Cairo, Egypt - The Secretary General of the Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsano-glu, rejected in his statement at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Security Forum in Cairo in October 2010,any justification that allows a handful of states to continueto possess nuclear weapons on the grounds of national se-curity while defending the cause of nuclear non-proliferation. He underscored the need to build efforts fornuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on a compre-hensive approach involving equitable, non-discriminatoryand balanced measures, if these efforts are to succeed.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Security Confer-ence was organized by the Egyptian Council for ForeignAffairs, in cooperation with the Arab Institute for SecurityStudies in Jordan, and the Bajwash Organization.

Ihsanoglu pointed out that Israel's possession of nuclear

The Secretary General addresses the NuclearNon-proliferation and security Forum

Djibouti - At the invitation of His Excellency Presidentof the Republic of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, the Sec-retary General of the Organization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu paid an official visit toDjibouti on 5 and 6 December 2010.

The Secretary General held extensive talks with thePresident at the presidential palace covering the excellentrelations between the OIC and Djibouti in all areas and thedesire of the two sides to enhance them.

President Guelleh expressed his profound thanks forthe supportive positions of the OIC for Djibouti. For hispart the Secretary General renewed the OIC's continuedsupport for the sovereignty of the Republic of Djibouti andfor the preservation of its territorial integrity.

The two sides also talked about the situation in Somal-ia and the regional and international efforts for securityand stability to gain ground in that country so that the So-mali people can live in peace.

Both sides underscored the need to support joint Islam-ic action for the benefit, progress and prosperity of the Is-

lamic Ummah.The President

decorated the Sec-retary Generalwith the 27 JuneFirst Class Medal,the highest in theland. The 27 JuneFirst Class Medal,according to Presi-dent Guelleh, wasconferred on theSecretary General inappreciation of his important achievements at the helm ofthe OIC and in acknowledgment of his role and contribu-tions to boosting joint Islamic action and giving greatervisibility to the OIC in the international scene.

The Secretary General also had meetings with the Act-ing Prime Minister, the Deputy Foreign Minister and theMinister for Religious Affairs and Awqaf. During themeetings, the two sides exchanged views on the existingrelations between the OIC and Djibouti and ways to en-hance them, with emphasis on greater participation of Dji-bouti in the activities, programs and projects of the OIC.

Ihsanoglu visits Djibouti

Conakry, Guinea - The SecretaryGeneral of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu has congratulated the de-clared winner of the presidential elec-tion, Prof. Alpha Conde and hopedthat this victory will be for all Gui-neans and will be considered as a tri-umph for democracy in the country.He appealed to the president-elect topursue policies of inclusiveness andnational reconciliation.

Ihsanoglu also conveyed commen-dation to Cellou Dalein Diallo for hisexemplary statesmanship by conced-ing defeat in a true spirit of democra-cy.

The Secretary General reiteratedthe preparedness of the OIC to contin-ue to support the deepening of thedemocratic process in Guinea.

He has commended the people ofthe Republic of Guinea over the suc-

Guinea elects new president

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Organizationof the Islamic Conference (OIC) has beenclosely monitoring developments in Coted'Ivoire since the holding of the second roundof the presidential election especially followingthe announcement on 2nd December 2010 ofthe results by the Independent Electoral Com-mission. The Secretary General of the OIC Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu has urged for calm and re-straint in Cote d'Ivoire.

Ihsanoglu appealed to the two candidates asdemocrats, to respect the will of the electorateas clearly expressed in the 28th November2010 vote which took place under a free andfair atmosphere. He urged the candidates andtheir supporters to consider the declared out-come by the Electoral Commission as a victory for all Ivo-rians.

On December 16, the OIC held an Expanded Emergen-cy Meeting of the Executive Committee at the Ambassado-rial level on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, and issued a Fi-nal Communiqué in which it decided to submit arecommendation to the Council of Foreign Ministers of theOIC Member States to suspend participation of Côted'Ivoire in all OIC meetings and activities until the legiti-mate President of the country (Alassane Dramane Ouatta-ra) assumes his full responsibilities as Head of State.

The Final Communiqué of the meeting, which washeld at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, urged the outgoingPresident Laurent Gbagbo to respect the outcome of theelection and to immediately transfer power in a properway to the duly elected President Alassane Outara.

The meeting decided to invite the OIC Secretary Gen-eral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to continue his close contactswith all partners and stakeholders in order to restore de-mocracy, durable peace and stability in Cote d'Ivoire.

In his statement at the meeting, Ihsanoglu refused the

Following presidential elections in Cote d'IvoireOIC recommends suspending participation

of Côte d'Ivoire in its meetings

high level of participation of the elec-torate in the exercise, which was sat-isfactorily conducted in peace and se-renity, and further pointed out thatthe maturity demonstrated by Gui-neans was an indication of theirstrong faith in the democratic pro-cess.

Earlier, the OIC has participatedin the 15th meeting of the Interna-tional Contact Group on Guinea,which took place in Conakry on 2-3September 2010 at the joint invitationof the Commissions of the AfricanUnion and ECOWAS.

The meeting was held two weeksfrom the second round of the presi-dential election that was scheduled on19th September 2010 but then post-poned to November by the NationalIndependent Electoral Commission(CENI) due to material and logisticconstraints.

OIC launches Joint Programs with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

weapons, which he describes as a dangerous challenge tothe security of neighboring states, is a threat to regionaland international peace and security. He therefore stressedthat Israel must relinquish its nuclear weapons and accedeas a matter of urgency to the Nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty. He also said that its entire nuclear facilities mustbe subjected to the comprehensive safeguards system ofthe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Secretary General urged the international commu-nity to ensure that the implementation of the resolutions ofthe General Assembly and of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Follow up conferences are effectively pur-sued, in order to create a nuclear-weapons-free zone in theMiddle East, indicating that such a measure would com-plement the peace efforts in the region.

On the other hand, Ihsanoglu considered that the devel-opment of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a rightof each state. He emphasized that the Organization of theIslamic Conference has considerable interest in the promo-tion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy in OIC MemberStates for the purpose of social and economic develop-ment. In this regard, the Secretary General underscored theneed to reach a peaceful and negotiated settlement on theIranian nuclear issue.

In the same vein, the Secretary General announced thatthe OIC General Secretariat and the IAEA were examiningthe possibility of providing assistance to OIC MemberStates in Africa and Asia to access water, produce foodand treat cancer.

He also announced that the OIC reached an agreementwith the IAEA and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)to identify cancer radiotherapy centers in their countries toreceive grants of US$ 300,000.00 to be provided by theIDB in 2011. Meanwhile, the Secretary General explainedthat the IAEA would contribute to obtain mosquito exter-mination equipment for the Project of Insect SterilizationTechnique to eradicate mosquitoes in the Sudan.

Ihsanoglu with President Guelleh

Presidnetial candidate Alpha Conde,voting in Conakry, Guinea,

27 June 2010.(epa)

cessful holding of the second roundof the presidential election, whichtook place on 7th November 2010.Ihsanoglu noted with satisfaction the

Ivory Coast supporters of Ouattaraduring a street protest in Abidjan,

Ivory Coast 16 December 2010.(epa)

Ivorian presidential can-didate Alassane Dramane

Ouattara.(epa)


duplicate situation in Côte d'Ivoire resulting inthe existence of two parallel governments, oneheaded by the former President Gbagbo and theother headed by President Outara. He warnedthat this flagrant violation may lead to a majorsetback for the collective efforts that aim to buildan Islamic world endowed with prosperity andpeace.

The OIC Secretary General has earlier an-nounced that he is determined to make endeavorsto mediate or contribute in the framework of anyother international initiative which ensuresreaching a peaceful solution to the crisis.

He appealed to the former President Gbagboto use wisdom and utmost restraint in order toavoid further escalation and urged him to re-

spectfully accept the outcome of the election for the sakeof top national interest, and to spare his country fallinginto a prolonged conflict.

In the meantime, the participants in the meeting com-mended the work of the peace-broker in the conflict ofCôte d'Ivoire, the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Com-paore, for his tireless efforts for the implementation of theOuagadougou Peace Agreement.

2726

WORLD AFFAIRS

Cairo, Egypt - The Secretary General of the Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsano-glu, rejected in his statement at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Security Forum in Cairo in October 2010,any justification that allows a handful of states to continueto possess nuclear weapons on the grounds of national se-curity while defending the cause of nuclear non-proliferation. He underscored the need to build efforts fornuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on a compre-hensive approach involving equitable, non-discriminatoryand balanced measures, if these efforts are to succeed.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Security Confer-ence was organized by the Egyptian Council for ForeignAffairs, in cooperation with the Arab Institute for SecurityStudies in Jordan, and the Bajwash Organization.

Ihsanoglu pointed out that Israel's possession of nuclear

The Secretary General addresses the NuclearNon-proliferation and security Forum

Djibouti - At the invitation of His Excellency Presidentof the Republic of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, the Sec-retary General of the Organization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu paid an official visit toDjibouti on 5 and 6 December 2010.

The Secretary General held extensive talks with thePresident at the presidential palace covering the excellentrelations between the OIC and Djibouti in all areas and thedesire of the two sides to enhance them.

President Guelleh expressed his profound thanks forthe supportive positions of the OIC for Djibouti. For hispart the Secretary General renewed the OIC's continuedsupport for the sovereignty of the Republic of Djibouti andfor the preservation of its territorial integrity.

The two sides also talked about the situation in Somal-ia and the regional and international efforts for securityand stability to gain ground in that country so that the So-mali people can live in peace.

Both sides underscored the need to support joint Islam-ic action for the benefit, progress and prosperity of the Is-

lamic Ummah.The President

decorated the Sec-retary Generalwith the 27 JuneFirst Class Medal,the highest in theland. The 27 JuneFirst Class Medal,according to Presi-dent Guelleh, wasconferred on theSecretary General inappreciation of his important achievements at the helm ofthe OIC and in acknowledgment of his role and contribu-tions to boosting joint Islamic action and giving greatervisibility to the OIC in the international scene.

The Secretary General also had meetings with the Act-ing Prime Minister, the Deputy Foreign Minister and theMinister for Religious Affairs and Awqaf. During themeetings, the two sides exchanged views on the existingrelations between the OIC and Djibouti and ways to en-hance them, with emphasis on greater participation of Dji-bouti in the activities, programs and projects of the OIC.

Ihsanoglu visits Djibouti

Conakry, Guinea - The SecretaryGeneral of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu has congratulated the de-clared winner of the presidential elec-tion, Prof. Alpha Conde and hopedthat this victory will be for all Gui-neans and will be considered as a tri-umph for democracy in the country.He appealed to the president-elect topursue policies of inclusiveness andnational reconciliation.

Ihsanoglu also conveyed commen-dation to Cellou Dalein Diallo for hisexemplary statesmanship by conced-ing defeat in a true spirit of democra-cy.

The Secretary General reiteratedthe preparedness of the OIC to contin-ue to support the deepening of thedemocratic process in Guinea.

He has commended the people ofthe Republic of Guinea over the suc-

Guinea elects new president

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Organizationof the Islamic Conference (OIC) has beenclosely monitoring developments in Coted'Ivoire since the holding of the second roundof the presidential election especially followingthe announcement on 2nd December 2010 ofthe results by the Independent Electoral Com-mission. The Secretary General of the OIC Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu has urged for calm and re-straint in Cote d'Ivoire.

Ihsanoglu appealed to the two candidates asdemocrats, to respect the will of the electorateas clearly expressed in the 28th November2010 vote which took place under a free andfair atmosphere. He urged the candidates andtheir supporters to consider the declared out-come by the Electoral Commission as a victory for all Ivo-rians.

On December 16, the OIC held an Expanded Emergen-cy Meeting of the Executive Committee at the Ambassado-rial level on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, and issued a Fi-nal Communiqué in which it decided to submit arecommendation to the Council of Foreign Ministers of theOIC Member States to suspend participation of Côted'Ivoire in all OIC meetings and activities until the legiti-mate President of the country (Alassane Dramane Ouatta-ra) assumes his full responsibilities as Head of State.

The Final Communiqué of the meeting, which washeld at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, urged the outgoingPresident Laurent Gbagbo to respect the outcome of theelection and to immediately transfer power in a properway to the duly elected President Alassane Outara.

The meeting decided to invite the OIC Secretary Gen-eral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to continue his close contactswith all partners and stakeholders in order to restore de-mocracy, durable peace and stability in Cote d'Ivoire.

In his statement at the meeting, Ihsanoglu refused the

Following presidential elections in Cote d'IvoireOIC recommends suspending participation

of Côte d'Ivoire in its meetings

high level of participation of the elec-torate in the exercise, which was sat-isfactorily conducted in peace and se-renity, and further pointed out thatthe maturity demonstrated by Gui-neans was an indication of theirstrong faith in the democratic pro-cess.

Earlier, the OIC has participatedin the 15th meeting of the Interna-tional Contact Group on Guinea,which took place in Conakry on 2-3September 2010 at the joint invitationof the Commissions of the AfricanUnion and ECOWAS.

The meeting was held two weeksfrom the second round of the presi-dential election that was scheduled on19th September 2010 but then post-poned to November by the NationalIndependent Electoral Commission(CENI) due to material and logisticconstraints.

OIC launches Joint Programs with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

weapons, which he describes as a dangerous challenge tothe security of neighboring states, is a threat to regionaland international peace and security. He therefore stressedthat Israel must relinquish its nuclear weapons and accedeas a matter of urgency to the Nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty. He also said that its entire nuclear facilities mustbe subjected to the comprehensive safeguards system ofthe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Secretary General urged the international commu-nity to ensure that the implementation of the resolutions ofthe General Assembly and of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Follow up conferences are effectively pur-sued, in order to create a nuclear-weapons-free zone in theMiddle East, indicating that such a measure would com-plement the peace efforts in the region.

On the other hand, Ihsanoglu considered that the devel-opment of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a rightof each state. He emphasized that the Organization of theIslamic Conference has considerable interest in the promo-tion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy in OIC MemberStates for the purpose of social and economic develop-ment. In this regard, the Secretary General underscored theneed to reach a peaceful and negotiated settlement on theIranian nuclear issue.

In the same vein, the Secretary General announced thatthe OIC General Secretariat and the IAEA were examiningthe possibility of providing assistance to OIC MemberStates in Africa and Asia to access water, produce foodand treat cancer.

He also announced that the OIC reached an agreementwith the IAEA and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)to identify cancer radiotherapy centers in their countries toreceive grants of US$ 300,000.00 to be provided by theIDB in 2011. Meanwhile, the Secretary General explainedthat the IAEA would contribute to obtain mosquito exter-mination equipment for the Project of Insect SterilizationTechnique to eradicate mosquitoes in the Sudan.

Ihsanoglu with President Guelleh

Presidnetial candidate Alpha Conde,voting in Conakry, Guinea,

27 June 2010.(epa)

cessful holding of the second roundof the presidential election, whichtook place on 7th November 2010.Ihsanoglu noted with satisfaction the

Ivory Coast supporters of Ouattaraduring a street protest in Abidjan,

Ivory Coast 16 December 2010.(epa)

Ivorian presidential can-didate Alassane Dramane

Ouattara.(epa)


WORLD AFFAIRS

of June 2011. He briefed the Presidenton the agenda of the OIC Summit tobe held in March 2011 in Egypt aswell as the preparations for the OICCFM to be hosted by Kazakhstan nextyear. The Secretary General and thePresident agreed to further coopera-tion and continue contacts between theOIC and Kazakhstan in this regard.

In his meeting with Kanat Sauda-bayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakh-stan, the Secretary General discussedbilateral collaboration between theOIC and Kazakhstan and the prepara-tions for the “International Forum onOIC-Kazakhstan: Prospects for NewCooperation” scheduled to be held inAstana on 8 December 2010. Theyalso discussed regional developmentsand the support of OIC to the region inline with the initiative on solidaritywith Central Asia.

The first OSCE Summit in 11years concluded with Kazakhstan'sPresident Nazarbayev welcoming thework of Heads of State and Govern-ment from the 56 OSCE participatingStates, saying their adoption of the As-tana Commemorative Declaration re-confirmed the Organization's compre-hensive approach to security based ontrust and transparency.

"We have reconfirmed our supportto the comprehensive approach to se-curity based on trust and transparencyin the politico-military field, on ration-al economic and environmental policyand on the full-fledged observation ofhuman rights, basic freedoms and therule of law,” he said. “We intend toraise the level and quality of securityand understanding between our statesand peoples.”

Nazarbayev, whose country holdsthe 2010 OSCE Chairmanship, de-scribed the two-day Summit as “anhistoric event for the entire OSCEcommunity” that had been character-ized by “the spirit of Astana”.

The leaders at the Summit adoptedthe “Astana Commemorative Declara-tion: Towards a Security Community”that reaffirmed their commitment toOSCE principles.

“While we have made muchprogress, we also acknowledge thatmore must be done to ensure full re-spect for, and implementation of, thesecore principles and commitments thatwe have undertaken in the politico-military dimension, the economic andenvironmental dimension, and the hu-man dimension, notably in the areas ofhuman rights and fundamental free-doms,” the declaration said.

“The security of each participatingState is inseparably linked to that of allothers. Each participating State has anequal right to security. We reaffirm theinherent right of each and every partici-pating State to be free to choose orchange its security arrangements, in-cluding treaties of alliance, as theyevolve. Each State also has the right toneutrality. Each participating State willrespect the rights of all others in theseregards. They will not strengthen theirsecurity at the expense of the securityof other States.”

“Increased efforts should be madeto resolve existing conflicts in theOSCE area in a peaceful and negotiatedmanner, within agreed formats, fully re-specting the norms and principles of in-ternational law enshrined in the UnitedNations Charter, as well as the HelsinkiFinal Act. New crises must be prevent-ed.”

“We underscore the need to contrib-ute effectively, based on the capacityand national interest of each participat-ing State, to collective international ef-forts to promote a stable, independent,prosperous and democratic Afghani-stan.”

The declaration calls for an actionplan to be developed under the leader-ship of future chairmanships.

Ihsanoglu addresses OSCE Summit: UnderlinesAstana, Kazakhstan - The OIC

Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsano-glu participated in the OSCE Summitheld in Astana on 1-2 December 2010.In his statement to the Summit, Ihsano-glu underlined the immense scope ofcooperation between the OIC and theOSCE and urged for a need to take fulladvantage of the opportunity by givingfurther impetus to existing cooperationthrough increased interaction and con-sultations.

The Secretary General highlightedOIC's active involvement in variousconflict resolution initiatives, and un-derscored that the conflict in Palestineas probably the most serious challengeto global peace and security. He alsostated that peace is indivisible and re-solving conflicts in the Muslim Worldwould significantly contribute to thesecurity and stability in Europe.

Drawing attention to the rise of Is-lamophobia, as well as intolerance anddiscrimination against Muslims partic-ularly in Europe, Ihsanoglu called forjoint efforts between the OIC andOSCE to put together tangible and re-sult oriented actions to motivate thepeople to reject the extremists on bothsides and to develop in them a cultureof respect and tolerance for the wholerange of civil and political, as well aseconomic, social and cultural rights ofpeople of all beliefs and backgrounds.The statement briefed the Summit onOIC's efforts to promote human rightsand good governance as well as socio-economic development in MemberStates.

During the visit to Astana, the Sec-retary General had an audience withH.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev, Presidentof the Republic of Kazakhstan. TheSecretary General stated that Kazakh-stan's OSCE Chairmanship will as-sume greater significance when it as-sumes the Chairmanship of the OICCouncil of Foreign Ministers (CFM) as

organized in Almaty by the Founda-tion of the First President of the Re-public of Kazakhstan. The Forum wascharacterized by in-depth discussionson the important role of the OIC in theinternational politics with a view todetermining the prospects of Kazakh-stan's contribution towards the en-hancement of this role, as an emergingkey player in the regional as well asthe global politics.

The delegation also visited Astanawhere it held meetings in the Ministryof Foreign Affairs to discuss importantissues on the OIC agenda. The delega-tion conveyed the Secretary General'sappreciation of Kazakhstan's profes-sional approach in preparation for thechairmanship of the OIC Council ofForeign Ministers in June 2011 and as-sured full cooperation of the GeneralSecretariat to that end.

Kazakhstan hosts InternationalForum on Prospects

of Cooperation with the OICAlmaty, Kazakhstan - An OIC del-

egation led by Assistant SecretaryGeneral Ambassador Abdul Moiz Bok-hari attended a two-day InternationalForum entitled "Kazakhstan and theOIC: New Prospects for Cooperation"

scope of cooperation between OIC and OSCE

The Secretary General emphasizes OIC'scommitment to support Central Asian member countries

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan - At the invita-tion of His Excellency President of the Re-public of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdim-uhamedov, the Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu paid an officialvisit to Turkmenistan on 10 and 11 Decem-ber 2010.

The Secretary General delivered a state-ment at the International Conference entitled“Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan:Cooperation for the sake of Peace, Securityand Development”, which was convened inthe capital city Ashgabat on 11 December2010. He congratulated the government andpeople of Turkmenistan for its consistentpursuit of a peaceful foreign policy and a wiseeconomic, social and cultural development plan.

"I am confident that the status of the positive neutralitywhich was officially adopted fifteen years ago, as empha-sized by the Turkmen leaders, would be a basis for the over-all development of Turkmenistan and for a constructive in-ternational partnership seeking to promote regional andinternational peace and security," he added.

Ihsanoglu expressed his happiness that there is now agrowing interest of Central Asia to get more involved in theactivities of the OIC, and stated that the rest of the OICMember States are intensifying their engagement with theregion.

The Secretary General underlined that the efforts and in-itiatives of Turkmenistan in strengthening and promoting

peace, security, stability and cooperation inthe region deserve our admiration and as amatter of fact, Turkmenistan, with its hugepotentials, history, culture and strong politi-cal will of its leaders, remains a key player inthe cause of peace, security and developmentin the region. He expressed his confidencethat Turkmenistan along with other countriesin Central Asia would continue to strive to-wards adopting a series of confidence build-ing measures in the region.

He expressed his commitment to mobi-lize OIC technical and financial support fordevelopment activities and investment in spe-cific areas of agriculture, food security, waterand energy emphasizing that Central Asia,with its rich natural assets and cultural heri-

tage, is an important eye-catching hub for tour-ism.

Ihsanoglu highlighted the need for collective coordinat-ed efforts to address the challenges faced by the region in-cluding its exposure to natural disasters, which may causehuge socioeconomic and humanitarian impacts, noting thatthe OIC has increased its efforts and visibility in addressingthese challenges. He emphasized the OIC's continued com-mitment to support particularly the Central Asian OICMember States in their individual and collective attempts to-wards tackling those challenges. He underscored Turkmeni-stan's vital role and leadership along with other CentralAsian countries to further develop regional coordination andcooperation and prepare necessary grounds for a strongerand deeper mutual engagement with the rest of the globe.

PresidentBerdimuhamedov

OSCE partici-pants pose fora family pic-ture during theOrganizationfor Securityand Coopera-tion in Europe(OSCE) Sum-mit in Astana,Kazakhstan 01December2010.(epa)


WORLD AFFAIRS

of June 2011. He briefed the Presidenton the agenda of the OIC Summit tobe held in March 2011 in Egypt aswell as the preparations for the OICCFM to be hosted by Kazakhstan nextyear. The Secretary General and thePresident agreed to further coopera-tion and continue contacts between theOIC and Kazakhstan in this regard.

In his meeting with Kanat Sauda-bayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakh-stan, the Secretary General discussedbilateral collaboration between theOIC and Kazakhstan and the prepara-tions for the “International Forum onOIC-Kazakhstan: Prospects for NewCooperation” scheduled to be held inAstana on 8 December 2010. Theyalso discussed regional developmentsand the support of OIC to the region inline with the initiative on solidaritywith Central Asia.

The first OSCE Summit in 11years concluded with Kazakhstan'sPresident Nazarbayev welcoming thework of Heads of State and Govern-ment from the 56 OSCE participatingStates, saying their adoption of the As-tana Commemorative Declaration re-confirmed the Organization's compre-hensive approach to security based ontrust and transparency.

"We have reconfirmed our supportto the comprehensive approach to se-curity based on trust and transparencyin the politico-military field, on ration-al economic and environmental policyand on the full-fledged observation ofhuman rights, basic freedoms and therule of law,” he said. “We intend toraise the level and quality of securityand understanding between our statesand peoples.”

Nazarbayev, whose country holdsthe 2010 OSCE Chairmanship, de-scribed the two-day Summit as “anhistoric event for the entire OSCEcommunity” that had been character-ized by “the spirit of Astana”.

The leaders at the Summit adoptedthe “Astana Commemorative Declara-tion: Towards a Security Community”that reaffirmed their commitment toOSCE principles.

“While we have made muchprogress, we also acknowledge thatmore must be done to ensure full re-spect for, and implementation of, thesecore principles and commitments thatwe have undertaken in the politico-military dimension, the economic andenvironmental dimension, and the hu-man dimension, notably in the areas ofhuman rights and fundamental free-doms,” the declaration said.

“The security of each participatingState is inseparably linked to that of allothers. Each participating State has anequal right to security. We reaffirm theinherent right of each and every partici-pating State to be free to choose orchange its security arrangements, in-cluding treaties of alliance, as theyevolve. Each State also has the right toneutrality. Each participating State willrespect the rights of all others in theseregards. They will not strengthen theirsecurity at the expense of the securityof other States.”

“Increased efforts should be madeto resolve existing conflicts in theOSCE area in a peaceful and negotiatedmanner, within agreed formats, fully re-specting the norms and principles of in-ternational law enshrined in the UnitedNations Charter, as well as the HelsinkiFinal Act. New crises must be prevent-ed.”

“We underscore the need to contrib-ute effectively, based on the capacityand national interest of each participat-ing State, to collective international ef-forts to promote a stable, independent,prosperous and democratic Afghani-stan.”

The declaration calls for an actionplan to be developed under the leader-ship of future chairmanships.

Ihsanoglu addresses OSCE Summit: UnderlinesAstana, Kazakhstan - The OIC

Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsano-glu participated in the OSCE Summitheld in Astana on 1-2 December 2010.In his statement to the Summit, Ihsano-glu underlined the immense scope ofcooperation between the OIC and theOSCE and urged for a need to take fulladvantage of the opportunity by givingfurther impetus to existing cooperationthrough increased interaction and con-sultations.

The Secretary General highlightedOIC's active involvement in variousconflict resolution initiatives, and un-derscored that the conflict in Palestineas probably the most serious challengeto global peace and security. He alsostated that peace is indivisible and re-solving conflicts in the Muslim Worldwould significantly contribute to thesecurity and stability in Europe.

Drawing attention to the rise of Is-lamophobia, as well as intolerance anddiscrimination against Muslims partic-ularly in Europe, Ihsanoglu called forjoint efforts between the OIC andOSCE to put together tangible and re-sult oriented actions to motivate thepeople to reject the extremists on bothsides and to develop in them a cultureof respect and tolerance for the wholerange of civil and political, as well aseconomic, social and cultural rights ofpeople of all beliefs and backgrounds.The statement briefed the Summit onOIC's efforts to promote human rightsand good governance as well as socio-economic development in MemberStates.

During the visit to Astana, the Sec-retary General had an audience withH.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev, Presidentof the Republic of Kazakhstan. TheSecretary General stated that Kazakh-stan's OSCE Chairmanship will as-sume greater significance when it as-sumes the Chairmanship of the OICCouncil of Foreign Ministers (CFM) as

organized in Almaty by the Founda-tion of the First President of the Re-public of Kazakhstan. The Forum wascharacterized by in-depth discussionson the important role of the OIC in theinternational politics with a view todetermining the prospects of Kazakh-stan's contribution towards the en-hancement of this role, as an emergingkey player in the regional as well asthe global politics.

The delegation also visited Astanawhere it held meetings in the Ministryof Foreign Affairs to discuss importantissues on the OIC agenda. The delega-tion conveyed the Secretary General'sappreciation of Kazakhstan's profes-sional approach in preparation for thechairmanship of the OIC Council ofForeign Ministers in June 2011 and as-sured full cooperation of the GeneralSecretariat to that end.

Kazakhstan hosts InternationalForum on Prospects

of Cooperation with the OICAlmaty, Kazakhstan - An OIC del-

egation led by Assistant SecretaryGeneral Ambassador Abdul Moiz Bok-hari attended a two-day InternationalForum entitled "Kazakhstan and theOIC: New Prospects for Cooperation"

scope of cooperation between OIC and OSCE

The Secretary General emphasizes OIC'scommitment to support Central Asian member countries

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan - At the invita-tion of His Excellency President of the Re-public of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdim-uhamedov, the Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu paid an officialvisit to Turkmenistan on 10 and 11 Decem-ber 2010.

The Secretary General delivered a state-ment at the International Conference entitled“Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan:Cooperation for the sake of Peace, Securityand Development”, which was convened inthe capital city Ashgabat on 11 December2010. He congratulated the government andpeople of Turkmenistan for its consistentpursuit of a peaceful foreign policy and a wiseeconomic, social and cultural development plan.

"I am confident that the status of the positive neutralitywhich was officially adopted fifteen years ago, as empha-sized by the Turkmen leaders, would be a basis for the over-all development of Turkmenistan and for a constructive in-ternational partnership seeking to promote regional andinternational peace and security," he added.

Ihsanoglu expressed his happiness that there is now agrowing interest of Central Asia to get more involved in theactivities of the OIC, and stated that the rest of the OICMember States are intensifying their engagement with theregion.

The Secretary General underlined that the efforts and in-itiatives of Turkmenistan in strengthening and promoting

peace, security, stability and cooperation inthe region deserve our admiration and as amatter of fact, Turkmenistan, with its hugepotentials, history, culture and strong politi-cal will of its leaders, remains a key player inthe cause of peace, security and developmentin the region. He expressed his confidencethat Turkmenistan along with other countriesin Central Asia would continue to strive to-wards adopting a series of confidence build-ing measures in the region.

He expressed his commitment to mobi-lize OIC technical and financial support fordevelopment activities and investment in spe-cific areas of agriculture, food security, waterand energy emphasizing that Central Asia,with its rich natural assets and cultural heri-

tage, is an important eye-catching hub for tour-ism.

Ihsanoglu highlighted the need for collective coordinat-ed efforts to address the challenges faced by the region in-cluding its exposure to natural disasters, which may causehuge socioeconomic and humanitarian impacts, noting thatthe OIC has increased its efforts and visibility in addressingthese challenges. He emphasized the OIC's continued com-mitment to support particularly the Central Asian OICMember States in their individual and collective attempts to-wards tackling those challenges. He underscored Turkmeni-stan's vital role and leadership along with other CentralAsian countries to further develop regional coordination andcooperation and prepare necessary grounds for a strongerand deeper mutual engagement with the rest of the globe.

PresidentBerdimuhamedov

OSCE partici-pants pose fora family pic-ture during theOrganizationfor Securityand Coopera-tion in Europe(OSCE) Sum-mit in Astana,Kazakhstan 01December2010.(epa)


Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi, capi-tal of the United Arab Emirates, hosted the meeting of the24th Session of the Executive Committee of the OIC Par-liamentary Union held to discuss Member States proposalsconcerning the reform of statute and the development oftechnical action mechanisms of the Union's General Secre-tariat. Professor Mahmoud Arol Galig, Secretary Generalof the Union participated in the meeting.

The 'Abu Dhabi Declaration', issued at the end of themeeting of 24 October 2010, called the United Nations andall international and regional organizations of internationalinfluence to fulfill their international and legal obligationstowards reaching a just and permanent settlement for theArab-Israeli conflict and for the Palestinian cause pursuantto the relevant international resolutions.

The statement issued by the Executive Committeecalled on the OIC Parliamentary Union to take concretesteps through reinforcing contacts with all internationaland regional parliamentary organizations and specializedinternational organizations for an action to stop the Israelisettlements, particularly in Jerusalem, the attempt to juda-ize the occupied Palestinian territories, and to end theblockade on Gaza and the harmful effects that may resultfrom the Israeli government decision confirming the “Jew-ish character of Israel” as regards changing the demo-graphic structure of the holy city, its character and legalstatus.

The 'Abu Dhabi Declaration' called on the Union tomake the necessary contacts with OIC Secretariat as re-gards its contribution to the work of the GovernmentalGroup of Experts in charge of making proposals for apeaceful settlement to all conflicts in the Muslim Worldand cooperation in this regard, particularly in the frame-work of preventive diplomacy and parliamentary good of-fices.

The participants called for the need to take all effectivemeasures to enhance cooperation between OIC and theUnion in a way that makes the latter more effective in OICwork, and that activates the Union's role in its Islamicsphere.

The Declaration also welcomed the statement issued bythe Human Rights Council on 30 September 2010 regard-ing the threats to burn the Holy Qur'an, and called the in-ternational community to take concrete steps to end allkinds of religious extremism so as to reinforce cooperationand reciprocal respect among all religions and beliefs, andto confirm the need to deal positively with human values,divine laws and statutory laws that call for the respect ofbeliefs, freedom of worship and human rights.

The Declaration rejected all political and media allega-tions linking Islam with terrorism and defaming its divinesymbols. It called for the need to spread Islamic teachingsall over the world, and to introduce the values of our noble

OIC Parliamentary Union rejectsall Israeli measures in Jerusalem

religion to others, urging everyone to do their best to callfor stopping defamation of Islam in all its forms and fromall sources, and to seek the most effective ways and meansto defend the Islamic symbols through dialogue, wisdomand advice.

The Declaration stressed that the struggle of peoplesunder foreign occupation and their fight for their rights tofreedom and sovereignty is not, by any means, a terroristact.

It also highlighted the importance to devote parliamen-tary diplomacy to assert the legitimate rights of this Um-mah, and to defend it in international fora so as to liberateJerusalem, the Palestinian territory and to enable the Pales-tinian people of self-determination.

Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair, President of the Federal Na-tional Council in UAE and Chairman of the Session,warned in his opening address of the severe consequencesof Israel continued refusal to accede to the Nuclear Weap-ons Non-Proliferation Treaty, and to place all its nuclearfacilities under the comprehensive IAEA safeguards, em-phasizing the necessity to take concrete and urgent steps toestablish a nuclear weapon- free zone in the Middle East.

Al-Ghurair stressed that the security right of eachcountry in the region should be in balance with other coun-tries, so that no individual country or a group of countriesmay have privileges in security and armament at the ex-pense of another, underlining the need to consider the re-sults and recommendations of the “Non-Nuclear Prolifera-tion Review Conference 2010” during the next meeting ofthe Union's Council, particularly in the framework of theconference direct encouragement to all parties to take ur-gent and concrete actions to establish a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

Al-Ghurair said the meeting's objective was to ex-plore the best ways to address the various threat and chal-lenges that face the Muslim Ummah, noting that what isincluded in the agenda of the Executive Committee meet-ing as regards upgrading the Union's Secretariat and en-hancing its role is very important for the Union.

The President of the Federal National Council inUAE stressed that enhancing the Union's work in the com-ing phase to enable it to undertake its role requires rein-forcing the relationship with OIC and allowing that rela-tion to develop in a way that enables the Union of highinfluence in the OIC functions in a framework that makesthe OIC take into account the Union's resolutions andwork to implement them through governments, which willmake the Union's resolutions more important and more ef-fective.

The Executive Committee has nine State Membersof the OIC. In addition to the UAE, the host country, therewere delegates from Egypt, Indonesia, Uganda, Saudi Ara-bia, Algeria, Iran, Turkey, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

3130

WORLD AFFAIRS

British Secretary of State forInternational Development visits OIC and IDB

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - British Secre-tary of State for International DevelopmentAndrew Mitchell met with OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at OICHeadquarters in Jeddah on 25 October2010. The Secretary of State was accompa-nied by a five-member delegation includingthe new UK Ambassador to Saudi ArabiaHM Ambassador Sir Tom Phillips.

The Secretary of State briefed the Secre-tary General on the policy of the new Coali-tion Government on issues related to inter-national development and their specificresult oriented approach. He expressed hisgovernment's willingness to work in part-nership with the OIC in the humanitarianfield in particular in places where the OICenjoys comparative advantages comparedto its western counterparts. The SecretaryGeneral welcomed the idea of having closercooperation between the OIC and the UKand briefed the Secretary of State on the ac-tivities of the OIC in the humanitarian field i.e. in Gaza,Pakistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Yemen etc. MP Mitchell re-ferred to the appointment of HM Consul General KateRudd as the UK Special Envoy to the OIC as an indicationof his government's intent to strengthen the UK-OIC rela-tions.

Earlier in the day, MP Mitchell was received by Am-bassador Atta El-Manan Bakhiet, OIC Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs at his office. Both dele-gations had detailed discussion on the possible ways andmeans of enhancing cooperation and collaboration between

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Organizationof the Islamic Conference (OIC) is determinedto expand its cooperation agreements with theUnited Nations in seeking solutions to a widerange of global problems, chief among which isthe Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East andstability in Iraq and Afghanistan.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hadexpressed his appreciation of the major roleplayed by the OIC on the issues of Al-Quds,Darfur, Somalia, Sudan, Mauritania, and Guin-ea and on other global issues.

At the meetings of the 65th Session of theUN General Assembly, Ban Ki-moon stated that“the OIC is a strategic and crucial partner of the UnitedNations and plays a significant role in helping to resolve awide range of issues facing the world community”.

Ban Ki-moon added: “I have been pleased to note thesolidarity of Islamic countries with Afghanistan, the gener-ous assistance provided, and the clear stand against terror-

ism”. In this vein, the OIC indicated that the situa-

tion in Afghanistan is a subject of particular at-tention to the OIC and that a special envoy hasbeen appointed to Afghanistan.

Concerning Ban Ki-moon's aspirations forthe support of the Organization of the IslamicConference in Southern Sudan, the OIC willhelp develop the capacities of institutions inSouthern Sudan, regardless of the outcome ofthe referendum.

The relation between the OIC and the UN isa new model of cooperation in facing global chal-lenges in political, humanitarian and economic

fields, as well as in issues related to human development,science and technology, human rights, refugees and migra-tion. The OIC believes that there is a need for further coop-eration with UN programs, agencies and funds, insisting onthe necessity to address the weaknesses in bilateral cooper-ation between the two organizations.

Ban Ki-moon: The OIC is a strategicand crucial partner of the United Nations

the OIC and the UK in particular in provid-ing humanitarian assistance to the victimsof both manmade and natural disasters.Both sides agreed on having continuedcontact in this regard.

Mitchell also met the President of theIslamic Development Bank Group Dr. Ah-mad Mohamed Ali at the Bank's Headquar-ters in Jeddah. During the meeting at IDB,the two sides discussed ways for coordinat-ing efforts to assist Pakistan with overcom-ing the aftermath of the recent destructiveflooding and exchanged views on partici-pating in the upcoming Pakistan Develop-ment Forum slated for mid November,2010, in Islamabad. Dr. Ali and AndrewMitchell also touched upon coordinatingefforts aimed at upgrading developmentand alleviating poverty in IDB membercountries particularly in Palestine andYemen taking advantage of British exper-tise especially in the fields of capacity

building for member countries of the Bank. Earlier in January 2009 in Riyadh, the two sides had

inked a memorandum of understanding agreeing on aframework for joint efforts in cooperation and coordinationin a number of areas of mutual interest, including provid-ing support for development and poverty alleviating effortsin accordance with the millennium development goals.

The Islamic Development Bank Group has so far con-tributed to 17 educational projects in favor of the Muslimcommunity in the United Kingdom mainly as grants worth$5.6 million.

British Secretary of State for Interna-tional Development Andrew Mitchell.

UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon



Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi, capi-tal of the United Arab Emirates, hosted the meeting of the24th Session of the Executive Committee of the OIC Par-liamentary Union held to discuss Member States proposalsconcerning the reform of statute and the development oftechnical action mechanisms of the Union's General Secre-tariat. Professor Mahmoud Arol Galig, Secretary Generalof the Union participated in the meeting.

The 'Abu Dhabi Declaration', issued at the end of themeeting of 24 October 2010, called the United Nations andall international and regional organizations of internationalinfluence to fulfill their international and legal obligationstowards reaching a just and permanent settlement for theArab-Israeli conflict and for the Palestinian cause pursuantto the relevant international resolutions.

The statement issued by the Executive Committeecalled on the OIC Parliamentary Union to take concretesteps through reinforcing contacts with all internationaland regional parliamentary organizations and specializedinternational organizations for an action to stop the Israelisettlements, particularly in Jerusalem, the attempt to juda-ize the occupied Palestinian territories, and to end theblockade on Gaza and the harmful effects that may resultfrom the Israeli government decision confirming the “Jew-ish character of Israel” as regards changing the demo-graphic structure of the holy city, its character and legalstatus.

The 'Abu Dhabi Declaration' called on the Union tomake the necessary contacts with OIC Secretariat as re-gards its contribution to the work of the GovernmentalGroup of Experts in charge of making proposals for apeaceful settlement to all conflicts in the Muslim Worldand cooperation in this regard, particularly in the frame-work of preventive diplomacy and parliamentary good of-fices.

The participants called for the need to take all effectivemeasures to enhance cooperation between OIC and theUnion in a way that makes the latter more effective in OICwork, and that activates the Union's role in its Islamicsphere.

The Declaration also welcomed the statement issued bythe Human Rights Council on 30 September 2010 regard-ing the threats to burn the Holy Qur'an, and called the in-ternational community to take concrete steps to end allkinds of religious extremism so as to reinforce cooperationand reciprocal respect among all religions and beliefs, andto confirm the need to deal positively with human values,divine laws and statutory laws that call for the respect ofbeliefs, freedom of worship and human rights.

The Declaration rejected all political and media allega-tions linking Islam with terrorism and defaming its divinesymbols. It called for the need to spread Islamic teachingsall over the world, and to introduce the values of our noble

OIC Parliamentary Union rejectsall Israeli measures in Jerusalem

religion to others, urging everyone to do their best to callfor stopping defamation of Islam in all its forms and fromall sources, and to seek the most effective ways and meansto defend the Islamic symbols through dialogue, wisdomand advice.

The Declaration stressed that the struggle of peoplesunder foreign occupation and their fight for their rights tofreedom and sovereignty is not, by any means, a terroristact.

It also highlighted the importance to devote parliamen-tary diplomacy to assert the legitimate rights of this Um-mah, and to defend it in international fora so as to liberateJerusalem, the Palestinian territory and to enable the Pales-tinian people of self-determination.

Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair, President of the Federal Na-tional Council in UAE and Chairman of the Session,warned in his opening address of the severe consequencesof Israel continued refusal to accede to the Nuclear Weap-ons Non-Proliferation Treaty, and to place all its nuclearfacilities under the comprehensive IAEA safeguards, em-phasizing the necessity to take concrete and urgent steps toestablish a nuclear weapon- free zone in the Middle East.

Al-Ghurair stressed that the security right of eachcountry in the region should be in balance with other coun-tries, so that no individual country or a group of countriesmay have privileges in security and armament at the ex-pense of another, underlining the need to consider the re-sults and recommendations of the “Non-Nuclear Prolifera-tion Review Conference 2010” during the next meeting ofthe Union's Council, particularly in the framework of theconference direct encouragement to all parties to take ur-gent and concrete actions to establish a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

Al-Ghurair said the meeting's objective was to ex-plore the best ways to address the various threat and chal-lenges that face the Muslim Ummah, noting that what isincluded in the agenda of the Executive Committee meet-ing as regards upgrading the Union's Secretariat and en-hancing its role is very important for the Union.

The President of the Federal National Council inUAE stressed that enhancing the Union's work in the com-ing phase to enable it to undertake its role requires rein-forcing the relationship with OIC and allowing that rela-tion to develop in a way that enables the Union of highinfluence in the OIC functions in a framework that makesthe OIC take into account the Union's resolutions andwork to implement them through governments, which willmake the Union's resolutions more important and more ef-fective.

The Executive Committee has nine State Membersof the OIC. In addition to the UAE, the host country, therewere delegates from Egypt, Indonesia, Uganda, Saudi Ara-bia, Algeria, Iran, Turkey, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

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WORLD AFFAIRS

British Secretary of State forInternational Development visits OIC and IDB

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - British Secre-tary of State for International DevelopmentAndrew Mitchell met with OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at OICHeadquarters in Jeddah on 25 October2010. The Secretary of State was accompa-nied by a five-member delegation includingthe new UK Ambassador to Saudi ArabiaHM Ambassador Sir Tom Phillips.

The Secretary of State briefed the Secre-tary General on the policy of the new Coali-tion Government on issues related to inter-national development and their specificresult oriented approach. He expressed hisgovernment's willingness to work in part-nership with the OIC in the humanitarianfield in particular in places where the OICenjoys comparative advantages comparedto its western counterparts. The SecretaryGeneral welcomed the idea of having closercooperation between the OIC and the UKand briefed the Secretary of State on the ac-tivities of the OIC in the humanitarian field i.e. in Gaza,Pakistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Yemen etc. MP Mitchell re-ferred to the appointment of HM Consul General KateRudd as the UK Special Envoy to the OIC as an indicationof his government's intent to strengthen the UK-OIC rela-tions.

Earlier in the day, MP Mitchell was received by Am-bassador Atta El-Manan Bakhiet, OIC Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs at his office. Both dele-gations had detailed discussion on the possible ways andmeans of enhancing cooperation and collaboration between

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Organizationof the Islamic Conference (OIC) is determinedto expand its cooperation agreements with theUnited Nations in seeking solutions to a widerange of global problems, chief among which isthe Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East andstability in Iraq and Afghanistan.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hadexpressed his appreciation of the major roleplayed by the OIC on the issues of Al-Quds,Darfur, Somalia, Sudan, Mauritania, and Guin-ea and on other global issues.

At the meetings of the 65th Session of theUN General Assembly, Ban Ki-moon stated that“the OIC is a strategic and crucial partner of the UnitedNations and plays a significant role in helping to resolve awide range of issues facing the world community”.

Ban Ki-moon added: “I have been pleased to note thesolidarity of Islamic countries with Afghanistan, the gener-ous assistance provided, and the clear stand against terror-

ism”. In this vein, the OIC indicated that the situa-

tion in Afghanistan is a subject of particular at-tention to the OIC and that a special envoy hasbeen appointed to Afghanistan.

Concerning Ban Ki-moon's aspirations forthe support of the Organization of the IslamicConference in Southern Sudan, the OIC willhelp develop the capacities of institutions inSouthern Sudan, regardless of the outcome ofthe referendum.

The relation between the OIC and the UN isa new model of cooperation in facing global chal-lenges in political, humanitarian and economic

fields, as well as in issues related to human development,science and technology, human rights, refugees and migra-tion. The OIC believes that there is a need for further coop-eration with UN programs, agencies and funds, insisting onthe necessity to address the weaknesses in bilateral cooper-ation between the two organizations.

Ban Ki-moon: The OIC is a strategicand crucial partner of the United Nations

the OIC and the UK in particular in provid-ing humanitarian assistance to the victimsof both manmade and natural disasters.Both sides agreed on having continuedcontact in this regard.

Mitchell also met the President of theIslamic Development Bank Group Dr. Ah-mad Mohamed Ali at the Bank's Headquar-ters in Jeddah. During the meeting at IDB,the two sides discussed ways for coordinat-ing efforts to assist Pakistan with overcom-ing the aftermath of the recent destructiveflooding and exchanged views on partici-pating in the upcoming Pakistan Develop-ment Forum slated for mid November,2010, in Islamabad. Dr. Ali and AndrewMitchell also touched upon coordinatingefforts aimed at upgrading developmentand alleviating poverty in IDB membercountries particularly in Palestine andYemen taking advantage of British exper-tise especially in the fields of capacity

building for member countries of the Bank. Earlier in January 2009 in Riyadh, the two sides had

inked a memorandum of understanding agreeing on aframework for joint efforts in cooperation and coordinationin a number of areas of mutual interest, including provid-ing support for development and poverty alleviating effortsin accordance with the millennium development goals.

The Islamic Development Bank Group has so far con-tributed to 17 educational projects in favor of the Muslimcommunity in the United Kingdom mainly as grants worth$5.6 million.

British Secretary of State for Interna-tional Development Andrew Mitchell.

UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon



WORLD AFFAIRS

Ihsanoglu discusses Islamophobia and defamation ofreligions with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu discussed on 16 September 2010 in Geneva severalimportant issues with Navenathem Pillay, the UN High Com-missioner for Human Rights. He also updated the High Com-missioner on the establishment of the OIC Independent Per-manent Commission on Human Rights. The SecretaryGeneral emphasized that the Commission would mark thebeginning of a new era at the OIC with the mainstreaming ofhuman rights matters in the agenda and the work of the Or-ganization.

On the issue of Israeli aggression on the Freedom Flotil-la, a fact finding Mission on the tragic episode by the HumanRights Council was formed upon the insistence and initiativeof the OIC in accordance with the decision taken at the Meet-ing of the Executive Committee held in Jeddah. He recalledthat OIC had played a similarly active role in commissioningthe Goldstone Report.

He informed the High Commissioner with regard to theOIC's strong condemnation of the unfortunate hoax regard-ing 'Burning the Koran Day' and emphasized the establish-ment of an Observatory at the Office of the High Commis-sioner in the interest of instituting an internationalMonitoring Mechanism to document such matters that posedgrave danger to global peace, security and stability.

The Secretary General also raised other matters of impor-tance to the OIC including the “Resolution on Defamation ofReligions”, and the assistance and support for the OIC'sCommission on Human Rights to be established later thisyear.

The High Commissioner in turn informed the SecretaryGeneral with regard to progress on the Fact Finding Mission.Pillay assured full support and cooperation of her Office dur-ing and after the establishment of the OIC Independent Per-manent Commission on Human Rights. She also assured tolook into reviving the issue of the Observatory and requestedfor OIC participation as a cross regional organization in allforthcoming regional workshops on incitement to hatred.

The meeting was held at the Office of the High Commis-sioner and ended with agreement on continuation of coordi-nation and cooperation between the two bodies on all matterscommon to the respective agenda.

OIC Secretary General urges OICGroup in Geneva for greater unity

During his presence in Geneva, the Secretary General ad-dressed a meeting of the Permanent Representatives to theUN of the OIC Member States. The Secretary General ex-pressed his appreciation to the role played by the OIC Grouptowards enhancing the visibility and credibility of OIC.

He emphasized the need for improved coordination andgreater unity in the ranks with a view to presenting a unifiedstance on issues of importance to the OIC, including the Def-amation of Religions. The Secretary General informed thePermanent Representatives that the initiative taken by theOIC Group towards commissioning the Goldstone Reportmust be built upon and maintained in dealing with similar sit-uations of vital concern to the OIC, like the Israeli aggres-sion on Freedom Flotilla.

Addressing the Human Rights Council, OIC Chief ex-presses regret at increasing acts of Islamophobia

The Secretary General made a special statement at the15th Session of the Human Rights Council during his visit toGeneva, wherein he expressed profound regret and deep con-cern at the increasing acts of Islamophobia and violenceagainst Muslims with reference to the recent unfortunate epi-sode pertaining to 'Burn a Koran Day'.

The Secretary General called for strong condemnation bythe international community both in terms of policy andpractice against all xenophobic campaigns of fear mongeringand discriminatory measures. He reiterated OIC's calls for anormative approach to deal with defamation of all religionsand protection of the human rights of their followers. He em-phasized that the international community should stand unit-ed against such events that endangered peaceful coexistencebetween nations and created environment conducive to vio-lence and violation of human rights of individuals and com-munities.

He further emphasized the active role the Council had toplay in this regard. Ihsanoglu specified concrete measures tobe taken by states with a view to fostering an environment ofrespect for all religions.

The Secretary General expressed his appreciation of thestrong statements made by the US President Barak Obama,Secretary of State Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Mer-kel, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Vatican aswell as other members of international community againstthe outrageous announcement pertaining to 'Burn a KoranDay'.

OIC Chief calls for intensive cultural diplomacy andmultilateral efforts to combat Islamophobia

Secretary General Ihsanoglu was a guest speaker at thefifth edition of the 'Geneva Lecture Series' by United NationsInstitute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He lent hisperspective to a distinguished gathering of diplomats, acade-mician, intelligentsia and international civil servants on“Building Bridges: Intercultural Dialogue, Identities and Mi-grations”.

In his lecture, the Secretary General emphasized thatshared human values as well as identities of migrants neededto be protected in the era of globalization wherein the phe-nomena of migration was essentially economic in nature in-duced by the prevailing interconnectivity of our times. Con-tending that Muslims' contributions had helped evolve thecontemporary European identity, he expressed concern at theIslamophobic campaign launched by motivated individualsand groups against Muslims and Islam.

Prof. Ihsanoglu classified contemporary form of racismas bad economics and dangerous politics. He added that thecurrent practice of promoting and protecting identities on thebasis of difference was antithetical to the very essence of glo-balization and emphasized the need for 'ethical globalization'wherein every cultural identity could be maintained.

He stressed that any discussion on the interlinked issuesof migration, identity and the need for intercultural dialoguewill have to be contextualized in this era of globalization,which constitute the defining characteristics of our times.The Secretary General, highlighting the importance of creat-ing spaces for intercultural dialogue warned against leavingspaces to be filled in and agenda to be hijacked by the radi-cals.

The Secretary General reiterated his call for an historicalreconciliation between Islam and Christianity, and suggestedthe evolution of a new social contract in the run-up to theknowledge society in the global village. He proposed thatgood governance of globalization; sustained, constructiveand result oriented engagement on all issues, including mi-gration; multiculturalism; and evaluation of norms geared to-wards ensuring respect of human rights of all without dis-crimination formed part of such a contract. He alsoemphasized that the western world go beyond expressions ofgood intent and event-based calls for inter cultural dialogueand place a premium on cultural diplomacy.

OIC and France hold first political consultations in ParisParis, France - The first round of

political consultations between theOrganization of Islamic Conference(OIC) and France was held on 5 Oc-tober at the French Ministry of For-eign and European Affairs at Quaid'Orsai in Paris.

The meeting addressed issues ofhuman rights, Alliance of Civiliza-

tions, prevention and resolution ofconflicts, peace-building, combatingterrorism and extremism as well asthe latest developments in Africa andthe Middle East and current politicalissues.

The political consultations be-tween OIC and France were held as afollow up to the agreement between

the Secretary General of OIC and theFrench Foreign Minister as a regularmechanism in order to jointly-examine issues of mutual interest andconcern.

The OIC delegation to these con-sultations was led by the DirectorGeneral of Political Affairs Depart-ment Ambassador Mahdi Fathallah.

Sayeeda Warsi: The British governmentviews the OIC as a very important organization

International Development and theIslamic Development Bank (IDB) tosend a secondment from DFID to theIDB, which was announced duringSecretary of State Andrew Mitchell'svisit last month.

Warsi had completed Haj the daybefore calling upon the SecretaryGeneral. After meeting him shespoke with the OIC Journal aboutthe meeting. “The British govern-ment views the OIC as a very impor-tant organization which we want todeepen our relationships and ourlinks with,” emphasized Baronesswarsi.

During her meeting with Secre-tary General Ihsanoglu she discussedtwo things: formalizing the areaswhere Britain and the OIC can de-velop stronger relationships, such ason Afghanistan and Islamophobia, inorder to better follow up on progressmade, and to formalize the role ofthe UK Special Representative to theOIC.

Speaking about Islamophobiaparticularly considering that she isthe first British Muslim to be ap-pointed in cabinet in the history ofBritain, she said that it was a tremen-dous moment of pride and humilityfor her, and that British Muslimshave a history of progress and contri-butions in Britain in different fields,but more needs to be done especiallyin the face of the rise of far rightmovements. Nevertheless, she feelsthat in many ways Britain is farahead of many of its European part-ners in the way it integrates its di-verse religious and racial communi-ties. “Integration is at its best whenyou give people the opportunity toengage so they don't face barriers be-cause of their religion or race fromachieving things,” she said.

However, she clarified that a

challenge in Britain has been not toconfuse integration and extremism,and that one of the first moves of thenew coalition government is to dis-connect the two even in terms of thedifferent government departmentsthat are dealing with integration anddealing with extremism. “Differentreligious or racial communities havehistorically and now had extremistsamongst them, and yes, of course,within the Muslim community thereare extremists who do more harm tothe reputation of Islam than anyoneelse, but I do not think that we needto confuse the two.”

As for the role of the OIC in thatregard, she said, “I think the OIC is avery powerful voice because it speaksfor so many different nations, and Ithink it is a very constructive voice.”She recommends for the OIC, on theissue of Islamophobia, to work withindividual EU member states, and re-iterated that Britain is keen on work-ing on this with the OIC.

And on the burqa debate, whichlately has been a hotly contested is-sue across Europe, Warsi said thatwhat women choose to wear is entire-ly a matter for them. “In my country,we had a debate less than a hundredyears ago about the rights of womenand the emancipation of women, andwe don't tell women their skirts aretoo short and we don't tell womentheir veils are too long,” she added.

Furthermore, the fact that she wasappointed as cabinet member andthree other Muslim women wereelected in parliament in addition toother positive roles they play in soci-ety indicates the huge progress madeas far as British Muslim women areconcerned, which is counter to someanti-Islamic views the public mayhave about Muslim women.

by Maha AkeelJeddah, Saudi Arabia - Secretary

General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu met British Cabinet Minis-ter Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the firstMuslim British Minister, at the OIC'sHeadquarters in Jeddah on 20 No-vember 2010. Secretary General Ih-sanoglu indicated his pleasure on thewillingness of the UK for furtherstrengthening relations with the OIC,as evident in the growing number ofhigh level officials from the UKmeeting with the OIC Secretary Gen-eral in recent months.

In their second meeting in sixmonths, Ihsanoglu and Warsi dis-cussed opportunities for deepeningUK-OIC relations. In addition, Bar-oness Warsi expressed her firm sup-port for the recent agreement be-tween the UK's Department of


WORLD AFFAIRS

Ihsanoglu discusses Islamophobia and defamation ofreligions with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu discussed on 16 September 2010 in Geneva severalimportant issues with Navenathem Pillay, the UN High Com-missioner for Human Rights. He also updated the High Com-missioner on the establishment of the OIC Independent Per-manent Commission on Human Rights. The SecretaryGeneral emphasized that the Commission would mark thebeginning of a new era at the OIC with the mainstreaming ofhuman rights matters in the agenda and the work of the Or-ganization.

On the issue of Israeli aggression on the Freedom Flotil-la, a fact finding Mission on the tragic episode by the HumanRights Council was formed upon the insistence and initiativeof the OIC in accordance with the decision taken at the Meet-ing of the Executive Committee held in Jeddah. He recalledthat OIC had played a similarly active role in commissioningthe Goldstone Report.

He informed the High Commissioner with regard to theOIC's strong condemnation of the unfortunate hoax regard-ing 'Burning the Koran Day' and emphasized the establish-ment of an Observatory at the Office of the High Commis-sioner in the interest of instituting an internationalMonitoring Mechanism to document such matters that posedgrave danger to global peace, security and stability.

The Secretary General also raised other matters of impor-tance to the OIC including the “Resolution on Defamation ofReligions”, and the assistance and support for the OIC'sCommission on Human Rights to be established later thisyear.

The High Commissioner in turn informed the SecretaryGeneral with regard to progress on the Fact Finding Mission.Pillay assured full support and cooperation of her Office dur-ing and after the establishment of the OIC Independent Per-manent Commission on Human Rights. She also assured tolook into reviving the issue of the Observatory and requestedfor OIC participation as a cross regional organization in allforthcoming regional workshops on incitement to hatred.

The meeting was held at the Office of the High Commis-sioner and ended with agreement on continuation of coordi-nation and cooperation between the two bodies on all matterscommon to the respective agenda.

OIC Secretary General urges OICGroup in Geneva for greater unity

During his presence in Geneva, the Secretary General ad-dressed a meeting of the Permanent Representatives to theUN of the OIC Member States. The Secretary General ex-pressed his appreciation to the role played by the OIC Grouptowards enhancing the visibility and credibility of OIC.

He emphasized the need for improved coordination andgreater unity in the ranks with a view to presenting a unifiedstance on issues of importance to the OIC, including the Def-amation of Religions. The Secretary General informed thePermanent Representatives that the initiative taken by theOIC Group towards commissioning the Goldstone Reportmust be built upon and maintained in dealing with similar sit-uations of vital concern to the OIC, like the Israeli aggres-sion on Freedom Flotilla.

Addressing the Human Rights Council, OIC Chief ex-presses regret at increasing acts of Islamophobia

The Secretary General made a special statement at the15th Session of the Human Rights Council during his visit toGeneva, wherein he expressed profound regret and deep con-cern at the increasing acts of Islamophobia and violenceagainst Muslims with reference to the recent unfortunate epi-sode pertaining to 'Burn a Koran Day'.

The Secretary General called for strong condemnation bythe international community both in terms of policy andpractice against all xenophobic campaigns of fear mongeringand discriminatory measures. He reiterated OIC's calls for anormative approach to deal with defamation of all religionsand protection of the human rights of their followers. He em-phasized that the international community should stand unit-ed against such events that endangered peaceful coexistencebetween nations and created environment conducive to vio-lence and violation of human rights of individuals and com-munities.

He further emphasized the active role the Council had toplay in this regard. Ihsanoglu specified concrete measures tobe taken by states with a view to fostering an environment ofrespect for all religions.

The Secretary General expressed his appreciation of thestrong statements made by the US President Barak Obama,Secretary of State Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Mer-kel, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Vatican aswell as other members of international community againstthe outrageous announcement pertaining to 'Burn a KoranDay'.

OIC Chief calls for intensive cultural diplomacy andmultilateral efforts to combat Islamophobia

Secretary General Ihsanoglu was a guest speaker at thefifth edition of the 'Geneva Lecture Series' by United NationsInstitute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He lent hisperspective to a distinguished gathering of diplomats, acade-mician, intelligentsia and international civil servants on“Building Bridges: Intercultural Dialogue, Identities and Mi-grations”.

In his lecture, the Secretary General emphasized thatshared human values as well as identities of migrants neededto be protected in the era of globalization wherein the phe-nomena of migration was essentially economic in nature in-duced by the prevailing interconnectivity of our times. Con-tending that Muslims' contributions had helped evolve thecontemporary European identity, he expressed concern at theIslamophobic campaign launched by motivated individualsand groups against Muslims and Islam.

Prof. Ihsanoglu classified contemporary form of racismas bad economics and dangerous politics. He added that thecurrent practice of promoting and protecting identities on thebasis of difference was antithetical to the very essence of glo-balization and emphasized the need for 'ethical globalization'wherein every cultural identity could be maintained.

He stressed that any discussion on the interlinked issuesof migration, identity and the need for intercultural dialoguewill have to be contextualized in this era of globalization,which constitute the defining characteristics of our times.The Secretary General, highlighting the importance of creat-ing spaces for intercultural dialogue warned against leavingspaces to be filled in and agenda to be hijacked by the radi-cals.

The Secretary General reiterated his call for an historicalreconciliation between Islam and Christianity, and suggestedthe evolution of a new social contract in the run-up to theknowledge society in the global village. He proposed thatgood governance of globalization; sustained, constructiveand result oriented engagement on all issues, including mi-gration; multiculturalism; and evaluation of norms geared to-wards ensuring respect of human rights of all without dis-crimination formed part of such a contract. He alsoemphasized that the western world go beyond expressions ofgood intent and event-based calls for inter cultural dialogueand place a premium on cultural diplomacy.

OIC and France hold first political consultations in ParisParis, France - The first round of

political consultations between theOrganization of Islamic Conference(OIC) and France was held on 5 Oc-tober at the French Ministry of For-eign and European Affairs at Quaid'Orsai in Paris.

The meeting addressed issues ofhuman rights, Alliance of Civiliza-

tions, prevention and resolution ofconflicts, peace-building, combatingterrorism and extremism as well asthe latest developments in Africa andthe Middle East and current politicalissues.

The political consultations be-tween OIC and France were held as afollow up to the agreement between

the Secretary General of OIC and theFrench Foreign Minister as a regularmechanism in order to jointly-examine issues of mutual interest andconcern.

The OIC delegation to these con-sultations was led by the DirectorGeneral of Political Affairs Depart-ment Ambassador Mahdi Fathallah.

Sayeeda Warsi: The British governmentviews the OIC as a very important organization

International Development and theIslamic Development Bank (IDB) tosend a secondment from DFID to theIDB, which was announced duringSecretary of State Andrew Mitchell'svisit last month.

Warsi had completed Haj the daybefore calling upon the SecretaryGeneral. After meeting him shespoke with the OIC Journal aboutthe meeting. “The British govern-ment views the OIC as a very impor-tant organization which we want todeepen our relationships and ourlinks with,” emphasized Baronesswarsi.

During her meeting with Secre-tary General Ihsanoglu she discussedtwo things: formalizing the areaswhere Britain and the OIC can de-velop stronger relationships, such ason Afghanistan and Islamophobia, inorder to better follow up on progressmade, and to formalize the role ofthe UK Special Representative to theOIC.

Speaking about Islamophobiaparticularly considering that she isthe first British Muslim to be ap-pointed in cabinet in the history ofBritain, she said that it was a tremen-dous moment of pride and humilityfor her, and that British Muslimshave a history of progress and contri-butions in Britain in different fields,but more needs to be done especiallyin the face of the rise of far rightmovements. Nevertheless, she feelsthat in many ways Britain is farahead of many of its European part-ners in the way it integrates its di-verse religious and racial communi-ties. “Integration is at its best whenyou give people the opportunity toengage so they don't face barriers be-cause of their religion or race fromachieving things,” she said.

However, she clarified that a

challenge in Britain has been not toconfuse integration and extremism,and that one of the first moves of thenew coalition government is to dis-connect the two even in terms of thedifferent government departmentsthat are dealing with integration anddealing with extremism. “Differentreligious or racial communities havehistorically and now had extremistsamongst them, and yes, of course,within the Muslim community thereare extremists who do more harm tothe reputation of Islam than anyoneelse, but I do not think that we needto confuse the two.”

As for the role of the OIC in thatregard, she said, “I think the OIC is avery powerful voice because it speaksfor so many different nations, and Ithink it is a very constructive voice.”She recommends for the OIC, on theissue of Islamophobia, to work withindividual EU member states, and re-iterated that Britain is keen on work-ing on this with the OIC.

And on the burqa debate, whichlately has been a hotly contested is-sue across Europe, Warsi said thatwhat women choose to wear is entire-ly a matter for them. “In my country,we had a debate less than a hundredyears ago about the rights of womenand the emancipation of women, andwe don't tell women their skirts aretoo short and we don't tell womentheir veils are too long,” she added.

Furthermore, the fact that she wasappointed as cabinet member andthree other Muslim women wereelected in parliament in addition toother positive roles they play in soci-ety indicates the huge progress madeas far as British Muslim women areconcerned, which is counter to someanti-Islamic views the public mayhave about Muslim women.

by Maha AkeelJeddah, Saudi Arabia - Secretary

General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu met British Cabinet Minis-ter Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the firstMuslim British Minister, at the OIC'sHeadquarters in Jeddah on 20 No-vember 2010. Secretary General Ih-sanoglu indicated his pleasure on thewillingness of the UK for furtherstrengthening relations with the OIC,as evident in the growing number ofhigh level officials from the UKmeeting with the OIC Secretary Gen-eral in recent months.

In their second meeting in sixmonths, Ihsanoglu and Warsi dis-cussed opportunities for deepeningUK-OIC relations. In addition, Bar-oness Warsi expressed her firm sup-port for the recent agreement be-tween the UK's Department of


WORLD AFFAIRS

OIC welcomes international call toplace Israel’s nuclear facilities under IAEA

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), EkmeleddinIhsanoglu, has welcomed the recent call on Israel by theDirector General of the IAEA to consider signing up theNuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and place its nucle-ar facilities under the IAEA safeguards.

While noting that proliferation of nuclear weapons inthe Middle East constitutes a grave danger to international

peace and security, the Secretary General reiterated thelong standing position of the OIC in supporting the estab-lishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the MiddleEast. He urged the international community to exert morepressure on Israel to renounce possession of its nuclearweapons, to accede promptly to the NPT and to place allits nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguardsregime of the IAEA.

OIC hails UN Resolution on Jordan’s proposal forWorld Interfaith Harmony Week

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu hailed the passing of the UN General AssemblyResolution proclaiming the first week of February eachyear as the 'World Interfaith Harmony Week'.

He highlighted the fact that the UN resolution falls inline with OIC policies, including the initiative for interfaithdialogue by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques KingAbdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.

The OIC Secretary General extended his warm felicita-tions and congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah IIof Jordan for his vision and wisdom in initiating the propo-OIC participates as observer

in the 3rd Africa-EuropeanUnion Summit

Exhaustive study to be prepared on the establishmentof a Peace and Security Department at the OIC

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The second meeting of the In-tergovernmental Group of Experts on the Future Role ofthe OIC in the Maintenance Security, Peace-Keeping andConflict Resolution concluded on 7 December 2010 at theOIC Headquarters in Jeddah.

Addressing the IGGE meeting in its opening on 6 De-cember, the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglusaid that "It is my fervent hope that because time is of es-sence this meeting will finalize all discussions especiallyon such key proposals that will enrich the study undertakenby the General Secretariat on the creation of the Peace andSecurity Department".

In the speech, which was read on his behalf by the As-sistant Secretary General for Political Affairs AmbassadorAbdallah bin Abderrrahman Alim, the OIC Secretary Gen-eral recalled the valuable contributions made by variousdelegations during the first meeting on the future role ofthe OIC in the maintenance of peace and security, and con-flict resolution.

He added that the new Charter and the OIC Ten YearProgram of Action seek to empower the OIC General Sec-retariat and the Member States to confront the challengesof the 21st century, and noted that despite the sensitive na-ture of the subject and the need to conduct exhaustive dis-

cussions, this meeting requires to make substantial progressby making concrete and far reaching proposals that will en-able the OIC decisively address the numerous peace and se-curity problems retarding the progress of the MemberStates.

The Secretary General stressed that these issues will, asusual, feature high on the agenda of the forthcoming 12thIslamic Summit to be held next March in Sharm El-Sheikh,Arab Republic of Egypt.

At the conclusion of the meeting, it was agreed to con-tinue consultations on the issue once the General Secretariathas prepared an exhaustive study on the establishment of a'Peace and Security Department' at the OIC General Secre-tariat. The issue is expected to be examined at the 38th Ses-sion of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Astana,Kazakhstan.

As mandated by the CFM, the meeting discussed thedifferent aspects related to the future role of OIC in themaintenance of security, peace-keeping and conflict resolu-tion.

The meeting also commended the efforts of the OICSecretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in the field of pre-ventive diplomacy and mediation in the Muslim World, andurged him to continue his action and to intensify his goodoffices in this regard.

Message of OIC on International Human Rights DayThe Organization of the Islamic

Conference joins the internationalcommunity on this day in its obser-vance of the International HumanRights Day 2010 (10 December).The OIC is deeply committed to theHuman Rights and in upholding thenoble principles enshrined in the Uni-versal Declaration of Human Rightsof 1948. This Day is, therefore, ofparticular significance to the OIC andis being observed by all MemberStates in a befitting manner.

“I am happy that the theme for2010 for the observance of the Day is'human rights defenders who act toend discrimination'. The Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference be-lieves that it is a fitting theme thatshould bind the international commu-nity to stand up against all forms ofdiscrimination. This year's themeshould also be an inspiration to all

who believe in the sanctity of humanrights to protect individuals, familiesand people in general, against dis-crimination, negative stereotyping andintolerance on account of religious be-liefs, diverse cultural and civilization-al backgrounds.

The OIC's unwavering commit-ment to uphold human rights is re-flected in the decision taken by theleadership of the 57-member Organi-zation at the Third Extra-ordinarySummit in Makkah in 2005 to estab-lish the OIC Independent PermanentCommission on Human Rights(IPCHR). The proposed Commissionwas accorded a statutory status at the11th Summit in Dakar in 2008. Theunanimous decision to establish theCommission reflects the resolve ofthe continuation of a progressive ap-proach at the OIC in terms of main-streaming the human rights perspec-tive in the activities of the

sal and for its ultimate adoption by the world body.He called on the OIC Member States and the interna-

tional community to observe the World Interfaith HarmonyWeek every year in a befitting manner so as to help engen-der a culture of tolerance and understanding among diversefaiths and civilizations.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu further stated that promoting in-terfaith harmony lies at the heart of the priority accorded tocultural diplomacy of the OIC. He added that the obser-vance of the World Interfaith Harmony Week would servepeoples of all faiths and beliefs to coexist in peace, harmo-ny and goodwill.

OIC observers monitor legislative elections in KyrgyzstanBishkek, Kyrgyzstan - On the invitation of the govern-

ment of Kyrgyz Republic, a delegation of observers fromthe OIC General Secretariat took part in the monitoring ofthe legislative elections held on 10th October 2010. OICSecretary General congratulated Kyrgyz authorities andpeople for the smooth organization of the elections and thehigh turnout of voters in performing their civic duty incalm and democratic maturity.

On the eve of the elections, the OIC delegation was re-ceived by the Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affairs and helda meeting with the Chairman of the Central Election Com-mission.

The elections resulted in five parties winning seats in anew legislature designed to devolve power from the presi-dent to the prime minister. The vote failed to produce aclear winner in a country where tensions still run high aftermore than 400 people were killed in June during clashesbetween ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Organization aimed at enhancingcooperation among Member States.The Commission will validate thatuniversal human rights and freedomsflow together with Islamic values tooffer a coherent and strong protectionsystem aimed at facilitating the fullenjoyment of all human rights in theOIC Member States.

The establishment of the Depart-ment of Family Affairs in the OICGeneral Secretariat and emphasis onthe rights of children and activities ofyouth depict an integrated approach ofthe OIC in the domain of HumanRights.

Human Dignity and Human Rightsare sacred to humankind and we mustbe united in our determination andwill to protect and uphold it by endingdiscrimination and intolerance to en-sure peaceful and harmonious cohabi-tation for the present and the futuregenerations.

Tripoli, Libya - The OIC General Secretariat participat-ed, as observer, in the 3rd Africa-European Union Summit,which took place in Tripoli, Libya on 29-30 November2010. The Summit was attended by leaders and heads ofdelegations of 53 African countries and 26 European coun-tries, the African Union and the European Union commis-sions as well as observers from regional and internationalorganizations.

It discussed ways and means of strengthening partner-ship and cooperation between the two continents andadopted the action plan for the period 2011-2013 and theTripoli Declaration, which highlighted the strategic signifi-cance of the Africa-European Union relationships in allfields of cooperation.

The participation of the OIC in the Africa-EuropeanUnion Third Summit translates the recognition by the inter-national community of the importance of the growing roleof the OIC in the international arena and its involvement inregional and international affairs.

Somali President appointsnew Prime Minister

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluhas congratulated Mohamed Ab-dullahi Mohamed, the new PrimeMinister of Somalia, on his ap-pointment by President SheikhSharif Ahmed. Ihsanoglu urged thenew Prime Minister to act swiftlyto constitute an all inclusive andcohesive cabinet in order to con-clude the remaining tasks under thetransition. The Secretary Generalthen reiterated the determination ofthe OIC and its institutions to con-tinue to support the Transitional

Federal Government of Somalia in its peace building ef-forts.

Somalia's parliament approved on October 31 the So-mali-American Mohamed as the country's prime minister.

Prime Minister Mohamed

On December 15 three Kyrgyz political parties agreedto form a governing coalition, in a second attempt to buildan effective government.

Voters cast their ballots in Kyrgyzstan on 10 October 2010 (epa)


WORLD AFFAIRS

OIC welcomes international call toplace Israel’s nuclear facilities under IAEA

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), EkmeleddinIhsanoglu, has welcomed the recent call on Israel by theDirector General of the IAEA to consider signing up theNuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and place its nucle-ar facilities under the IAEA safeguards.

While noting that proliferation of nuclear weapons inthe Middle East constitutes a grave danger to international

peace and security, the Secretary General reiterated thelong standing position of the OIC in supporting the estab-lishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the MiddleEast. He urged the international community to exert morepressure on Israel to renounce possession of its nuclearweapons, to accede promptly to the NPT and to place allits nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguardsregime of the IAEA.

OIC hails UN Resolution on Jordan’s proposal forWorld Interfaith Harmony Week

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu hailed the passing of the UN General AssemblyResolution proclaiming the first week of February eachyear as the 'World Interfaith Harmony Week'.

He highlighted the fact that the UN resolution falls inline with OIC policies, including the initiative for interfaithdialogue by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques KingAbdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.

The OIC Secretary General extended his warm felicita-tions and congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah IIof Jordan for his vision and wisdom in initiating the propo-OIC participates as observer

in the 3rd Africa-EuropeanUnion Summit

Exhaustive study to be prepared on the establishmentof a Peace and Security Department at the OIC

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The second meeting of the In-tergovernmental Group of Experts on the Future Role ofthe OIC in the Maintenance Security, Peace-Keeping andConflict Resolution concluded on 7 December 2010 at theOIC Headquarters in Jeddah.

Addressing the IGGE meeting in its opening on 6 De-cember, the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglusaid that "It is my fervent hope that because time is of es-sence this meeting will finalize all discussions especiallyon such key proposals that will enrich the study undertakenby the General Secretariat on the creation of the Peace andSecurity Department".

In the speech, which was read on his behalf by the As-sistant Secretary General for Political Affairs AmbassadorAbdallah bin Abderrrahman Alim, the OIC Secretary Gen-eral recalled the valuable contributions made by variousdelegations during the first meeting on the future role ofthe OIC in the maintenance of peace and security, and con-flict resolution.

He added that the new Charter and the OIC Ten YearProgram of Action seek to empower the OIC General Sec-retariat and the Member States to confront the challengesof the 21st century, and noted that despite the sensitive na-ture of the subject and the need to conduct exhaustive dis-

cussions, this meeting requires to make substantial progressby making concrete and far reaching proposals that will en-able the OIC decisively address the numerous peace and se-curity problems retarding the progress of the MemberStates.

The Secretary General stressed that these issues will, asusual, feature high on the agenda of the forthcoming 12thIslamic Summit to be held next March in Sharm El-Sheikh,Arab Republic of Egypt.

At the conclusion of the meeting, it was agreed to con-tinue consultations on the issue once the General Secretariathas prepared an exhaustive study on the establishment of a'Peace and Security Department' at the OIC General Secre-tariat. The issue is expected to be examined at the 38th Ses-sion of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Astana,Kazakhstan.

As mandated by the CFM, the meeting discussed thedifferent aspects related to the future role of OIC in themaintenance of security, peace-keeping and conflict resolu-tion.

The meeting also commended the efforts of the OICSecretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in the field of pre-ventive diplomacy and mediation in the Muslim World, andurged him to continue his action and to intensify his goodoffices in this regard.

Message of OIC on International Human Rights DayThe Organization of the Islamic

Conference joins the internationalcommunity on this day in its obser-vance of the International HumanRights Day 2010 (10 December).The OIC is deeply committed to theHuman Rights and in upholding thenoble principles enshrined in the Uni-versal Declaration of Human Rightsof 1948. This Day is, therefore, ofparticular significance to the OIC andis being observed by all MemberStates in a befitting manner.

“I am happy that the theme for2010 for the observance of the Day is'human rights defenders who act toend discrimination'. The Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference be-lieves that it is a fitting theme thatshould bind the international commu-nity to stand up against all forms ofdiscrimination. This year's themeshould also be an inspiration to all

who believe in the sanctity of humanrights to protect individuals, familiesand people in general, against dis-crimination, negative stereotyping andintolerance on account of religious be-liefs, diverse cultural and civilization-al backgrounds.

The OIC's unwavering commit-ment to uphold human rights is re-flected in the decision taken by theleadership of the 57-member Organi-zation at the Third Extra-ordinarySummit in Makkah in 2005 to estab-lish the OIC Independent PermanentCommission on Human Rights(IPCHR). The proposed Commissionwas accorded a statutory status at the11th Summit in Dakar in 2008. Theunanimous decision to establish theCommission reflects the resolve ofthe continuation of a progressive ap-proach at the OIC in terms of main-streaming the human rights perspec-tive in the activities of the

sal and for its ultimate adoption by the world body.He called on the OIC Member States and the interna-

tional community to observe the World Interfaith HarmonyWeek every year in a befitting manner so as to help engen-der a culture of tolerance and understanding among diversefaiths and civilizations.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu further stated that promoting in-terfaith harmony lies at the heart of the priority accorded tocultural diplomacy of the OIC. He added that the obser-vance of the World Interfaith Harmony Week would servepeoples of all faiths and beliefs to coexist in peace, harmo-ny and goodwill.

OIC observers monitor legislative elections in KyrgyzstanBishkek, Kyrgyzstan - On the invitation of the govern-

ment of Kyrgyz Republic, a delegation of observers fromthe OIC General Secretariat took part in the monitoring ofthe legislative elections held on 10th October 2010. OICSecretary General congratulated Kyrgyz authorities andpeople for the smooth organization of the elections and thehigh turnout of voters in performing their civic duty incalm and democratic maturity.

On the eve of the elections, the OIC delegation was re-ceived by the Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affairs and helda meeting with the Chairman of the Central Election Com-mission.

The elections resulted in five parties winning seats in anew legislature designed to devolve power from the presi-dent to the prime minister. The vote failed to produce aclear winner in a country where tensions still run high aftermore than 400 people were killed in June during clashesbetween ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Organization aimed at enhancingcooperation among Member States.The Commission will validate thatuniversal human rights and freedomsflow together with Islamic values tooffer a coherent and strong protectionsystem aimed at facilitating the fullenjoyment of all human rights in theOIC Member States.

The establishment of the Depart-ment of Family Affairs in the OICGeneral Secretariat and emphasis onthe rights of children and activities ofyouth depict an integrated approach ofthe OIC in the domain of HumanRights.

Human Dignity and Human Rightsare sacred to humankind and we mustbe united in our determination andwill to protect and uphold it by endingdiscrimination and intolerance to en-sure peaceful and harmonious cohabi-tation for the present and the futuregenerations.

Tripoli, Libya - The OIC General Secretariat participat-ed, as observer, in the 3rd Africa-European Union Summit,which took place in Tripoli, Libya on 29-30 November2010. The Summit was attended by leaders and heads ofdelegations of 53 African countries and 26 European coun-tries, the African Union and the European Union commis-sions as well as observers from regional and internationalorganizations.

It discussed ways and means of strengthening partner-ship and cooperation between the two continents andadopted the action plan for the period 2011-2013 and theTripoli Declaration, which highlighted the strategic signifi-cance of the Africa-European Union relationships in allfields of cooperation.

The participation of the OIC in the Africa-EuropeanUnion Third Summit translates the recognition by the inter-national community of the importance of the growing roleof the OIC in the international arena and its involvement inregional and international affairs.

Somali President appointsnew Prime Minister

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Secretary General of theOrganization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluhas congratulated Mohamed Ab-dullahi Mohamed, the new PrimeMinister of Somalia, on his ap-pointment by President SheikhSharif Ahmed. Ihsanoglu urged thenew Prime Minister to act swiftlyto constitute an all inclusive andcohesive cabinet in order to con-clude the remaining tasks under thetransition. The Secretary Generalthen reiterated the determination ofthe OIC and its institutions to con-tinue to support the Transitional

Federal Government of Somalia in its peace building ef-forts.

Somalia's parliament approved on October 31 the So-mali-American Mohamed as the country's prime minister.

Prime Minister Mohamed

On December 15 three Kyrgyz political parties agreedto form a governing coalition, in a second attempt to buildan effective government.

Voters cast their ballots in Kyrgyzstan on 10 October 2010 (epa)


Warsaw symposium: OIC emphasizes education,networking and human rights for Muslim minorities

WORLD AFFAIRS

links with other cultures,including the Muslim popu-lations in the world. He em-phasized the need to knowmore about each other'scultures. Michalowski sug-gested creating joint OIC-Polish development, humanrights and good-governanceprograms for third worldcountries. The SecretaryGeneral welcomed the ideaand proposed further con-tacts between the OIC andPoland.

The Secretary Generalalso met with the PolishMinister of Interior JerzyMiller who stressed that thestate treats the followers ofall religions equally and that the law protects the rights ofreligious minorities. Ihsanoglu requested the governmentof Poland to increase its positive expression towards Mus-lim Minorities within the European Union.

The symposium addressed the opportunities and chal-lenges facing Muslim communities and minorities in Eastand Central Europe; the role of Muslim communities andminorities in combating Islamophobia; their role in pro-moting inter-faith and intercultural dialogue; the role ofeducational institutions in preserving the Islamic identityin East and Central Europe; and the role of Islamic organi-zations and centers in promoting links between the Muslimcommunities and minorities in Central and Eastern Eu-rope, and the Muslim world.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, the Director ofMuslim Minorities and Communities Department in theOIC, Talal Daous, said that Muslim minorities can be thetarget of efforts aimed at alienating them from their relig-ious values and integrating them culturally into the largercommunity. With 500 million Muslims living in non-OICMember States spread across the four continents, especial-ly in Asia, Africa, Europe and the growing population inAmerica, the complexity of political, social, economic andcultural challenges facing these minorities have consistent-ly gained tremendous and critical importance for theOIC.

“Ever since the tragic events of 9/11, Muslimminorities and communities all over the worldhave faced dramatic ordeals. These problemscan also be classified as imported, or domestic,”said the Director.

However, he pointed out that the problemsand challenges confronting minorities arenot confined merely to Muslim minori-ties; rather, they often yield broaderimplications for many non-OIC Mem-ber Countries. Ethnic, cultural, lin-guistic, religious political peculiari-ties have led to the denial of minorityrights, he said.

After informative presentationsand intense discussions, the sympo-sium adopted a final communiquéwhich stressed the need for Muslimcommunities in Central and EasternEurope to enhance their cooperationand networking amongst themselves,with the rest of the Muslim world, with

by Maha AkeelWarsaw, Poland - The three-day symposium orga-

nized by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)on Muslim minorities and communities in Central andEastern Europe recommended implementing steps andmechanisms to improve the Islamic education system, net-working process and human rights conditions of theseMuslim communities.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu inaugurat-ed the 'Second Symposium on Muslim Minorities andCommunities in Central and Eastern Europe: Reality andPerspectives' in Warsaw, Poland on 8 December 2010. Inhis opening speech he stated that Muslim minorities mayarticulate for the protection of their religious, cultural, civ-il, political, economic and social rights, but this should bewithin the framework of respect for the sovereignty anddomestic rule of law of their countries of residence.

The other speakers in the opening ceremony were theUnder-Secretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hen-ryk Litwin on behalf of the Foreign Minister, the Mufti ofPoland Tomasz Ahmed Miskiewicz, the Director of De-partment for Denominations and National and Ethnic Mi-norities Jozef Rozanski on behalf of the Minister of Interi-or, Representative of the Council of Catholics andMuslims in Poland ks. Dr. Adam Was Svd, the Chairmanof the Diplomatic Corps of Islamic Countries Ambassadorof Algeria Abdelkader Khemri, and the Director of Mus-lim Minorities and Communities Department in the OICTalal Daous. A greeting letter was also read from the Pres-ident of Poland addressed to the symposium organizersand participants. In attendance were high Polish govern-ment officials and ambassadors of member and non-member states in Warsaw. Representatives of 23 countriesparticipated in the symposium, which was held under the

patronage of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Rados-low Sikorski and in coordination with the Muslim Relig-ious Union of Poland.

The Secretary General said in his speech that the OIChas heeded and responded to the concerns of Muslim mi-norities and communities in non-OIC Member States andset up a special department within the OIC in 1978 to ad-dress their issues. Ihsanoglu added that the OIC has pro-vided, through its Member States and specialized organs,multifaceted assistance in many domains, mainly in the ed-ucational field, to Muslim communities in non-Muslimcountries. However, he said that it is necessary to investmore in modern education, Islamic schools and religiouseducation to bring-up and shape well-equipped Muslims toassume a tangible and edifying role in society. He also em-phasized revitalizing the role of the mosque, not just as aplace for worship but also as the centerpiece of every Mus-lim society.

“Those who address Muslims and non-Muslims fromthe mosque should set the example of knowledge, modera-tion, tolerance and wisdom,” said Ihsanoglu. He reiteratedthe principled position of the OIC of moderation and mod-ernization while rejecting all forms of extremism and vio-lence. He also stressed that Europe is a home for Islam andnot a host.

During his visit to Warsaw the Secretary General had ameeting with the Head of the Chancellery of the Presidentof Poland Jacek Michalowski at the Presidential Palace.The Secretary General expressed the keenness of the OICto enlarge its scope of activities, establish contacts on bi-lateral and multilateral levels with countries and interna-tional organizations, and communicate with countrieswhere there are Muslim communities.

For his part, the Head of the Chancellery said that it isimportant for Poland as a “new democracy” to have good

the OIC and with organizations in Europe. It also stressedthe importance of improving Islamic education within thecontext of the local education system and on establishingendowments that support Muslim projects in Europe aswell as plans for the overall economic development ofMuslims in Europe.

There was also great emphasis on addressing the hu-man rights violations and infringements against Muslimsin some Eastern European countries. The symposiumstressed that Islamic organizations should utilize the facili-ties available in international human rights bodies, such asODIHR, UNCHR to fulfill their right in all matters of theirconcern. This included developing strategies to tackle Is-lamophobia particularly in the media and to raise the posi-tive profile of the Muslim community in the media. Con-ference participants condemned the violations of HumanRights wherever they occur.

The participants called for opportunities for Youthwhich would make them more active citizens in their com-munities, such as summer schools and vocational trainingprograms. They particularly noted the need to encouragethe Muslim youth to maintain their fealty to their faith, andtheir loyalty to their communities for the betterment of Eu-rope as a whole.

Commenting on the outcome and importance ofthe forum to the OIC Journal, the Mufti of PolandTomasz Ahmed Miskiewicz said that as Muslimsin Poland and as the Mufti of Poland the sympo-sium was important being the first such event for

Muslims in Central and Eastern Europe. He said itwas important due the information that was ex-

changed about the lives of Muslims in thecountries represented and in improving com-munication and cooperation among the Is-lamic institutions in these countries for pre-serving and defending Islamic identity andthe rights of Muslims. The Mufti stressedthat the symposium had added signifi-

cance of being organized by theOIC and with the attendance ofthe Secretary General who alsomet with Polish officials, whichgave Muslims in these countries

a feeling of being supported andattended to by the Islamic coun-

tries. He also stressed on the need to fol-low up on the recommendations.

The Islamic Center in Warsaw.

Mufti of PolandMiskiewicz


Warsaw symposium: OIC emphasizes education,networking and human rights for Muslim minorities

WORLD AFFAIRS

links with other cultures,including the Muslim popu-lations in the world. He em-phasized the need to knowmore about each other'scultures. Michalowski sug-gested creating joint OIC-Polish development, humanrights and good-governanceprograms for third worldcountries. The SecretaryGeneral welcomed the ideaand proposed further con-tacts between the OIC andPoland.

The Secretary Generalalso met with the PolishMinister of Interior JerzyMiller who stressed that thestate treats the followers ofall religions equally and that the law protects the rights ofreligious minorities. Ihsanoglu requested the governmentof Poland to increase its positive expression towards Mus-lim Minorities within the European Union.

The symposium addressed the opportunities and chal-lenges facing Muslim communities and minorities in Eastand Central Europe; the role of Muslim communities andminorities in combating Islamophobia; their role in pro-moting inter-faith and intercultural dialogue; the role ofeducational institutions in preserving the Islamic identityin East and Central Europe; and the role of Islamic organi-zations and centers in promoting links between the Muslimcommunities and minorities in Central and Eastern Eu-rope, and the Muslim world.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, the Director ofMuslim Minorities and Communities Department in theOIC, Talal Daous, said that Muslim minorities can be thetarget of efforts aimed at alienating them from their relig-ious values and integrating them culturally into the largercommunity. With 500 million Muslims living in non-OICMember States spread across the four continents, especial-ly in Asia, Africa, Europe and the growing population inAmerica, the complexity of political, social, economic andcultural challenges facing these minorities have consistent-ly gained tremendous and critical importance for theOIC.

“Ever since the tragic events of 9/11, Muslimminorities and communities all over the worldhave faced dramatic ordeals. These problemscan also be classified as imported, or domestic,”said the Director.

However, he pointed out that the problemsand challenges confronting minorities arenot confined merely to Muslim minori-ties; rather, they often yield broaderimplications for many non-OIC Mem-ber Countries. Ethnic, cultural, lin-guistic, religious political peculiari-ties have led to the denial of minorityrights, he said.

After informative presentationsand intense discussions, the sympo-sium adopted a final communiquéwhich stressed the need for Muslimcommunities in Central and EasternEurope to enhance their cooperationand networking amongst themselves,with the rest of the Muslim world, with

by Maha AkeelWarsaw, Poland - The three-day symposium orga-

nized by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)on Muslim minorities and communities in Central andEastern Europe recommended implementing steps andmechanisms to improve the Islamic education system, net-working process and human rights conditions of theseMuslim communities.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu inaugurat-ed the 'Second Symposium on Muslim Minorities andCommunities in Central and Eastern Europe: Reality andPerspectives' in Warsaw, Poland on 8 December 2010. Inhis opening speech he stated that Muslim minorities mayarticulate for the protection of their religious, cultural, civ-il, political, economic and social rights, but this should bewithin the framework of respect for the sovereignty anddomestic rule of law of their countries of residence.

The other speakers in the opening ceremony were theUnder-Secretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hen-ryk Litwin on behalf of the Foreign Minister, the Mufti ofPoland Tomasz Ahmed Miskiewicz, the Director of De-partment for Denominations and National and Ethnic Mi-norities Jozef Rozanski on behalf of the Minister of Interi-or, Representative of the Council of Catholics andMuslims in Poland ks. Dr. Adam Was Svd, the Chairmanof the Diplomatic Corps of Islamic Countries Ambassadorof Algeria Abdelkader Khemri, and the Director of Mus-lim Minorities and Communities Department in the OICTalal Daous. A greeting letter was also read from the Pres-ident of Poland addressed to the symposium organizersand participants. In attendance were high Polish govern-ment officials and ambassadors of member and non-member states in Warsaw. Representatives of 23 countriesparticipated in the symposium, which was held under the

patronage of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Rados-low Sikorski and in coordination with the Muslim Relig-ious Union of Poland.

The Secretary General said in his speech that the OIChas heeded and responded to the concerns of Muslim mi-norities and communities in non-OIC Member States andset up a special department within the OIC in 1978 to ad-dress their issues. Ihsanoglu added that the OIC has pro-vided, through its Member States and specialized organs,multifaceted assistance in many domains, mainly in the ed-ucational field, to Muslim communities in non-Muslimcountries. However, he said that it is necessary to investmore in modern education, Islamic schools and religiouseducation to bring-up and shape well-equipped Muslims toassume a tangible and edifying role in society. He also em-phasized revitalizing the role of the mosque, not just as aplace for worship but also as the centerpiece of every Mus-lim society.

“Those who address Muslims and non-Muslims fromthe mosque should set the example of knowledge, modera-tion, tolerance and wisdom,” said Ihsanoglu. He reiteratedthe principled position of the OIC of moderation and mod-ernization while rejecting all forms of extremism and vio-lence. He also stressed that Europe is a home for Islam andnot a host.

During his visit to Warsaw the Secretary General had ameeting with the Head of the Chancellery of the Presidentof Poland Jacek Michalowski at the Presidential Palace.The Secretary General expressed the keenness of the OICto enlarge its scope of activities, establish contacts on bi-lateral and multilateral levels with countries and interna-tional organizations, and communicate with countrieswhere there are Muslim communities.

For his part, the Head of the Chancellery said that it isimportant for Poland as a “new democracy” to have good

the OIC and with organizations in Europe. It also stressedthe importance of improving Islamic education within thecontext of the local education system and on establishingendowments that support Muslim projects in Europe aswell as plans for the overall economic development ofMuslims in Europe.

There was also great emphasis on addressing the hu-man rights violations and infringements against Muslimsin some Eastern European countries. The symposiumstressed that Islamic organizations should utilize the facili-ties available in international human rights bodies, such asODIHR, UNCHR to fulfill their right in all matters of theirconcern. This included developing strategies to tackle Is-lamophobia particularly in the media and to raise the posi-tive profile of the Muslim community in the media. Con-ference participants condemned the violations of HumanRights wherever they occur.

The participants called for opportunities for Youthwhich would make them more active citizens in their com-munities, such as summer schools and vocational trainingprograms. They particularly noted the need to encouragethe Muslim youth to maintain their fealty to their faith, andtheir loyalty to their communities for the betterment of Eu-rope as a whole.

Commenting on the outcome and importance ofthe forum to the OIC Journal, the Mufti of PolandTomasz Ahmed Miskiewicz said that as Muslimsin Poland and as the Mufti of Poland the sympo-sium was important being the first such event for

Muslims in Central and Eastern Europe. He said itwas important due the information that was ex-

changed about the lives of Muslims in thecountries represented and in improving com-munication and cooperation among the Is-lamic institutions in these countries for pre-serving and defending Islamic identity andthe rights of Muslims. The Mufti stressedthat the symposium had added signifi-

cance of being organized by theOIC and with the attendance ofthe Secretary General who alsomet with Polish officials, whichgave Muslims in these countries

a feeling of being supported andattended to by the Islamic coun-

tries. He also stressed on the need to fol-low up on the recommendations.

The Islamic Center in Warsaw.

Mufti of PolandMiskiewicz


war in December 2008 through Janu-ary 2009.

The housing project is also one ofthe noteworthy development pro-grams launched by the OIC delega-tion while in Gaza. This covered therenovation of 1700 housing units, theconstruction of 100 additional unitsand the handing over of 700 units tothe affected people, bringing the totalcost of the project to $10 million,provided by the Kuwait-based Al-Rahma (Mercy) Foundation. The Ku-waiti foundation will also execute aproject to plant 100,000 palm trees atthe cost of $12 million.

Regarding food security pro-grams, a $1 million livestock projectwas financed, just as another one todevelop fruit and palm trees farms inGaza is being financed by the Bah-rain-based Al Islah Society and theYemen-based Al Aqsa Society, at acost of $500,000.

In the health sector, the delega-tion laid the foundation for building ahospital (Al Yemen Al Saeed) at acost of $3.5 million, financed byYemen's Al Aqsa Society. The OICEye Hospital was expanded with the

HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

OIC humanitarian delegation visits Gaza,Launches $30 million development programs

addition of optics and cornea centersat a cost of $250,000. The health pro-grams also included a capacity-building project for training of medi-cal staff valued at $1.1 million provid-ed by Qatar's Red Crescent Society.

The Malaysia-based AMAN-Palestine Foundation financed the ca-pacity-building Patients Care projectat a cost of $150 thousand and theprogramming project at a cost of$240,000. Qatar's Al Fakhoura Foun-dation also provided financial supportworth $600,000 to empower youthgraduates in Gaza.

The delegation made a field tourso as to evaluate the humanitarian sit-uation and to identify priorities for in-tervention. It visited the Eye Special-ized Hospital, where it had beenbriefed on the most important needs,and the necessity to create the EyesBank and Optics Department as wellas the development of the building de-velopment of the hospital facilities.

A 16-member medical team com-prising doctors from Saudi Arabia,Turkey, Jordan, South Africa, Ireland,Britain and the United States accom-panied the OIC delegation to conduct

by Abdulazeem Dafa’AllahGaza Strip, Palestine- The Organ-

ization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) and its humanitarian partnerssucceeded in launching 14 develop-ment and humanitarian projects in theGaza Strip with a total value of morethan $30 million.

During a visit by an OIC delega-tion, headed by the Director of theDepartment of Humanitarian Affairsin the OIC Fouad Al-Maznai, to Gazaon 27 November 2010, projects in di-verse fields were launched, the mostprominent of which was the rehabili-tation project. The project trans-formed the OIC's relief effort in Gazafrom provision of temporary humani-tarian aid to delivery of developmentprojects.

The five-day visit of the OIC dele-gation to Gaza took place within thecontext of the resolutions adopted bythe Ministerial Council, which recom-mended that assistance be provided tothe inhabitants of the Strip, and in ful-fillment of OIC's pledges to the peo-ple of Gaza to contribute in the com-pensation and rebuilding of thedestruction caused by Israel's brutal

3938

through micro-credit projects.The delegation also met around

300 people from civil society institu-tions with whom they discussedmeans of partnership, as well as iden-tifying the needs in the most impor-tant sectors, including health, agricul-ture and fishing, women, people withspecial needs and housing.

The visit of the OIC delegation toGaza was not the first of its kind. Ithad been preceded by several visits,notably the tour of Gaza by the OICSecretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu in March 2009 to personallyinspect the extent of damage left bythe Israeli war and to give necessarydirections to contain the humanitari-an crisis in the Strip. Several otherOIC delegations followed the Secre-tary General's visit for the provisionof humanitarian assistance.

In a press conference, Al-Maznaireiterated the consistent position ofthe OIC and the role of its SecretaryGeneral in mobilizing the energies ofthe Islamic nation to support the Pal-estinian people. He praised the ef-forts of Member States, especiallyEgypt, the humanitarian lung forGaza, and Saudi Arabia representedby the Custodian of the Two Holy

Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah,who announced in the Arab EconomicSummit in Kuwait last year, a dona-tion from Saudi Arabia of one billiondollars for the reconstruction of Gazaand the relief campaign, which wasorganized for the Gaza Strip. He alsopraised the role of the Saudi govern-ment in facilitating the humanitarianconvoys of OIC from Jeddah to theGaza Strip, and the executive role ofthe Islamic Development Bank (IDB).He also praised Turkey's role in orga-nizing the international conference inIstanbul for the reconstruction ofGaza and the role of each of the Unit-ed Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar andKuwait.

At the end of the meeting, Al-Maznai recalled the appeal of the OICSecretary General to the world and tothe Islamic world, in particular Mem-ber States, not to forget the sufferingof the people of Gaza, especially thatthe embargo prevented the improve-ment of the humanitarian situation inGaza, where 80% of the population isliving below the poverty line and alarge number of children are sufferingfrom the negative effects of the war,especially psychological problems.

eye surgeries in Gaza over a two-week period. The team performedhundreds of surgical operations onpatients in Gaza who lacked the mon-ey to perform the operations abroad.

The delegation also visited theUniversity College, and identified themost important needs of technical ed-ucation and applied research. The del-egation reviewed priorities for inter-vention in this important sector,suffering from neglect and in need ofattention. The Kuwaiti Al-RahmaFoundation agreed to donate $100thousand for a youth employmentproject in the field of programmingby establishing a humanitarian associ-ation in the form of an endowment.The Turkish Deniz Feneri Foundationalso pledged to donate $70 thousandfor the project.

The delegation visited Al-Fadhila(Virtue) Women Association, wherethey were briefed on the tragic situa-tion of the Palestinian women andtheir suffering as a result of the sur-rounding circumstances. The delega-tion also listened about the sufferingof youth unemployment and poverty,and had been asked to take practicalsteps towards the implementation ofprojects to enable women and youth,

Indonesia hit by two natural disasters

Sumatra, Indonesia - The OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu has made an urgent appeal to all Mem-bers States to extend an urgent humanitarian assistanceand support to Indonesia following a Tsunami, whichstruck the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Sumatra on25th October 2010, compounded by another volcanic erup-tion of Mount Merapi in Central Java.

While presenting his sincere condolences to the Gov-ernment and people of Indonesia in the aftermath of thesetwo major disasters, which killed hundreds of people and

Kabul, Afghanistan - In a letter sent by the AfghanMinistry of Public Health to the OIC, the Ministry hascommended the humanitarian assistance provided by theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to the Af-ghan people and government through the OIC AssistanceFund for the Afghan People.

The Afghan government particularly extolled the majorprojects embarked upon by the Fund in the health sector inthe form of 37 health centers in various Afghan provincesand regions from 2006 - 2009.

The Ministry of Health presented its profound gratitude

Kabul commends OIC for building 37 health centers in Afghanistanand appreciation to the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu and the staff of the Fund for the humanitarian as-sistance they provided to the Afghan people.

The OIC Assistance Fund for the Afghan People wasestablished through a resolution of the OIC Foreign Minis-ters to assist the Afghan people at the reconstruction stage.A number of Member States of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference contributed voluntarily to the Fund. TheFund is represented by an office in Kabul, which providesservices in the health, education and water sectors, as wellas rehabilitation services for refugees.

Tsunami survivors in West Sumatra,Indonesia, 31 October 2010.(epa)

caused widespread material damages, Ihsanoglu urged allOIC Member States on the vital need to seriously considersetting up an emergency mechanism within the Organiza-tion to deal with the ever growing challenges of naturaldisasters due to climate change.

Remote Indonesian islands were pounded by a 10-foottsunami created by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that sweptaway homes, killing hundreds of people. The fault line thaterupted on October 25 on Sumatra island's coast alsocaused that 2004 quake and monster Indian Ocean tsunamithat killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

Meanwhile, the country's most volatile volcano, MountMerapi, 800 miles to the east on Java island, started toerupt at dusk the day after the tsunami killing at least 30people. The deadly volcano continued erupting in the fol-lowing days with searing gas avalanching down, torchinghouses and trees and incinerating villagers as they fledMount Merapi's worst eruption in a century. The death tollfrom the volcano rose to over a hundred and many moreinjured. More than 70,000 villagers were evacuated fromthe 3000-meter Mount Merapi since it began erupting.


war in December 2008 through Janu-ary 2009.

The housing project is also one ofthe noteworthy development pro-grams launched by the OIC delega-tion while in Gaza. This covered therenovation of 1700 housing units, theconstruction of 100 additional unitsand the handing over of 700 units tothe affected people, bringing the totalcost of the project to $10 million,provided by the Kuwait-based Al-Rahma (Mercy) Foundation. The Ku-waiti foundation will also execute aproject to plant 100,000 palm trees atthe cost of $12 million.

Regarding food security pro-grams, a $1 million livestock projectwas financed, just as another one todevelop fruit and palm trees farms inGaza is being financed by the Bah-rain-based Al Islah Society and theYemen-based Al Aqsa Society, at acost of $500,000.

In the health sector, the delega-tion laid the foundation for building ahospital (Al Yemen Al Saeed) at acost of $3.5 million, financed byYemen's Al Aqsa Society. The OICEye Hospital was expanded with the


OIC humanitarian delegation visits Gaza,Launches $30 million development programs

addition of optics and cornea centersat a cost of $250,000. The health pro-grams also included a capacity-building project for training of medi-cal staff valued at $1.1 million provid-ed by Qatar's Red Crescent Society.

The Malaysia-based AMAN-Palestine Foundation financed the ca-pacity-building Patients Care projectat a cost of $150 thousand and theprogramming project at a cost of$240,000. Qatar's Al Fakhoura Foun-dation also provided financial supportworth $600,000 to empower youthgraduates in Gaza.

The delegation made a field tourso as to evaluate the humanitarian sit-uation and to identify priorities for in-tervention. It visited the Eye Special-ized Hospital, where it had beenbriefed on the most important needs,and the necessity to create the EyesBank and Optics Department as wellas the development of the building de-velopment of the hospital facilities.

A 16-member medical team com-prising doctors from Saudi Arabia,Turkey, Jordan, South Africa, Ireland,Britain and the United States accom-panied the OIC delegation to conduct

by Abdulazeem Dafa’AllahGaza Strip, Palestine- The Organ-

ization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) and its humanitarian partnerssucceeded in launching 14 develop-ment and humanitarian projects in theGaza Strip with a total value of morethan $30 million.

During a visit by an OIC delega-tion, headed by the Director of theDepartment of Humanitarian Affairsin the OIC Fouad Al-Maznai, to Gazaon 27 November 2010, projects in di-verse fields were launched, the mostprominent of which was the rehabili-tation project. The project trans-formed the OIC's relief effort in Gazafrom provision of temporary humani-tarian aid to delivery of developmentprojects.

The five-day visit of the OIC dele-gation to Gaza took place within thecontext of the resolutions adopted bythe Ministerial Council, which recom-mended that assistance be provided tothe inhabitants of the Strip, and in ful-fillment of OIC's pledges to the peo-ple of Gaza to contribute in the com-pensation and rebuilding of thedestruction caused by Israel's brutal

3938

through micro-credit projects.The delegation also met around

300 people from civil society institu-tions with whom they discussedmeans of partnership, as well as iden-tifying the needs in the most impor-tant sectors, including health, agricul-ture and fishing, women, people withspecial needs and housing.

The visit of the OIC delegation toGaza was not the first of its kind. Ithad been preceded by several visits,notably the tour of Gaza by the OICSecretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu in March 2009 to personallyinspect the extent of damage left bythe Israeli war and to give necessarydirections to contain the humanitari-an crisis in the Strip. Several otherOIC delegations followed the Secre-tary General's visit for the provisionof humanitarian assistance.

In a press conference, Al-Maznaireiterated the consistent position ofthe OIC and the role of its SecretaryGeneral in mobilizing the energies ofthe Islamic nation to support the Pal-estinian people. He praised the ef-forts of Member States, especiallyEgypt, the humanitarian lung forGaza, and Saudi Arabia representedby the Custodian of the Two Holy

Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah,who announced in the Arab EconomicSummit in Kuwait last year, a dona-tion from Saudi Arabia of one billiondollars for the reconstruction of Gazaand the relief campaign, which wasorganized for the Gaza Strip. He alsopraised the role of the Saudi govern-ment in facilitating the humanitarianconvoys of OIC from Jeddah to theGaza Strip, and the executive role ofthe Islamic Development Bank (IDB).He also praised Turkey's role in orga-nizing the international conference inIstanbul for the reconstruction ofGaza and the role of each of the Unit-ed Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar andKuwait.

At the end of the meeting, Al-Maznai recalled the appeal of the OICSecretary General to the world and tothe Islamic world, in particular Mem-ber States, not to forget the sufferingof the people of Gaza, especially thatthe embargo prevented the improve-ment of the humanitarian situation inGaza, where 80% of the population isliving below the poverty line and alarge number of children are sufferingfrom the negative effects of the war,especially psychological problems.

eye surgeries in Gaza over a two-week period. The team performedhundreds of surgical operations onpatients in Gaza who lacked the mon-ey to perform the operations abroad.

The delegation also visited theUniversity College, and identified themost important needs of technical ed-ucation and applied research. The del-egation reviewed priorities for inter-vention in this important sector,suffering from neglect and in need ofattention. The Kuwaiti Al-RahmaFoundation agreed to donate $100thousand for a youth employmentproject in the field of programmingby establishing a humanitarian associ-ation in the form of an endowment.The Turkish Deniz Feneri Foundationalso pledged to donate $70 thousandfor the project.

The delegation visited Al-Fadhila(Virtue) Women Association, wherethey were briefed on the tragic situa-tion of the Palestinian women andtheir suffering as a result of the sur-rounding circumstances. The delega-tion also listened about the sufferingof youth unemployment and poverty,and had been asked to take practicalsteps towards the implementation ofprojects to enable women and youth,

Indonesia hit by two natural disasters

Sumatra, Indonesia - The OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu has made an urgent appeal to all Mem-bers States to extend an urgent humanitarian assistanceand support to Indonesia following a Tsunami, whichstruck the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Sumatra on25th October 2010, compounded by another volcanic erup-tion of Mount Merapi in Central Java.

While presenting his sincere condolences to the Gov-ernment and people of Indonesia in the aftermath of thesetwo major disasters, which killed hundreds of people and

Kabul, Afghanistan - In a letter sent by the AfghanMinistry of Public Health to the OIC, the Ministry hascommended the humanitarian assistance provided by theOrganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to the Af-ghan people and government through the OIC AssistanceFund for the Afghan People.

The Afghan government particularly extolled the majorprojects embarked upon by the Fund in the health sector inthe form of 37 health centers in various Afghan provincesand regions from 2006 - 2009.

The Ministry of Health presented its profound gratitude

Kabul commends OIC for building 37 health centers in Afghanistanand appreciation to the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu and the staff of the Fund for the humanitarian as-sistance they provided to the Afghan people.

The OIC Assistance Fund for the Afghan People wasestablished through a resolution of the OIC Foreign Minis-ters to assist the Afghan people at the reconstruction stage.A number of Member States of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference contributed voluntarily to the Fund. TheFund is represented by an office in Kabul, which providesservices in the health, education and water sectors, as wellas rehabilitation services for refugees.

Tsunami survivors in West Sumatra,Indonesia, 31 October 2010.(epa)

caused widespread material damages, Ihsanoglu urged allOIC Member States on the vital need to seriously considersetting up an emergency mechanism within the Organiza-tion to deal with the ever growing challenges of naturaldisasters due to climate change.

Remote Indonesian islands were pounded by a 10-foottsunami created by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that sweptaway homes, killing hundreds of people. The fault line thaterupted on October 25 on Sumatra island's coast alsocaused that 2004 quake and monster Indian Ocean tsunamithat killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

Meanwhile, the country's most volatile volcano, MountMerapi, 800 miles to the east on Java island, started toerupt at dusk the day after the tsunami killing at least 30people. The deadly volcano continued erupting in the fol-lowing days with searing gas avalanching down, torchinghouses and trees and incinerating villagers as they fledMount Merapi's worst eruption in a century. The death tollfrom the volcano rose to over a hundred and many moreinjured. More than 70,000 villagers were evacuated fromthe 3000-meter Mount Merapi since it began erupting.


Guyana, Cameroon respond to appeal for assisting PakistanJeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Government and people

of Guyana have positively responded to the humanitarianassistance appeal made by the OIC Secretary General on9th August 2010 in favor of Pakistan in the aftermath ofthe floods which devastated the country, by donating acheque for US$30,000 sent to the OIC headquarters in Jed-dah. The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluhailed this spontaneous gesture of effective solidarity fromthis brotherly country, which in so doing, expresses itssympathy and sorrow to the Pakistani people.

Cameroon also in response to the appeals made by the

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia haslaunched the 'Custodian of the Two HolyMosques King Abdullah International Foun-dation for Charity and Humanitarian Activi-ties' to serve Islam, the nation, people andhumanity at large as well as spread toleranceand peace in the world.

"The foundation has been instituted onthe Islamic values of mutual support, cooper-ation and charitable deeds. It also aims atachieving welfare of the people and promo-tion of education," Prince Khaled bin Abdul-lah, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trus-tees of the Foundation, said in a statementquoted by the Saudi Press Agency on 17September.

The foundation aims to offer assistanceto Muslims across the world by buildingmosques, Islamic centers and promoting in-terfaith dialogues in line with the aspirationsof King Abdullah, Prince Khaled said.

"The noble goals mentioned in the basic statutes of thefoundation also include the support, encouragement andparticipation in interfaith dialogues, conducting researchrelated to the propagation of moderation, toleration, peaceand moral values, apart from efforts to bring different Mus-lim schools of thought closer so that disputes among themend. It would strive to instill the idea of abandoning vio-lence and combat crime in all its forms," the Prince said.

He added that the basic statutes specified that the foun-

Saudi Arabia launches King Abdullah InternationalFoundation for Charity and Humanitarian Activities

dation would do everything possible toteach Islamic Shariah in its true sense.

"For that purpose the foundation willestablish universities, colleges, schoolsand libraries besides centers for profes-sional and technical training and socialand research studies," Prince Khaledsaid.

It will also launch hospitals, sanitari-ums and other treatment, care and reha-bilitation facilities.

The foundation's objectives also in-cluded setting up chairs in universities. Italso aims at offering grants and assis-tance to researchers in various subjectsand studies that would contribute to thepromotion of knowledge and culture glo-bally.

It would organize seminars, confer-ences, forums, exhibitions and work-shops that would help in serving its ob-

jectives inside and outside the Kingdom.It would also encourage translation of works and work

in concert with organizations and universities inside andoutside the Kingdom to advance its ideas and activities.

It will participate in relief activities besides providingaccommodation and launch productive projects and sup-port credit establishments that help the poor. The founda-tion will also institute the King Abdullah InternationalPrize to promote its activities, the prince said.

4140


The Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF):Taking action to advance the status of Muslims

desh.• Financing the reconstruction of schools in Swat Prov-

ince in Pakistan with an amount of US$ 150,000, by virtueof a partnership agreement between the UN-Habitat and theOrganization of the Islamic Conference in June 2010.

• Financing the maintenance of a student auditorium atthe American Islamic College in Chicago with an amount ofUS$ 300,000 to host the Conference of American Muslimsheld in September 2010 and inaugurated by the OIC Secre-tary General.

• In response to the directives of Secretary General Ih-sanoglu, who followed with concern and sorrow the tragicsituation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Kyr-gyz Republic, the ISF Emergency Committee gave a finan-cial assistance of US$ 50,000 for the acquisition of medi-cines and medical equipments through the Kyrgyz Ministryof Foreign Affairs.

• The ISF made a contribution of US$ 500,000 for theconstruction of a campus for girls at the Islamic Universityin Niger, in coordination with the Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB).

• The ISF allocated the amount of US$ 100,000, in ar-rangement with the Cooperation Foundation for Soft Loansin the Republic of Yemen, for the provision of soft loans(ten years) to people with limited income and to poor fami-lies to help them launch projects which will contribute to thegrowth of their incomes in the Province of Aden, Yemen.

• ISF participated in the UN-OIC General Meeting onCooperation between the two organizations and their institu-tions and agencies, held in Istanbul from 28 June to 1 July2010. On the sidelines of this event, ISF participated in themeeting of charitable institutions and associations with aview to elaborating an assistance program for Kyrgyzstan.

• Consistent with the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Ac-tion and desirous to ensure outstanding performance, ISFsigned contracts with many international and regional hu-manitarian institutions, namely the United Nations Reliefand Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East(UNRWA), the World Food Programme, HumanitarianFood Agency, Islamic Relief in the United Kingdom, Fad-lallah Foundation in Bangladesh, the Sudanese Red Cres-cent, and the Cooperation Foundation for Soft Loans inYemen.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Islamic Solidarity Fund(ISF) was established by a resolution of the Second IslamicSummit Conference held in Lahore, Pakistan in 1974. ISF isa subsidiary organ of the OIC having an independent legalpersonality and working under the administrative supervi-sion of a 'Permanent Council' composed of 21 members, andunder the financial supervision of the 'OIC Finance ControlOrgan'.

ISF aims at taking all actions which would advance thestatus of Muslims throughout the world in the humanitarian,cultural, social, economic, educational and health fields.

The Fifty Fourth Session of ISF's Permanent Councilwas held under the patronage and personal attendance ofProfessor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of theOIC, on 12-13 December 2009. Consistent with the agendaof the session, the Council adopted a number of resolutionsthrough which emergency aids were approved for States, as-sistance was provided to 64 projects throughout the world,and assistance was given to the sector of higher education.The total assistance provided by ISF in 2009 was US$5,455,500.

The 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers(CFM) held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 18-20 May 2010adopted ISF's Operational and Projects' budgets which wereadopted by the Permanent Finance Committee in its 38thSession held on 14-16 December 2009.

Humanitarian and Social AssistanceISF has been widely active since the beginning of 2010.

The Permanent Council's Emergency Committee respondedpromptly to the following cases:

• Financing the construction of an on-site hospital forthe victims of war in Al-Mazraq area in Yemen, in coordina-

tion and cooperation with the OIC Depart-ment of Humanitarian Affairs.

• Signature of an agreementbetween the ISF and Fadlallah

Foundation in the People's Re-public of Bangladesh for the es-tablishment of a model villagebearing the name of the IslamicSolidarity Fund for the benefitof the poor and the victims ofSidr cyclone in southern Bangla-

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The OICSecretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu has expressed his sadness andsupport to the Government and peo-ple of Chad following the deadly un-precedented floods which hit theircountry destroying in their trail hugetracts of arable lands and affecting150,000 people.

Chad has been suffering from se-vere drought for nearly two years andthe torrential rains that fell on thecountry of late have caused wide-spread destruction both in the citiesand rural areas.

Chad, Nigeria and Benin faced deadly floodsThe OIC Secretary General invit-

ed all OIC Member States to assistthe brotherly country of Chad inthese dire moments by providing hu-manitarian and financial assistance toalleviate the suffering of the popula-tions.

Meanwhile, more than 130,000people had been displaced from morethan 30 flooded villages in north-western Nigeria in September withfears building of disease outbreaks.

Benin also suffered torrentialrains, which have resulted in loss of

life and massive destruction of prop-erty and infrastructure. The OIC Sec-retary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluexpressed his heartfelt condolencesto the people of Benin. Ihsanoglu ap-peals to all OIC Member States toextend their support to the Govern-ment and people of Benin to mitigatetheir plight following these tragicevents jeopardizing the livelihood ofthe affected populations. He furthercalled upon civil society and philan-thropic organizations to provide thevital humanitarian assistance to theneedy people.

OIC Secretary General after Pakistan was hit by the mostsevere floods in 80 years, has generously provided a hu-manitarian financial assistance worth US $ 50,000 for thebenefit of flood victims in Pakistan. The Secretary Generalhas highly commended the laudable gesture of Cameroon.

The floods, which began in late July, left more than 10million people homeless and affected 20 million in Paki-stan. According to World Bank assessment, the floods in-flicted $9.5 billion in damage to property, crops and infra-structure.

Islamic University in Niger(financed by ISF, $3.5 million)

King Abdullah


Guyana, Cameroon respond to appeal for assisting PakistanJeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Government and people

of Guyana have positively responded to the humanitarianassistance appeal made by the OIC Secretary General on9th August 2010 in favor of Pakistan in the aftermath ofthe floods which devastated the country, by donating acheque for US$30,000 sent to the OIC headquarters in Jed-dah. The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluhailed this spontaneous gesture of effective solidarity fromthis brotherly country, which in so doing, expresses itssympathy and sorrow to the Pakistani people.

Cameroon also in response to the appeals made by the

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia haslaunched the 'Custodian of the Two HolyMosques King Abdullah International Foun-dation for Charity and Humanitarian Activi-ties' to serve Islam, the nation, people andhumanity at large as well as spread toleranceand peace in the world.

"The foundation has been instituted onthe Islamic values of mutual support, cooper-ation and charitable deeds. It also aims atachieving welfare of the people and promo-tion of education," Prince Khaled bin Abdul-lah, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trus-tees of the Foundation, said in a statementquoted by the Saudi Press Agency on 17September.

The foundation aims to offer assistanceto Muslims across the world by buildingmosques, Islamic centers and promoting in-terfaith dialogues in line with the aspirationsof King Abdullah, Prince Khaled said.

"The noble goals mentioned in the basic statutes of thefoundation also include the support, encouragement andparticipation in interfaith dialogues, conducting researchrelated to the propagation of moderation, toleration, peaceand moral values, apart from efforts to bring different Mus-lim schools of thought closer so that disputes among themend. It would strive to instill the idea of abandoning vio-lence and combat crime in all its forms," the Prince said.

He added that the basic statutes specified that the foun-

Saudi Arabia launches King Abdullah InternationalFoundation for Charity and Humanitarian Activities

dation would do everything possible toteach Islamic Shariah in its true sense.

"For that purpose the foundation willestablish universities, colleges, schoolsand libraries besides centers for profes-sional and technical training and socialand research studies," Prince Khaledsaid.

It will also launch hospitals, sanitari-ums and other treatment, care and reha-bilitation facilities.

The foundation's objectives also in-cluded setting up chairs in universities. Italso aims at offering grants and assis-tance to researchers in various subjectsand studies that would contribute to thepromotion of knowledge and culture glo-bally.

It would organize seminars, confer-ences, forums, exhibitions and work-shops that would help in serving its ob-

jectives inside and outside the Kingdom.It would also encourage translation of works and work

in concert with organizations and universities inside andoutside the Kingdom to advance its ideas and activities.

It will participate in relief activities besides providingaccommodation and launch productive projects and sup-port credit establishments that help the poor. The founda-tion will also institute the King Abdullah InternationalPrize to promote its activities, the prince said.

4140


The Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF):Taking action to advance the status of Muslims

desh.• Financing the reconstruction of schools in Swat Prov-

ince in Pakistan with an amount of US$ 150,000, by virtueof a partnership agreement between the UN-Habitat and theOrganization of the Islamic Conference in June 2010.

• Financing the maintenance of a student auditorium atthe American Islamic College in Chicago with an amount ofUS$ 300,000 to host the Conference of American Muslimsheld in September 2010 and inaugurated by the OIC Secre-tary General.

• In response to the directives of Secretary General Ih-sanoglu, who followed with concern and sorrow the tragicsituation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Kyr-gyz Republic, the ISF Emergency Committee gave a finan-cial assistance of US$ 50,000 for the acquisition of medi-cines and medical equipments through the Kyrgyz Ministryof Foreign Affairs.

• The ISF made a contribution of US$ 500,000 for theconstruction of a campus for girls at the Islamic Universityin Niger, in coordination with the Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB).

• The ISF allocated the amount of US$ 100,000, in ar-rangement with the Cooperation Foundation for Soft Loansin the Republic of Yemen, for the provision of soft loans(ten years) to people with limited income and to poor fami-lies to help them launch projects which will contribute to thegrowth of their incomes in the Province of Aden, Yemen.

• ISF participated in the UN-OIC General Meeting onCooperation between the two organizations and their institu-tions and agencies, held in Istanbul from 28 June to 1 July2010. On the sidelines of this event, ISF participated in themeeting of charitable institutions and associations with aview to elaborating an assistance program for Kyrgyzstan.

• Consistent with the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Ac-tion and desirous to ensure outstanding performance, ISFsigned contracts with many international and regional hu-manitarian institutions, namely the United Nations Reliefand Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East(UNRWA), the World Food Programme, HumanitarianFood Agency, Islamic Relief in the United Kingdom, Fad-lallah Foundation in Bangladesh, the Sudanese Red Cres-cent, and the Cooperation Foundation for Soft Loans inYemen.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Islamic Solidarity Fund(ISF) was established by a resolution of the Second IslamicSummit Conference held in Lahore, Pakistan in 1974. ISF isa subsidiary organ of the OIC having an independent legalpersonality and working under the administrative supervi-sion of a 'Permanent Council' composed of 21 members, andunder the financial supervision of the 'OIC Finance ControlOrgan'.

ISF aims at taking all actions which would advance thestatus of Muslims throughout the world in the humanitarian,cultural, social, economic, educational and health fields.

The Fifty Fourth Session of ISF's Permanent Councilwas held under the patronage and personal attendance ofProfessor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of theOIC, on 12-13 December 2009. Consistent with the agendaof the session, the Council adopted a number of resolutionsthrough which emergency aids were approved for States, as-sistance was provided to 64 projects throughout the world,and assistance was given to the sector of higher education.The total assistance provided by ISF in 2009 was US$5,455,500.

The 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers(CFM) held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 18-20 May 2010adopted ISF's Operational and Projects' budgets which wereadopted by the Permanent Finance Committee in its 38thSession held on 14-16 December 2009.

Humanitarian and Social AssistanceISF has been widely active since the beginning of 2010.

The Permanent Council's Emergency Committee respondedpromptly to the following cases:

• Financing the construction of an on-site hospital forthe victims of war in Al-Mazraq area in Yemen, in coordina-

tion and cooperation with the OIC Depart-ment of Humanitarian Affairs.

• Signature of an agreementbetween the ISF and Fadlallah

Foundation in the People's Re-public of Bangladesh for the es-tablishment of a model villagebearing the name of the IslamicSolidarity Fund for the benefitof the poor and the victims ofSidr cyclone in southern Bangla-

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The OICSecretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu has expressed his sadness andsupport to the Government and peo-ple of Chad following the deadly un-precedented floods which hit theircountry destroying in their trail hugetracts of arable lands and affecting150,000 people.

Chad has been suffering from se-vere drought for nearly two years andthe torrential rains that fell on thecountry of late have caused wide-spread destruction both in the citiesand rural areas.

Chad, Nigeria and Benin faced deadly floodsThe OIC Secretary General invit-

ed all OIC Member States to assistthe brotherly country of Chad inthese dire moments by providing hu-manitarian and financial assistance toalleviate the suffering of the popula-tions.

Meanwhile, more than 130,000people had been displaced from morethan 30 flooded villages in north-western Nigeria in September withfears building of disease outbreaks.

Benin also suffered torrentialrains, which have resulted in loss of

life and massive destruction of prop-erty and infrastructure. The OIC Sec-retary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluexpressed his heartfelt condolencesto the people of Benin. Ihsanoglu ap-peals to all OIC Member States toextend their support to the Govern-ment and people of Benin to mitigatetheir plight following these tragicevents jeopardizing the livelihood ofthe affected populations. He furthercalled upon civil society and philan-thropic organizations to provide thevital humanitarian assistance to theneedy people.

OIC Secretary General after Pakistan was hit by the mostsevere floods in 80 years, has generously provided a hu-manitarian financial assistance worth US $ 50,000 for thebenefit of flood victims in Pakistan. The Secretary Generalhas highly commended the laudable gesture of Cameroon.

The floods, which began in late July, left more than 10million people homeless and affected 20 million in Paki-stan. According to World Bank assessment, the floods in-flicted $9.5 billion in damage to property, crops and infra-structure.

Islamic University in Niger(financed by ISF, $3.5 million)

King Abdullah


The President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade is planning to propose to the lead-ers and Governments of the Member States of the Organization of the IslamicConference (OIC), to establish an emergency fund in order to enable the OIC tointervene as soon as a disaster strikes one of the countries of the Islamic world,on the occasion of the 12th Islamic Summit Conference to be held in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt in March 2011.

The President of Senegal said he will support the idea of the OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, concerning the establishment of such a fund, andstated that “We should have sufficient capacity to intervene immediately afterthe outbreak of any disaster”.

In a meeting held in Dakar, Senegal during the COMIAC Conference, Ihsa-noglu discussed with the President of Senegal this idea to enable the OIC to in-tervene promptly following a disaster in any area. “We should not wait until adisaster occurs to offer assistance to the Member States and to all institutions inorder to collect funds for intervention,” Ihsanoglu said.

The President of Senegal told the OIC Secretary General: “I am aware thatthanks to your efforts we managed to collect nearly one billion US Dollars to Pa-kistan, but this is not sufficient”.

For his part, the Secretary General instructed the Department of Humanitari-an Affairs of the OIC General Secretariat to study all aspects of this matter.

The Final Communiqué of the Annual Coordination Meeting of the OICMember States' Foreign Ministers held in New York in September 2010 invitedthe OIC Secretary General to consider, in coordination with the Member States,taking necessary steps towards the establishment of an 'OIC Special EmergencyFund' to respond to natural disasters in the Member States as well as a rapid 'Re-sponse Coordination Committee' to deal with such disasters. The Meeting calledupon the Member States to contribute to this Fund on a voluntary basis.

On the other hand, the President of Senegal congratulated the OIC SecretaryGeneral for his leadership and commitment saying that in the Summit in Dakarin 2008 he was presented by Senegal and Saudi Arabia, two countries that knowhim perfectly well and are confident in his capacities, especially that his firstterm revealed his enthusiasm to ensure the progress of the Islamic Ummah. ThePresident said that since then he has been following the Secretary General's ac-tivity, noticing his concern over the disaster in Pakistan and standing up for Mus-lim issues at all fronts.

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Ninth Session of COMIAC: The Secretary General urgesMember States to invest in information digital network

Dakar on 11 October 2010 on thesidelines of the 9th COMIAC. Ihsa-noglu and President Wade ex-changed views on various issues, in-cluding the situation in Sudan, theOIC-African Union relations, andenvironmental and natural disasters.

Secretary General Ihsanogluthanked President Wade, the Chair-man of OIC Summit, for his effortsin promoting OIC programs outlinedin the Ten Year Program of Actionand for his great initiatives such ashis call for a conference of the Ula-ma of the Muslim Ummah. The Sec-retary General briefed PresidentWade on the humanitarian activitiesof the OIC as well as on the prepara-tions for the upcoming Islamic Sum-mit to be held in March in SharmEl-Sheikh, Egypt.

For his part President Wadepraised Secretary General Ihsanoglufor his consistent energetic endeav-ors in serving the Muslim Ummahthrough the OIC.9th COMIAC condemnsin strongest terms the ris-ing trend of Islamophobia

The OIC Ministers of Cultureand Information attending the 9thSession of the Standing Committeefor Information and Cultural Affairs(COMIAC) concluded by express-ing deep concern over systematicdefamation of Islam as well as dis-crimination against Muslims. TheSession strongly condemned the at-tacks against Islamic principles,symbols and sacred personalities,and distorting its basic values ofpeace, compassion and respect forinterfaith amity and dialogue.

The 9th Session of the COMI-AC, in particular, condemned anddeplored the recent publication ofthe book entitled “Tyranny of Si-lence” by the Cultural Editor of theJyllands Posten newspaper of Den-mark that included a compilation ofdenigrating caricatures and cartoonsof Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)which were published by the samenewspaper in 2005 arousing world-wide condemnation and denuncia-tion, and causing hurt and insult tothe sentiments of Muslims aroundthe world. The Meeting emphasizedthat the publication of the book con-stituted a flagrant violation of thestipulation of Article 20 of 1966 In-ternational Convention on Civil andPolitical Rights, as well as the Dan-

Dakar, Senegal - In today's digi-tal globalized world of informationand communication technology, themedia has attained unprecedentedpower and influence. The SecretaryGeneral of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu said in his speech to the9th Session of the Standing Commit-tee for Information and Cultural Af-fairs (COMIAC), which was inaugu-rated by the Senegalese PresidentAbdoulaye Wade in Dakar on 12 Oc-tober 2010.

The Secretary General added thatfreedom of expression is sacrosanctbut not absolute. He pointed to the ef-forts of the OIC in interacting andcommunicating with the media toclarify the consistent positions in allpolitical, economic, scientific, cultu-ral and other issues taken in hand bythe OIC. He referred to the restructur-ing of the International Islamic NewsAgency (IINA) and the IslamicBroadcasting Union (IBU) as the twobodies playing a role in the dissemi-nation of information in the OIC andits Member States.

The Secretary General lauded theinitiatives of Member States inlaunching satellite channels to com-municate with other parts of the Is-lamic world and encouraged others tofollow suit.

Secretary General Ihsanogluspoke at length about the rising intol-erance against Islamic culture andtraditions being perpetrated by ultraright wing extremist political partiesand their followers in parts of thewestern world. He said there is aneed to sensitize the conscience ofthe international community throughthe use of the media on the dangerousimplications of such actions.

The Secretary General referred tothe Islamophobia Observatory estab-lished at the OIC General Secretariatto monitor incidents of attack on Is-lamic culture and discriminations andviolations of cultural and politicalrights of Muslims. He said the OIC isactively engaged with the politicalleadership and reputed internationalorganizations and institutions of thewest to underscore these concernsand draw them to combat this danger-ous phenomenon.

The Secretary General further re-ferred to OIC championing the causeof dialogue as means for achievingpeace and tolerance. He commendedin this respect the visionary initiative

Commenting on President Wade'sspeech at the opening session inwhich he highlighted the need to pre-serve and protect Islamic heritagethrough education, training and themedia, the Foreign Minister said thatPresident Wade believes that if Islamwas better known it would be at-tacked less. Therefore, it is necessaryto make known the true values andconcepts of Islam and to improve theeducation of youth so they can pre-serve their identity and Islamic heri-tage. He added that President Wadealso believes in Muslims being orga-nized and supports the idea of launch-ing a television station that broadcastsin different languages about the Is-lamic countries and defends the caus-es of the Ummah.

As for the Digital Solidarity Fund,he said that the original concept is be-ing reformulated so that instead of atax levied on every computer boughtor sold, it would be a voluntary con-tribution.

He stressed that Senegal as chairof COMIAC is determined to move itforward and build on the resolutionsmade by establishing a permanentsecretariat that would follow up onthe implementations.

ish Criminal Code section '140' stipu-lating protection of religious feelingsagainst mockery and scorn, and sec-tion '266 b' stipulating protection ofgroups of persons against scorn anddegradation on account of their relig-ions. The Meeting underscored thatthe publication of book substantiatedthe OIC's concerns of the abuse offreedom of expression by motivatedgroups and individuals to fuel hatredtowards Islam and Muslims in someparts of the western world and ex-pressed hope that similar actionswould not be repeated.

The Ministerial Session of theStanding Committee called upon theinternational community to exert ef-forts to prevent incitement to hatredand discrimination against Muslimsand to take effective measures tocombat the defamation of religionsand negative stereotyping of peopleon the basis of religion, faith or race.

The participants also highlightedthe importance of adherence to dia-logue with the West to demonstratethat Islam is a religion of toleranceand moderation. They pointed out theimportance of highlighting this dia-logue in the media of the MemberStates with a view to refuting theclaims that the media in Islamiccountries are averse to the freedom ofexpression, which albeit sacrosanct,are not absolute.

ConclusionThe participants highlighted the

need to benefit from the acceleratingprogress in ICT to build the informa-tion and knowledge society. Theyhailed the initiative of PresidentWade establishing the 'Digital Soli-darity Fund' as a special mechanismto bridge the digital divide whichmay lead to the exacerbation of thediscrepancy between the developedworld and the developing world towhich most of the Islamic countriesbelong.

After the general debate, theCommittee adopted a resolution high-lighting the need to promote joint Is-lamic action in information, cultural,social and family related fields asstrategic domains that shape identityand defend the causes of the Ummah.

The Committee welcomed onceagain the decision of the Governmentof Senegal to establish a permanentnational secretariat to follow up theactivities and resolutions of the CO-MIAC.

Speaking to the OIC Journal atthe conclusion of the 9th COMIAC,the Senegalese Foreign Minister saidthat it was an important meeting thatyielded important results and showedthat the participants shared the sameconcerns.

of the Custodian of the Two HolyMosques King Abdullah of SaudiArabia for promoting interfaith dia-logue.

The Secretary General then ad-dressed the important issues concern-ing women, youth and childhood. Hementioned OIC efforts in these mat-ters, including the establishment ofthe new 'Family Affairs Department'at the OIC General Secretariat; theadoption of the 'OIC Plan of Actionfor Advancement of Women'; theconvening of two ministerial confer-ences on women (the third was heldin Tehran on 19-21 December 2010);and convening of two ministerialmeetings on childhood of which thethird will be held in Tripoli, Libya inFebruary 2011.

In conclusion, Secretary GeneralIhsanoglu urged the Member States topool their resources and invest inbuilding a strong and effective infor-mation and communication digitalnetwork; to embark on effective train-ing programs for media personnel; tohelp in developing the OIC Islamo-phobia Observatory into a strongmechanism; to showcase the richnessof our cultural heritage and traditions;to invest in vulnerable segments ofour society, including women, youthand children; and to further enhance aclose and constructive working rela-tionship with the United Nations andits affiliated bodies.

Senegalese President AbdoulayeWade, in his opening speech to the9th Session of the COMIAC, whichconcluded its proceedings on 13 Oc-tober, thanked the Secretary Generalfor his leadership, commitment andresolve in furthering the causes of theUmmah.

President Wade expressed his sup-port to all OIC efforts especially theestablishment of an emergency re-sponse fund to intervene in helpingMuslim countries struck by disasteras recently happened in Pakistan.

The President highlighted theneed to preserve and protect Islamicheritage through education, trainingand the media. He said that ignoranceof our religion comes from lack ofcommunication.

Ihsanoglu and PresidentWade exchange views on

various issuesThe Secretary General met with

Senegalese President AbdoulayeWade at the Presidential Palace in

The President of Senegal supportsestablishing an OIC Disaster Fund

President Wade delivering hisspeech at the opening session.


The President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade is planning to propose to the lead-ers and Governments of the Member States of the Organization of the IslamicConference (OIC), to establish an emergency fund in order to enable the OIC tointervene as soon as a disaster strikes one of the countries of the Islamic world,on the occasion of the 12th Islamic Summit Conference to be held in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt in March 2011.

The President of Senegal said he will support the idea of the OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, concerning the establishment of such a fund, andstated that “We should have sufficient capacity to intervene immediately afterthe outbreak of any disaster”.

In a meeting held in Dakar, Senegal during the COMIAC Conference, Ihsa-noglu discussed with the President of Senegal this idea to enable the OIC to in-tervene promptly following a disaster in any area. “We should not wait until adisaster occurs to offer assistance to the Member States and to all institutions inorder to collect funds for intervention,” Ihsanoglu said.

The President of Senegal told the OIC Secretary General: “I am aware thatthanks to your efforts we managed to collect nearly one billion US Dollars to Pa-kistan, but this is not sufficient”.

For his part, the Secretary General instructed the Department of Humanitari-an Affairs of the OIC General Secretariat to study all aspects of this matter.

The Final Communiqué of the Annual Coordination Meeting of the OICMember States' Foreign Ministers held in New York in September 2010 invitedthe OIC Secretary General to consider, in coordination with the Member States,taking necessary steps towards the establishment of an 'OIC Special EmergencyFund' to respond to natural disasters in the Member States as well as a rapid 'Re-sponse Coordination Committee' to deal with such disasters. The Meeting calledupon the Member States to contribute to this Fund on a voluntary basis.

On the other hand, the President of Senegal congratulated the OIC SecretaryGeneral for his leadership and commitment saying that in the Summit in Dakarin 2008 he was presented by Senegal and Saudi Arabia, two countries that knowhim perfectly well and are confident in his capacities, especially that his firstterm revealed his enthusiasm to ensure the progress of the Islamic Ummah. ThePresident said that since then he has been following the Secretary General's ac-tivity, noticing his concern over the disaster in Pakistan and standing up for Mus-lim issues at all fronts.

4342

MEDIA

Ninth Session of COMIAC: The Secretary General urgesMember States to invest in information digital network

Dakar on 11 October 2010 on thesidelines of the 9th COMIAC. Ihsa-noglu and President Wade ex-changed views on various issues, in-cluding the situation in Sudan, theOIC-African Union relations, andenvironmental and natural disasters.

Secretary General Ihsanogluthanked President Wade, the Chair-man of OIC Summit, for his effortsin promoting OIC programs outlinedin the Ten Year Program of Actionand for his great initiatives such ashis call for a conference of the Ula-ma of the Muslim Ummah. The Sec-retary General briefed PresidentWade on the humanitarian activitiesof the OIC as well as on the prepara-tions for the upcoming Islamic Sum-mit to be held in March in SharmEl-Sheikh, Egypt.

For his part President Wadepraised Secretary General Ihsanoglufor his consistent energetic endeav-ors in serving the Muslim Ummahthrough the OIC.9th COMIAC condemnsin strongest terms the ris-ing trend of Islamophobia

The OIC Ministers of Cultureand Information attending the 9thSession of the Standing Committeefor Information and Cultural Affairs(COMIAC) concluded by express-ing deep concern over systematicdefamation of Islam as well as dis-crimination against Muslims. TheSession strongly condemned the at-tacks against Islamic principles,symbols and sacred personalities,and distorting its basic values ofpeace, compassion and respect forinterfaith amity and dialogue.

The 9th Session of the COMI-AC, in particular, condemned anddeplored the recent publication ofthe book entitled “Tyranny of Si-lence” by the Cultural Editor of theJyllands Posten newspaper of Den-mark that included a compilation ofdenigrating caricatures and cartoonsof Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)which were published by the samenewspaper in 2005 arousing world-wide condemnation and denuncia-tion, and causing hurt and insult tothe sentiments of Muslims aroundthe world. The Meeting emphasizedthat the publication of the book con-stituted a flagrant violation of thestipulation of Article 20 of 1966 In-ternational Convention on Civil andPolitical Rights, as well as the Dan-

Dakar, Senegal - In today's digi-tal globalized world of informationand communication technology, themedia has attained unprecedentedpower and influence. The SecretaryGeneral of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) EkmeleddinIhsanoglu said in his speech to the9th Session of the Standing Commit-tee for Information and Cultural Af-fairs (COMIAC), which was inaugu-rated by the Senegalese PresidentAbdoulaye Wade in Dakar on 12 Oc-tober 2010.

The Secretary General added thatfreedom of expression is sacrosanctbut not absolute. He pointed to the ef-forts of the OIC in interacting andcommunicating with the media toclarify the consistent positions in allpolitical, economic, scientific, cultu-ral and other issues taken in hand bythe OIC. He referred to the restructur-ing of the International Islamic NewsAgency (IINA) and the IslamicBroadcasting Union (IBU) as the twobodies playing a role in the dissemi-nation of information in the OIC andits Member States.

The Secretary General lauded theinitiatives of Member States inlaunching satellite channels to com-municate with other parts of the Is-lamic world and encouraged others tofollow suit.

Secretary General Ihsanogluspoke at length about the rising intol-erance against Islamic culture andtraditions being perpetrated by ultraright wing extremist political partiesand their followers in parts of thewestern world. He said there is aneed to sensitize the conscience ofthe international community throughthe use of the media on the dangerousimplications of such actions.

The Secretary General referred tothe Islamophobia Observatory estab-lished at the OIC General Secretariatto monitor incidents of attack on Is-lamic culture and discriminations andviolations of cultural and politicalrights of Muslims. He said the OIC isactively engaged with the politicalleadership and reputed internationalorganizations and institutions of thewest to underscore these concernsand draw them to combat this danger-ous phenomenon.

The Secretary General further re-ferred to OIC championing the causeof dialogue as means for achievingpeace and tolerance. He commendedin this respect the visionary initiative

Commenting on President Wade'sspeech at the opening session inwhich he highlighted the need to pre-serve and protect Islamic heritagethrough education, training and themedia, the Foreign Minister said thatPresident Wade believes that if Islamwas better known it would be at-tacked less. Therefore, it is necessaryto make known the true values andconcepts of Islam and to improve theeducation of youth so they can pre-serve their identity and Islamic heri-tage. He added that President Wadealso believes in Muslims being orga-nized and supports the idea of launch-ing a television station that broadcastsin different languages about the Is-lamic countries and defends the caus-es of the Ummah.

As for the Digital Solidarity Fund,he said that the original concept is be-ing reformulated so that instead of atax levied on every computer boughtor sold, it would be a voluntary con-tribution.

He stressed that Senegal as chairof COMIAC is determined to move itforward and build on the resolutionsmade by establishing a permanentsecretariat that would follow up onthe implementations.

ish Criminal Code section '140' stipu-lating protection of religious feelingsagainst mockery and scorn, and sec-tion '266 b' stipulating protection ofgroups of persons against scorn anddegradation on account of their relig-ions. The Meeting underscored thatthe publication of book substantiatedthe OIC's concerns of the abuse offreedom of expression by motivatedgroups and individuals to fuel hatredtowards Islam and Muslims in someparts of the western world and ex-pressed hope that similar actionswould not be repeated.

The Ministerial Session of theStanding Committee called upon theinternational community to exert ef-forts to prevent incitement to hatredand discrimination against Muslimsand to take effective measures tocombat the defamation of religionsand negative stereotyping of peopleon the basis of religion, faith or race.

The participants also highlightedthe importance of adherence to dia-logue with the West to demonstratethat Islam is a religion of toleranceand moderation. They pointed out theimportance of highlighting this dia-logue in the media of the MemberStates with a view to refuting theclaims that the media in Islamiccountries are averse to the freedom ofexpression, which albeit sacrosanct,are not absolute.

ConclusionThe participants highlighted the

need to benefit from the acceleratingprogress in ICT to build the informa-tion and knowledge society. Theyhailed the initiative of PresidentWade establishing the 'Digital Soli-darity Fund' as a special mechanismto bridge the digital divide whichmay lead to the exacerbation of thediscrepancy between the developedworld and the developing world towhich most of the Islamic countriesbelong.

After the general debate, theCommittee adopted a resolution high-lighting the need to promote joint Is-lamic action in information, cultural,social and family related fields asstrategic domains that shape identityand defend the causes of the Ummah.

The Committee welcomed onceagain the decision of the Governmentof Senegal to establish a permanentnational secretariat to follow up theactivities and resolutions of the CO-MIAC.

Speaking to the OIC Journal atthe conclusion of the 9th COMIAC,the Senegalese Foreign Minister saidthat it was an important meeting thatyielded important results and showedthat the participants shared the sameconcerns.

of the Custodian of the Two HolyMosques King Abdullah of SaudiArabia for promoting interfaith dia-logue.

The Secretary General then ad-dressed the important issues concern-ing women, youth and childhood. Hementioned OIC efforts in these mat-ters, including the establishment ofthe new 'Family Affairs Department'at the OIC General Secretariat; theadoption of the 'OIC Plan of Actionfor Advancement of Women'; theconvening of two ministerial confer-ences on women (the third was heldin Tehran on 19-21 December 2010);and convening of two ministerialmeetings on childhood of which thethird will be held in Tripoli, Libya inFebruary 2011.

In conclusion, Secretary GeneralIhsanoglu urged the Member States topool their resources and invest inbuilding a strong and effective infor-mation and communication digitalnetwork; to embark on effective train-ing programs for media personnel; tohelp in developing the OIC Islamo-phobia Observatory into a strongmechanism; to showcase the richnessof our cultural heritage and traditions;to invest in vulnerable segments ofour society, including women, youthand children; and to further enhance aclose and constructive working rela-tionship with the United Nations andits affiliated bodies.

Senegalese President AbdoulayeWade, in his opening speech to the9th Session of the COMIAC, whichconcluded its proceedings on 13 Oc-tober, thanked the Secretary Generalfor his leadership, commitment andresolve in furthering the causes of theUmmah.

President Wade expressed his sup-port to all OIC efforts especially theestablishment of an emergency re-sponse fund to intervene in helpingMuslim countries struck by disasteras recently happened in Pakistan.

The President highlighted theneed to preserve and protect Islamicheritage through education, trainingand the media. He said that ignoranceof our religion comes from lack ofcommunication.

Ihsanoglu and PresidentWade exchange views on

various issuesThe Secretary General met with

Senegalese President AbdoulayeWade at the Presidential Palace in

The President of Senegal supportsestablishing an OIC Disaster Fund

President Wade delivering hisspeech at the opening session.


RELIGION

Commemoration of the 1400th Yearof the Revelation of the Holy Qur'an

teachings set the basic principles and guidelines for the hu-man being to manage his behavior and relationship withhimself, with others and with his God.

One of the unique aspects of the teachings of the HolyQuran is that they transcend time, history and space; andthus are universal, the Secretary General said. He addedthat Quran speaks of universal peace, security and brother-hood, and forbids killing of innocent human beings andconsiders murder of an innocent person from any religionor color and ethnicity as the murder of the humanity atlarge.

The Secretary General also indicated that human rightsissues are among the top important core values of the HolyQuran since they embrace all aspects of human life. As amatter of fact, the Holy Quran is rightly considered as thepioneer of human rights by those who have an in-depthknowledge of it, Ihsanoglu said.

Ihsanoglu also shed the light on the Quranic teachingswith regard to humanitarian work. He said Quranic injunc-tions repeatedly call for the humanitarian aid and make itobligatory on every Muslim to pay part of his income forthe welfare of needy and poor. For Muslims humanitarianwork is a way of being rewarded by God and erasing sins.Islam indeed, established a mechanism for the charitywork, such as 'zakat', 'waqf', 'kaffara'. This system of soli-darity in the form of humanitarian and charity work used tobe instrumental in bringing about positive social develop-ment and prosperity.

Speaking of humanitarian issues in Islam, the SecretaryGeneral stressed the fact that Islam demands from all Mus-lims to reach out to those in distress and to help them andalleviate their sufferings, such as the disaster in Pakistanwhere agreat num-ber of peo-ple of havebeen hit bycalamitousfloods andare in theface of anunprecedented hu-manitariantragedy.

Istanbul, Turkey - An International Inaugural Confer-ence organized by the Research Centre for Islamic History,Art and Culture (IRCICA) launched the OIC's program ofcommemoration of the passage of fourteen centuries ADsince the beginning of the revelation of the Holy Qur'an.The Conference was held in Istanbul on 26 Ramadan1431H / 5 September 2010, date corresponding to the 'Lay-lat al-Qadr'.

The commemoration program will take place duringthe year 2010-2011 with the participation of the relevantauthorities and institutions of the OIC Member States, Ob-server States, and Muslims' unions and associations acrossthe world.

The International Inaugural Conference took place un-der the patronage and in the presence of the Prime Ministerof Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It brought togetherministers from nine countries (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,Macedonia, Mauritania, Palestine, Qatar, Senegal, Sudan,and Turkey), heads of religious affairs, members of re-search institutions and specialists from universities, headsand members of governmental and non-governmental or-ganizations, heads of diplomatic and consular missions,representatives of international organizations, and dele-gates representing Muslim communities all over the world.

In his statement, at the Inaugural Conference, the Sec-retary General of the Organization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stressed that Quranbrought within itself a complete code of life to the humankind to follow and to carry out the worldly business in thebest possible manner. He added that the holy book of Qu-ran was the last revelation of the Almighty Allah with lofty

OIC welcomes Human Rights Council'sstatement against religious intolerance

Geneva, Switzerland - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu welcomed the adoption of a statement regardingcondemnation of recent instances of religious intolerance,prejudice and related discrimination and violence, whichcontinued to occur in all parts of the world. The consensu-al Statement was read out on behalf of the Human RightsCouncil (HRC) by its President towards the end of the 15thSession in Geneva.

The OIC Secretary General emphasized that the State-ment was particularly timely in view of the growing num-ber of instances of religious intolerance such as discrimina-tion, conflating religion with terrorism, desecrating ordestroying holy books and religious sites or shrines. TheSecretary General particularly welcomed the call by theCouncil -being the human rights conscience of the world-

upon the international community to stand against allforms of religious intolerance and engage in practical stepsto end such intolerance.

Drawing attention to the OIC sponsored Resolution on'Defamation of Religions', passed at the Human RightsCouncil and the UN General Assembly over the past dec-ade, Ihsanoglu reiterated the OIC's principled positionagainst defamation of all religions as well as discrimina-tion or incitement to hatred on religious grounds. He urgedthe international community to build upon the momentumgenerated by the consensual statement at the Council, injoining hands with the OIC towards evolving a normativeapproach to deal with growing instances of religious intol-erance that continued to pose a clear and present danger tointernational community's efforts and desire for globalpeace, security and stability.

OIC Secretary General welcomesClinton’s statement on religious freedom

Secretary General of the Organi-zation of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu wel-comed the statement by US Secre-tary of State Mrs. Hillary RodhamClinton on 17 November 2010 re-garding the commitment of the US toreligious freedom as a fundamentalhuman right. Ihsanoglu joined Secre-tary Clinton's view that religiousfreedom is both a fundamental hu-man right and an essential element toany stable, peaceful, thriving society.

The OIC Secretary General alsoshared the concerns of SecretaryClinton that in addition to examplesof religious intolerance in variousparts of the world, as a setback to re-ligious freedom “several Europeancountries have placed harsh restric-tions on religious expression,” whichtargeted particularly their Muslimcitizens.

With regard to Secretary Clin-ton's remarks on extremist-terroristattacks targeting religious minorities,the Secretary General reiterated hiscondemnation of and principled posi-tion against violence towards relig-ious minorities and recalled his earli-er statement condemning the terroristattack which targeted the Church of Our Lady of Salvation(Sayydat Al-Najat) in Baghdad on 31 October 2010. In thisregard he also referred to the OIC's Makkah Declaration in-itiative in 2006, bringing together the representatives of theIraqi sects to renounce sectarian violence and extremism.

Referring to the 'Declaration on Countering Islamopho-bia' issued by the Annual Coordination Meeting of the OICForeign Ministers held in New York on 24 September2010, OIC Secretary General reiterated the OIC MemberStates' profound regret and deep concern at the increasing

acts of Islamophobia, growing trendof intolerance and hatred towardsMuslims, and mounting number ofacts of violence against Muslims insome Western societies. He empha-sized the importance of mutual re-spect and understanding amongstdifferent civilizations and peoplesfor strengthening international peaceand security, tolerance and globalharmony.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu fur-ther stated that it was promising thatthere was a unanimous understand-ing among the UN member stateswith respect to the urgent necessityof dealing with the rising trend of in-citement to hatred on the basis of re-ligion and race. In order to build onthis understanding and take concreteactions to prevent the ramificationsof such a trend, the OIC MemberStates have sought to work closelywith all the counterparts, includingthe US and the EU at the UN inNew York.

Moreover, in order to satisfy theconcerns of all stakeholders, theOIC Group has taken the initiativeto include a reference in its draft res-olution to the article 27 of the Inter-

national Covenant of Civic and Political Rights, regardingthe rights of religious minorities in line with the recom-mendation of other stakeholders.

The OIC Secretary General has clarified that the re-vised OIC draft resolution is inclusive of all religions in itsscope and does not call upon the States to adopt any addi-tional measures to prohibit advocacy of racial or religioushatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostili-ty or violence, beyond their already existing internationalobligations.

Human Rights Council condemns burning Holy booksIn view of the growing number of instances of religious

intolerance, such as discrimination, conflating a religionwith terrorism, or desecrating or destroying Holy books, re-ligious sites or shrines, and as a result of the OIC efforts inGeneva and consensus of all members of the Human RightsCouncil, Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, President of the Hu-man Rights Council, on September 30th made the follow-ing statement on behalf of the Human Rights Council:

“The Council condemns recent instances of religious in-tolerance, prejudice and related discrimination and vio-lence, which continued to occur in all parts of the world.The international community should stand united againstall forms of religious intolerance and should engage in

practical steps to end such intolerance. The Council en-courages efforts to establish collaborative networks tobuild mutual understanding and promote dialogue. TheCouncil stresses that these efforts should be taken to pro-tect individuals of all religions and beliefs in a non-discriminatory way, and should apply to promote under-standing among them. The Council also recognizes thatopen, constructive and respectful debate, as well as inter-faith dialogue, could have a positive effect. The Councilreiterates the call by the United Nations Secretary-Generalon the necessity for the voices of moderation to be heardand mutual respect to prevail.”

Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) presented with a copy of the Quran.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


RELIGION

Commemoration of the 1400th Yearof the Revelation of the Holy Qur'an

teachings set the basic principles and guidelines for the hu-man being to manage his behavior and relationship withhimself, with others and with his God.

One of the unique aspects of the teachings of the HolyQuran is that they transcend time, history and space; andthus are universal, the Secretary General said. He addedthat Quran speaks of universal peace, security and brother-hood, and forbids killing of innocent human beings andconsiders murder of an innocent person from any religionor color and ethnicity as the murder of the humanity atlarge.

The Secretary General also indicated that human rightsissues are among the top important core values of the HolyQuran since they embrace all aspects of human life. As amatter of fact, the Holy Quran is rightly considered as thepioneer of human rights by those who have an in-depthknowledge of it, Ihsanoglu said.

Ihsanoglu also shed the light on the Quranic teachingswith regard to humanitarian work. He said Quranic injunc-tions repeatedly call for the humanitarian aid and make itobligatory on every Muslim to pay part of his income forthe welfare of needy and poor. For Muslims humanitarianwork is a way of being rewarded by God and erasing sins.Islam indeed, established a mechanism for the charitywork, such as 'zakat', 'waqf', 'kaffara'. This system of soli-darity in the form of humanitarian and charity work used tobe instrumental in bringing about positive social develop-ment and prosperity.

Speaking of humanitarian issues in Islam, the SecretaryGeneral stressed the fact that Islam demands from all Mus-lims to reach out to those in distress and to help them andalleviate their sufferings, such as the disaster in Pakistanwhere agreat num-ber of peo-ple of havebeen hit bycalamitousfloods andare in theface of anunprecedented hu-manitariantragedy.

Istanbul, Turkey - An International Inaugural Confer-ence organized by the Research Centre for Islamic History,Art and Culture (IRCICA) launched the OIC's program ofcommemoration of the passage of fourteen centuries ADsince the beginning of the revelation of the Holy Qur'an.The Conference was held in Istanbul on 26 Ramadan1431H / 5 September 2010, date corresponding to the 'Lay-lat al-Qadr'.

The commemoration program will take place duringthe year 2010-2011 with the participation of the relevantauthorities and institutions of the OIC Member States, Ob-server States, and Muslims' unions and associations acrossthe world.

The International Inaugural Conference took place un-der the patronage and in the presence of the Prime Ministerof Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It brought togetherministers from nine countries (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,Macedonia, Mauritania, Palestine, Qatar, Senegal, Sudan,and Turkey), heads of religious affairs, members of re-search institutions and specialists from universities, headsand members of governmental and non-governmental or-ganizations, heads of diplomatic and consular missions,representatives of international organizations, and dele-gates representing Muslim communities all over the world.

In his statement, at the Inaugural Conference, the Sec-retary General of the Organization of the Islamic Confer-ence (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stressed that Quranbrought within itself a complete code of life to the humankind to follow and to carry out the worldly business in thebest possible manner. He added that the holy book of Qu-ran was the last revelation of the Almighty Allah with lofty

OIC welcomes Human Rights Council'sstatement against religious intolerance

Geneva, Switzerland - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu welcomed the adoption of a statement regardingcondemnation of recent instances of religious intolerance,prejudice and related discrimination and violence, whichcontinued to occur in all parts of the world. The consensu-al Statement was read out on behalf of the Human RightsCouncil (HRC) by its President towards the end of the 15thSession in Geneva.

The OIC Secretary General emphasized that the State-ment was particularly timely in view of the growing num-ber of instances of religious intolerance such as discrimina-tion, conflating religion with terrorism, desecrating ordestroying holy books and religious sites or shrines. TheSecretary General particularly welcomed the call by theCouncil -being the human rights conscience of the world-

upon the international community to stand against allforms of religious intolerance and engage in practical stepsto end such intolerance.

Drawing attention to the OIC sponsored Resolution on'Defamation of Religions', passed at the Human RightsCouncil and the UN General Assembly over the past dec-ade, Ihsanoglu reiterated the OIC's principled positionagainst defamation of all religions as well as discrimina-tion or incitement to hatred on religious grounds. He urgedthe international community to build upon the momentumgenerated by the consensual statement at the Council, injoining hands with the OIC towards evolving a normativeapproach to deal with growing instances of religious intol-erance that continued to pose a clear and present danger tointernational community's efforts and desire for globalpeace, security and stability.

OIC Secretary General welcomesClinton’s statement on religious freedom

Secretary General of the Organi-zation of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu wel-comed the statement by US Secre-tary of State Mrs. Hillary RodhamClinton on 17 November 2010 re-garding the commitment of the US toreligious freedom as a fundamentalhuman right. Ihsanoglu joined Secre-tary Clinton's view that religiousfreedom is both a fundamental hu-man right and an essential element toany stable, peaceful, thriving society.

The OIC Secretary General alsoshared the concerns of SecretaryClinton that in addition to examplesof religious intolerance in variousparts of the world, as a setback to re-ligious freedom “several Europeancountries have placed harsh restric-tions on religious expression,” whichtargeted particularly their Muslimcitizens.

With regard to Secretary Clin-ton's remarks on extremist-terroristattacks targeting religious minorities,the Secretary General reiterated hiscondemnation of and principled posi-tion against violence towards relig-ious minorities and recalled his earli-er statement condemning the terroristattack which targeted the Church of Our Lady of Salvation(Sayydat Al-Najat) in Baghdad on 31 October 2010. In thisregard he also referred to the OIC's Makkah Declaration in-itiative in 2006, bringing together the representatives of theIraqi sects to renounce sectarian violence and extremism.

Referring to the 'Declaration on Countering Islamopho-bia' issued by the Annual Coordination Meeting of the OICForeign Ministers held in New York on 24 September2010, OIC Secretary General reiterated the OIC MemberStates' profound regret and deep concern at the increasing

acts of Islamophobia, growing trendof intolerance and hatred towardsMuslims, and mounting number ofacts of violence against Muslims insome Western societies. He empha-sized the importance of mutual re-spect and understanding amongstdifferent civilizations and peoplesfor strengthening international peaceand security, tolerance and globalharmony.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu fur-ther stated that it was promising thatthere was a unanimous understand-ing among the UN member stateswith respect to the urgent necessityof dealing with the rising trend of in-citement to hatred on the basis of re-ligion and race. In order to build onthis understanding and take concreteactions to prevent the ramificationsof such a trend, the OIC MemberStates have sought to work closelywith all the counterparts, includingthe US and the EU at the UN inNew York.

Moreover, in order to satisfy theconcerns of all stakeholders, theOIC Group has taken the initiativeto include a reference in its draft res-olution to the article 27 of the Inter-

national Covenant of Civic and Political Rights, regardingthe rights of religious minorities in line with the recom-mendation of other stakeholders.

The OIC Secretary General has clarified that the re-vised OIC draft resolution is inclusive of all religions in itsscope and does not call upon the States to adopt any addi-tional measures to prohibit advocacy of racial or religioushatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostili-ty or violence, beyond their already existing internationalobligations.

Human Rights Council condemns burning Holy booksIn view of the growing number of instances of religious

intolerance, such as discrimination, conflating a religionwith terrorism, or desecrating or destroying Holy books, re-ligious sites or shrines, and as a result of the OIC efforts inGeneva and consensus of all members of the Human RightsCouncil, Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, President of the Hu-man Rights Council, on September 30th made the follow-ing statement on behalf of the Human Rights Council:

“The Council condemns recent instances of religious in-tolerance, prejudice and related discrimination and vio-lence, which continued to occur in all parts of the world.The international community should stand united againstall forms of religious intolerance and should engage in

practical steps to end such intolerance. The Council en-courages efforts to establish collaborative networks tobuild mutual understanding and promote dialogue. TheCouncil stresses that these efforts should be taken to pro-tect individuals of all religions and beliefs in a non-discriminatory way, and should apply to promote under-standing among them. The Council also recognizes thatopen, constructive and respectful debate, as well as inter-faith dialogue, could have a positive effect. The Councilreiterates the call by the United Nations Secretary-Generalon the necessity for the voices of moderation to be heardand mutual respect to prevail.”

Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) presented with a copy of the Quran.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


Ihsanoglu and Sheikh Al-Azhar discuss means of coordinationCairo, Egypt - The Secretary General of the Organiza-

tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Professor Ekmeled-din Ihsanoglu met on 28 November at Al Azhar Al SharifGrand Imam Shiekh Al Azhar Dr. Ahmed Taib, who re-viewed the efforts of Al Azhar Al Sharif in the domain ofrapprochement among Islamic schools of thought, inter-faith dialogue and the role of Al Azhar Al Sharif in ad-dressing the West with a view to correcting the image ofIslam and Muslims.

For his part, the Secretary General highlighted the ef-

forts of the Organization at various levels regarding rap-prochement of schools of thought and addressing the issueof Islamophobia at the United Nations, the Human RightsCouncil in Geneva, or at the bilateral level with numerousWestern States, as well as addressing the public opinion inthe West through non-governmental organizations andthink-tanks.

The two sides addressed the ways and means of coor-dinating the efforts of Al Azhar Al Sharif and the OIC onthese issues.

4746

RELIGION

by all means available and in a languagethat people can understand and interactwith. He also urged for a renewal of Islamicreligious discourse and an earnest pursuit ofvarious activities which would manifest en-lightened contemporary Islamic informationvisibility in all domains and at the interna-tional, regional and local levels.

He also stressed the need to provide allworld satellite TV channels with preciseprograms, news, comments and materialsso as to achieve high credibility and distin-guished media presentation. On the otherhand, Dr. Al-Abbadi cautioned against thediscord and destructive ideas promoted bysome satellite TV channels, which may leadto sedition and strife.

Dr. Al-Abbadi also warned against anymisuse of the freedom of expression whichmay lead to chaos, and emphasized that

freedom cannot exist without an acute senseof responsibility. Freedom does not mean defaming othersbut rather expressing opinion and sound critique withoutabuse. He said that Islam calls for dialogue and respect ofdivergent opinions, and defends people's freedom to voicetheir opinion provided that such opinion does not prejudiceothers.

The Jordanian Minister of Endowments and IslamicAffairs and Sanctities said, at the interview which tookplace during his visit to the OIC Secretary General's Officein Jeddah on 22 November 2010, that the Hashemite King-dom of Jordan plays an efficient empirical role on theground through the Ministry of Endowments and IslamicAffairs and the connection between its Department of Is-lamic Endowments and the Department of Islamic Endow-ments in Al-Quds. He noted that the latter is entrusted withthe task of protecting Islamic sanctities in Al-Quds andmanaging relevant educational and social affairs as well asendowments. This is specifically aimed at providing pro-tection and care for Al-Aqsa Mosque, and rendering allforms of support and assistance to Arab and Muslim exis-tence in the Holy City.

Finally, Dr. Al-Abbadi noted that the Ministry, throughthe Hashemite Charity Foundation managed to deliver as-sistance to the Gaza Strip at the worst and dimmest condi-tions and valued the efforts of the Hashemite Fund for theConstruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of theRock.

Al-Abbadi hopes for early adoption of Document onRapprochement between Islamic Schools of Thought

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Abbadi, Jordanian Minister ofEndowments and Islamic Affairs, expressedhis hope that the document on the Rap-prochement between Islamic Schools ofThought, as prepared by the InternationalIslamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) at an IslamicFiqh Conference during his tenure as theIIFA Secretary, be adopted.

Dr. Al-Abbadi told the OIC Journal thatthe said document provides for a number ofpractical measures that should be taken toachieve the unity and cohesion of the Um-mah and bring together the followers of dif-ferent schools of thought (madhahib).

Dr. Al-Abbadi said that the SecretaryGeneral of the Organisation of the IslamicConference Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsano-glu had entrusted the IIFA with the prepara-tion of this document, which enumeratesmeasures related to education, media and re-lationship between scholars of different Schools (madha-hib) as well as entrenching a deep-rooted unity among thepeople of the Ummah, based on sensible understanding ofall relations between them and given the fact that theirviews converge on fundamental issues and diverge on afew matters of secondary importance. He called on thescholars who had evolved the document to hold a rallyconference bringing together the Ummah scholars to adoptit.

The former IIFA Secretary noted that the Islamic worldis facing political, economic and cultural challenges whichhave been the subject of well-thought-out scientific andempirical study through the OIC's Ten Year Program ofAction (TYPOA) adopted by the Makkah ExtraordinarySummit. The TYPOA includes a set of measures aimed atmeeting these challenges in all walks of life, with particu-lar attention given to the cause of Palestine and Al-Qudson account of the practices of the Israeli occupation target-ing the alteration of the demographic character and AraboIslamic identity of the latter.

Dr. Al-Abbadi added that Islamophobia is among themain issues under consideration by the IIFA and that theAcademy's development plans include, inter alia, specificprojects to address this issue. He also touched upon therole of the media in countering Islamophobia. The mediacan play an effective role through a plan proceeding from aclear vision based on the fact that our religion seeks thegood of humanity, a fact that should be made well known

Dr. Azhari A. GeilaLibrarian

Inspired by the history of Islam onbooks and libraries, and moved by thebelief that the renaissance of the Islam-ic Ummah [nation] is achievable onlythrough a relentless pursuit of scienceand information, the OIC took thelaudable initiative as part of the objec-tives and principles enshrined in itsTen-Year Program of Action (2005)and its new Charter (2008), to seek the"advancement of science and technolo-gy and the development and promotionof research and cooperation betweenMember States."

Within this endeavor the OIC Sec-retary General Professor EkmeleddinIhsanoglu launched in February 2007an historic initiative to set up a special-ized library at the OIC Headquarters inJeddah. He has attached great impor-tance and granted personally to the li-brary in spite of his demanding andheavy work schedule.

Since its creation, the OIC libraryhas sought actively to include all publi-cations issued by the Organization, itsdepartments and its organs and institu-tions, as well as collecting and organiz-ing all intellectual publications thathave close bearing to its activities, not-ably the promotion of global peace,moderation in Islam, human rights, dis-semination of Islamic culture, encour-aging inter-civilizational and inter-faithdialogue, boosting trade and economiccooperation among Muslim countriesand the wider world, the preservationof Islamic heritage, enhancing Islamicefforts in the fields of socio-economicdevelopment, science and technology,and the defense of the causes of the Is-lamic world, especially the Palestiniancause, the fight against intolerance, ter-rorism and extremism and other majorissues.

The library has set for itself anarray of objectives, key amongwhich are as follows:

1. Serving the objectives of theOIC as expressed in its programs andplans by facilitating access to informa-tion in a handy and smooth way.

2. Organizing, classifying and in-dexing print and electronic documentsby making use of top-notch softwareand information systems for the benefitof end users.

3. The library is a central hub forretrieving and sharing documents is-sued by the General Secretariat andother OIC Organs across the Muslimworld.

4. Encouraging, updating, dissemi-nating and distributing informationthrough the use of digital and sophisti-cated systems thanks to modern infor-mation technologies.

5. Instilling the love for readingamong staff members at the GeneralSecretariat, and offering easy and fullaccess to documented information they

might need that would help them intheir decision-making and the perfor-mance of their duties.

6. Facilitating research for librarymembers and providing access to in-formation by building a dedicatedwebsite for the library and its catalogs.

7. Linking the library's websitealong with its catalogs with the web-sites of the various OIC Organs, Insti-tutions and Committees, and workingout effective mechanisms for the elec-tronic exchange of information be-tween the library and these Organs, In-stitutions and Committees.

Library's main achievements:1. Premises The mezzanine floor was allocated

for the library at the new premises ofthe OIC General secretariat at the in-tersection of Al-Madinah Road withKing Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Road.

2. Library's use of technology Since its inception, the library

chose to use the world-renowned soft-ware 'Horizon' and then migrated to'Symphony' integrated system. At first,this system was intended to serve theindexing, cataloging and loan opera-tions. The library service allowssearch and return functions on the In-tranet for all staff members at the Gen-eral Secretariat right from their desksaround the clock by accessing URL:http://OIC-library.

The library aspires to upgrade itsLAN e-link with the technical assis-tance of the software company and theIT Department at the General Secretar-iat. Once upgraded, the link will al-low for the search of databases and thesupport of search as well as retrievaloperations on Wide Are Network(WAN), together with 'Current Aware-ness' services by keeping members up-dated about recent acquisitions, and

the implementation in the near futureof Selective Dissemination of Infor-mation (SDI) service.

3. Library material procurementThe OIC library pursues various

policies that include the following: • Direct purchase from publishers

and agents in addition to attendingsome periodic international book fairs.

• Subscribs to print and online pe-riodicals in the OIC three official lan-guages, in addition to book gifts andexchange.

• Embraces proposals propoundedby various Departments at the GeneralSecretariat regarding supply. The li-brary attaches special attention to thedirectives of the OIC Secretary Gener-al along with the recommendations ofthe Chief Librarian on supply.

So far, the library boasts a collec-tion of over five thousand three hun-dred acquisitions made up of print andelectronic resources. It plans to ex-pand that figure up to ten thousand bythe end of 2012. Such expansionwould naturally entail the extension ofthe library space to the remaining freearea on the mezzanine floor.

4. Technical proceduresThe library adopted from the out-

set universally recognized systems andstarted out from where others left offas a way of keeping up with the fastdevelopments in the field of librariesand information technology.

• In the field of classification, thelibrary adopted the work plan of theDewey Decimal Classification System(Version 22).

• Indexing is conducted in accor-dance with MARC (Machine Reada-ble Cataloging) and Anglo-AmericanCataloguing Rules (AACR2). As forindexing Arab material, the libraryuses the Unified Arab Index.

• The library uses the Library ofCongress Subject Headings (LCSH)and the main Arab headings as set byAydi.

• For book and resource lending,the library has entered data on all staffmembers at the OIC General Secretari-at in the library system. In this way,the loaned resource is conductedthrough automatic bar-coding and re-trieval of all resources borrowed inline with the library system.

5. Working Hours The library is open during office

hours from Saturday to Wednesdayfrom 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from6:00 to 9:00 p.m. On Thursdays, it isopen from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The library calls on OIC staff andvisiting researchers who have not yetbenefited from the services of the li-brary to undertake a visit to its premis-es and take advantage of its servicesfor the benefit of all.

OIC GeneralSecretariat gets

specialized library

Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Abbadi.


Ihsanoglu and Sheikh Al-Azhar discuss means of coordinationCairo, Egypt - The Secretary General of the Organiza-

tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Professor Ekmeled-din Ihsanoglu met on 28 November at Al Azhar Al SharifGrand Imam Shiekh Al Azhar Dr. Ahmed Taib, who re-viewed the efforts of Al Azhar Al Sharif in the domain ofrapprochement among Islamic schools of thought, inter-faith dialogue and the role of Al Azhar Al Sharif in ad-dressing the West with a view to correcting the image ofIslam and Muslims.

For his part, the Secretary General highlighted the ef-

forts of the Organization at various levels regarding rap-prochement of schools of thought and addressing the issueof Islamophobia at the United Nations, the Human RightsCouncil in Geneva, or at the bilateral level with numerousWestern States, as well as addressing the public opinion inthe West through non-governmental organizations andthink-tanks.

The two sides addressed the ways and means of coor-dinating the efforts of Al Azhar Al Sharif and the OIC onthese issues.

4746

RELIGION

by all means available and in a languagethat people can understand and interactwith. He also urged for a renewal of Islamicreligious discourse and an earnest pursuit ofvarious activities which would manifest en-lightened contemporary Islamic informationvisibility in all domains and at the interna-tional, regional and local levels.

He also stressed the need to provide allworld satellite TV channels with preciseprograms, news, comments and materialsso as to achieve high credibility and distin-guished media presentation. On the otherhand, Dr. Al-Abbadi cautioned against thediscord and destructive ideas promoted bysome satellite TV channels, which may leadto sedition and strife.

Dr. Al-Abbadi also warned against anymisuse of the freedom of expression whichmay lead to chaos, and emphasized that

freedom cannot exist without an acute senseof responsibility. Freedom does not mean defaming othersbut rather expressing opinion and sound critique withoutabuse. He said that Islam calls for dialogue and respect ofdivergent opinions, and defends people's freedom to voicetheir opinion provided that such opinion does not prejudiceothers.

The Jordanian Minister of Endowments and IslamicAffairs and Sanctities said, at the interview which tookplace during his visit to the OIC Secretary General's Officein Jeddah on 22 November 2010, that the Hashemite King-dom of Jordan plays an efficient empirical role on theground through the Ministry of Endowments and IslamicAffairs and the connection between its Department of Is-lamic Endowments and the Department of Islamic Endow-ments in Al-Quds. He noted that the latter is entrusted withthe task of protecting Islamic sanctities in Al-Quds andmanaging relevant educational and social affairs as well asendowments. This is specifically aimed at providing pro-tection and care for Al-Aqsa Mosque, and rendering allforms of support and assistance to Arab and Muslim exis-tence in the Holy City.

Finally, Dr. Al-Abbadi noted that the Ministry, throughthe Hashemite Charity Foundation managed to deliver as-sistance to the Gaza Strip at the worst and dimmest condi-tions and valued the efforts of the Hashemite Fund for theConstruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of theRock.

Al-Abbadi hopes for early adoption of Document onRapprochement between Islamic Schools of Thought

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Abbadi, Jordanian Minister ofEndowments and Islamic Affairs, expressedhis hope that the document on the Rap-prochement between Islamic Schools ofThought, as prepared by the InternationalIslamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) at an IslamicFiqh Conference during his tenure as theIIFA Secretary, be adopted.

Dr. Al-Abbadi told the OIC Journal thatthe said document provides for a number ofpractical measures that should be taken toachieve the unity and cohesion of the Um-mah and bring together the followers of dif-ferent schools of thought (madhahib).

Dr. Al-Abbadi said that the SecretaryGeneral of the Organisation of the IslamicConference Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsano-glu had entrusted the IIFA with the prepara-tion of this document, which enumeratesmeasures related to education, media and re-lationship between scholars of different Schools (madha-hib) as well as entrenching a deep-rooted unity among thepeople of the Ummah, based on sensible understanding ofall relations between them and given the fact that theirviews converge on fundamental issues and diverge on afew matters of secondary importance. He called on thescholars who had evolved the document to hold a rallyconference bringing together the Ummah scholars to adoptit.

The former IIFA Secretary noted that the Islamic worldis facing political, economic and cultural challenges whichhave been the subject of well-thought-out scientific andempirical study through the OIC's Ten Year Program ofAction (TYPOA) adopted by the Makkah ExtraordinarySummit. The TYPOA includes a set of measures aimed atmeeting these challenges in all walks of life, with particu-lar attention given to the cause of Palestine and Al-Qudson account of the practices of the Israeli occupation target-ing the alteration of the demographic character and AraboIslamic identity of the latter.

Dr. Al-Abbadi added that Islamophobia is among themain issues under consideration by the IIFA and that theAcademy's development plans include, inter alia, specificprojects to address this issue. He also touched upon therole of the media in countering Islamophobia. The mediacan play an effective role through a plan proceeding from aclear vision based on the fact that our religion seeks thegood of humanity, a fact that should be made well known

Dr. Azhari A. GeilaLibrarian

Inspired by the history of Islam onbooks and libraries, and moved by thebelief that the renaissance of the Islam-ic Ummah [nation] is achievable onlythrough a relentless pursuit of scienceand information, the OIC took thelaudable initiative as part of the objec-tives and principles enshrined in itsTen-Year Program of Action (2005)and its new Charter (2008), to seek the"advancement of science and technolo-gy and the development and promotionof research and cooperation betweenMember States."

Within this endeavor the OIC Sec-retary General Professor EkmeleddinIhsanoglu launched in February 2007an historic initiative to set up a special-ized library at the OIC Headquarters inJeddah. He has attached great impor-tance and granted personally to the li-brary in spite of his demanding andheavy work schedule.

Since its creation, the OIC libraryhas sought actively to include all publi-cations issued by the Organization, itsdepartments and its organs and institu-tions, as well as collecting and organiz-ing all intellectual publications thathave close bearing to its activities, not-ably the promotion of global peace,moderation in Islam, human rights, dis-semination of Islamic culture, encour-aging inter-civilizational and inter-faithdialogue, boosting trade and economiccooperation among Muslim countriesand the wider world, the preservationof Islamic heritage, enhancing Islamicefforts in the fields of socio-economicdevelopment, science and technology,and the defense of the causes of the Is-lamic world, especially the Palestiniancause, the fight against intolerance, ter-rorism and extremism and other majorissues.

The library has set for itself anarray of objectives, key amongwhich are as follows:

1. Serving the objectives of theOIC as expressed in its programs andplans by facilitating access to informa-tion in a handy and smooth way.

2. Organizing, classifying and in-dexing print and electronic documentsby making use of top-notch softwareand information systems for the benefitof end users.

3. The library is a central hub forretrieving and sharing documents is-sued by the General Secretariat andother OIC Organs across the Muslimworld.

4. Encouraging, updating, dissemi-nating and distributing informationthrough the use of digital and sophisti-cated systems thanks to modern infor-mation technologies.

5. Instilling the love for readingamong staff members at the GeneralSecretariat, and offering easy and fullaccess to documented information they

might need that would help them intheir decision-making and the perfor-mance of their duties.

6. Facilitating research for librarymembers and providing access to in-formation by building a dedicatedwebsite for the library and its catalogs.

7. Linking the library's websitealong with its catalogs with the web-sites of the various OIC Organs, Insti-tutions and Committees, and workingout effective mechanisms for the elec-tronic exchange of information be-tween the library and these Organs, In-stitutions and Committees.

Library's main achievements:1. Premises The mezzanine floor was allocated

for the library at the new premises ofthe OIC General secretariat at the in-tersection of Al-Madinah Road withKing Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Road.

2. Library's use of technology Since its inception, the library

chose to use the world-renowned soft-ware 'Horizon' and then migrated to'Symphony' integrated system. At first,this system was intended to serve theindexing, cataloging and loan opera-tions. The library service allowssearch and return functions on the In-tranet for all staff members at the Gen-eral Secretariat right from their desksaround the clock by accessing URL:http://OIC-library.

The library aspires to upgrade itsLAN e-link with the technical assis-tance of the software company and theIT Department at the General Secretar-iat. Once upgraded, the link will al-low for the search of databases and thesupport of search as well as retrievaloperations on Wide Are Network(WAN), together with 'Current Aware-ness' services by keeping members up-dated about recent acquisitions, and

the implementation in the near futureof Selective Dissemination of Infor-mation (SDI) service.

3. Library material procurementThe OIC library pursues various

policies that include the following: • Direct purchase from publishers

and agents in addition to attendingsome periodic international book fairs.

• Subscribs to print and online pe-riodicals in the OIC three official lan-guages, in addition to book gifts andexchange.

• Embraces proposals propoundedby various Departments at the GeneralSecretariat regarding supply. The li-brary attaches special attention to thedirectives of the OIC Secretary Gener-al along with the recommendations ofthe Chief Librarian on supply.

So far, the library boasts a collec-tion of over five thousand three hun-dred acquisitions made up of print andelectronic resources. It plans to ex-pand that figure up to ten thousand bythe end of 2012. Such expansionwould naturally entail the extension ofthe library space to the remaining freearea on the mezzanine floor.

4. Technical proceduresThe library adopted from the out-

set universally recognized systems andstarted out from where others left offas a way of keeping up with the fastdevelopments in the field of librariesand information technology.

• In the field of classification, thelibrary adopted the work plan of theDewey Decimal Classification System(Version 22).

• Indexing is conducted in accor-dance with MARC (Machine Reada-ble Cataloging) and Anglo-AmericanCataloguing Rules (AACR2). As forindexing Arab material, the libraryuses the Unified Arab Index.

• The library uses the Library ofCongress Subject Headings (LCSH)and the main Arab headings as set byAydi.

• For book and resource lending,the library has entered data on all staffmembers at the OIC General Secretari-at in the library system. In this way,the loaned resource is conductedthrough automatic bar-coding and re-trieval of all resources borrowed inline with the library system.

5. Working Hours The library is open during office

hours from Saturday to Wednesdayfrom 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from6:00 to 9:00 p.m. On Thursdays, it isopen from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The library calls on OIC staff andvisiting researchers who have not yetbenefited from the services of the li-brary to undertake a visit to its premis-es and take advantage of its servicesfor the benefit of all.

OIC GeneralSecretariat gets

specialized library

Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Abbadi.


CULTURE

Ihsanoglu stresses promotingrelations between OIC and Macedonia

48

man Recepi. The discussion touched on Muslims' affairs inMacedonia in general, and issues of the situation of Islamiceducation, implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agree-ment and preservation of the Islamic historical heritage. TheSecretary General welcomed their activities for the im-provement of the social, political as well as cultural statusof the Muslim community in Macedonia.

On the sidelines of his visit to Skopje, Secretary Generalalso delivered a keynote address at the Congress on “Islam-ic Civilization in the Balkans”, organized by the ResearchCenter for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) underthe patronage of the President of Macedonia.

Fourth International Congress on Islamic Civiliza-tion in the Balkans

The OIC Research Centre for Islamic History, Art andCulture (IRCICA) and the Macedonian Academy of Scienc-es and Arts- MANU (Skopje, Macedonia) jointly organizedthe Fourth International Congress on the theme "IslamicCivilization in the Balkans", held under the patronage ofH.E. Gyorge Ivanov, President of Macedonia. The congresstook place in MANU, Skopje, capital of Macedonia, on 13-17 October 2010.

In his opening speech at the congress, OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu emphasized the importanceof this series of congresses. “Many important facts aboutthe history of the Balkan and its relation with Islam andneighboring countries are yet to be scrutinized and written.The contribution of Islam to this part of the world is stillshrouded with ambiguity and need to be explored and docu-mented for the benefit of history and the knowledge of allthe parties concerned and to enlighten an important episodeof the world history,” he said.

The congress highlighted the history and the heritage ofIslamic civilization in the Balkans under their past andpresent aspects. Topics covered include: trends and process-es of the development of Islamic culture, multi-cultural co-existence, social administration, cultural and educational in-stitutions, science and learning, architecture and urbanism,arts, language and literature, social life and traditions, tangi-ble and intangible Islamic heritage. The congress was an oc-casion to share information on developments in research,teaching and publishing in this area and thus deliberated onthe problems and prospects of studies on Islamic civiliza-tion in the Balkans and strengthening of international aca-demic cooperation.

Designed as such, the congress contributed in promotingstudies and increasing knowledge on the Balkan cultures,which at the same time underscored the regional riches anddiversities of Islamic civilization.

Fourth International Symposium onIslamic Civilization in the Volga-Ural Region

portunities to highlightthe share and place ofthis land in the historyof the diversity of peo-ples, cultures and faithsof Russia in generaland the history of Vol-ga-Ural region in par-ticular.

The symposiumwas held under the pat-ronage of RustemKhamitov, President ofthe Republic of Bash-kortostan. The congressdrew nearly 150 spe-cialists and researchersfrom Germany, India,

Kazakhstan, Lithuania, the RussianFederation, Tatarstan, Turkey, Turk-

menistan, the USA and Uzbekistan.The papers presented and discussionsheld underscored the role and place ofIslam in the history of the region, espe-cially its cultural history in all areas,including language, philosophy andsciences, and its contribution in devel-oping multicultural coexistence.

Visit to Bashkir StatePedagogical University

During his stay in Ufa, SecretaryGeneral Ihsanoglu visited the BashkirState Pedagogical University. He hadan open discussion with the rector,professors and students of the Univer-sity and at the Russian Islamic Univer-sity (via video conference) on the vari-ous issues relating to Islamic

Ihsanoglu and Presidentof Bashkortostan agree to further cooperation

cilitate development of rela-tions between Bashkorto-stan and OIC MemberStates in different areas. Heunderlined that there isgreat interest on the part ofacademicians and scholarsof Bashkortostan to learnmore about the OIC, andthis interest would facilitatethe development of partner-ships with the OIC and itsMember States.

The Secretary Generalassured President Khamitov that hewould double his efforts to bring clos-er this region to the Muslim world. Healso emphasized that the future of Is-lam in Volga-Ural region is great andpromising.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu andthe President agreed to further cooper-

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for thefirst time visited Ufa on 20 October2010, the capital of the Republic ofBashkortostan, the Russian Federa-tion. The Secretary General had a bi-lateral meeting with the President ofthe Republic of Bashkortostan RustemKhamitov.

The Secretary General commend-ed the efforts of the President and hisgovernment in advancing science, in-dustry and innovation in the Republicof Bashkortostan.

The President stressed that his Re-public is very much interested in es-tablishing bilateral relations with OICMember States in various fields, in-cluding trade, science and culture. Heexpressed deep appreciation to theSecretary General for his efforts to fa-

ation and continue contacts betweenthe OIC and the Republic of Bashkor-tostan. Ihsanoglu extended an invita-tion to President Khamitov and a dele-gation from Bashkortostan to visit theOIC Headquarters in Jeddah to discussvarious aspects of cooperation.

education, exchange of students pro-grams, participation of representativesfrom OIC countries in events to be or-ganized in Russia on topics with re-gard to Islamic culture, history and ed-ucation and others. At the end of thedialogue, Prof. Ihsanoglu was awardedthe degree of Honorable Professor ofthe Bashkir State Pedagogical Univer-sity on Humanity.

The Secretary General also visitedthe Ethnological Research InstituteMuseum of the Ufa Research Centerof the Russian Academy of Sciencewhere he was given a tour of the ex-hibits.

Meeting with Head ofRussian Muslims SpiritualDirectorate

Secretary General Ihsanoglu had ameeting with the Supreme MuftiSheikh-Ul-Islam Talgat Tajuddin,Head of Russian Muslims Spiritual Di-rectorate. He was briefed on the revi-val of Islamic values and traditions inBashkortostan in particular and Rus-sian Federation at large, especiallyamong the young population, and thegeneral conditions of Muslims theretoday in terms of practicing their relig-ion, which has improved significantlyin the past years. The Secretary Gener-al observed that since his first visit toseveral cities of the former Soviet Un-ion in 1979 a lot of positive develop-ments took place in terms of revivingIslamic values and Muslims practicingtheir religion.

Ufa, Bashkortostan - The Re-search Centre for Islamic History, Artand Culture (IRCICA) and the Acade-my of Sciences of the Republic ofBashkortostan jointly organized thefourth international congress on thetheme “Islamic Civilization in theVolga-Ural Region” in Ufa, capitalcity of Bashkortostan, on 21-22 Octo-ber 2010.

OIC Secretary General ProfessorEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu participated inthe opening ceremony. More than 200people from 18 countries, includingOIC Member States, as well as inter-national organizations attended thesymposium.

Prof. Ihsanoglu emphasized thatholding the symposium in Bashkorto-stan on this topic creates matching op-

Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia. (epa)

head of Islamic religion community inMacedonia, Sulejman Redzepi (L) in theColored Mosque in western Macedonian

city of Tetovo.(epa).

Mufti Sheikh-Ul-Islam Talgat Tajuddin delivering Friday sermon.

Skopje, Macedonia - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu paid an official visit to the Republic of Macedoniaon 13-14 October 2010 upon the invitation of H.E. GjorgeIvanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia.

During his meeting with OIC Secretary General, Presi-dent Ivanov welcomed the OIC activities and indicated hiswillingness for a close dialogue and cooperation with theOrganization. The Secretary General briefed the Macedoni-an President on the current activities of the OIC in differentspheres. Ihsanoglu also commended the efforts made by theMacedonian authorities to improve the conditions of Mus-lim communities, who live in a harmonious society and en-joy the freedoms.

During the talks, cultural coexistence and multiculturalhistory in Balkans as well as various regional and interna-tional issues of importance were discussed and the twosides stressed the importance of promoting relations be-tween the OIC and Macedonia concerning issues of com-mon concern.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu also met Abdulkadar Me-medi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs andSpecial Envoy of the Government of the Republic of Mace-donia to the OIC. They exchanged views on issues of com-mon interest and improving the relations between bothsides.

The Secretary General visited the Headquarters of theIslamic Union in Macedonia and met with a delegation ofthe Muslim community, led by the Chairman, Haci Suley-


CULTURE

Ihsanoglu stresses promotingrelations between OIC and Macedonia

48

man Recepi. The discussion touched on Muslims' affairs inMacedonia in general, and issues of the situation of Islamiceducation, implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agree-ment and preservation of the Islamic historical heritage. TheSecretary General welcomed their activities for the im-provement of the social, political as well as cultural statusof the Muslim community in Macedonia.

On the sidelines of his visit to Skopje, Secretary Generalalso delivered a keynote address at the Congress on “Islam-ic Civilization in the Balkans”, organized by the ResearchCenter for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) underthe patronage of the President of Macedonia.

Fourth International Congress on Islamic Civiliza-tion in the Balkans

The OIC Research Centre for Islamic History, Art andCulture (IRCICA) and the Macedonian Academy of Scienc-es and Arts- MANU (Skopje, Macedonia) jointly organizedthe Fourth International Congress on the theme "IslamicCivilization in the Balkans", held under the patronage ofH.E. Gyorge Ivanov, President of Macedonia. The congresstook place in MANU, Skopje, capital of Macedonia, on 13-17 October 2010.

In his opening speech at the congress, OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu emphasized the importanceof this series of congresses. “Many important facts aboutthe history of the Balkan and its relation with Islam andneighboring countries are yet to be scrutinized and written.The contribution of Islam to this part of the world is stillshrouded with ambiguity and need to be explored and docu-mented for the benefit of history and the knowledge of allthe parties concerned and to enlighten an important episodeof the world history,” he said.

The congress highlighted the history and the heritage ofIslamic civilization in the Balkans under their past andpresent aspects. Topics covered include: trends and process-es of the development of Islamic culture, multi-cultural co-existence, social administration, cultural and educational in-stitutions, science and learning, architecture and urbanism,arts, language and literature, social life and traditions, tangi-ble and intangible Islamic heritage. The congress was an oc-casion to share information on developments in research,teaching and publishing in this area and thus deliberated onthe problems and prospects of studies on Islamic civiliza-tion in the Balkans and strengthening of international aca-demic cooperation.

Designed as such, the congress contributed in promotingstudies and increasing knowledge on the Balkan cultures,which at the same time underscored the regional riches anddiversities of Islamic civilization.

Fourth International Symposium onIslamic Civilization in the Volga-Ural Region

portunities to highlightthe share and place ofthis land in the historyof the diversity of peo-ples, cultures and faithsof Russia in generaland the history of Vol-ga-Ural region in par-ticular.

The symposiumwas held under the pat-ronage of RustemKhamitov, President ofthe Republic of Bash-kortostan. The congressdrew nearly 150 spe-cialists and researchersfrom Germany, India,

Kazakhstan, Lithuania, the RussianFederation, Tatarstan, Turkey, Turk-

menistan, the USA and Uzbekistan.The papers presented and discussionsheld underscored the role and place ofIslam in the history of the region, espe-cially its cultural history in all areas,including language, philosophy andsciences, and its contribution in devel-oping multicultural coexistence.

Visit to Bashkir StatePedagogical University

During his stay in Ufa, SecretaryGeneral Ihsanoglu visited the BashkirState Pedagogical University. He hadan open discussion with the rector,professors and students of the Univer-sity and at the Russian Islamic Univer-sity (via video conference) on the vari-ous issues relating to Islamic

Ihsanoglu and Presidentof Bashkortostan agree to further cooperation

cilitate development of rela-tions between Bashkorto-stan and OIC MemberStates in different areas. Heunderlined that there isgreat interest on the part ofacademicians and scholarsof Bashkortostan to learnmore about the OIC, andthis interest would facilitatethe development of partner-ships with the OIC and itsMember States.

The Secretary Generalassured President Khamitov that hewould double his efforts to bring clos-er this region to the Muslim world. Healso emphasized that the future of Is-lam in Volga-Ural region is great andpromising.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu andthe President agreed to further cooper-

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for thefirst time visited Ufa on 20 October2010, the capital of the Republic ofBashkortostan, the Russian Federa-tion. The Secretary General had a bi-lateral meeting with the President ofthe Republic of Bashkortostan RustemKhamitov.

The Secretary General commend-ed the efforts of the President and hisgovernment in advancing science, in-dustry and innovation in the Republicof Bashkortostan.

The President stressed that his Re-public is very much interested in es-tablishing bilateral relations with OICMember States in various fields, in-cluding trade, science and culture. Heexpressed deep appreciation to theSecretary General for his efforts to fa-

ation and continue contacts betweenthe OIC and the Republic of Bashkor-tostan. Ihsanoglu extended an invita-tion to President Khamitov and a dele-gation from Bashkortostan to visit theOIC Headquarters in Jeddah to discussvarious aspects of cooperation.

education, exchange of students pro-grams, participation of representativesfrom OIC countries in events to be or-ganized in Russia on topics with re-gard to Islamic culture, history and ed-ucation and others. At the end of thedialogue, Prof. Ihsanoglu was awardedthe degree of Honorable Professor ofthe Bashkir State Pedagogical Univer-sity on Humanity.

The Secretary General also visitedthe Ethnological Research InstituteMuseum of the Ufa Research Centerof the Russian Academy of Sciencewhere he was given a tour of the ex-hibits.

Meeting with Head ofRussian Muslims SpiritualDirectorate

Secretary General Ihsanoglu had ameeting with the Supreme MuftiSheikh-Ul-Islam Talgat Tajuddin,Head of Russian Muslims Spiritual Di-rectorate. He was briefed on the revi-val of Islamic values and traditions inBashkortostan in particular and Rus-sian Federation at large, especiallyamong the young population, and thegeneral conditions of Muslims theretoday in terms of practicing their relig-ion, which has improved significantlyin the past years. The Secretary Gener-al observed that since his first visit toseveral cities of the former Soviet Un-ion in 1979 a lot of positive develop-ments took place in terms of revivingIslamic values and Muslims practicingtheir religion.

Ufa, Bashkortostan - The Re-search Centre for Islamic History, Artand Culture (IRCICA) and the Acade-my of Sciences of the Republic ofBashkortostan jointly organized thefourth international congress on thetheme “Islamic Civilization in theVolga-Ural Region” in Ufa, capitalcity of Bashkortostan, on 21-22 Octo-ber 2010.

OIC Secretary General ProfessorEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu participated inthe opening ceremony. More than 200people from 18 countries, includingOIC Member States, as well as inter-national organizations attended thesymposium.

Prof. Ihsanoglu emphasized thatholding the symposium in Bashkorto-stan on this topic creates matching op-

Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia. (epa)

head of Islamic religion community inMacedonia, Sulejman Redzepi (L) in theColored Mosque in western Macedonian

city of Tetovo.(epa).

Mufti Sheikh-Ul-Islam Talgat Tajuddin delivering Friday sermon.

Skopje, Macedonia - The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu paid an official visit to the Republic of Macedoniaon 13-14 October 2010 upon the invitation of H.E. GjorgeIvanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia.

During his meeting with OIC Secretary General, Presi-dent Ivanov welcomed the OIC activities and indicated hiswillingness for a close dialogue and cooperation with theOrganization. The Secretary General briefed the Macedoni-an President on the current activities of the OIC in differentspheres. Ihsanoglu also commended the efforts made by theMacedonian authorities to improve the conditions of Mus-lim communities, who live in a harmonious society and en-joy the freedoms.

During the talks, cultural coexistence and multiculturalhistory in Balkans as well as various regional and interna-tional issues of importance were discussed and the twosides stressed the importance of promoting relations be-tween the OIC and Macedonia concerning issues of com-mon concern.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu also met Abdulkadar Me-medi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs andSpecial Envoy of the Government of the Republic of Mace-donia to the OIC. They exchanged views on issues of com-mon interest and improving the relations between bothsides.

The Secretary General visited the Headquarters of theIslamic Union in Macedonia and met with a delegation ofthe Muslim community, led by the Chairman, Haci Suley-


OIC Secretary General participates in the140th anniversary of the National Library of Egypt

Cairo, Egypt - In response to an invitation from the Egyptian Minister of CultureFarooq Hosny, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu on 27 November 2010, at the Opera House,participated as a keynote speaker at the opening of the international conference ofEgypt's Dar Al Kutub (National Library of Egypt), marking 140 years of its estab-lishment. The event was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Culture and the GrandSheikh of Azhar Dr Ahmad El Tayib and the Mufti of Egypt Dr Ali Gomaa.

In his address the Secretary General reminisced about the Dar Al Kutub, describ-ing it as a high standing academy where he learned what he did not learn from anyother academic institute with which he had associated either as a student, a research-er or an academic staff in the eastern or western countries.

The Secretary General concluded his speech, which was full of examples of thewonderful Islamic heritage, rare manuscripts and valuable publications housed in theDar Al Kutub, with these words: “If indeed Egypt is the 'mother of the world' thenthe Egyptian Dar Al Kutub is the heart of that compassionate house, its living memo-ry and the repository of its vast world which encompasses the east and the west.”

51

CULTURE

entation, which also included Dr. Halit Eren, DirectorGeneral of IRCICA, and a panel of the University's aca-demics who supervised the book.

President Shaimiev said at the presentation that thebook highlighted the place of Tatars in the history of Is-lam, which was introduced to the region in the 10th centu-ry peacefully and not by force. The Republic has decidedto mark May 21 as a special day celebrating Islam in theTatar region, he added.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu said that the book shedslight on a region considered on the periphery of the Mus-lim world although he does not think that “periphery” ap-plies anymore to Islam in Russia where there are 20 mil-lion Muslims living.

The book is seen as a significant work about Tatarsand Tatarstan in English. It represents a modern opinionabout history and culture of Tatars from ancient times tillmodern days.

Earlier in the day, President Shaimiev accompaniedthe Secretary General on a tour of historic sites in the cityof Bolgar at the outskirts of Kazan where Islam was ac-cepted as the state religion in 922 as the first place toadopt Islam in this region. The sites are undergoing exca-vations and restorations of ancient mosques and buildingof museums.

Bolgar was one of the major centers of Islamic civili-zation in Volga-Ural region in the past. Shaimiev gave adetailed presentation of the history of Bolgar city, whichnow became State Historical Architectural Museum-Reserve. The initiative of the Government of Tatarstan isto restore this city. The State Counselor said that the re-construction works, which are being carried out in the vi-cinity of the ancient city of Bolgar, will be completed in2012.

The Secretary General reminded that in 2000 when hewas Director General of IRCICA he initiated conveningthe International Symposium on Islamic Civilization in theVolga-Ural Region, and the first symposium was held inKazan. Three other such symposiums followed, with thefourth to take place in Ufa, Bashkortostan on 21-22 Octo-ber 2010. Ihsanoglu proposed to hold the fifth edition un-der the theme “Bolgar: History and Culture” in 2012.Shaimiev and Dr. Eren welcomed the proposal.

Ihsanoglu: Muslims in Russia are noton the “periphery” of Muslim world

50

Kazan, Tatarstan -The Secretary Generalof the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu was awarded withthe Honorable Degreeof 'Foreign Member ofAcademy of Science ofthe Republic of Tatar-stan' on 20 October2010 at a ceremony heldat Kazan Federal Uni-versity in Kazan, capitalof the Republic of Tatar-stan, the Russian Feder-ation.

The award was partof an event celebratingthe presentation of theacademic edition of thebook titled 'Tatars His-tory and Civilization' published by the Research Centerfor Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). FormerTatar President Mintimer Shaimiev, who is currently StateCounselor of the Republic of Tatarstan, chaired the pres-

Reappearance of the desert oryx

All the gazelles in this reserve are offspring of gazellesbred in closed areas. These offspring and grand offspringof zoo gazelles have not learnt to travel long distances insearch of water. Similarly the number of camels bred inthis region has increased astronomically in the last 20years, causing a reduction in the amount of forage in thearea and consequently the amount of food on which the ga-zelles depend in their lifetime.

As a result, the workers in this open garden, which ex-tends over about 8,000 square kilometers, provide foodand water to these animals that are placed in 42 fencedpens.

The desert Bedouins loves the white gazelles withblack perches around the face to such an extent that theyname their daughters Maha (Oryx). The Arabs also de-scribe the Oryx gazelle as “conspicuous” because it is easyto sight from a distance in the desert thanks to its glitteringwhite fur, unlike the fox or other types of gazelles, for in-stance.

Because the Oryx is not good at running like the ante-lope, rather than escaping it prefers to use the defensivestrategy and uses its sharp horns for fighting.

Husam Al Deen Al Kahi, one of the guards at the re-serve, accompanies a Bedouin colleague on this hot springday to the location of the gazelles' fodder. As soon as theirvehicle got close to the place, about 10 antelopes ranaway, leaving behind one small animal that could not run.That small animal hid itself under one of the water storag-es. But its mother could not stay away from it for morethan 5 minutes, came back close to the small animal in thecompany of a male animal in the herd. From a safe dis-tance, it watched as the Bedouin guard took the animal inhis hands to feed it.

However, not all desert inhabitants know the meaningof animal protection. While the reserve guards sat down totheir meal, the police on the other side of the Empty Quar-ter were looking for 2 hunters who had not only killed 15antelopes and 5 Oryx gazelles but also flaunted their videofilm capturing the hunting process.

Umm Al Zamul, U.A.E. (dpa) -At the bottom of one ofthe sand dunes, the gazelle from the Oryx (Maha) familystood still with its white skin shining in the sunlight. Froma side view, its two sharp horns appeared like one. “Onetheory says the Arabian Oryx is the same unicorn spokenabout by westerners in their fables,” according to theEgyptian Husam Al Deen Al Kahi.

Al Kahi works at the Umm Al Zamul Reserve in AbuDhabi tending to the Emirates Oryx gazelles to get them tofeel at home once again in the arid desert, after havingbeen expelled by hunters who ran afoul of the hunting reg-ulations. The Arabian Oryx is known for its ability to with-stand high temperature through a system that prevents ad-verse rise in its brain temperature.

The Arabian Oryx inhabited large parts of the ArabianPeninsula about 100 years ago. Because the Arabian Oryxgazelle is known for its elegantly coordinated horns anddelicious meat, the Bedouins were always in its pursuit.But coexistence between the gazelles and man was satis-factory to a certain extent when hunters relied on camelsand simple guns for their hunting. However, the life of theOryx in this region is now threatened, as the Bedouinshave turned to the use of automatic rifles and four-wheeldrive vehicles in the hunting exercise.

The last Oryx gazelle hunt took place in the Sultanateof Oman in 1972. Had it not been for the program to breedthese kinds of gazelles at that time in western zoos, itwould not have been possible to enjoy the sight of thesebeautiful creatures today except in pictures.

There is now a program to rehabilitate the Oryx in Sau-di Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.When we take into account the Oryx that are being bred bythe princes on their private farms, the number of gazellesof this kind in the region would reach several thousands.

No creatures can feel comfortable living in this desertexcept the desert animals such as the agile antelopes, cam-els and Oryx gazelles, which live in this very hot weatherunder the sun canopy and drink from special plastic watertrough.

The Umm Al Zamul reserve is located at the mouth ofthe Empty Quarter region where gazelles have relocated tolive since 2007. There are now 171 of this specie of ga-zelle in this reserve. It is expected that 98 antelopes will beadded to this number in the coming weeks.


OIC Secretary General participates in the140th anniversary of the National Library of Egypt

Cairo, Egypt - In response to an invitation from the Egyptian Minister of CultureFarooq Hosny, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu on 27 November 2010, at the Opera House,participated as a keynote speaker at the opening of the international conference ofEgypt's Dar Al Kutub (National Library of Egypt), marking 140 years of its estab-lishment. The event was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Culture and the GrandSheikh of Azhar Dr Ahmad El Tayib and the Mufti of Egypt Dr Ali Gomaa.

In his address the Secretary General reminisced about the Dar Al Kutub, describ-ing it as a high standing academy where he learned what he did not learn from anyother academic institute with which he had associated either as a student, a research-er or an academic staff in the eastern or western countries.

The Secretary General concluded his speech, which was full of examples of thewonderful Islamic heritage, rare manuscripts and valuable publications housed in theDar Al Kutub, with these words: “If indeed Egypt is the 'mother of the world' thenthe Egyptian Dar Al Kutub is the heart of that compassionate house, its living memo-ry and the repository of its vast world which encompasses the east and the west.”

51

CULTURE

entation, which also included Dr. Halit Eren, DirectorGeneral of IRCICA, and a panel of the University's aca-demics who supervised the book.

President Shaimiev said at the presentation that thebook highlighted the place of Tatars in the history of Is-lam, which was introduced to the region in the 10th centu-ry peacefully and not by force. The Republic has decidedto mark May 21 as a special day celebrating Islam in theTatar region, he added.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu said that the book shedslight on a region considered on the periphery of the Mus-lim world although he does not think that “periphery” ap-plies anymore to Islam in Russia where there are 20 mil-lion Muslims living.

The book is seen as a significant work about Tatarsand Tatarstan in English. It represents a modern opinionabout history and culture of Tatars from ancient times tillmodern days.

Earlier in the day, President Shaimiev accompaniedthe Secretary General on a tour of historic sites in the cityof Bolgar at the outskirts of Kazan where Islam was ac-cepted as the state religion in 922 as the first place toadopt Islam in this region. The sites are undergoing exca-vations and restorations of ancient mosques and buildingof museums.

Bolgar was one of the major centers of Islamic civili-zation in Volga-Ural region in the past. Shaimiev gave adetailed presentation of the history of Bolgar city, whichnow became State Historical Architectural Museum-Reserve. The initiative of the Government of Tatarstan isto restore this city. The State Counselor said that the re-construction works, which are being carried out in the vi-cinity of the ancient city of Bolgar, will be completed in2012.

The Secretary General reminded that in 2000 when hewas Director General of IRCICA he initiated conveningthe International Symposium on Islamic Civilization in theVolga-Ural Region, and the first symposium was held inKazan. Three other such symposiums followed, with thefourth to take place in Ufa, Bashkortostan on 21-22 Octo-ber 2010. Ihsanoglu proposed to hold the fifth edition un-der the theme “Bolgar: History and Culture” in 2012.Shaimiev and Dr. Eren welcomed the proposal.

Ihsanoglu: Muslims in Russia are noton the “periphery” of Muslim world

50

Kazan, Tatarstan -The Secretary Generalof the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu was awarded withthe Honorable Degreeof 'Foreign Member ofAcademy of Science ofthe Republic of Tatar-stan' on 20 October2010 at a ceremony heldat Kazan Federal Uni-versity in Kazan, capitalof the Republic of Tatar-stan, the Russian Feder-ation.

The award was partof an event celebratingthe presentation of theacademic edition of thebook titled 'Tatars His-tory and Civilization' published by the Research Centerfor Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). FormerTatar President Mintimer Shaimiev, who is currently StateCounselor of the Republic of Tatarstan, chaired the pres-

Reappearance of the desert oryx

All the gazelles in this reserve are offspring of gazellesbred in closed areas. These offspring and grand offspringof zoo gazelles have not learnt to travel long distances insearch of water. Similarly the number of camels bred inthis region has increased astronomically in the last 20years, causing a reduction in the amount of forage in thearea and consequently the amount of food on which the ga-zelles depend in their lifetime.

As a result, the workers in this open garden, which ex-tends over about 8,000 square kilometers, provide foodand water to these animals that are placed in 42 fencedpens.

The desert Bedouins loves the white gazelles withblack perches around the face to such an extent that theyname their daughters Maha (Oryx). The Arabs also de-scribe the Oryx gazelle as “conspicuous” because it is easyto sight from a distance in the desert thanks to its glitteringwhite fur, unlike the fox or other types of gazelles, for in-stance.

Because the Oryx is not good at running like the ante-lope, rather than escaping it prefers to use the defensivestrategy and uses its sharp horns for fighting.

Husam Al Deen Al Kahi, one of the guards at the re-serve, accompanies a Bedouin colleague on this hot springday to the location of the gazelles' fodder. As soon as theirvehicle got close to the place, about 10 antelopes ranaway, leaving behind one small animal that could not run.That small animal hid itself under one of the water storag-es. But its mother could not stay away from it for morethan 5 minutes, came back close to the small animal in thecompany of a male animal in the herd. From a safe dis-tance, it watched as the Bedouin guard took the animal inhis hands to feed it.

However, not all desert inhabitants know the meaningof animal protection. While the reserve guards sat down totheir meal, the police on the other side of the Empty Quar-ter were looking for 2 hunters who had not only killed 15antelopes and 5 Oryx gazelles but also flaunted their videofilm capturing the hunting process.

Umm Al Zamul, U.A.E. (dpa) -At the bottom of one ofthe sand dunes, the gazelle from the Oryx (Maha) familystood still with its white skin shining in the sunlight. Froma side view, its two sharp horns appeared like one. “Onetheory says the Arabian Oryx is the same unicorn spokenabout by westerners in their fables,” according to theEgyptian Husam Al Deen Al Kahi.

Al Kahi works at the Umm Al Zamul Reserve in AbuDhabi tending to the Emirates Oryx gazelles to get them tofeel at home once again in the arid desert, after havingbeen expelled by hunters who ran afoul of the hunting reg-ulations. The Arabian Oryx is known for its ability to with-stand high temperature through a system that prevents ad-verse rise in its brain temperature.

The Arabian Oryx inhabited large parts of the ArabianPeninsula about 100 years ago. Because the Arabian Oryxgazelle is known for its elegantly coordinated horns anddelicious meat, the Bedouins were always in its pursuit.But coexistence between the gazelles and man was satis-factory to a certain extent when hunters relied on camelsand simple guns for their hunting. However, the life of theOryx in this region is now threatened, as the Bedouinshave turned to the use of automatic rifles and four-wheeldrive vehicles in the hunting exercise.

The last Oryx gazelle hunt took place in the Sultanateof Oman in 1972. Had it not been for the program to breedthese kinds of gazelles at that time in western zoos, itwould not have been possible to enjoy the sight of thesebeautiful creatures today except in pictures.

There is now a program to rehabilitate the Oryx in Sau-di Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.When we take into account the Oryx that are being bred bythe princes on their private farms, the number of gazellesof this kind in the region would reach several thousands.

No creatures can feel comfortable living in this desertexcept the desert animals such as the agile antelopes, cam-els and Oryx gazelles, which live in this very hot weatherunder the sun canopy and drink from special plastic watertrough.

The Umm Al Zamul reserve is located at the mouth ofthe Empty Quarter region where gazelles have relocated tolive since 2007. There are now 171 of this specie of ga-zelle in this reserve. It is expected that 98 antelopes will beadded to this number in the coming weeks.


The OIC is privileged to join the International commu-nity in commemorating the International Day for the Elim-ination of Violence against Women. This Day (25 Novem-ber) provides us with an opportunity to renew our commonresolve to continue efforts to eliminate violence againstwomen including domestic violence. The important role ofwomen in overall socio-economic developments in differ-ent capacities, including their vital role in the family as amother and wife cannot be overstated. Their contributions,however, will remain unappreciated unless we can ensureto protect them against violence. It is unfortunate that westill find women in all societies, including the most devel-oped ones, being subjected to beating, torture and rape.Most of these crimes are not reported.

Although we have witnessed some encouraging im-provements in the overall conditions of women, includingalleviating violence against women in its various formsand manifestations, the situation in many parts of the worldparticularly the developing and least developed countriesremains gloomy as women are vulnerable to the threatsand challenges in this field.

The observance of the day reminds us of the necessityto strengthen our efforts to combat against this phenome-non which violates some basic human rights and runs con-

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CULTURE

trary to the basic principles and teachings of Islam thatstrongly reject all forms of violence against women and up-hold their rights. We must stand united against this evilphenomenon through all available means in order to makesure that women are protected against any violation of theirrights, particularly against all forms of violence that areguaranteed by the International laws and conventions aswell as national laws and legislations.

It was in accordance with the Cairo Declaration on Hu-man rights in Islam and the OIC Ten-Year Program of Ac-tion adopted by the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic SummitConference that the 'OIC Plan of Action for Advancementof Women' (OPAAW) was adopted by the Second Ministe-rial Conference on Women's Role in Development of OICMember States, held in Cairo in November 2008. In thesame spirit we have established a specialized institution forthe advancement of women in Cairo.

I am sure that effective implementation of the OPAAWalongside other relevant international instruments will helpus overcome difficulties that hinder our efforts to reach theaspired goal of eliminating the violence against women.

It is our common responsibility to work together andstep up our efforts to help eradicate violence against wom-en.

ISESCO and the AWO sign cooperation agreementTunis - The Islamic Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization(ISESCO) and the Arab Women Or-ganization (AWO) chaired by Mrs.Leila Ben Ali, Consort of the Tuni-sian President, signed on 30 October2010 a cooperation agreement at theclosing session of the Third Confer-ence of the AWO in Tunis. ISESCODirector General Dr. Abdulaziz Oth-man Altwaijri and the AWO Director

General Dr. Wadoda Badran signedthe agreement on behalf of their re-spective Organizations.

The agreement provides that thetwo parties inform each other of anyprojects or action programs of com-mon interest, in line with their fieldsof action, coordinate their efforts andinvite the other party to take part inthe event.

The agreement also stipulates that

the two Organizations carry out jointactions, falling within their areas ofcompetence, and fulfill common ob-jectives in accordance with conditionsthat determine the obligations of eachparty and their financial contributionto the activity. These activities shallinclude conducting studies, and hold-ing symposia, scientific meetings, andtraining sessions.

Message of Ihsanoglu on International Dayfor the Elimination of Violence against Women

Egypt signs the Statute of the OIC SpecializedOrganization for Women Development

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Per-manent Representative of Egypt tothe Organization of the Islamic Con-ference (OIC) Asim Mohammed Ha-nafi signed on 15 December the Stat-ute of the OIC SpecializedOrganization for the Development ofWomen in the OIC Headquarters inJeddah on behalf of his Government.

The signing ceremony took placein the presence of the OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu andother senior officials of General Sec-

retariat. With this, Egypt became thefirst country signing the Statute.

The decision to establish a spe-cialized Organization under the OICfor the development of women withits headquarters in Cairo was a resultof the OIC Plan of Action for Ad-vancement of Women (OPAAW)that was adopted by the 36th Councilof Foreign Ministers in Damascus in2009. The draft Statute of the Organi-zation was subsequently adopted bythe 37th Council of Foreign Minis-ters held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in

May 2010. The Statute is open for signature

and ratification by the OIC MemberStates. Member States have been re-quested to expedite their relevant in-ternal processes with a view to facili-tating its entry into force at an earlydate. The Specialized Organization,which will be devoted to the cause ofadvancement of Muslim women, isenvisioned to play a pivotal role inaddressing issues and concerns ofwomen and for their overall develop-ment.

Ambreen QureshiWISE Program DirectorDespite coming from a prominent

family, Jamila Afghani began life fac-ing many difficulties. She contractedpolio and developed scoliosis as achild. At the age of 14 she survived ashot to the head by Soviet troops.

Regardless, Jamila was able toovercome these challenges and dedi-cated her life to empowering women inAfghanistan, establishing the Noor Ed-ucational Center (NEC) in Kabul. Re-alizing the powerful influence of relig-ious leaders, or Imams, in Afghansociety, Jamila collaborated with theWomen's Islamic Initiative in Spiritual-ity and Equality (WISE), a program ofthe American Society for Muslim Ad-vancement, to start an Imam gender-sensitive training program at the NEC.The program is geared towards educat-ing Imams on women's rights throughan Islamic and human rights frame-work. Through Friday sermons andwidespread media, 9.5 million peoplein Afghanistan have been exposed tothe Imams' sermons on women's rights.

WISE is a global program, socialnetwork and grassroots social justicemovement highlighting and furtheringthe efforts of Muslim women like Ja-mila Afghani. WISE empowers Mus-lim women to fully participate in theircommunities and nations, and ampli-fies their collective voices as well asreclaims the rich legacy of excellenceMuslim women have enjoyed as lead-ers, professionals, caregivers, activists,and religious scholars.

Impressed by her work through theNEC, WISE invited Jamila to join theWISE network and to participate inWISE's second annual conference inJuly 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Inspired by a case study at the confer-ence highlighting an Imam training

program in the Philippines, Jamilasubmitted a proposal for a similar pro-ject in Afghanistan.

The project would be a six monthgender-sensitive training program thatincluded printing 10,000 copies ofbooklets in Dari on Afghan women'srights in the following five areas: edu-cation, marriage, inheritance, owner-ship and property, and political and so-cial participation. Twenty universitystudents would be hired as part of theproject to monitor Friday sermons de-livered at the mosques. A mix of 20moderate and conservative Imamswere invited to participate in the pro-ject, including two Shi'ite Imams.

Jamila faced significant challengesthroughout the project. She faced criti-cism from some Imams who expressedthat the program was too “Western”.The training sessions showcased thatnumerous harmful traditional practicesagainst women were a result of patri-archal (mis)interpretations of the Qu-ran and Hadith (sayings of ProphetMuhammad). In supporting women'shuman rights, the sessions utilized theAfghan constitution, other nationaland international legal treaties and theWISE Compact, which encapsulatesthe WISE mission and defends genderequality through the objectives of Is-lamic law. Jamila later won over thedoubting Imams after deciding to con-duct sessions in smaller workgroupswith a balance of moderate and con-servative Imams, and fostering exten-sive discussions.

Jamila also faced difficulty aftermonitoring reports indicated that ini-tial reception to Imams' sermons wasstagnant. Jamila and her team had thestudent monitors spark the discussionby asking questions themselves andwithin a month and a half many morecongregants became engaged with the

topics. At one of the Fri-

day sermons a projectmonitor noticed an eld-erly man at the back ofthe prayer hall wholooked troubled. Themonitor asked the manif he needed any help,to which the man re-plied, “No one can helpme. Now time is goneand I have committedall sorts of violenceagainst my daughters.I have received walwar[bride price], I stopped

WISE stories of impact:Jamila Afghani

them from getting an education, Iforced their marriages. They are suf-fering every day because of mywrongs. Why were these Imams nottalking on these issues before?”

Over the course of the projectsome 300 sermons on women's rightswere delivered by 20 Imams in differ-ent locations throughout the capital.Jamila and the NEC team will contin-ue their work in the 20 participatingmosques in Kabul and expand the pro-ject into 10 mosques in Jalalabad. Theproject will establish women's sectionsin ten mosques in Kabul to empowerwomen in raising their voices on theissue of their own rights.

After being nominated by WISE,Jamila won the Tanenbaum Center forInterreligious Understanding's 2010Peacemakers in Action award, whichhonors individuals inspired by theirfaith to work on peace initiatives in re-gions of armed conflict. In addition,WISE's collaboration with Jamila andthe NEC was recognized by the Clin-ton Global Initiative (CGI) as a 2010Commitment to Action. CGI membersshowcase Commitments, or initiativesto address various global challenges,in order to spark constructive feedbackand garner partnerships.

WISE is dedicated to continuing towork on the ground on projects similarto the Imam training program. WISEis currently working in Egypt with alocal NGO to provide education andfinancial incentives to deter practition-ers of female genital cutting. WISEhas also worked with an NGO in Paki-stan on a domestic violence awarenesscampaign. To learn more about WISEand these projects please visit:www.wisemuslimwomen.org.

Daisy Khan, Executive Director of theAmerican Society for Muslim Advancement

(ASMA) with President Clinton

Imam training class in Kabul.


The OIC is privileged to join the International commu-nity in commemorating the International Day for the Elim-ination of Violence against Women. This Day (25 Novem-ber) provides us with an opportunity to renew our commonresolve to continue efforts to eliminate violence againstwomen including domestic violence. The important role ofwomen in overall socio-economic developments in differ-ent capacities, including their vital role in the family as amother and wife cannot be overstated. Their contributions,however, will remain unappreciated unless we can ensureto protect them against violence. It is unfortunate that westill find women in all societies, including the most devel-oped ones, being subjected to beating, torture and rape.Most of these crimes are not reported.

Although we have witnessed some encouraging im-provements in the overall conditions of women, includingalleviating violence against women in its various formsand manifestations, the situation in many parts of the worldparticularly the developing and least developed countriesremains gloomy as women are vulnerable to the threatsand challenges in this field.

The observance of the day reminds us of the necessityto strengthen our efforts to combat against this phenome-non which violates some basic human rights and runs con-

5352

CULTURE

trary to the basic principles and teachings of Islam thatstrongly reject all forms of violence against women and up-hold their rights. We must stand united against this evilphenomenon through all available means in order to makesure that women are protected against any violation of theirrights, particularly against all forms of violence that areguaranteed by the International laws and conventions aswell as national laws and legislations.

It was in accordance with the Cairo Declaration on Hu-man rights in Islam and the OIC Ten-Year Program of Ac-tion adopted by the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic SummitConference that the 'OIC Plan of Action for Advancementof Women' (OPAAW) was adopted by the Second Ministe-rial Conference on Women's Role in Development of OICMember States, held in Cairo in November 2008. In thesame spirit we have established a specialized institution forthe advancement of women in Cairo.

I am sure that effective implementation of the OPAAWalongside other relevant international instruments will helpus overcome difficulties that hinder our efforts to reach theaspired goal of eliminating the violence against women.

It is our common responsibility to work together andstep up our efforts to help eradicate violence against wom-en.

ISESCO and the AWO sign cooperation agreementTunis - The Islamic Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization(ISESCO) and the Arab Women Or-ganization (AWO) chaired by Mrs.Leila Ben Ali, Consort of the Tuni-sian President, signed on 30 October2010 a cooperation agreement at theclosing session of the Third Confer-ence of the AWO in Tunis. ISESCODirector General Dr. Abdulaziz Oth-man Altwaijri and the AWO Director

General Dr. Wadoda Badran signedthe agreement on behalf of their re-spective Organizations.

The agreement provides that thetwo parties inform each other of anyprojects or action programs of com-mon interest, in line with their fieldsof action, coordinate their efforts andinvite the other party to take part inthe event.

The agreement also stipulates that

the two Organizations carry out jointactions, falling within their areas ofcompetence, and fulfill common ob-jectives in accordance with conditionsthat determine the obligations of eachparty and their financial contributionto the activity. These activities shallinclude conducting studies, and hold-ing symposia, scientific meetings, andtraining sessions.

Message of Ihsanoglu on International Dayfor the Elimination of Violence against Women

Egypt signs the Statute of the OIC SpecializedOrganization for Women Development

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Per-manent Representative of Egypt tothe Organization of the Islamic Con-ference (OIC) Asim Mohammed Ha-nafi signed on 15 December the Stat-ute of the OIC SpecializedOrganization for the Development ofWomen in the OIC Headquarters inJeddah on behalf of his Government.

The signing ceremony took placein the presence of the OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu andother senior officials of General Sec-

retariat. With this, Egypt became thefirst country signing the Statute.

The decision to establish a spe-cialized Organization under the OICfor the development of women withits headquarters in Cairo was a resultof the OIC Plan of Action for Ad-vancement of Women (OPAAW)that was adopted by the 36th Councilof Foreign Ministers in Damascus in2009. The draft Statute of the Organi-zation was subsequently adopted bythe 37th Council of Foreign Minis-ters held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in

May 2010. The Statute is open for signature

and ratification by the OIC MemberStates. Member States have been re-quested to expedite their relevant in-ternal processes with a view to facili-tating its entry into force at an earlydate. The Specialized Organization,which will be devoted to the cause ofadvancement of Muslim women, isenvisioned to play a pivotal role inaddressing issues and concerns ofwomen and for their overall develop-ment.

Ambreen QureshiWISE Program DirectorDespite coming from a prominent

family, Jamila Afghani began life fac-ing many difficulties. She contractedpolio and developed scoliosis as achild. At the age of 14 she survived ashot to the head by Soviet troops.

Regardless, Jamila was able toovercome these challenges and dedi-cated her life to empowering women inAfghanistan, establishing the Noor Ed-ucational Center (NEC) in Kabul. Re-alizing the powerful influence of relig-ious leaders, or Imams, in Afghansociety, Jamila collaborated with theWomen's Islamic Initiative in Spiritual-ity and Equality (WISE), a program ofthe American Society for Muslim Ad-vancement, to start an Imam gender-sensitive training program at the NEC.The program is geared towards educat-ing Imams on women's rights throughan Islamic and human rights frame-work. Through Friday sermons andwidespread media, 9.5 million peoplein Afghanistan have been exposed tothe Imams' sermons on women's rights.

WISE is a global program, socialnetwork and grassroots social justicemovement highlighting and furtheringthe efforts of Muslim women like Ja-mila Afghani. WISE empowers Mus-lim women to fully participate in theircommunities and nations, and ampli-fies their collective voices as well asreclaims the rich legacy of excellenceMuslim women have enjoyed as lead-ers, professionals, caregivers, activists,and religious scholars.

Impressed by her work through theNEC, WISE invited Jamila to join theWISE network and to participate inWISE's second annual conference inJuly 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Inspired by a case study at the confer-ence highlighting an Imam training

program in the Philippines, Jamilasubmitted a proposal for a similar pro-ject in Afghanistan.

The project would be a six monthgender-sensitive training program thatincluded printing 10,000 copies ofbooklets in Dari on Afghan women'srights in the following five areas: edu-cation, marriage, inheritance, owner-ship and property, and political and so-cial participation. Twenty universitystudents would be hired as part of theproject to monitor Friday sermons de-livered at the mosques. A mix of 20moderate and conservative Imamswere invited to participate in the pro-ject, including two Shi'ite Imams.

Jamila faced significant challengesthroughout the project. She faced criti-cism from some Imams who expressedthat the program was too “Western”.The training sessions showcased thatnumerous harmful traditional practicesagainst women were a result of patri-archal (mis)interpretations of the Qu-ran and Hadith (sayings of ProphetMuhammad). In supporting women'shuman rights, the sessions utilized theAfghan constitution, other nationaland international legal treaties and theWISE Compact, which encapsulatesthe WISE mission and defends genderequality through the objectives of Is-lamic law. Jamila later won over thedoubting Imams after deciding to con-duct sessions in smaller workgroupswith a balance of moderate and con-servative Imams, and fostering exten-sive discussions.

Jamila also faced difficulty aftermonitoring reports indicated that ini-tial reception to Imams' sermons wasstagnant. Jamila and her team had thestudent monitors spark the discussionby asking questions themselves andwithin a month and a half many morecongregants became engaged with the

topics. At one of the Fri-

day sermons a projectmonitor noticed an eld-erly man at the back ofthe prayer hall wholooked troubled. Themonitor asked the manif he needed any help,to which the man re-plied, “No one can helpme. Now time is goneand I have committedall sorts of violenceagainst my daughters.I have received walwar[bride price], I stopped

WISE stories of impact:Jamila Afghani

them from getting an education, Iforced their marriages. They are suf-fering every day because of mywrongs. Why were these Imams nottalking on these issues before?”

Over the course of the projectsome 300 sermons on women's rightswere delivered by 20 Imams in differ-ent locations throughout the capital.Jamila and the NEC team will contin-ue their work in the 20 participatingmosques in Kabul and expand the pro-ject into 10 mosques in Jalalabad. Theproject will establish women's sectionsin ten mosques in Kabul to empowerwomen in raising their voices on theissue of their own rights.

After being nominated by WISE,Jamila won the Tanenbaum Center forInterreligious Understanding's 2010Peacemakers in Action award, whichhonors individuals inspired by theirfaith to work on peace initiatives in re-gions of armed conflict. In addition,WISE's collaboration with Jamila andthe NEC was recognized by the Clin-ton Global Initiative (CGI) as a 2010Commitment to Action. CGI membersshowcase Commitments, or initiativesto address various global challenges,in order to spark constructive feedbackand garner partnerships.

WISE is dedicated to continuing towork on the ground on projects similarto the Imam training program. WISEis currently working in Egypt with alocal NGO to provide education andfinancial incentives to deter practition-ers of female genital cutting. WISEhas also worked with an NGO in Paki-stan on a domestic violence awarenesscampaign. To learn more about WISEand these projects please visit:www.wisemuslimwomen.org.

Daisy Khan, Executive Director of theAmerican Society for Muslim Advancement

(ASMA) with President Clinton

Imam training class in Kabul.


The capital of the Union of Comoros, Moroni, has beenchosen as the “2010 Islamic culture capital for the AfricanRegion”. Till the end of 2010, distinguished figures in thefield of culture from the Member States of the Organiza-tion of Islamic Conference (OIC) continued taking part inthe various activities relating to religion as well as Islamicarts and culture in the Comoros, in addition to a series ofconferences on the history of Moroni and Islam. Other ac-tivities held in celebration of this event included guidedvisits, competitions, exhibitions and the organization of theFourth Edition of the National Comoros Arts Festival (FE-NASCO), under the theme “Arab-Islamic Tradition”.

An official ceremony was held on 7 April 2010 in thecapital city Moroni under the high patronage of the Presi-dent of the Union of Comoros, H. E. Ahmed Abdullah M.Sambi to launch the celebration of Moroni as the "2010 Is-lamic Culture Capital for the African Region". Ministersand dignitaries attended the event from the OIC MemberStates and institutions.

HistoryLocated on the western coast of Njazidja island,

Moroni is the largest city of the Union of the Comorosand its capital city. In Comorian, Moroni translates as"in the heart of the fire", perhaps alluding to the city'sproximity to Karthala Volcano. The city was foundedby Arabic settlers possibly during the 10th century asthe capital of a sultanate connected commercially toZanzibar in Tanzania.

The city, which is the country's political, economic,commercial, tourist and administrative capital, has pre-served a major part of its long historical legacy in-herited from the Sultans era. As a coastalcity, Moroni has been a constant des-tination for migration flows; hence itsspecial historical significance.

Moroni is witnessing an urbanand demographic boom. The head-quarters of the different ministriesstretch across the city's streets, partic-ularly along a one-way avenue lead-ing to the famous hospital of the capi-tal and the 'Volo Volo' market. In thenorthern part of the island the Cor-niche Avenue stretches in parallel tothe sea shore and ends near the Pres-idential Palace, the faculty of ImamShafi'i, University of the Comorosand a harbor where fishermenused to build outrigger canoes.The Corniche Avenue is famousfor its modern buildings, ho-tels, and tennis courts.

Major CivilizationalLandmarks

Moroni, Capital of Islamic Culture for 2010Moroni is home for many mosques and buildings dat-

ing back to the era of the Sultans who ruled the city. The'Old Friday Mosque' is one of the capital's noticeable land-marks, which forms a popular tourist spot. The ancient en-trances of the city's monuments still show their authenticengravings, particularly in traditional homes in 'Irungudja-ni' and 'Bacha' districts where the Sultans used to set theircourts. Most of these buildings have been transformed intoshops and snacks, while others serve as public spaceswhere traditional entertainments such as card games, domi-no and dice are practiced.

In the eastern side of the city, there stretches a series ofstores, traditional clothing bazaars and jewelry boutiques.The traditional marketplace, which is located in front ofthese shops, bursts with trade activities practiced by sales-men from the different provinces of the archipelago.

The National Center for Documentation and ScientificResearch stands in the city center, facing the France Plazawith its banks and famous restaurant called “Le Sélect”.The Center is considered as a repository of the Comoroculture. It includes a museum, a library, a bookshop exhib-iting publications on the Comoros and an audiovisual cen-ter for the production of documentaries on the geographyand history of the Archipelago. The history wing in themuseum showcases the Comoros' traditions and natural en-vironment. The wing devoted to history features, archaeo-logical objects and pottery items dating back to the 19thCentury. On display are also some ancient handicraft toolsof the ancient inhabitants of these islands. Old copies ofthe Holy Quran, portraits dating back to the 19th century

of the sultans and kings who ruled this country,along with other tools, musical instruments,

house furniture and rare manuscripts attest tothe colorful and rich history of this country.

Another wing of the museum, which isdedicated to the natural environment of theislands, exhibits a beautiful collection ofbirds, butterflies, fish and flora, includingplants used in the Comorian traditional med-icine. In that wing, visitors are presentedalso with a chronology of the Karthala vol-cano's eruptions.

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CULTURE TOURISM

building the 'City of Won-ders', as he likes to dub it,nears AED 10 billion. Heemphasized that the projectwas not affected in the leastby the repercussions of theglobal financial crisis.

The city stretches overan area of 41 million squarefeet in 'Dubai Land' district.The project includes arange of villas, shoppingmalls, hotels, restaurants,health clubs, schools, andparks.

“Falcon City is de-signed to be the home ofcivilizations in tune withthe lifestyles of peoplefrom various cultures anddifferent ages. The Citywill also reflect the multi-cultural character of UAEsociety, which hosts morethan 200 nationalities fromthe East and the West,” Al-

Mussa added.Likewise, the project features

landmarks from many glorious cities,like Rome, Venice, Beirut and NewYork. It includes villas constructed inAndalusian architectural style and vil-las inspired by the architectural styleof Mexico.

Al-Mussa pointed out that the firstphase of the project consists of 366villas designed in line with top-notchmodels. The construction cost of thisphase is about AED 600 million.

He goes on by saying, “We prom-ise whoever will visit the city that wewill accompany them on a historicaljourney to discover romantic destina-tions, unique locations, tourist sites,and internationally renowned land-marks. Visitors will tour historicalwonders. They will watch secrets ofthe past and visit lots of legendarysites in one single place.'

No doubt, Dubai has emergedover the past few years as a hub of aconstruction boom. It has built scoresof famous landmarks, notably the 828meter-tall Burj Khalifa, styled as thetallest skyscraper in the world, andPalm Islands, a vast artificial archi-pelago made up of residential build-ings, which is home to one of themost luxurious hotels in the world,'Atlantis', in addition to 'Burj al-Arab'Hotel, alleged to be the first seven-star hotel in the world.

Dubai, UAE (dpa): In less thanseven years from now Dubai visitorswill have the chance to tour Egypt'spyramids and the Eiffel Tower. Visi-tors will also be able to shoot a com-memorative photograph standingnext to India's Taj Mahal or close tothe Hanging Gardens of Babylon.While they will be at it, why notclimb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, andthe Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexan-dria.

Dubai seeks to pool together thewonders of the world and the bestglobal landmarks under one roof, itsown roof, in a bid to allow tourists totour the world in a few hours.

Dubai is building pyramids boundto exceed in magnitude the toweringGiza Pyramids in Egypt. It is alsoconstructing its own Eiffel tower thatwould not be dwarfed by the real onein Paris.

Just as the 12th century architectsucceeded in building the famousleaning Tower of Pisa, Dubai is set tobuild a replica that will have its ownslant. More remarkably, Dubai plansto build a giant wall that would re-semble the Great Wall of China.

The mammoth project, whichkicked off back in 2005 in the desertof the Emirati city, is no longer a'dead letter', or just a 'cardboard mod-el' showcased at real estate exhibi-

tions; rather, it has become in largepart real, and implementation worksare fast underway.

“We are close to realizing an archi-tectural miracle in Dubai. It is going tobe a unique landmark that will attractmillions of tourists from all over theworld,” Salem Al-Mussa, Chairman ofthe Board of Directors of the companyexecuting the project, told DPA.

He added that, “the project carriesthe name 'Falcon City' and will takethe shape of a falcon. Anyone flyingover the project will view the build-ings forming together the famous Emi-rati falcon, which is the national cur-rency and banknote symbol.”

“Falcon city was a fanciful dream,but Dubai is a city that challenges theimpossible,” said Al-Mussa. _He ex-plained that Falcon City comprisesresidential buildings and recreationalfacilities, and will include at the sametime the most famous landmarks of theworld in real-life size. Homes in thecity are scheduled to be delivered towould-be residents within a fewmonths. Construction works will go ontill final completion by the end of2017.

The project management team be-lieves that an estimated 75 thousandresidents of various nationalities willlive in such major tourist attractions.Al-Mussa disclosed that the cost of

Dubai to build own Pyramids,Eiffel and Pisa Towers


The capital of the Union of Comoros, Moroni, has beenchosen as the “2010 Islamic culture capital for the AfricanRegion”. Till the end of 2010, distinguished figures in thefield of culture from the Member States of the Organiza-tion of Islamic Conference (OIC) continued taking part inthe various activities relating to religion as well as Islamicarts and culture in the Comoros, in addition to a series ofconferences on the history of Moroni and Islam. Other ac-tivities held in celebration of this event included guidedvisits, competitions, exhibitions and the organization of theFourth Edition of the National Comoros Arts Festival (FE-NASCO), under the theme “Arab-Islamic Tradition”.

An official ceremony was held on 7 April 2010 in thecapital city Moroni under the high patronage of the Presi-dent of the Union of Comoros, H. E. Ahmed Abdullah M.Sambi to launch the celebration of Moroni as the "2010 Is-lamic Culture Capital for the African Region". Ministersand dignitaries attended the event from the OIC MemberStates and institutions.

HistoryLocated on the western coast of Njazidja island,

Moroni is the largest city of the Union of the Comorosand its capital city. In Comorian, Moroni translates as"in the heart of the fire", perhaps alluding to the city'sproximity to Karthala Volcano. The city was foundedby Arabic settlers possibly during the 10th century asthe capital of a sultanate connected commercially toZanzibar in Tanzania.

The city, which is the country's political, economic,commercial, tourist and administrative capital, has pre-served a major part of its long historical legacy in-herited from the Sultans era. As a coastalcity, Moroni has been a constant des-tination for migration flows; hence itsspecial historical significance.

Moroni is witnessing an urbanand demographic boom. The head-quarters of the different ministriesstretch across the city's streets, partic-ularly along a one-way avenue lead-ing to the famous hospital of the capi-tal and the 'Volo Volo' market. In thenorthern part of the island the Cor-niche Avenue stretches in parallel tothe sea shore and ends near the Pres-idential Palace, the faculty of ImamShafi'i, University of the Comorosand a harbor where fishermenused to build outrigger canoes.The Corniche Avenue is famousfor its modern buildings, ho-tels, and tennis courts.

Major CivilizationalLandmarks

Moroni, Capital of Islamic Culture for 2010Moroni is home for many mosques and buildings dat-

ing back to the era of the Sultans who ruled the city. The'Old Friday Mosque' is one of the capital's noticeable land-marks, which forms a popular tourist spot. The ancient en-trances of the city's monuments still show their authenticengravings, particularly in traditional homes in 'Irungudja-ni' and 'Bacha' districts where the Sultans used to set theircourts. Most of these buildings have been transformed intoshops and snacks, while others serve as public spaceswhere traditional entertainments such as card games, domi-no and dice are practiced.

In the eastern side of the city, there stretches a series ofstores, traditional clothing bazaars and jewelry boutiques.The traditional marketplace, which is located in front ofthese shops, bursts with trade activities practiced by sales-men from the different provinces of the archipelago.

The National Center for Documentation and ScientificResearch stands in the city center, facing the France Plazawith its banks and famous restaurant called “Le Sélect”.The Center is considered as a repository of the Comoroculture. It includes a museum, a library, a bookshop exhib-iting publications on the Comoros and an audiovisual cen-ter for the production of documentaries on the geographyand history of the Archipelago. The history wing in themuseum showcases the Comoros' traditions and natural en-vironment. The wing devoted to history features, archaeo-logical objects and pottery items dating back to the 19thCentury. On display are also some ancient handicraft toolsof the ancient inhabitants of these islands. Old copies ofthe Holy Quran, portraits dating back to the 19th century

of the sultans and kings who ruled this country,along with other tools, musical instruments,

house furniture and rare manuscripts attest tothe colorful and rich history of this country.

Another wing of the museum, which isdedicated to the natural environment of theislands, exhibits a beautiful collection ofbirds, butterflies, fish and flora, includingplants used in the Comorian traditional med-icine. In that wing, visitors are presentedalso with a chronology of the Karthala vol-cano's eruptions.

5554

CULTURE TOURISM

building the 'City of Won-ders', as he likes to dub it,nears AED 10 billion. Heemphasized that the projectwas not affected in the leastby the repercussions of theglobal financial crisis.

The city stretches overan area of 41 million squarefeet in 'Dubai Land' district.The project includes arange of villas, shoppingmalls, hotels, restaurants,health clubs, schools, andparks.

“Falcon City is de-signed to be the home ofcivilizations in tune withthe lifestyles of peoplefrom various cultures anddifferent ages. The Citywill also reflect the multi-cultural character of UAEsociety, which hosts morethan 200 nationalities fromthe East and the West,” Al-

Mussa added.Likewise, the project features

landmarks from many glorious cities,like Rome, Venice, Beirut and NewYork. It includes villas constructed inAndalusian architectural style and vil-las inspired by the architectural styleof Mexico.

Al-Mussa pointed out that the firstphase of the project consists of 366villas designed in line with top-notchmodels. The construction cost of thisphase is about AED 600 million.

He goes on by saying, “We prom-ise whoever will visit the city that wewill accompany them on a historicaljourney to discover romantic destina-tions, unique locations, tourist sites,and internationally renowned land-marks. Visitors will tour historicalwonders. They will watch secrets ofthe past and visit lots of legendarysites in one single place.'

No doubt, Dubai has emergedover the past few years as a hub of aconstruction boom. It has built scoresof famous landmarks, notably the 828meter-tall Burj Khalifa, styled as thetallest skyscraper in the world, andPalm Islands, a vast artificial archi-pelago made up of residential build-ings, which is home to one of themost luxurious hotels in the world,'Atlantis', in addition to 'Burj al-Arab'Hotel, alleged to be the first seven-star hotel in the world.

Dubai, UAE (dpa): In less thanseven years from now Dubai visitorswill have the chance to tour Egypt'spyramids and the Eiffel Tower. Visi-tors will also be able to shoot a com-memorative photograph standingnext to India's Taj Mahal or close tothe Hanging Gardens of Babylon.While they will be at it, why notclimb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, andthe Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexan-dria.

Dubai seeks to pool together thewonders of the world and the bestglobal landmarks under one roof, itsown roof, in a bid to allow tourists totour the world in a few hours.

Dubai is building pyramids boundto exceed in magnitude the toweringGiza Pyramids in Egypt. It is alsoconstructing its own Eiffel tower thatwould not be dwarfed by the real onein Paris.

Just as the 12th century architectsucceeded in building the famousleaning Tower of Pisa, Dubai is set tobuild a replica that will have its ownslant. More remarkably, Dubai plansto build a giant wall that would re-semble the Great Wall of China.

The mammoth project, whichkicked off back in 2005 in the desertof the Emirati city, is no longer a'dead letter', or just a 'cardboard mod-el' showcased at real estate exhibi-

tions; rather, it has become in largepart real, and implementation worksare fast underway.

“We are close to realizing an archi-tectural miracle in Dubai. It is going tobe a unique landmark that will attractmillions of tourists from all over theworld,” Salem Al-Mussa, Chairman ofthe Board of Directors of the companyexecuting the project, told DPA.

He added that, “the project carriesthe name 'Falcon City' and will takethe shape of a falcon. Anyone flyingover the project will view the build-ings forming together the famous Emi-rati falcon, which is the national cur-rency and banknote symbol.”

“Falcon city was a fanciful dream,but Dubai is a city that challenges theimpossible,” said Al-Mussa. _He ex-plained that Falcon City comprisesresidential buildings and recreationalfacilities, and will include at the sametime the most famous landmarks of theworld in real-life size. Homes in thecity are scheduled to be delivered towould-be residents within a fewmonths. Construction works will go ontill final completion by the end of2017.

The project management team be-lieves that an estimated 75 thousandresidents of various nationalities willlive in such major tourist attractions.Al-Mussa disclosed that the cost of

Dubai to build own Pyramids,Eiffel and Pisa Towers


OIC convenes a Joint Management Team Meeting onAtlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation

Ministers, which was later held from 19 to 21 October2010 in Kuala Lumpur.

Ihsanoglu cautioned that the pilot study phase of theAtlas project is the most crucial phase, as it will help indetermining the best methods and refinements to be madeto ensure consistency in approaches to country reports andensure their conformity with international standards.Moreover, he urged the Atlas project managers and theproject steering group to ensure proper administration ofthe project-related surveys and to include key institutionssuch as universities, government agencies, research cen-ters, think tanks, and other vital institutes in the field ofscience and entrepreneurship.

It is worth mentioning that the Atlas of Islamic WorldScience and Innovation project aims at mapping the poten-tially available and actually existing capabilities and ca-pacities in the domain of Science and Technology (S&T)in the Islamic world. A joint team comprising of represen-tatives of the OIC General Secretariat, COMSTECH, IDB,ISESCO, SESRIC and the British Royal Society overseesthe project.

Istanbul, Turkey - OIC Secretary General ProfessorEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu officiated the opening session of atwo-day meeting of the Joint Management Team on Atlasof Islamic World Science and Innovation on 3 October2010 in Istanbul. The Atlas project is being undertakenwithin the framework of the OIC and 15 OIC MemberStates selected for in-depth field studies.

In his speech at the opening session, the Secretary Gen-eral noted that the Atlas will play a very crucial role in ana-lyzing the Islamic world's existing expertise, infrastructure,human resources, quality of science curricula, and othertechnical potentials. The project will explore the relation-ships between science, innovation, faith, culture and poli-tics as this will in turn help in identifying new opportuni-ties for collaboration between scientists, policymakers andcompanies in the Islamic world and the West. The projectwill also create new networks for exchange of ideas, poli-cies and good practice both within and between the Islamicworld and the West. He declared that the first country re-port on Malaysia would be launched during the Fifth Islam-ic Conference of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Fully conscious of theneed to strengthen healthcare in general across OICmember countries and theimperative of addressingchallenges posed by diseaseand epidemic, the SecretaryGeneral said the OIC Sum-mit meetings and confer-ences of Foreign andHealth Ministers haveadopted major decisions fo-cusing on joint action for the eradication of polio, and oth-er diseases and epidemics. He added that the OIC TenYear Program of Action, adopted by the Third Extraordi-nary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in MakkahAl-Mukarramah in 2005, stressed the significance of ef-forts for the eradication of polio in the OIC MemberStates.

In his remarks, the Secretary General commended theOIC-US collaboration in the fight against polio. This, theSecretary General stated, was in line with US PresidentObama's vision as enunciated in his speech in Cairo, for abroader cooperation between the OIC and the US onhealth issues.

5756

HEALTH - SCIENCE

Mashhad, Iran - The first International Conference ofHealth Tourism in Islamic Countries was held from 2 to 4November 2010 at Razavi Hospital in the city of Mashhad,Iran with the participation of physicians and specialistsfrom the 57 Member States of the Organization of IslamicConference (OIC). The Conference was organized jointlyby Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Health, Cul-tural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization andthe Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), anaffiliated organ of the OIC. Over twenty papers on a rangeof issues related to health tourism were presented at theconference.

The Conference aimed at exploring the concept ofhealth and medical tourism, and fostering interaction be-tween as many parties as possible in medical tourism in-dustry to further strengthen the relationships and network-ing opportunities. Its specific objectives included, amongothers, highlighting the quality of service and treatment byhealth service providers, encouraging open and frank dis-cussions between all sectors of medical tourism industry,initiating a platform for discussion on Islamic standards formedical tourism and demonstrating economic potentialsthat medical tourism may offer for many countries.

The Conference included a combination of plenary andbreak-out sessions devoted to research issues on specifictopics related to health tourism. At the opening ceremonyof the Conference, the Head of Iran's Chamber of Com-merce Mohammad Nahavandian pointed out that "healthtourism is a strategic opportunity for Islamic countries andthe best starting point for cooperation among them." Headof Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Or-ganization Hamid Baghayi said in his address, “due to itsefficient private sector, up-to-date medical centers andskilled medical doctors, Iran has put serious planning fordevelopment of health tourism on its agenda."

First International Conference of HealthTourism in Islamic Countries takes place in Iran

OIC - US Partnership for Polio EradicationNew York, USA - OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin

Ihsanoglu spoke on OIC - US Partnership for Polio Eradi-cation at the UNICEF Headquarters in New York City inlate September 2010, in collaboration with the US SpecialEnvoy to OIC Rashad Hussain, and the presence of Emir ofArgungu in Nigeria Dauda Malle, Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB), Chris Maher, Country Operation Head of theGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative, World Health Organiza-tion (WHO), and Saad Houry, Deputy Executive Director,United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Secretary General stressed that the meeting signi-fies partnership and cooperation in one of the areas funda-mental to socio-economic progress and security across vari-ous regions. He praised the achievements made since thelaunch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988,and stated that global incidence of polio has gone down by99% with 54 of the 57 OIC countries attaining polio freestatus.

He emphasized that for the OIC, eradication of poliocontinues to be among the critical issues that need to be ad-dressed in earnest. Of the last 4 remaining endemic coun-tries in the world, 3 are OIC Member States. Additionally,OIC Member States are also among the list of countriesmarked with the recurrence of polio, he added.

HEALTH

An agreement was reached at the Conference on theneed to establish an OIC Permanent Secretariat on HealthTourism to be based in Tehran. The Secretariat would ar-range annual meetings to pursue health tourism objectivesin the OIC Member States.

The Final Communiqué, which was read out by theSecretary of the Conference Mohammad-Reza Karbasi,stated that “the objective of the First Conference and Ex-hibition on Islamic World Health Tourism was to intro-duce attractive, secure and healthy spots within the realmof the OIC member countries and provide an appropriatepath for the involved institutions and organizations to ex-tend their relations within the entire Islamic world”. TheCommuniqué added that the 100 billion dollar health tour-ism market is a step towards the establishment of a com-monwealth of Islamic market.

According to the Communiqué, law-making bodieswithin the OIC member countries are requested to passlaws aimed at strengthening healthy and secure tourismcapabilities in their respective countries keeping in mindthe needs of the Islamic world. The Communiqué alsoemphasized the need to have more scientific studies andresearch works, which are required means for expandinghealth tourism.

An exhibition was held on the sidelines of the Confer-ence whose main focus was to get corporate buyers fromthe Islamic countries to meet with the best solution pro-viders from all over the world. Among the corporate buy-ers present in the exhibition were representatives of min-istries of health, insurance companies, multinationalcorporations, and travel agencies specialized in promotinghealth tourism. Exhibitors at the international conferencegot the opportunity to meet with their potential clients andto network with them directly.

Action, which goes in line with the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs).

The Minister of Territorial Administration and LocalCollectivities of Mali who is the Senior Advisor to thePresident of the Republic of Mali attended the ceremony.The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali, the US SpecialEnvoy to the OIC and the US Ambassador to Mali werealso present. The Director General of Science and Tech-nology Department in the OIC represented the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC. In their statements marking thelaunch of the project, the Minister of Foreign Affairs andMinister of Health of Mali welcomed the initiative andpledged the cooperation of the Government of Mali tomeet the project objectives.

The project is characterized by an integrated and multi-sectoral approach ensuring sustainability. Local owner-ship, capacity-building and training are among the maincomponents of the project.

“Reaching Every Mother and Baby inOIC Emergency Care” launched in Mali

Bamako, Mali - The OIC General Secretariat, the USGovernment and the Government of Mali jointly launchedthe new partnership “Reaching Every Mother and Baby inthe OIC Emergency Care” in Bamako on 4 November2010.

The OIC-US Cooperation Framework “Reaching EveryMother and Baby in the OIC Emergency Care” was signedon 1st December 2008 in Jeddah with an overall goal to re-duce deaths and illness during pregnancy and childbirth inthe Muslim world through emergency care for mothers andbabies. Mali and Bangladesh were selected as two pilotcountries based on maternal and child mortality rates andexistence of on-going USAID health support in these coun-tries.

The OIC Secretary General in his message at thelaunching ceremony highlighted the issues related to moth-er and child health care and the fight against diseases andpandemics as one of the important elements among the ex-tensive range of mandates of the OIC Ten Year Program of

tools related to tobacco control, training programs, semi-nars, workshops and so on. Moreover, the parties shall ex-change information and data, documents, statistical period-icals and other relevant publications on the activities,events and issues of common concern.

The MoU reflects the common objectives of the SES-RIC and FCA Regional Office towards establishing a net-work of cooperation between organizations, associationsand institutions interested in the field of tobacco controlalong with interested national and regional organizations,as well as encouraging OIC Member Countries to establishnational committees for the formulation of policies andstrategies for tobacco control in cooperation with the Re-gional Office of WHO.

SESRIC signs MOU on tobacco controlAnkara, Turkey - A Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) has been signed between the Statistical, Economicand Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Coun-tries (SESRIC) and the Regional Office for the FrameworkConvention Alliance for Tobacco Control for the EasternMediterranean (FCA) on 4 November 2010 with an aim topromote cooperation in providing assistance regarding thedevelopment of policies and legislation as well as the ca-pacity building programs related to tobacco control in theOIC Member Countries.

According to the MoU, the two parties shall exchangetechnical and administrative assistance in matters of com-mon interest, such as the preparation of studies and re-search and the issuing of books, guidelines and educational

Polio vaccination to a child inHerat, Afghanistan.(epa)


OIC convenes a Joint Management Team Meeting onAtlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation

Ministers, which was later held from 19 to 21 October2010 in Kuala Lumpur.

Ihsanoglu cautioned that the pilot study phase of theAtlas project is the most crucial phase, as it will help indetermining the best methods and refinements to be madeto ensure consistency in approaches to country reports andensure their conformity with international standards.Moreover, he urged the Atlas project managers and theproject steering group to ensure proper administration ofthe project-related surveys and to include key institutionssuch as universities, government agencies, research cen-ters, think tanks, and other vital institutes in the field ofscience and entrepreneurship.

It is worth mentioning that the Atlas of Islamic WorldScience and Innovation project aims at mapping the poten-tially available and actually existing capabilities and ca-pacities in the domain of Science and Technology (S&T)in the Islamic world. A joint team comprising of represen-tatives of the OIC General Secretariat, COMSTECH, IDB,ISESCO, SESRIC and the British Royal Society overseesthe project.

Istanbul, Turkey - OIC Secretary General ProfessorEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu officiated the opening session of atwo-day meeting of the Joint Management Team on Atlasof Islamic World Science and Innovation on 3 October2010 in Istanbul. The Atlas project is being undertakenwithin the framework of the OIC and 15 OIC MemberStates selected for in-depth field studies.

In his speech at the opening session, the Secretary Gen-eral noted that the Atlas will play a very crucial role in ana-lyzing the Islamic world's existing expertise, infrastructure,human resources, quality of science curricula, and othertechnical potentials. The project will explore the relation-ships between science, innovation, faith, culture and poli-tics as this will in turn help in identifying new opportuni-ties for collaboration between scientists, policymakers andcompanies in the Islamic world and the West. The projectwill also create new networks for exchange of ideas, poli-cies and good practice both within and between the Islamicworld and the West. He declared that the first country re-port on Malaysia would be launched during the Fifth Islam-ic Conference of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Fully conscious of theneed to strengthen healthcare in general across OICmember countries and theimperative of addressingchallenges posed by diseaseand epidemic, the SecretaryGeneral said the OIC Sum-mit meetings and confer-ences of Foreign andHealth Ministers haveadopted major decisions fo-cusing on joint action for the eradication of polio, and oth-er diseases and epidemics. He added that the OIC TenYear Program of Action, adopted by the Third Extraordi-nary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in MakkahAl-Mukarramah in 2005, stressed the significance of ef-forts for the eradication of polio in the OIC MemberStates.

In his remarks, the Secretary General commended theOIC-US collaboration in the fight against polio. This, theSecretary General stated, was in line with US PresidentObama's vision as enunciated in his speech in Cairo, for abroader cooperation between the OIC and the US onhealth issues.

5756

HEALTH - SCIENCE

Mashhad, Iran - The first International Conference ofHealth Tourism in Islamic Countries was held from 2 to 4November 2010 at Razavi Hospital in the city of Mashhad,Iran with the participation of physicians and specialistsfrom the 57 Member States of the Organization of IslamicConference (OIC). The Conference was organized jointlyby Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Health, Cul-tural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization andthe Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), anaffiliated organ of the OIC. Over twenty papers on a rangeof issues related to health tourism were presented at theconference.

The Conference aimed at exploring the concept ofhealth and medical tourism, and fostering interaction be-tween as many parties as possible in medical tourism in-dustry to further strengthen the relationships and network-ing opportunities. Its specific objectives included, amongothers, highlighting the quality of service and treatment byhealth service providers, encouraging open and frank dis-cussions between all sectors of medical tourism industry,initiating a platform for discussion on Islamic standards formedical tourism and demonstrating economic potentialsthat medical tourism may offer for many countries.

The Conference included a combination of plenary andbreak-out sessions devoted to research issues on specifictopics related to health tourism. At the opening ceremonyof the Conference, the Head of Iran's Chamber of Com-merce Mohammad Nahavandian pointed out that "healthtourism is a strategic opportunity for Islamic countries andthe best starting point for cooperation among them." Headof Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Or-ganization Hamid Baghayi said in his address, “due to itsefficient private sector, up-to-date medical centers andskilled medical doctors, Iran has put serious planning fordevelopment of health tourism on its agenda."

First International Conference of HealthTourism in Islamic Countries takes place in Iran

OIC - US Partnership for Polio EradicationNew York, USA - OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin

Ihsanoglu spoke on OIC - US Partnership for Polio Eradi-cation at the UNICEF Headquarters in New York City inlate September 2010, in collaboration with the US SpecialEnvoy to OIC Rashad Hussain, and the presence of Emir ofArgungu in Nigeria Dauda Malle, Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB), Chris Maher, Country Operation Head of theGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative, World Health Organiza-tion (WHO), and Saad Houry, Deputy Executive Director,United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Secretary General stressed that the meeting signi-fies partnership and cooperation in one of the areas funda-mental to socio-economic progress and security across vari-ous regions. He praised the achievements made since thelaunch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988,and stated that global incidence of polio has gone down by99% with 54 of the 57 OIC countries attaining polio freestatus.

He emphasized that for the OIC, eradication of poliocontinues to be among the critical issues that need to be ad-dressed in earnest. Of the last 4 remaining endemic coun-tries in the world, 3 are OIC Member States. Additionally,OIC Member States are also among the list of countriesmarked with the recurrence of polio, he added.

HEALTH

An agreement was reached at the Conference on theneed to establish an OIC Permanent Secretariat on HealthTourism to be based in Tehran. The Secretariat would ar-range annual meetings to pursue health tourism objectivesin the OIC Member States.

The Final Communiqué, which was read out by theSecretary of the Conference Mohammad-Reza Karbasi,stated that “the objective of the First Conference and Ex-hibition on Islamic World Health Tourism was to intro-duce attractive, secure and healthy spots within the realmof the OIC member countries and provide an appropriatepath for the involved institutions and organizations to ex-tend their relations within the entire Islamic world”. TheCommuniqué added that the 100 billion dollar health tour-ism market is a step towards the establishment of a com-monwealth of Islamic market.

According to the Communiqué, law-making bodieswithin the OIC member countries are requested to passlaws aimed at strengthening healthy and secure tourismcapabilities in their respective countries keeping in mindthe needs of the Islamic world. The Communiqué alsoemphasized the need to have more scientific studies andresearch works, which are required means for expandinghealth tourism.

An exhibition was held on the sidelines of the Confer-ence whose main focus was to get corporate buyers fromthe Islamic countries to meet with the best solution pro-viders from all over the world. Among the corporate buy-ers present in the exhibition were representatives of min-istries of health, insurance companies, multinationalcorporations, and travel agencies specialized in promotinghealth tourism. Exhibitors at the international conferencegot the opportunity to meet with their potential clients andto network with them directly.

Action, which goes in line with the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs).

The Minister of Territorial Administration and LocalCollectivities of Mali who is the Senior Advisor to thePresident of the Republic of Mali attended the ceremony.The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali, the US SpecialEnvoy to the OIC and the US Ambassador to Mali werealso present. The Director General of Science and Tech-nology Department in the OIC represented the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC. In their statements marking thelaunch of the project, the Minister of Foreign Affairs andMinister of Health of Mali welcomed the initiative andpledged the cooperation of the Government of Mali tomeet the project objectives.

The project is characterized by an integrated and multi-sectoral approach ensuring sustainability. Local owner-ship, capacity-building and training are among the maincomponents of the project.

“Reaching Every Mother and Baby inOIC Emergency Care” launched in Mali

Bamako, Mali - The OIC General Secretariat, the USGovernment and the Government of Mali jointly launchedthe new partnership “Reaching Every Mother and Baby inthe OIC Emergency Care” in Bamako on 4 November2010.

The OIC-US Cooperation Framework “Reaching EveryMother and Baby in the OIC Emergency Care” was signedon 1st December 2008 in Jeddah with an overall goal to re-duce deaths and illness during pregnancy and childbirth inthe Muslim world through emergency care for mothers andbabies. Mali and Bangladesh were selected as two pilotcountries based on maternal and child mortality rates andexistence of on-going USAID health support in these coun-tries.

The OIC Secretary General in his message at thelaunching ceremony highlighted the issues related to moth-er and child health care and the fight against diseases andpandemics as one of the important elements among the ex-tensive range of mandates of the OIC Ten Year Program of

tools related to tobacco control, training programs, semi-nars, workshops and so on. Moreover, the parties shall ex-change information and data, documents, statistical period-icals and other relevant publications on the activities,events and issues of common concern.

The MoU reflects the common objectives of the SES-RIC and FCA Regional Office towards establishing a net-work of cooperation between organizations, associationsand institutions interested in the field of tobacco controlalong with interested national and regional organizations,as well as encouraging OIC Member Countries to establishnational committees for the formulation of policies andstrategies for tobacco control in cooperation with the Re-gional Office of WHO.

SESRIC signs MOU on tobacco controlAnkara, Turkey - A Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) has been signed between the Statistical, Economicand Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Coun-tries (SESRIC) and the Regional Office for the FrameworkConvention Alliance for Tobacco Control for the EasternMediterranean (FCA) on 4 November 2010 with an aim topromote cooperation in providing assistance regarding thedevelopment of policies and legislation as well as the ca-pacity building programs related to tobacco control in theOIC Member Countries.

According to the MoU, the two parties shall exchangetechnical and administrative assistance in matters of com-mon interest, such as the preparation of studies and re-search and the issuing of books, guidelines and educational

Polio vaccination to a child inHerat, Afghanistan.(epa)


progress made by Member States on several levels, espe-cially in the implementation of the recommendationsmade by previous conferences with regard to environ-mental challenges faced by the Islamic world, and effec-tive ways to address them. In this context, Ihsanoglu saidthat he instructed the Department of Humanitarian Affairsin the Secretariat of the Organization, to study the ques-tion of establishing an emergency fund to respond to thenatural disasters in the Islamic world.

The OIC Secretary General underlined the need tofollow up the implementation of what was agreed upon atthe first meeting of the Executive Office for the Environ-ment, to establish a " Special Chair of His Royal High-ness Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz for the Envi-ronment Studies", in universities of OIC countries mostvulnerable to the effects of climate change.

For his part, ISESCO Director General Dr. AbdulazizOthman Altwaijri delivered an address in which he said:“This conference is being held at a time when the interna-tional community has become increasingly interested inthe environment issues, which are closely linked to sus-tainable development. The current session of our confer-ence comes exactly after ten years from the convening ofthe Millennium Summit at the UN Headquarters, whichlaunched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),with 2015 as the target date for their fulfillment. One ofthese goals is about intensifying international action toprotect and safeguard the environment.”

ISESCO chief also said, “The outcome expected fromthe present conference will surely contribute to building asolid basis for comprehensive development in the Islamicworld. The protection of the environment through scien-tifically-based strategies and international cooperation isat the heart of the protection of communities from natu-ral, environmental, economic and social disasters whichlead to acute crises obstructing the development dynam-ics.”

After deliberations, the Fourth Islamic Conference ofEnvironment Ministers adopted the three reports on theIslamic Executive Bureau for the Environment, on ISES-CO's efforts in the fields of Environment Protection, Wa-ter Resources Management, Renewable Energy and Sus-tainable Development, and on the Outcome of thePrevious Three Sessions of the Islamic Conference of En-vironment Ministers.

The Conference urged the Member States to completeappointment of focal points for the Islamic Executive Bu-reau for the Environment to ensure follow-up of the im-plementation of the decisions, resolutions and recommen-dations of the Executive Bureau and the Islamic

5958

ENVIRONMENT

Fourth Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers:Adopts resolutions on sustainable development,

disaster risks and information center

Carthage, Tunis - The fourth Islamic Conference ofEnvironment Ministers was inaugurated on October 5,2010 in an official ceremony chaired by the Tunisian Presi-dent Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at the Carthage PresidentialPalace. The conference is co-organized by the Islamic Edu-cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO)and the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environ-ment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PME), in coordina-tion with the General Secretariat of the OIC, and in collab-oration with the Tunisian Ministry of Environment andSustainable Development.

The Tunisian President delivered an address at the be-ginning of the official opening ceremony in which hepraised the keenness of the Secretary General of the OIC toenhance joint Islamic action, and to develop the organiza-tion's activities and programs in order to bring it to the lev-el of the aspirations and ambitions of Muslims.

In his address, His Royal Highness Prince Turki binNasser bin Abdulaziz, the General President of Meteorolo-gy and Environment in Saudi Arabia and the Chairman ofthe Third Islamic Conference of Environment Ministersstated: “Two years ago, the Islamic Conference of Environ-ment Ministers held its third session in Rabat, Kingdom ofMorocco, which was a success in all respects, and whichcontributed largely to establishing the foundations for jointIslamic environmental action in the OIC Member States.That session owed its success partly to the increasing confi-dence placed by the Member States in the Conferencewhich has proved a key platform of Islamic solidarity and amajor mechanism of joint Islamic action.”

His Highness added: “there is a compelling need forfurther joint action and stronger cooperation in order to sur-mount the problems associated with environment protec-tion, and to shoulder their related heavy burdens.”

In this context, the Secretary General of the OIC Pro-fessor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the relevant expertsfinalized the OIC draft vision on water in the Muslimworld, prepared in cooperation with the Islamic Develop-ment Bank (IDB). He also expressed the hope that this vi-sion would be presented to Member States in the next fewmonths, well before the Ministerial Conference on the wa-ter issues, adding that Turkey had offered to host this con-ference.

In his address to the Conference, Ihsanoglu underlinedthat the theme of the three-day conference “Natural Disas-ters and Ways of their Prevention”, had important connota-tions under the increasing number of disasters due to cli-mate change, stressing that Member States should developtheir national capacities, to respond to natural disasters.

On the other hand, the Secretary General praised the

Conference of Environment Ministers.General Framework of the Islamic Agenda for Sus-

tainable Development:The Conference examined and adopted the 'General

Framework of the Islamic Agenda for Sustainable Devel-opment'.

In a resolution on the adoption of the Framework, theConference urged the Member States to develop sustaina-ble development indicators at the national level, whileabiding by the guidelines of the UN Commission on Sus-tainable Development indicators in steering their policiesand strategies toward sustainable development.

The conference also invited the competent parties in theMember States to cooperate with regional and internationalorganizations to develop joint Islamic projects in agricultu-ral production, to address food scarcity and promote soli-darity in the face of famine in cooperation with the IslamicDevelopment Bank and relevant parties.

Likewise, the Conference urged the Member States tocooperate with the private sector, and the specialized inter-national and regional organizations in the preparation ofprojects on "Green Technologies in Islamic Countries",while paying due attention to technology transfer and as-sessment of relevant needs to achieve national sustainabledevelopment objectives.

Strategy on Management of Disaster Risks and Cli-mate Change Implications in the Islamic World:

The Conference also debated and adopted the “Strategyon Management of Disaster Risks and Climate Change Im-plications in the Islamic World”.

The Conference urged the Member States to take ap-propriate measures to implement the Strategy in order toreduce the number of victims and minimize financial andeconomic losses resulting from disasters and climatechange repercussions and their impact on the social and ec-onomic conditions, particularly for the population in dis-tress.

The Conference also endorsed the initiative of His Ex-cellency Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Tuni-sian Republic, to establish, in coordination with ISESCO, aregional early warning observatory to reduce natural disas-ter risks, and adopted his proposal that Tunisia would hostthat observatory.

In the same vein, the conference invited ISESCO, incooperation with the international, regional and nationalenvironment organizations concerned with disaster reduc-tion, including the Global Facility for Disaster Reductionand Recovery (GFDRR), to devise an executiveplan for the Strategy, and to contribute to andcooperate in developing qualified human re-sources, designing suitable training programs,devising appropriate action program to heightenawareness about emergency services work, andcoordinating the development of guidelines.

Furthermore, the Conference invited the Is-lamic Development Bank as well as other finan-cial institutions and donor agencies to contributeto implementing concrete projects for puttingthe “Strategy on Management of Disaster Risksand Climate Change Implications in the IslamicWorld” into action, strengthening infrastructurefor disaster risk management in Member Statesand assisting disaster-stricken countries to re-cover from destruction effects.

Action Program to Benefit from Adapta-tion Funds and Clean Development Mecha-nisms in the Islamic World:

Furthermore, the Fourth Islamic Conferenceof Environment Ministers examined and adopt-ed the “Action Program to Benefit from Adapta-

tion Funds and Clean Development Mechanisms in theIslamic World”. It also called for launching projects aspart of existing policies in the Member States and whichhave tangible impact at the national and regional level, toenable Islamic countries to benefit from the adaptationfunds and the clean development mechanisms.

Besides, the Conference underscored the necessity tofollow up the global and regional obligations, which aremandatory to be enforced either as an Islamic block orper individual Islamic country, and regularly review theprogress thereof.

Moreover, it called for developing the carbon marketin Islamic countries and launching projects to encouragethe transfer of new, proven, affordable and relevant tech-nologies to improve land use, and reduce deforestationand forest degradation.

Establishment of the Islamic Environment Infor-mation Centre:

In addition, the Conference adopted the Project on theEstablishment of the Islamic Environment InformationCentre.

The Conference urged international organizations,governmental bodies, universities and research institu-tions to cooperate with the Centre in collecting environ-ment-related information, developing databases, mapsand images of ecosystems and natural resources, as wellas in conducting environmental studies to determine thecharacteristics of the various ecosystems, including thesources of air-pollution, gas emissions and air-born dust.

In the same vein, the Centre was called upon to con-duct research surveys and implement training programsand awareness-raising activities focused on environmentprotection and pollution control, with particular focus onecological management of urban areas.

The Conference thanked Saudi Arabia for its ongoingefforts to launch the Project which will ensure better en-vironment security through provision of relevant data,technical services, the latest developments in knowledge,expertise and training to assist Member States in environ-ment preservation.

Moreover, the resolution urged the competent partiesin the Member States to set up national networks for en-vironmental information, with a view to promoting coop-eration and enhancing mechanisms of cooperation withthe Centre, in such a way as to achieve common objec-tives and priorities.

HRH Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz (C ) delivering his speech at the opening session withOIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu to his rights and ISESCO Director General Altwaijri to his left.

President Ben Alidelivering the opening speech.


progress made by Member States on several levels, espe-cially in the implementation of the recommendationsmade by previous conferences with regard to environ-mental challenges faced by the Islamic world, and effec-tive ways to address them. In this context, Ihsanoglu saidthat he instructed the Department of Humanitarian Affairsin the Secretariat of the Organization, to study the ques-tion of establishing an emergency fund to respond to thenatural disasters in the Islamic world.

The OIC Secretary General underlined the need tofollow up the implementation of what was agreed upon atthe first meeting of the Executive Office for the Environ-ment, to establish a " Special Chair of His Royal High-ness Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz for the Envi-ronment Studies", in universities of OIC countries mostvulnerable to the effects of climate change.

For his part, ISESCO Director General Dr. AbdulazizOthman Altwaijri delivered an address in which he said:“This conference is being held at a time when the interna-tional community has become increasingly interested inthe environment issues, which are closely linked to sus-tainable development. The current session of our confer-ence comes exactly after ten years from the convening ofthe Millennium Summit at the UN Headquarters, whichlaunched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),with 2015 as the target date for their fulfillment. One ofthese goals is about intensifying international action toprotect and safeguard the environment.”

ISESCO chief also said, “The outcome expected fromthe present conference will surely contribute to building asolid basis for comprehensive development in the Islamicworld. The protection of the environment through scien-tifically-based strategies and international cooperation isat the heart of the protection of communities from natu-ral, environmental, economic and social disasters whichlead to acute crises obstructing the development dynam-ics.”

After deliberations, the Fourth Islamic Conference ofEnvironment Ministers adopted the three reports on theIslamic Executive Bureau for the Environment, on ISES-CO's efforts in the fields of Environment Protection, Wa-ter Resources Management, Renewable Energy and Sus-tainable Development, and on the Outcome of thePrevious Three Sessions of the Islamic Conference of En-vironment Ministers.

The Conference urged the Member States to completeappointment of focal points for the Islamic Executive Bu-reau for the Environment to ensure follow-up of the im-plementation of the decisions, resolutions and recommen-dations of the Executive Bureau and the Islamic

5958

ENVIRONMENT

Fourth Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers:Adopts resolutions on sustainable development,

disaster risks and information center

Carthage, Tunis - The fourth Islamic Conference ofEnvironment Ministers was inaugurated on October 5,2010 in an official ceremony chaired by the Tunisian Presi-dent Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at the Carthage PresidentialPalace. The conference is co-organized by the Islamic Edu-cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO)and the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environ-ment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PME), in coordina-tion with the General Secretariat of the OIC, and in collab-oration with the Tunisian Ministry of Environment andSustainable Development.

The Tunisian President delivered an address at the be-ginning of the official opening ceremony in which hepraised the keenness of the Secretary General of the OIC toenhance joint Islamic action, and to develop the organiza-tion's activities and programs in order to bring it to the lev-el of the aspirations and ambitions of Muslims.

In his address, His Royal Highness Prince Turki binNasser bin Abdulaziz, the General President of Meteorolo-gy and Environment in Saudi Arabia and the Chairman ofthe Third Islamic Conference of Environment Ministersstated: “Two years ago, the Islamic Conference of Environ-ment Ministers held its third session in Rabat, Kingdom ofMorocco, which was a success in all respects, and whichcontributed largely to establishing the foundations for jointIslamic environmental action in the OIC Member States.That session owed its success partly to the increasing confi-dence placed by the Member States in the Conferencewhich has proved a key platform of Islamic solidarity and amajor mechanism of joint Islamic action.”

His Highness added: “there is a compelling need forfurther joint action and stronger cooperation in order to sur-mount the problems associated with environment protec-tion, and to shoulder their related heavy burdens.”

In this context, the Secretary General of the OIC Pro-fessor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the relevant expertsfinalized the OIC draft vision on water in the Muslimworld, prepared in cooperation with the Islamic Develop-ment Bank (IDB). He also expressed the hope that this vi-sion would be presented to Member States in the next fewmonths, well before the Ministerial Conference on the wa-ter issues, adding that Turkey had offered to host this con-ference.

In his address to the Conference, Ihsanoglu underlinedthat the theme of the three-day conference “Natural Disas-ters and Ways of their Prevention”, had important connota-tions under the increasing number of disasters due to cli-mate change, stressing that Member States should developtheir national capacities, to respond to natural disasters.

On the other hand, the Secretary General praised the

Conference of Environment Ministers.General Framework of the Islamic Agenda for Sus-

tainable Development:The Conference examined and adopted the 'General

Framework of the Islamic Agenda for Sustainable Devel-opment'.

In a resolution on the adoption of the Framework, theConference urged the Member States to develop sustaina-ble development indicators at the national level, whileabiding by the guidelines of the UN Commission on Sus-tainable Development indicators in steering their policiesand strategies toward sustainable development.

The conference also invited the competent parties in theMember States to cooperate with regional and internationalorganizations to develop joint Islamic projects in agricultu-ral production, to address food scarcity and promote soli-darity in the face of famine in cooperation with the IslamicDevelopment Bank and relevant parties.

Likewise, the Conference urged the Member States tocooperate with the private sector, and the specialized inter-national and regional organizations in the preparation ofprojects on "Green Technologies in Islamic Countries",while paying due attention to technology transfer and as-sessment of relevant needs to achieve national sustainabledevelopment objectives.

Strategy on Management of Disaster Risks and Cli-mate Change Implications in the Islamic World:

The Conference also debated and adopted the “Strategyon Management of Disaster Risks and Climate Change Im-plications in the Islamic World”.

The Conference urged the Member States to take ap-propriate measures to implement the Strategy in order toreduce the number of victims and minimize financial andeconomic losses resulting from disasters and climatechange repercussions and their impact on the social and ec-onomic conditions, particularly for the population in dis-tress.

The Conference also endorsed the initiative of His Ex-cellency Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Tuni-sian Republic, to establish, in coordination with ISESCO, aregional early warning observatory to reduce natural disas-ter risks, and adopted his proposal that Tunisia would hostthat observatory.

In the same vein, the conference invited ISESCO, incooperation with the international, regional and nationalenvironment organizations concerned with disaster reduc-tion, including the Global Facility for Disaster Reductionand Recovery (GFDRR), to devise an executiveplan for the Strategy, and to contribute to andcooperate in developing qualified human re-sources, designing suitable training programs,devising appropriate action program to heightenawareness about emergency services work, andcoordinating the development of guidelines.

Furthermore, the Conference invited the Is-lamic Development Bank as well as other finan-cial institutions and donor agencies to contributeto implementing concrete projects for puttingthe “Strategy on Management of Disaster Risksand Climate Change Implications in the IslamicWorld” into action, strengthening infrastructurefor disaster risk management in Member Statesand assisting disaster-stricken countries to re-cover from destruction effects.

Action Program to Benefit from Adapta-tion Funds and Clean Development Mecha-nisms in the Islamic World:

Furthermore, the Fourth Islamic Conferenceof Environment Ministers examined and adopt-ed the “Action Program to Benefit from Adapta-

tion Funds and Clean Development Mechanisms in theIslamic World”. It also called for launching projects aspart of existing policies in the Member States and whichhave tangible impact at the national and regional level, toenable Islamic countries to benefit from the adaptationfunds and the clean development mechanisms.

Besides, the Conference underscored the necessity tofollow up the global and regional obligations, which aremandatory to be enforced either as an Islamic block orper individual Islamic country, and regularly review theprogress thereof.

Moreover, it called for developing the carbon marketin Islamic countries and launching projects to encouragethe transfer of new, proven, affordable and relevant tech-nologies to improve land use, and reduce deforestationand forest degradation.

Establishment of the Islamic Environment Infor-mation Centre:

In addition, the Conference adopted the Project on theEstablishment of the Islamic Environment InformationCentre.

The Conference urged international organizations,governmental bodies, universities and research institu-tions to cooperate with the Centre in collecting environ-ment-related information, developing databases, mapsand images of ecosystems and natural resources, as wellas in conducting environmental studies to determine thecharacteristics of the various ecosystems, including thesources of air-pollution, gas emissions and air-born dust.

In the same vein, the Centre was called upon to con-duct research surveys and implement training programsand awareness-raising activities focused on environmentprotection and pollution control, with particular focus onecological management of urban areas.

The Conference thanked Saudi Arabia for its ongoingefforts to launch the Project which will ensure better en-vironment security through provision of relevant data,technical services, the latest developments in knowledge,expertise and training to assist Member States in environ-ment preservation.

Moreover, the resolution urged the competent partiesin the Member States to set up national networks for en-vironmental information, with a view to promoting coop-eration and enhancing mechanisms of cooperation withthe Centre, in such a way as to achieve common objec-tives and priorities.

HRH Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz (C ) delivering his speech at the opening session withOIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu to his rights and ISESCO Director General Altwaijri to his left.

President Ben Alidelivering the opening speech.


TECHNOLOGY

knowledge, dialogue and openness.The information society must have an in-

frastructure that ensures for individuals thefreedom to take the initiative and access to in-formation. This infrastructure requires: first,an advance education and research systemlinked to the internet; and second, a digitalculture to which the civil society organiza-tions, public and private corporations contrib-ute. That is because the strategic orientationof the information society is in the formationof individual's culture and the organization ofthe public space on the basis of freedom andknowledge. This cultural revolution in behav-ior and concepts requires going beyond thetraditional identity to a new one that is capa-ble of realizing compatibility between tradi-tional principles and the internet mentality.

The greatest challenge to our cultural identity todaylies in determining our position and its effectiveness vis-à-vis the process of producing the information and havingthe capability of using it, and being a mere consumer ofthat information. The digital revolution today is not rele-vant only to the relation between Western thinking and in-formation society, but also to finding the means to contrib-ute to this revolution that has changed the world'stopography and made it a universal village threatening cul-tures with disappearance unless they reserve their place inthe economy of knowledge and the revolution of digitalproduction. It is a fact well known that today 12% of theworld population controls more than 90% of its trade (US,Japan and Europe). This reality is the fruit of the informa-tion and communication revolution, and the explosion ofknowledge, a reality which confirms that the traditionalidentity is not capable of confrontation, and that the tradi-tional State is not capable of resisting globalization.

When we consider the success realized by the industri-al countries, we find that the most important component inthe development equation is “man” who possesses knowl-edge, and the strong society is the one armed with knowl-edge.

The world faces today unprecedentedchanges and developments in many areas, ofwhich globalization is the most prominent. In-formation technology, communication revolu-tion, widespread of information, economic andcultural globalization have reduced distances;as a result, thoughts and cultures overlappedamong many countries worldwide.

The evolution in information and commu-nication technology (ICT) caused broad valuechanges in our societies, along with variouscultural challenges, particularly to youth con-sidered to be in the cultural and social forma-tion stage, and the most communication con-suming of age categories. What makesglobalization even more dangerous is the rap-id growth in the various communicationmeans, and often without regulations as in thecase of the internet and television satellite channels. This isthe greatest challenge that faces Muslim societies, asthrough this rapid change and urbanization process thesesocieties are subjected to many social and psychologicalpressures threatening their identity and stability.

The question is the following: is it possible to preservethe cultural identity of the societies in this great opennessof communication means and globalization?

If we consider the history of the Islamic cultural identi-ty, we will realize that during colonization the culture hadbeen resisting and preserving identity and particularityfrom appropriation; and despite economic and military de-feat, the identity remained a spiritual force comprising thevalues of historical existence.

Since the challenges of today's revolution in informa-tion and communication technology are not less dangerousthan those the cultural identity faced in the past, e.g. duringthe colonization era, this new culture requires a new identi-ty capable of reconciling between the ideological content ofheritage and compatibility with internet and the flow of in-formation, its availability and accessibility. These newtools to access knowledge represent a historical opportunityfor the Islamic cultural identity, if a number of conditionsare fulfilled, of which the most important are eradication ofilliteracy, reducing the digital gap, spreading the culture of

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- TheOIC Computer Emergency ResponseTeam (OIC-CERT) with 18 memberschaired by Malaysia held its secondannual meeting in Kuala Lumpur on30 October 2010, preceded by aworkshop titled 'Securing DigitalUmmah' on 28-29 October 2010.

The OIC-CERT is an OIC affili-ated institution in the field of infor-mation security, established to pro-mote collaborative technologyresearch, development and innova-tion in ICT security fields.

The meeting was opened by wel-coming addresses by General Mo-hamed Azumi, Chairman of Cyber-Security Malaysia and Chairman ofOIC-CERT, and by Haji Fadillah

OIC-CERT Seminar and Annual MeetingHaji Yusof, Deputy Minister at theMinistry of Science, Technology andInnovation of Malaysia.

In his speech, delivered by therepresentative of the OIC MohamedElbusefi on his behalf, the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC pointed out thatthe role of OIC-CERT is very impor-tant in building capacities by provid-ing expertise and advisory services informulating initiatives, programs andprojects in the field of Cyber securi-ty. He also invited the OIC-CERT touse its available professional andtechnical resources in order to identi-fy the best ways and means, includ-ing technical, administrative and le-gal tools to combat anti-Islamiccontents on the internet in coopera-

tion with the “OIC Islamophobia Ob-servatory”.

The two-day workshop includedseveral presentations and panel dis-cussions on the following topics:

• Emerging Threats on Informa-tion Society.

• Developing and MaintainingCooperation Models.

• Towards Better Cooperationbetween OIC-CERT Members andCyber Security Organizations.

On the third day, the second an-nual meeting of OIC-CERT was heldto discuss its agenda items on newmembership category, updates ofstrategic directions, securing the ac-cess of OIC-CERT website and OIC-CERT activity report.

Over the past five years, thephrase “internet terrorism” or the useof internet for terrorist purposes hasbecome widely used. Extensive meet-ings, symposia and workshops havebeen held by major countries interest-ed in the subject in order to exchangeviews and ideas, and find a commonmechanism to stop this danger facingall states without exception.

Similarly, symposia and confer-ences are being regularly held by anumber of international bodies, suchas the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Forcewhich, in cooperation with all UNmember states, seeks to find innova-tive ways and means to block terroristgroups. Controlling the internet, how-ever, is not an easy task.

All states are concerned over thefact that they do not know where theplanning of terrorist operations startsusing the internet as a tool of commu-nication and coordination. This is be-cause those who plan those operationsuse the same medium used by normalpeople in their daily life. Therefore,all those working in the field of infor-mation technology, either as adminis-trators or as engineers, are trying todevelop policies and regulations forthe use of the internet in order to putan end to this phenomenon and to pre-vent terrorists from using the internetfor illegal purposes, namely for terror-ism. In his book 'Terror on the Inter-net', Dr. Gabriel Weimann enumerat-ed the key elements for the use of theinternet by terrorists for terrorist pur-poses. These elements are as follows:

• Digging for information: theinternet is a huge electronic library re-plete with sensitive information anddata which the terrorists seek to ob-tain. These data relate to such placesas nuclear facilities, international air-ports and information relating tocounter-terrorism means. Around80% of the available information isprovided primarily by free websiteswithout breaking any laws or internetprotocols.

• Communication: the internethelps the various terrorist organiza-tions communicate and coordinateamong themselves on account of thelow cost of communication through

and instructions on how to makebombs and deadly chemical weapons.

• Planning and coordination: theinternet is a communication tool ofparamount importance for terroristorganizations since it allows them thefreedom of coordinating specific ter-rorist attacks.

• Financing: terrorists utilizestatistical data selected from the per-sonal information entered by internetusers in response to the various quer-ies and questionnaires on internetwebsites in order to identify peoplewith merciful hearts and persuadethem to make donations to moral per-sonalities serving as a cover to thoseterrorists. This is done through e-mailin a very intelligent way that does notraise doubts of donors that they are infact helping terrorist organizations.”

Based on the above, the states ofthe world have started to cooperate inorder to put an end to such operationson the internet by creating emergencyresponse teams to solve internet-related problems that may destabilizestates and jeopardize economic andmoral security. It is from this per-spective that a number of OIC Mem-ber States have come together and es-tablished the OIC ComputerEmergency Response Team (OIC-CERT) with the aim of promoting cy-berspace security among OIC Mem-ber States, strengthening cooperationamong Islamic States and raisingawareness about the dangers of mis-using the internet.

Finally, all that was mentionedwill encourage knowledge and infor-mation sharing in Information andCommunication Technology Securi-ty, which includes findings from re-ported incidents and case studies, sothat such information can be used todiscover and correct information se-curity and related vulnerabilities be-fore they are negatively exploited. Itis projected that OIC Member Stateswill share experiences and best prac-tices so that jointly develop measuresto deal with large-scale, regional, na-tional network security incidents andemergencies for implementation.

Wajdi Al QulitiDirector of IT Department,

OIC General Secretariat

Internet Terrorism

the internet compared with othertools. In addition, the internet pro-vides an abundance of informationready for exchange. The absence of avisible leader for a terrorist group isa key feature of modern terrorist or-ganizations, which is different fromthe traditional stereotype of terroristgroups. This is all due to easy com-munication and coordination throughthe internet.

• Mobilization of new terror-ists: The hiring of new elements byterrorist organizations preserves theirexistence and ensures their continui-ty. They use internet users' sympathywith their causes to lure them withattractive and enthusiastic phrasesthrough chat rooms. As we all know,young people and teenagers spendlong hours in internet cafes chattingwith people from different parts ofthe world.

• E-instructing and e-teaching:the internet contains an infinite num-ber of websites that provide leaflets

The impact of digital revolution on values in Muslim societies

Mohamed Al-BousaifyIT Coordinator


TECHNOLOGY

knowledge, dialogue and openness.The information society must have an in-

frastructure that ensures for individuals thefreedom to take the initiative and access to in-formation. This infrastructure requires: first,an advance education and research systemlinked to the internet; and second, a digitalculture to which the civil society organiza-tions, public and private corporations contrib-ute. That is because the strategic orientationof the information society is in the formationof individual's culture and the organization ofthe public space on the basis of freedom andknowledge. This cultural revolution in behav-ior and concepts requires going beyond thetraditional identity to a new one that is capa-ble of realizing compatibility between tradi-tional principles and the internet mentality.

The greatest challenge to our cultural identity todaylies in determining our position and its effectiveness vis-à-vis the process of producing the information and havingthe capability of using it, and being a mere consumer ofthat information. The digital revolution today is not rele-vant only to the relation between Western thinking and in-formation society, but also to finding the means to contrib-ute to this revolution that has changed the world'stopography and made it a universal village threatening cul-tures with disappearance unless they reserve their place inthe economy of knowledge and the revolution of digitalproduction. It is a fact well known that today 12% of theworld population controls more than 90% of its trade (US,Japan and Europe). This reality is the fruit of the informa-tion and communication revolution, and the explosion ofknowledge, a reality which confirms that the traditionalidentity is not capable of confrontation, and that the tradi-tional State is not capable of resisting globalization.

When we consider the success realized by the industri-al countries, we find that the most important component inthe development equation is “man” who possesses knowl-edge, and the strong society is the one armed with knowl-edge.

The world faces today unprecedentedchanges and developments in many areas, ofwhich globalization is the most prominent. In-formation technology, communication revolu-tion, widespread of information, economic andcultural globalization have reduced distances;as a result, thoughts and cultures overlappedamong many countries worldwide.

The evolution in information and commu-nication technology (ICT) caused broad valuechanges in our societies, along with variouscultural challenges, particularly to youth con-sidered to be in the cultural and social forma-tion stage, and the most communication con-suming of age categories. What makesglobalization even more dangerous is the rap-id growth in the various communicationmeans, and often without regulations as in thecase of the internet and television satellite channels. This isthe greatest challenge that faces Muslim societies, asthrough this rapid change and urbanization process thesesocieties are subjected to many social and psychologicalpressures threatening their identity and stability.

The question is the following: is it possible to preservethe cultural identity of the societies in this great opennessof communication means and globalization?

If we consider the history of the Islamic cultural identi-ty, we will realize that during colonization the culture hadbeen resisting and preserving identity and particularityfrom appropriation; and despite economic and military de-feat, the identity remained a spiritual force comprising thevalues of historical existence.

Since the challenges of today's revolution in informa-tion and communication technology are not less dangerousthan those the cultural identity faced in the past, e.g. duringthe colonization era, this new culture requires a new identi-ty capable of reconciling between the ideological content ofheritage and compatibility with internet and the flow of in-formation, its availability and accessibility. These newtools to access knowledge represent a historical opportunityfor the Islamic cultural identity, if a number of conditionsare fulfilled, of which the most important are eradication ofilliteracy, reducing the digital gap, spreading the culture of

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- TheOIC Computer Emergency ResponseTeam (OIC-CERT) with 18 memberschaired by Malaysia held its secondannual meeting in Kuala Lumpur on30 October 2010, preceded by aworkshop titled 'Securing DigitalUmmah' on 28-29 October 2010.

The OIC-CERT is an OIC affili-ated institution in the field of infor-mation security, established to pro-mote collaborative technologyresearch, development and innova-tion in ICT security fields.

The meeting was opened by wel-coming addresses by General Mo-hamed Azumi, Chairman of Cyber-Security Malaysia and Chairman ofOIC-CERT, and by Haji Fadillah

OIC-CERT Seminar and Annual MeetingHaji Yusof, Deputy Minister at theMinistry of Science, Technology andInnovation of Malaysia.

In his speech, delivered by therepresentative of the OIC MohamedElbusefi on his behalf, the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC pointed out thatthe role of OIC-CERT is very impor-tant in building capacities by provid-ing expertise and advisory services informulating initiatives, programs andprojects in the field of Cyber securi-ty. He also invited the OIC-CERT touse its available professional andtechnical resources in order to identi-fy the best ways and means, includ-ing technical, administrative and le-gal tools to combat anti-Islamiccontents on the internet in coopera-

tion with the “OIC Islamophobia Ob-servatory”.

The two-day workshop includedseveral presentations and panel dis-cussions on the following topics:

• Emerging Threats on Informa-tion Society.

• Developing and MaintainingCooperation Models.

• Towards Better Cooperationbetween OIC-CERT Members andCyber Security Organizations.

On the third day, the second an-nual meeting of OIC-CERT was heldto discuss its agenda items on newmembership category, updates ofstrategic directions, securing the ac-cess of OIC-CERT website and OIC-CERT activity report.

Over the past five years, thephrase “internet terrorism” or the useof internet for terrorist purposes hasbecome widely used. Extensive meet-ings, symposia and workshops havebeen held by major countries interest-ed in the subject in order to exchangeviews and ideas, and find a commonmechanism to stop this danger facingall states without exception.

Similarly, symposia and confer-ences are being regularly held by anumber of international bodies, suchas the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Forcewhich, in cooperation with all UNmember states, seeks to find innova-tive ways and means to block terroristgroups. Controlling the internet, how-ever, is not an easy task.

All states are concerned over thefact that they do not know where theplanning of terrorist operations startsusing the internet as a tool of commu-nication and coordination. This is be-cause those who plan those operationsuse the same medium used by normalpeople in their daily life. Therefore,all those working in the field of infor-mation technology, either as adminis-trators or as engineers, are trying todevelop policies and regulations forthe use of the internet in order to putan end to this phenomenon and to pre-vent terrorists from using the internetfor illegal purposes, namely for terror-ism. In his book 'Terror on the Inter-net', Dr. Gabriel Weimann enumerat-ed the key elements for the use of theinternet by terrorists for terrorist pur-poses. These elements are as follows:

• Digging for information: theinternet is a huge electronic library re-plete with sensitive information anddata which the terrorists seek to ob-tain. These data relate to such placesas nuclear facilities, international air-ports and information relating tocounter-terrorism means. Around80% of the available information isprovided primarily by free websiteswithout breaking any laws or internetprotocols.

• Communication: the internethelps the various terrorist organiza-tions communicate and coordinateamong themselves on account of thelow cost of communication through

and instructions on how to makebombs and deadly chemical weapons.

• Planning and coordination: theinternet is a communication tool ofparamount importance for terroristorganizations since it allows them thefreedom of coordinating specific ter-rorist attacks.

• Financing: terrorists utilizestatistical data selected from the per-sonal information entered by internetusers in response to the various quer-ies and questionnaires on internetwebsites in order to identify peoplewith merciful hearts and persuadethem to make donations to moral per-sonalities serving as a cover to thoseterrorists. This is done through e-mailin a very intelligent way that does notraise doubts of donors that they are infact helping terrorist organizations.”

Based on the above, the states ofthe world have started to cooperate inorder to put an end to such operationson the internet by creating emergencyresponse teams to solve internet-related problems that may destabilizestates and jeopardize economic andmoral security. It is from this per-spective that a number of OIC Mem-ber States have come together and es-tablished the OIC ComputerEmergency Response Team (OIC-CERT) with the aim of promoting cy-berspace security among OIC Mem-ber States, strengthening cooperationamong Islamic States and raisingawareness about the dangers of mis-using the internet.

Finally, all that was mentionedwill encourage knowledge and infor-mation sharing in Information andCommunication Technology Securi-ty, which includes findings from re-ported incidents and case studies, sothat such information can be used todiscover and correct information se-curity and related vulnerabilities be-fore they are negatively exploited. Itis projected that OIC Member Stateswill share experiences and best prac-tices so that jointly develop measuresto deal with large-scale, regional, na-tional network security incidents andemergencies for implementation.

Wajdi Al QulitiDirector of IT Department,

OIC General Secretariat

Internet Terrorism

the internet compared with othertools. In addition, the internet pro-vides an abundance of informationready for exchange. The absence of avisible leader for a terrorist group isa key feature of modern terrorist or-ganizations, which is different fromthe traditional stereotype of terroristgroups. This is all due to easy com-munication and coordination throughthe internet.

• Mobilization of new terror-ists: The hiring of new elements byterrorist organizations preserves theirexistence and ensures their continui-ty. They use internet users' sympathywith their causes to lure them withattractive and enthusiastic phrasesthrough chat rooms. As we all know,young people and teenagers spendlong hours in internet cafes chattingwith people from different parts ofthe world.

• E-instructing and e-teaching:the internet contains an infinite num-ber of websites that provide leaflets

The impact of digital revolution on values in Muslim societies

Mohamed Al-BousaifyIT Coordinator


EDUCATION

ture; the more so, he went on, as anation's resurgence depends greatlyon science, technology and innova-tion, with all the good efforts thisseems to require to promote the roleof higher education institutions as abreeding ground for the human capi-tal necessary for the revival of theentire Islamic Ummah.

Dr. Altwaijri further explained,“An enormous investment is indis-pensable to foster higher education,particularly in scientific and techno-logical research and innovation, thusbringing present and future genera-tions to bear in achieving greater hu-man development for the Islamicworld.”

He pointed out that the strategiesadopted by the Islamic Conferenceof Higher Education and ScientificResearch Ministers need to be ex-plored by the Member States for op-timal implementation of their nation-al policies.

“The Conference shows, throughits various resolutions and docu-ments, an absolute commitment toincreasing our common endeavor forincreased achievement in the areas ofhigher education, scientific researchand innovation as contributory fac-tors for all-inclusive, advance humandevelopment,” he further explained.

The three-day Conference identi-fied measures and adopted severaldecisions and resolutions on actionsfor promoting a culture of knowl-edge, scientific research and innova-tion in the Muslim world.

The Fifth Islamic Conference of

5th Session of the Islamic Conference ofHigher Education and Scientific Research:

Enculturation of Quality in Academia, Research andInnovation towards Prosperity of Ummah

cess to such opportunities otherwise.The Conference was informed

that in pursuance of the TYPOA andVision 1441H, the OIC General Sec-retariat, and relevant OIC institu-tions, i.e. COMSTECH, SESRIC,IDB, and ISESCO, along with part-ners from Europe and Canada, wereactively collaborating for the prepar-ation of the 'Atlas of Islamic WorldInnovation'. The Atlas, aimed atmapping the key trends and trajecto-ries in science and technology-basedinnovation (STI) in the OIC coun-tries, would serve as an importantreference guide and contain recom-mendations for strengthening the STIculture in the OIC countries. Thefirst two country reports under theAtlas project (Malaysia and Paki-stan) are expected to be launchedduring the 12th Islamic Summit Con-ference in Egypt in March 2011.

Moreover, as a tool to assist, sup-port and upgrade universities in OICMember States to a level compatiblewith other world-class universities -one of the objectives outlined in theTYPOA- the OIC General Secretari-at was engaged in the preparation of'Key Performance Indicators for Uni-versities in the Islamic World'.

Speaking at the opening of theConference, Dr. Abdulaziz OthmanAltwaijri, Director General of the Is-lamic Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (ISESCO),said that higher education and scien-tific research development presentsan enormous challenge to the Mus-lim world in the present and the fu-

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Thefifth session of the Islamic Confer-ence of Higher Education and Scien-tific Research Ministers (ICHESRM)took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malay-sia, on 19-21 October 2010, on thetheme "Enculturation of Quality inAcademia, Research and Innovationtowards Prosperity of Ummah".

The OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu urged the OICMember States and all OIC institu-tions to step up their efforts for therealization of the goals of the TenYear Program of Action (TYPOA)and the Vision 1441 H for Scienceand Technology.

Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, theSecretary General of the OIC, in hismessage delivered on his behalf byAmbassador Moiz Bokhari, OIC As-sistant Secretary General for Scienceand Technology, urged the OICMember States and institutions toparticipate pro-actively in the Mid-Term Review of the implementationof the TYPOA and Vision 1441H.

While specifically highlightingthe significance of the targets set outin the TYPOA and Vision 1441H inthe domains of higher education, sci-ence and technology, he underscoredthat excellence in education, researchand innovation is a sine qua non forthe Muslim world to reclaim itsrightful place in the community ofnations. In this regard, he stressedthe need for joint action and poolingof resources and facilities for thebenefit of students in the OIC Mem-ber States who would not have ac-

infrastructure. Turning to the Universities of the

Islamic world, the Declaration urgedthem to upgrade their performance toachieve excellence in higher educa-tion and reorient their proceduresand mechanisms to best meet the in-ternational standards and criteria bypaying attention to the “Key Perfor-mance Indicators” so as to repositionthem in better ranks among the com-munity of world class universities;

On nanotechnology, the Declara-tion recognized this technology'shuge economic potential and capabil-ity to solve critical challenges con-fronting Member States; and calledfor identifying policies measures andmechanisms to accelerate acquisitionof nanotechnology, including com-mitting high percentages of theirR&D investments to the develop-ment of nanotechnology. Similarly, iturged the Member States to accordattention to the building and trainingof human capital and capacity thatcan drive and create a momentum aswell as a critical mass for nanotech-nologist, and nano-scientists work-force, and make institutional arrange-ments at national level for promptdelivery of nanotechnology relatedproducts including university institu-tions, R&D institutes, financial insti-tutions and technology parks at uni-versities.

Concerning the project on the“Atlas of Islamic World Science andInnovation”, the Declaration calledfor expedited launching of relevantcountry reports and emphasized theneed to draw on these reports when itcomes to developing policy measuresand embedding them both in the im-plementation of national and interna-tional planning and in the assessmentof future demands.

Moreover, the Declaration com-mended the Federation of the Uni-versities of the Islamic World(FUIW) for its achievements and ini-tiatives to develop the concept ofpartnership and cooperation withmember universities and similar or-ganizations, and for its active role inthe implementation of activities andprograms, through the convening ofconferences, symposia and work-shops as part of its action plans; theestablishment of university scientificchairs that seek to promote high edu-cation and scientific research; the re-vival and renewal of Islamic culturalheritage; and the fostering of the cul-ture of quality, innovation andknowledge sharing. Likewise, itcommended the FUIW's initiatives toactivate cooperation among memberuniversities through expertise shar-ing and the conclusion of coopera-

Ministers of Higher Education andScientific Research concluded itsproceedings with the adoption of theKuala Lumpur Declaration on the"Enculturation of Quality in Acade-mia, Research and Innovation to-wards Prosperity of Ummah".

The Declaration underlined theimportance of scientific research andhigher education for the developmentof knowledge and promotion of tech-nology, as well as national innova-tion systems to achieve socio-economic growth and cope with thevarious challenges facing the Mem-ber States such as poverty, hunger,malnutrition, epidemics, environ-mental degradation, dwindling natu-ral resources, and acute shortage ofenergy and water resources.

Furthermore, the declarationcalled on the Member States to up-grade their performance in terms ofquality enculturation, continue tomake the best of the vast knowledgeareas and utilize all resources and ca-pabilities to promote the culture ofquality in academia, research and in-novation as a platform to addressnascent challenges, positively inter-act with globalization and bring theUmmah to move forward in correla-tion with the world's progress in sci-ence and technology.

Similarly, the declaration urgedthe Member States to take urgent ac-tions to develop enabling policiesand legal framework that would en-sure quick success to technology andbuild capabilities in emerging andcross-cutting technologies; to devoteattention to the promotion of nationalinnovation systems, the culture of in-tellectual property rights and technol-ogy incubation; to have mastery oftechnology, strategic studies andforecasting institutions; and to in-volve private sector and industries intechnology innovation processes.

By the same token, the declara-tion called on the universities and re-search institutes, which play a pivot-al role in securing new knowledgeand innovation in science and tech-nology, to promote training in sci-ence fields that will help to meet so-cial and economic needs in MemberStates; and invited them to equip anew generation of competent scien-tists who will enable their countriesto keep pace with the latest develop-ments as part of their research agen-da and future strategies.

On the other hand, the KualaLumpur Declaration called for step-ping up efforts to transform the econ-omies of the Member States intoknowledge-based economies by de-veloping urgent, sound action plansand policies to strengthen knowledge

tion and partnership agreements.In the same vein, the Declaration

lauded the efforts led by ISESCOCentre for Promotion of ScientificResearch (ICPSR) to encourage sci-entific research, develop scientificand technical studies in MemberStates, and provide assistance to sci-entific research institutions and ex-cellence centers in Islamic world;and called on Member States and do-nor parties to cooperate with ICPRSto help it step up its efforts and carryon assuming its mission.

Furthermore, the Declaration ap-preciated ISESCO's keenness to en-courage scientific competencies inthe Islamic world and to allocate Sci-ence Prizes in important areas of sci-ence and technology and stress uponfurther opportunities and encourage-ment of scientists, researchers andengineers in Member States, espe-cially youth, to create conducive en-vironment to establish their scientificcareers on firm basis in their owncountries so as to mitigate south-north brain drain.

The Kuala Lumpur Declarationinvited research journals publishinginstitutes to coordinate with ISC ????to accord better recognition to theirresearch performances at internation-al level.

In addition, the Declarationcalled for activating the principles ofsolidarity and mutual assistance toreinforce cooperation and network-ing among scientific and technologyinstitutions and among scientists inthe Islamic world and to establish re-gional centers and networks of excel-lence to play a central role in advanc-ing the knowledge, understandingand application of science.

ISESCO Director General Altwaijri.


EDUCATION

ture; the more so, he went on, as anation's resurgence depends greatlyon science, technology and innova-tion, with all the good efforts thisseems to require to promote the roleof higher education institutions as abreeding ground for the human capi-tal necessary for the revival of theentire Islamic Ummah.

Dr. Altwaijri further explained,“An enormous investment is indis-pensable to foster higher education,particularly in scientific and techno-logical research and innovation, thusbringing present and future genera-tions to bear in achieving greater hu-man development for the Islamicworld.”

He pointed out that the strategiesadopted by the Islamic Conferenceof Higher Education and ScientificResearch Ministers need to be ex-plored by the Member States for op-timal implementation of their nation-al policies.

“The Conference shows, throughits various resolutions and docu-ments, an absolute commitment toincreasing our common endeavor forincreased achievement in the areas ofhigher education, scientific researchand innovation as contributory fac-tors for all-inclusive, advance humandevelopment,” he further explained.

The three-day Conference identi-fied measures and adopted severaldecisions and resolutions on actionsfor promoting a culture of knowl-edge, scientific research and innova-tion in the Muslim world.

The Fifth Islamic Conference of

5th Session of the Islamic Conference ofHigher Education and Scientific Research:

Enculturation of Quality in Academia, Research andInnovation towards Prosperity of Ummah

cess to such opportunities otherwise.The Conference was informed

that in pursuance of the TYPOA andVision 1441H, the OIC General Sec-retariat, and relevant OIC institu-tions, i.e. COMSTECH, SESRIC,IDB, and ISESCO, along with part-ners from Europe and Canada, wereactively collaborating for the prepar-ation of the 'Atlas of Islamic WorldInnovation'. The Atlas, aimed atmapping the key trends and trajecto-ries in science and technology-basedinnovation (STI) in the OIC coun-tries, would serve as an importantreference guide and contain recom-mendations for strengthening the STIculture in the OIC countries. Thefirst two country reports under theAtlas project (Malaysia and Paki-stan) are expected to be launchedduring the 12th Islamic Summit Con-ference in Egypt in March 2011.

Moreover, as a tool to assist, sup-port and upgrade universities in OICMember States to a level compatiblewith other world-class universities -one of the objectives outlined in theTYPOA- the OIC General Secretari-at was engaged in the preparation of'Key Performance Indicators for Uni-versities in the Islamic World'.

Speaking at the opening of theConference, Dr. Abdulaziz OthmanAltwaijri, Director General of the Is-lamic Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (ISESCO),said that higher education and scien-tific research development presentsan enormous challenge to the Mus-lim world in the present and the fu-

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Thefifth session of the Islamic Confer-ence of Higher Education and Scien-tific Research Ministers (ICHESRM)took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malay-sia, on 19-21 October 2010, on thetheme "Enculturation of Quality inAcademia, Research and Innovationtowards Prosperity of Ummah".

The OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu urged the OICMember States and all OIC institu-tions to step up their efforts for therealization of the goals of the TenYear Program of Action (TYPOA)and the Vision 1441 H for Scienceand Technology.

Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, theSecretary General of the OIC, in hismessage delivered on his behalf byAmbassador Moiz Bokhari, OIC As-sistant Secretary General for Scienceand Technology, urged the OICMember States and institutions toparticipate pro-actively in the Mid-Term Review of the implementationof the TYPOA and Vision 1441H.

While specifically highlightingthe significance of the targets set outin the TYPOA and Vision 1441H inthe domains of higher education, sci-ence and technology, he underscoredthat excellence in education, researchand innovation is a sine qua non forthe Muslim world to reclaim itsrightful place in the community ofnations. In this regard, he stressedthe need for joint action and poolingof resources and facilities for thebenefit of students in the OIC Mem-ber States who would not have ac-

infrastructure. Turning to the Universities of the

Islamic world, the Declaration urgedthem to upgrade their performance toachieve excellence in higher educa-tion and reorient their proceduresand mechanisms to best meet the in-ternational standards and criteria bypaying attention to the “Key Perfor-mance Indicators” so as to repositionthem in better ranks among the com-munity of world class universities;

On nanotechnology, the Declara-tion recognized this technology'shuge economic potential and capabil-ity to solve critical challenges con-fronting Member States; and calledfor identifying policies measures andmechanisms to accelerate acquisitionof nanotechnology, including com-mitting high percentages of theirR&D investments to the develop-ment of nanotechnology. Similarly, iturged the Member States to accordattention to the building and trainingof human capital and capacity thatcan drive and create a momentum aswell as a critical mass for nanotech-nologist, and nano-scientists work-force, and make institutional arrange-ments at national level for promptdelivery of nanotechnology relatedproducts including university institu-tions, R&D institutes, financial insti-tutions and technology parks at uni-versities.

Concerning the project on the“Atlas of Islamic World Science andInnovation”, the Declaration calledfor expedited launching of relevantcountry reports and emphasized theneed to draw on these reports when itcomes to developing policy measuresand embedding them both in the im-plementation of national and interna-tional planning and in the assessmentof future demands.

Moreover, the Declaration com-mended the Federation of the Uni-versities of the Islamic World(FUIW) for its achievements and ini-tiatives to develop the concept ofpartnership and cooperation withmember universities and similar or-ganizations, and for its active role inthe implementation of activities andprograms, through the convening ofconferences, symposia and work-shops as part of its action plans; theestablishment of university scientificchairs that seek to promote high edu-cation and scientific research; the re-vival and renewal of Islamic culturalheritage; and the fostering of the cul-ture of quality, innovation andknowledge sharing. Likewise, itcommended the FUIW's initiatives toactivate cooperation among memberuniversities through expertise shar-ing and the conclusion of coopera-

Ministers of Higher Education andScientific Research concluded itsproceedings with the adoption of theKuala Lumpur Declaration on the"Enculturation of Quality in Acade-mia, Research and Innovation to-wards Prosperity of Ummah".

The Declaration underlined theimportance of scientific research andhigher education for the developmentof knowledge and promotion of tech-nology, as well as national innova-tion systems to achieve socio-economic growth and cope with thevarious challenges facing the Mem-ber States such as poverty, hunger,malnutrition, epidemics, environ-mental degradation, dwindling natu-ral resources, and acute shortage ofenergy and water resources.

Furthermore, the declarationcalled on the Member States to up-grade their performance in terms ofquality enculturation, continue tomake the best of the vast knowledgeareas and utilize all resources and ca-pabilities to promote the culture ofquality in academia, research and in-novation as a platform to addressnascent challenges, positively inter-act with globalization and bring theUmmah to move forward in correla-tion with the world's progress in sci-ence and technology.

Similarly, the declaration urgedthe Member States to take urgent ac-tions to develop enabling policiesand legal framework that would en-sure quick success to technology andbuild capabilities in emerging andcross-cutting technologies; to devoteattention to the promotion of nationalinnovation systems, the culture of in-tellectual property rights and technol-ogy incubation; to have mastery oftechnology, strategic studies andforecasting institutions; and to in-volve private sector and industries intechnology innovation processes.

By the same token, the declara-tion called on the universities and re-search institutes, which play a pivot-al role in securing new knowledgeand innovation in science and tech-nology, to promote training in sci-ence fields that will help to meet so-cial and economic needs in MemberStates; and invited them to equip anew generation of competent scien-tists who will enable their countriesto keep pace with the latest develop-ments as part of their research agen-da and future strategies.

On the other hand, the KualaLumpur Declaration called for step-ping up efforts to transform the econ-omies of the Member States intoknowledge-based economies by de-veloping urgent, sound action plansand policies to strengthen knowledge

tion and partnership agreements.In the same vein, the Declaration

lauded the efforts led by ISESCOCentre for Promotion of ScientificResearch (ICPSR) to encourage sci-entific research, develop scientificand technical studies in MemberStates, and provide assistance to sci-entific research institutions and ex-cellence centers in Islamic world;and called on Member States and do-nor parties to cooperate with ICPRSto help it step up its efforts and carryon assuming its mission.

Furthermore, the Declaration ap-preciated ISESCO's keenness to en-courage scientific competencies inthe Islamic world and to allocate Sci-ence Prizes in important areas of sci-ence and technology and stress uponfurther opportunities and encourage-ment of scientists, researchers andengineers in Member States, espe-cially youth, to create conducive en-vironment to establish their scientificcareers on firm basis in their owncountries so as to mitigate south-north brain drain.

The Kuala Lumpur Declarationinvited research journals publishinginstitutes to coordinate with ISC ????to accord better recognition to theirresearch performances at internation-al level.

In addition, the Declarationcalled for activating the principles ofsolidarity and mutual assistance toreinforce cooperation and network-ing among scientific and technologyinstitutions and among scientists inthe Islamic world and to establish re-gional centers and networks of excel-lence to play a central role in advanc-ing the knowledge, understandingand application of science.

ISESCO Director General Altwaijri.


ECONOMY

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia -The Islamic Chamber of Com-

merce and Industry (ICCI) held the10th Meeting of its Board of Directorsheaded by Sheikh Saleh Kamel on 20August 2010 in Jeddah,

Saudi Arabia in the presence of theassistant secretaries and heads of theIslamic chambers of commerce and in-dustry in the OIC member countries,including Ahmed Al-Wakeel, Chair-man of the Federation of Egypt Cham-bers of Commerce; Sheikh Khalifa binJassim, Chairman of Qatar Chamberof Commerce and Industry (QCCI);Abdullah Sultan Abdullah, Head ofFederation of the UAE Chambers ofCommerce and Industry (FCCIUAE);Engineer Fahad Mohammad Al-Salmy, President of Council for SaudiChambers of Commerce and Industry;Hamza Mahmoud Ramadan, KuwaitChamber of Commerce and Industry(KCCI); Rifat Hisarciklioglu, Head ofUnion of Chambers of Commerce andCommodity Exchanges of Turkey(TOBB); Nael Kabariti, President ofJordan Chamber of Commerce; AtaoSofiano, Head of Benin Chamber; andan Observer from OIC.

ICCI President Sheikh Saleh Kam-el inaugurated the meeting and wel-comed the members, hailing the largeattendance of the participating dele-gates.

Then members of the executive

ways to generate financial resourcesfor the Islamic Chamber:

• Export center, some exhibitions,and the Golden Book project. Dr. Ah-med Mohiuddin, Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Economic Affairs said thatthe Golden Book would be an integrat-ed directory in the Islamic economicsand serve for one of the most impor-tant goals of the Chamber, which is topromote the significance of the eco-nomic exchange. The Board adoptedthis project.

• Halal certificate; the IslamicChamber is the only body in charge ofthe issuance of Halal certificate incooperation with the local chambers.

• The Chamber's Waqf (endow-ment) which has been initiated by thefirst ICCI President Sheikh IsmailAbou Daowd. Sheikh Saleh Kamelurged the member chambers to payany sums to this Waqf.

Kamel pointed out the importanceof unifying efforts for the sake of de-veloping the Chamber's resources.

The meeting approved the Cham-ber's future events in 2011, includingorganization of a training program incooperation with the Islamic Develop-ment Bank (IDB) and the meetings onfood security and private sector.

The Board of Directors agreed tohold its 27th General Assembly Meet-ing in April 2011.

The 10th Meeting of the ICCI's Boardof Directors discuss resource development

bureau were elected as follows:• Rifat Hisarciklioglu, Head of

Union of Chambers of Commerce andCommodity Exchanges of Turkey(TOBB) as Vice President;

• Ahmed Al-Wakeel, Chairmanof the Federation of Egypt Chambersof Commerce as Vice President; and

• Dr. Abdul Sattar Eshra, fromEgypt, as Rapporteur.

Before beginning the meetingagenda, Sheikh Saleh Kamel suggest-ed to appoint Dr. Bassem Awadallah,former minister of planning in Jordanand Chief of the Royal HashemiteCourt of Jordan, as the Secretary Gen-eral of the Chamber.

The agenda items were concen-trating on several issues, includingstanding on what has been implement-ed from the resolutions of 26th Gener-al Assembly Meeting and the 9thMeeting of the ICCI Board of Direc-tors that were held on 5- 6 April 2010in Doha, Qatar, the criteria of accept-ing the membership of the chambersof commerce of countries with Mus-lim minorities as observer in theICCI, and the report of the 44th ses-sion of the financial committee.

Taking advantage of the presenceof the majority of board members, theICCI President referred to the meetingof the Resource Development Com-mittee, elected during the Qatar meet-ing, which considered the following

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The firstconference of Business Owners Union(BOU) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabiaduring the period 20 - 21 August con-cluded its works with the presence ofover 500 businessmen and business-women from the OIC countries. It wasattended by Professor Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu, Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC), Sheikh Saleh Abdullah Kamel,President of the Islamic Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (ICCI), Dr.Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President ofthe Islamic Development Bank (IDB),in addition to large participation frommega trade, industrial and servicecompanies, heads of 17 banks and fi-nancial institutions, and heads ofchambers of commerce and industry inthe Islamic countries.

On the sidelines of the conference,an exhibition was organized for dis-playing the Islamic products. Many Is-lamic countries participated in it, in-cluding: Afghanistan, Albania,Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Jor-dan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maurita-nia, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda,Yemen, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the opening of the Conference,Sheikh Saleh Kamel, President of theICCI and Chairman of Business Own-ers Union (BOU) in the OIC MemberStates, welcomed the attendees, sayingin his speech: “Since 2006, I havesought to adopt the scientific approachand sound planning in the IslamicChamber, so we have managed to de-velop a ten-year work plan in broadlines. And to achieve these goals, wetailored them into objectives and im-plementation mechanisms. The keypillar in preparing the plan is the com-mon interests since they are the lan-guage of the times and the real tongueof every man pursuing success.”

For his part, Professor EkmeleddinIhsanoglu, Secretary General of theOIC, congratulated the Islamic Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry on theinauguration of the Business OwnersUnion for OIC Member States andcommended the existing working col-laboration and partnership between theOIC and the Islamic business commu-nity towards the comprehensive imple-mentation of the OIC economic agen-da.

In his keynote address the Secre-

First Annual BOU Conference calls forbroader representation of the business sector

the OIC countries to exert efforts andto develop proposals and initiatives invital fields in the life of the IslamicUmmah. He shed light on three axesrelated to responding to what the crisismight bear of opportunities and chal-lenges. The first focuses on creativityand innovation to encourage the eco-nomic growth by using developmentalalternatives in investment in infra-structure and intra-trade in the OICMember States. The second revolveson the role of business community inimmunizing the poor from the impactsof the financial crises and climatechange, in addition to relieving thevictims of fragile conditions and dis-putes. The third axis concentrates onenhancing competitiveness and enrich-ing partnerships by attracting institu-tions from the international emergingeconomic powers.

BOU called for giving due atten-tion to the necessity of forming broad-er membership that represents thebusiness sector as a whole in the Is-lamic countries through the participa-tion of the Union and the ICCI in plan-ning and implementing of the OIC'sactivities, including the institutions in-volved in economic cooperation, keyamong them is the Standing Commit-tee for Economic and CommercialCooperation (COMCEC).

Four working sessions were heldduring the Conference. The attendeestackled the role of their countries andthe affiliated companies in enhancingthe volume of intra-OIC trade and in-creasing the national product for eachcity in the countries of the OIC. Theyalso talked about their countries' con-tributions to the studies, researches,encouraging inventions and innova-tion, and marketing the investmentprojects and business agencies.

The Business Owners Union is oneof the most important mechanisms ofthe Islamic Chamber that aims atbuilding an umbrella for businessmenand the private sector in the OIC coun-tries and Muslim minorities and com-munities in non-OIC countries in orderto encourage investments, develop in-tra-Islamic trade and coordinate thepolicies, trade and investment activi-ties in order to employ the youth ofthe nations and thus reduce unemploy-ment and increase the gross nationalproduct of Islamic countries.

Casablanca, Morocco - The 27thSession of the Board of Directors ofthe Islamic Centre for the Develop-ment of Trade (ICDT) was held inCasablanca on 21-22 October 2010.Representatives of His Majesty Mo-hamed VI, King of Morocco, and Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary Gener-al of Organization of the IslamicConference (OIC), addressed theopening ceremony. The two-day meet-ing was attended by delegates fromOIC Member States and Institutions.

In his address before the session,the OIC Secretary General under-

ened to engage in its traditional tradeand investment promotion activities, ingeneral, and in the fields of agricultureand food security, in particular. Thisengagement will go a long way in sup-porting OIC Member States to achievethe double objectives of 20% of intra-OIC trade and combating poverty, asmandated by the OIC Ten-Year Pro-gram of Action (TYPOA).

The Secretary General congratulat-ed the ICDT and its Director GeneralAllal Rachdi for the excellent work un-dertaken by the Centre during the pastyears.

Increased intra-OIC trade needed toachieve poverty alleviation in OIC countries

scored the overarching objective ofpoverty alleviation as a permanentagenda item for economic and com-mercial cooperation among the OICMember States. The Secretary Gener-al also stressed the need to increaseintra-OIC trade and food security on asustainable basis, so as to foster eco-nomic growth and improve standardof living of the vulnerable segmentsof OIC population.

The Secretary General imploredthe meeting of Board of Directors togive adequate support to the ICDT sothat it could be adequately strength-

tary General emphasized that one ofthe major components OIC economicpolicy was promotion of the role of thePrivate Sector as the major stimulantfor economic growth and development.“The main activities endorsed in the ec-onomic agenda of the OIC are enhanc-ing the intra-Islamic trade, achievingwealth inside the Organization's coun-tries, alleviating poverty, building ca-pacity, encouraging investment, devel-oping infrastructure so as to meet theneed to promoting cooperation amongsouth-south countries, focusing on im-proving the performance of the nationaleconomies of the Member States.”

Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, Presi-dent of the IDB delivered a speech inwhich he said that this conferencecame in a time the whole world suffersfrom the global economic downturn.So the IDB believes that the businesscommunity should assume the respon-sibility of supporting the Islamic nationin facing the difficulties of these crisesand also prepare itself for encounteringany possible emerging challenges. Hegave three detailed explanation forthree challenges related to promotionof investment, employment of youngpeople and the elimination of unem-ployment and poverty, including: foodsecurity, investment and intra-trade,and the framework of partnerships andcollective work.

Dr. Ali called on businessmen in

ICCI President Sheikh Saleh Kamel


ECONOMY

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia -The Islamic Chamber of Com-

merce and Industry (ICCI) held the10th Meeting of its Board of Directorsheaded by Sheikh Saleh Kamel on 20August 2010 in Jeddah,

Saudi Arabia in the presence of theassistant secretaries and heads of theIslamic chambers of commerce and in-dustry in the OIC member countries,including Ahmed Al-Wakeel, Chair-man of the Federation of Egypt Cham-bers of Commerce; Sheikh Khalifa binJassim, Chairman of Qatar Chamberof Commerce and Industry (QCCI);Abdullah Sultan Abdullah, Head ofFederation of the UAE Chambers ofCommerce and Industry (FCCIUAE);Engineer Fahad Mohammad Al-Salmy, President of Council for SaudiChambers of Commerce and Industry;Hamza Mahmoud Ramadan, KuwaitChamber of Commerce and Industry(KCCI); Rifat Hisarciklioglu, Head ofUnion of Chambers of Commerce andCommodity Exchanges of Turkey(TOBB); Nael Kabariti, President ofJordan Chamber of Commerce; AtaoSofiano, Head of Benin Chamber; andan Observer from OIC.

ICCI President Sheikh Saleh Kam-el inaugurated the meeting and wel-comed the members, hailing the largeattendance of the participating dele-gates.

Then members of the executive

ways to generate financial resourcesfor the Islamic Chamber:

• Export center, some exhibitions,and the Golden Book project. Dr. Ah-med Mohiuddin, Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Economic Affairs said thatthe Golden Book would be an integrat-ed directory in the Islamic economicsand serve for one of the most impor-tant goals of the Chamber, which is topromote the significance of the eco-nomic exchange. The Board adoptedthis project.

• Halal certificate; the IslamicChamber is the only body in charge ofthe issuance of Halal certificate incooperation with the local chambers.

• The Chamber's Waqf (endow-ment) which has been initiated by thefirst ICCI President Sheikh IsmailAbou Daowd. Sheikh Saleh Kamelurged the member chambers to payany sums to this Waqf.

Kamel pointed out the importanceof unifying efforts for the sake of de-veloping the Chamber's resources.

The meeting approved the Cham-ber's future events in 2011, includingorganization of a training program incooperation with the Islamic Develop-ment Bank (IDB) and the meetings onfood security and private sector.

The Board of Directors agreed tohold its 27th General Assembly Meet-ing in April 2011.

The 10th Meeting of the ICCI's Boardof Directors discuss resource development

bureau were elected as follows:• Rifat Hisarciklioglu, Head of

Union of Chambers of Commerce andCommodity Exchanges of Turkey(TOBB) as Vice President;

• Ahmed Al-Wakeel, Chairmanof the Federation of Egypt Chambersof Commerce as Vice President; and

• Dr. Abdul Sattar Eshra, fromEgypt, as Rapporteur.

Before beginning the meetingagenda, Sheikh Saleh Kamel suggest-ed to appoint Dr. Bassem Awadallah,former minister of planning in Jordanand Chief of the Royal HashemiteCourt of Jordan, as the Secretary Gen-eral of the Chamber.

The agenda items were concen-trating on several issues, includingstanding on what has been implement-ed from the resolutions of 26th Gener-al Assembly Meeting and the 9thMeeting of the ICCI Board of Direc-tors that were held on 5- 6 April 2010in Doha, Qatar, the criteria of accept-ing the membership of the chambersof commerce of countries with Mus-lim minorities as observer in theICCI, and the report of the 44th ses-sion of the financial committee.

Taking advantage of the presenceof the majority of board members, theICCI President referred to the meetingof the Resource Development Com-mittee, elected during the Qatar meet-ing, which considered the following

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The firstconference of Business Owners Union(BOU) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabiaduring the period 20 - 21 August con-cluded its works with the presence ofover 500 businessmen and business-women from the OIC countries. It wasattended by Professor Ekmeleddin Ih-sanoglu, Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC), Sheikh Saleh Abdullah Kamel,President of the Islamic Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (ICCI), Dr.Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President ofthe Islamic Development Bank (IDB),in addition to large participation frommega trade, industrial and servicecompanies, heads of 17 banks and fi-nancial institutions, and heads ofchambers of commerce and industry inthe Islamic countries.

On the sidelines of the conference,an exhibition was organized for dis-playing the Islamic products. Many Is-lamic countries participated in it, in-cluding: Afghanistan, Albania,Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Jor-dan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maurita-nia, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda,Yemen, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the opening of the Conference,Sheikh Saleh Kamel, President of theICCI and Chairman of Business Own-ers Union (BOU) in the OIC MemberStates, welcomed the attendees, sayingin his speech: “Since 2006, I havesought to adopt the scientific approachand sound planning in the IslamicChamber, so we have managed to de-velop a ten-year work plan in broadlines. And to achieve these goals, wetailored them into objectives and im-plementation mechanisms. The keypillar in preparing the plan is the com-mon interests since they are the lan-guage of the times and the real tongueof every man pursuing success.”

For his part, Professor EkmeleddinIhsanoglu, Secretary General of theOIC, congratulated the Islamic Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry on theinauguration of the Business OwnersUnion for OIC Member States andcommended the existing working col-laboration and partnership between theOIC and the Islamic business commu-nity towards the comprehensive imple-mentation of the OIC economic agen-da.

In his keynote address the Secre-

First Annual BOU Conference calls forbroader representation of the business sector

the OIC countries to exert efforts andto develop proposals and initiatives invital fields in the life of the IslamicUmmah. He shed light on three axesrelated to responding to what the crisismight bear of opportunities and chal-lenges. The first focuses on creativityand innovation to encourage the eco-nomic growth by using developmentalalternatives in investment in infra-structure and intra-trade in the OICMember States. The second revolveson the role of business community inimmunizing the poor from the impactsof the financial crises and climatechange, in addition to relieving thevictims of fragile conditions and dis-putes. The third axis concentrates onenhancing competitiveness and enrich-ing partnerships by attracting institu-tions from the international emergingeconomic powers.

BOU called for giving due atten-tion to the necessity of forming broad-er membership that represents thebusiness sector as a whole in the Is-lamic countries through the participa-tion of the Union and the ICCI in plan-ning and implementing of the OIC'sactivities, including the institutions in-volved in economic cooperation, keyamong them is the Standing Commit-tee for Economic and CommercialCooperation (COMCEC).

Four working sessions were heldduring the Conference. The attendeestackled the role of their countries andthe affiliated companies in enhancingthe volume of intra-OIC trade and in-creasing the national product for eachcity in the countries of the OIC. Theyalso talked about their countries' con-tributions to the studies, researches,encouraging inventions and innova-tion, and marketing the investmentprojects and business agencies.

The Business Owners Union is oneof the most important mechanisms ofthe Islamic Chamber that aims atbuilding an umbrella for businessmenand the private sector in the OIC coun-tries and Muslim minorities and com-munities in non-OIC countries in orderto encourage investments, develop in-tra-Islamic trade and coordinate thepolicies, trade and investment activi-ties in order to employ the youth ofthe nations and thus reduce unemploy-ment and increase the gross nationalproduct of Islamic countries.

Casablanca, Morocco - The 27thSession of the Board of Directors ofthe Islamic Centre for the Develop-ment of Trade (ICDT) was held inCasablanca on 21-22 October 2010.Representatives of His Majesty Mo-hamed VI, King of Morocco, and Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary Gener-al of Organization of the IslamicConference (OIC), addressed theopening ceremony. The two-day meet-ing was attended by delegates fromOIC Member States and Institutions.

In his address before the session,the OIC Secretary General under-

ened to engage in its traditional tradeand investment promotion activities, ingeneral, and in the fields of agricultureand food security, in particular. Thisengagement will go a long way in sup-porting OIC Member States to achievethe double objectives of 20% of intra-OIC trade and combating poverty, asmandated by the OIC Ten-Year Pro-gram of Action (TYPOA).

The Secretary General congratulat-ed the ICDT and its Director GeneralAllal Rachdi for the excellent work un-dertaken by the Centre during the pastyears.

Increased intra-OIC trade needed toachieve poverty alleviation in OIC countries

scored the overarching objective ofpoverty alleviation as a permanentagenda item for economic and com-mercial cooperation among the OICMember States. The Secretary Gener-al also stressed the need to increaseintra-OIC trade and food security on asustainable basis, so as to foster eco-nomic growth and improve standardof living of the vulnerable segmentsof OIC population.

The Secretary General imploredthe meeting of Board of Directors togive adequate support to the ICDT sothat it could be adequately strength-

tary General emphasized that one ofthe major components OIC economicpolicy was promotion of the role of thePrivate Sector as the major stimulantfor economic growth and development.“The main activities endorsed in the ec-onomic agenda of the OIC are enhanc-ing the intra-Islamic trade, achievingwealth inside the Organization's coun-tries, alleviating poverty, building ca-pacity, encouraging investment, devel-oping infrastructure so as to meet theneed to promoting cooperation amongsouth-south countries, focusing on im-proving the performance of the nationaleconomies of the Member States.”

Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, Presi-dent of the IDB delivered a speech inwhich he said that this conferencecame in a time the whole world suffersfrom the global economic downturn.So the IDB believes that the businesscommunity should assume the respon-sibility of supporting the Islamic nationin facing the difficulties of these crisesand also prepare itself for encounteringany possible emerging challenges. Hegave three detailed explanation forthree challenges related to promotionof investment, employment of youngpeople and the elimination of unem-ployment and poverty, including: foodsecurity, investment and intra-trade,and the framework of partnerships andcollective work.

Dr. Ali called on businessmen in

ICCI President Sheikh Saleh Kamel


Khartoum, Sudan - Observers note that it is possible toachieve the long-term objective of poverty alleviation set bythe Ten-Year Program of Action of the Organization of theIslamic Conference (TYPOA) adopted by the ExtraordinarySummit Conference in Makkah in 2005.

This has become clear with the dynamism whose signsemerged at the Fifth OIC Conference of Agriculture Minis-ters on Food Security and Agricultural Development held inthe Sudanese capital Khartoum, which is considered by ob-servers as a step on the right track. The observers say thatthe most important achievement of the Khartoum Confer-ence is the creation of trust among the OIC Member Statesconcerning their ability to bring about change. The OIC Sec-retary General states that: “change and evolution constitutethe spirit of the endeavors of the OIC General Secretariat asoutlined in a program spanning ten years, 'OIC Ten-YearProgram of Action', designed to help remain in step with in-ternational changes and to achieve the conditions and poten-tial for food security.” He added, “Based on this premise, Ican say that we have succeeded through the OIC Conferenceon Agriculture held in Khartoum … in raising strongly theissue of agricultural development projects after a 15-yearhiatus”.

Though the Conference endorsed the elaboration of aframework for launching a work mechanism for the estab-lishment and implementation of agricultural programs andprojects which would lead to the complementarity soughtamong the OIC Member States, the major outcome of theConference was an agreement to hold the 6th Conference ofAgriculture Ministers in Turkey in 2011 and the 7th editionin Senegal in 2012. Some consider that the revival of jointaction in the field of agriculture is an achievement in itself.

Ihsanoglu stresses that the regular holding of the Confer-ence demonstrates the Member States' strong will to capital-ize on the results of several meetings and symposia heldover the year by the Standing Committee for Economic andCommercial Cooperation (COMCEC) and the Islamic De-velopment Bank (IDB), which called for the need to put inplace a comprehensive framework for agriculture, rural de-velopment and food security.

The Conference of Agriculture Ministers held in pres-ence of His Excellency President Omar Hassan Al-Bashiraddressed a set of challenges facing food security in the Is-lamic world.

President Al-Bashir paid tribute to the OIC and declared

OIC Conference of Agriculture Ministers:A comprehensive plan to address the food crisis

that it was an honor and privilege for his country to host thisconference under the banner of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference, which brought together Muslims in theservice of the Ummah's pivotal issue, rallied their energiesin the defense of the first of the Two Qiblas and third Mus-lim Holy Shrine, and pooled the resources of the Ummah infavor of enhanced cooperation in all political, economic, so-cial and cultural spheres. He also added that the OIC, havingearned the international community's trust and reorganiza-tion as an organization that represents over 1.5 billion peo-ple, is now more than ever the focal point of the hopes ofMuslims across the globe, as a protector of their interests,freedom and dignity.

The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, onhis part, called for diligent action to expedite solutions forthe problem of ever-rising prices of the food commodities,which has become a heavy burden for the importing coun-tries in the Islamic World. He also stressed that these chal-lenges were exasperated by the inadequate funds allocatedfor the infrastructure, basic economic and social services, aswell as by the scarcity of water resources, the degradation ofthe soil, and the food crises resulting from the political con-flicts.

Ihsanoglu drew attention to the meetings that had alreadytaken place over the past few months in Saudi Arabia andTurkey with a view to charting a course to resolve the prob-lem of food insecurity in the OIC Member States.

The OIC Secretary General pointed out that these meet-ings confirmed the need for a comprehensive framework foragriculture, rural development and food security, so that theprojects identified in these sectors may be set in motion.

Ihsanoglu emphasized that the issue of alleviating pover-ty and improving the standard of living of the lower incomesegments in society has been on top of the OIC agenda sincethe adoption of the Ten-Year Program of Action. Howeverhe cautioned that the food deficit issue is still a reality inmost OIC countries, including those known for being activein the agricultural field, and that 27 Islamic countries haveregistered an agricultural indicator below the world average.

Ihsanoglu also noted that these challenges have prompt-ed the OIC Standing Committee on Economic and TradeCooperation (COMCEC) in cooperation with the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO), to set up a Task Force onFood Security to raise funds for the implementation of theFood Security Programme in the OIC Member States.

6766

ECONOMY

and strength of Islamic finance as acompetitive and resilient form of finan-cial intermediation.

“Today, Islamic finance offers therange of financial products and servic-es from a highly diversified financialsystem that include the provision of in-novative and high quality financialproducts and services such as consu-mer financing, wealth management andwide ranging products from the Taka-ful industry and Islamic capital mar-kets. It also has the capacity to promoteproject financing and long-term struc-tured products for the financing oflarge-scale projects and infrastructuredevelopment. The sustainability of Is-lamic finance is due to its ability to re-main as a competitive form of financ-ing. Given that the Islamic financialinstruments reflect the underlying eco-nomic activities and that such instru-ments inherently have the potential toprovide tangible returns to investors, ithas therefore created significant de-mand for Shariah compliant financialproducts. Shariah principles in this re-spect prohibit excessive leverage andspeculative financial activities and dis-courages excessive risk exposure,” saidDr. Zeti.

An important dimension through

Washington, D.C, USA -The Gov-ernor of the Central Bank of Malaysia,Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz, on 10 October2010, addressed the Islamic Develop-ment Bank (IDB) Group luncheonheld on the margins of the WorldBank/IMF Annual Meetings in Wash-ington, D.C, setting a formal agendafor balanced growth and developmentfrom the perspective of Islamic fi-nance.

Speaking to an audience of financeministers, central bank governors andother key influential decision makers,Dr. Zeti highlighted the development

Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia outlines an agen-da for balanced growth and development

The Secretary General addressing the Opening Sessionof the Conference of Agriculture Ministers in Khartoum.

spoken for their reliance on real in-vestment and the principle of risk andprofit sharing.

Stressing that Islamic finance haspractically proven its capacity to playa role in boosting stability in global fi-nancial markets, the IDB Group Presi-dent then expressed his gratitude tothe Government of France, especiallythe Ministry of Economic Affairs, In-dustry and Employment as well as theFranco-Arab Chamber of Commercefor the important steps taken in facili-tating the development and growth ofIslamic financial services in France,underlining that the Islamic financialsystem is capable of contributing to amore justified and stable new globalfinancial order.

Earlier in the day, former Frenchforeign minister and the current Presi-dent of the Franco-Arab Chamber ofCommerce Herve du Charette inaugu-rated the meeting on behalf of theMinister of Economy and IndustryChristine Lagarde. Attended by a largenumber of French companies' repre-

Paris, France - President of the Is-lamic Development Bank Group (IDB)Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali addressedthe 4th French Forum on Islamic Fi-nance congratulating the French offi-cials on the progress they have made inthe field of Islamic financial servicesindustry and appreciating the great at-tention paid to Shariah-compliant fi-nance for the resistance it displayed inthe face of the recent financial crises.

The one-day Forum under the title“Islamic Finance, the Engine for theFrench Economy, Investment and Fi-nancial Institutions in 2011”, was orga-nized by the Franco-Arab Chamber ofCommerce in collaboration with theFrench Research Center for Islamic Fi-nance and the IDB Group.

Dr. Ahmad Ali underlined the de-sire of the IDB Group for cooperatingand coordinating with all the parties in-volved in Islamic finance to see the in-dustry flourish and develop even more,stressing that Shariah-compliant fi-nance is not merely confined to Mus-lims, rather it is accessible by whoeverseeks it and that these services are out-

IDB encourages French economists toparticipate in developing Islamic Financial Services

sentatives, banks, Islamic finance insti-tutions and academics dealing with Is-lamic economy and the Islamic finan-cial services industry, the high profilefunction mainly focused on three ma-jor points, namely, issuance of Sukukin France as of the start of the year2011; real estate market as a marketmodel for Islamic finance; and joint fi-nancing of projects in France andcountries in the Mediterranean and Af-rica.

Participants at the event also dis-cussed all the possible legal proceduresfor issuance and exchange of Sukuk aswell as some relevant experiences bycompanies outside France and ways ofdeveloping the French real estate mar-ket based on Islamic finance. Duringthe Forum, the French officials alsovowed to push for materialization ofthree major priorities, namely: turningParis into an international hub for issu-ance of Sukuk, employing Sukuk forIslamic financing, and attracting fur-ther Islamic banks and companies tothe French capital.

which Islamic finance contributes tobalanced growth and development liesin its emergence as an increasingly im-portant channel for fostering interna-tional financial linkages, as observedthrough the increasing international di-mension of Islamic finance in this re-cent decade.

She added “The internationaliza-tion of Islamic finance is shaping newglobal patterns of financial and tradeflows. It is also facilitated by progres-sive liberalization of emerging econo-mies in the recent decade. There isnow increased presence of Islamic fi-nancial institutions beyond their do-mestic borders and increased foreignparticipation in Islamic domestic finan-cial markets. The wave of internation-alization in Islamic finance which con-tinued unabated despite the recentglobal crisis has contributed to strong-er investment and financial flows be-tween Asia and the Middle East, gener-ating mutually reinforcing growthprospects for both regions. This has inparticular contributed to the deepeningof financial and economic ties betweenAsia and the Middle East, which har-nesses the complementarities in thesedynamic growth regions to promotetrade, direct investment and finance.”

Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz


Khartoum, Sudan - Observers note that it is possible toachieve the long-term objective of poverty alleviation set bythe Ten-Year Program of Action of the Organization of theIslamic Conference (TYPOA) adopted by the ExtraordinarySummit Conference in Makkah in 2005.

This has become clear with the dynamism whose signsemerged at the Fifth OIC Conference of Agriculture Minis-ters on Food Security and Agricultural Development held inthe Sudanese capital Khartoum, which is considered by ob-servers as a step on the right track. The observers say thatthe most important achievement of the Khartoum Confer-ence is the creation of trust among the OIC Member Statesconcerning their ability to bring about change. The OIC Sec-retary General states that: “change and evolution constitutethe spirit of the endeavors of the OIC General Secretariat asoutlined in a program spanning ten years, 'OIC Ten-YearProgram of Action', designed to help remain in step with in-ternational changes and to achieve the conditions and poten-tial for food security.” He added, “Based on this premise, Ican say that we have succeeded through the OIC Conferenceon Agriculture held in Khartoum … in raising strongly theissue of agricultural development projects after a 15-yearhiatus”.

Though the Conference endorsed the elaboration of aframework for launching a work mechanism for the estab-lishment and implementation of agricultural programs andprojects which would lead to the complementarity soughtamong the OIC Member States, the major outcome of theConference was an agreement to hold the 6th Conference ofAgriculture Ministers in Turkey in 2011 and the 7th editionin Senegal in 2012. Some consider that the revival of jointaction in the field of agriculture is an achievement in itself.

Ihsanoglu stresses that the regular holding of the Confer-ence demonstrates the Member States' strong will to capital-ize on the results of several meetings and symposia heldover the year by the Standing Committee for Economic andCommercial Cooperation (COMCEC) and the Islamic De-velopment Bank (IDB), which called for the need to put inplace a comprehensive framework for agriculture, rural de-velopment and food security.

The Conference of Agriculture Ministers held in pres-ence of His Excellency President Omar Hassan Al-Bashiraddressed a set of challenges facing food security in the Is-lamic world.

President Al-Bashir paid tribute to the OIC and declared

OIC Conference of Agriculture Ministers:A comprehensive plan to address the food crisis

that it was an honor and privilege for his country to host thisconference under the banner of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference, which brought together Muslims in theservice of the Ummah's pivotal issue, rallied their energiesin the defense of the first of the Two Qiblas and third Mus-lim Holy Shrine, and pooled the resources of the Ummah infavor of enhanced cooperation in all political, economic, so-cial and cultural spheres. He also added that the OIC, havingearned the international community's trust and reorganiza-tion as an organization that represents over 1.5 billion peo-ple, is now more than ever the focal point of the hopes ofMuslims across the globe, as a protector of their interests,freedom and dignity.

The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, onhis part, called for diligent action to expedite solutions forthe problem of ever-rising prices of the food commodities,which has become a heavy burden for the importing coun-tries in the Islamic World. He also stressed that these chal-lenges were exasperated by the inadequate funds allocatedfor the infrastructure, basic economic and social services, aswell as by the scarcity of water resources, the degradation ofthe soil, and the food crises resulting from the political con-flicts.

Ihsanoglu drew attention to the meetings that had alreadytaken place over the past few months in Saudi Arabia andTurkey with a view to charting a course to resolve the prob-lem of food insecurity in the OIC Member States.

The OIC Secretary General pointed out that these meet-ings confirmed the need for a comprehensive framework foragriculture, rural development and food security, so that theprojects identified in these sectors may be set in motion.

Ihsanoglu emphasized that the issue of alleviating pover-ty and improving the standard of living of the lower incomesegments in society has been on top of the OIC agenda sincethe adoption of the Ten-Year Program of Action. Howeverhe cautioned that the food deficit issue is still a reality inmost OIC countries, including those known for being activein the agricultural field, and that 27 Islamic countries haveregistered an agricultural indicator below the world average.

Ihsanoglu also noted that these challenges have prompt-ed the OIC Standing Committee on Economic and TradeCooperation (COMCEC) in cooperation with the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO), to set up a Task Force onFood Security to raise funds for the implementation of theFood Security Programme in the OIC Member States.

6766

ECONOMY

and strength of Islamic finance as acompetitive and resilient form of finan-cial intermediation.

“Today, Islamic finance offers therange of financial products and servic-es from a highly diversified financialsystem that include the provision of in-novative and high quality financialproducts and services such as consu-mer financing, wealth management andwide ranging products from the Taka-ful industry and Islamic capital mar-kets. It also has the capacity to promoteproject financing and long-term struc-tured products for the financing oflarge-scale projects and infrastructuredevelopment. The sustainability of Is-lamic finance is due to its ability to re-main as a competitive form of financ-ing. Given that the Islamic financialinstruments reflect the underlying eco-nomic activities and that such instru-ments inherently have the potential toprovide tangible returns to investors, ithas therefore created significant de-mand for Shariah compliant financialproducts. Shariah principles in this re-spect prohibit excessive leverage andspeculative financial activities and dis-courages excessive risk exposure,” saidDr. Zeti.

An important dimension through

Washington, D.C, USA -The Gov-ernor of the Central Bank of Malaysia,Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz, on 10 October2010, addressed the Islamic Develop-ment Bank (IDB) Group luncheonheld on the margins of the WorldBank/IMF Annual Meetings in Wash-ington, D.C, setting a formal agendafor balanced growth and developmentfrom the perspective of Islamic fi-nance.

Speaking to an audience of financeministers, central bank governors andother key influential decision makers,Dr. Zeti highlighted the development

Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia outlines an agen-da for balanced growth and development

The Secretary General addressing the Opening Sessionof the Conference of Agriculture Ministers in Khartoum.

spoken for their reliance on real in-vestment and the principle of risk andprofit sharing.

Stressing that Islamic finance haspractically proven its capacity to playa role in boosting stability in global fi-nancial markets, the IDB Group Presi-dent then expressed his gratitude tothe Government of France, especiallythe Ministry of Economic Affairs, In-dustry and Employment as well as theFranco-Arab Chamber of Commercefor the important steps taken in facili-tating the development and growth ofIslamic financial services in France,underlining that the Islamic financialsystem is capable of contributing to amore justified and stable new globalfinancial order.

Earlier in the day, former Frenchforeign minister and the current Presi-dent of the Franco-Arab Chamber ofCommerce Herve du Charette inaugu-rated the meeting on behalf of theMinister of Economy and IndustryChristine Lagarde. Attended by a largenumber of French companies' repre-

Paris, France - President of the Is-lamic Development Bank Group (IDB)Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali addressedthe 4th French Forum on Islamic Fi-nance congratulating the French offi-cials on the progress they have made inthe field of Islamic financial servicesindustry and appreciating the great at-tention paid to Shariah-compliant fi-nance for the resistance it displayed inthe face of the recent financial crises.

The one-day Forum under the title“Islamic Finance, the Engine for theFrench Economy, Investment and Fi-nancial Institutions in 2011”, was orga-nized by the Franco-Arab Chamber ofCommerce in collaboration with theFrench Research Center for Islamic Fi-nance and the IDB Group.

Dr. Ahmad Ali underlined the de-sire of the IDB Group for cooperatingand coordinating with all the parties in-volved in Islamic finance to see the in-dustry flourish and develop even more,stressing that Shariah-compliant fi-nance is not merely confined to Mus-lims, rather it is accessible by whoeverseeks it and that these services are out-

IDB encourages French economists toparticipate in developing Islamic Financial Services

sentatives, banks, Islamic finance insti-tutions and academics dealing with Is-lamic economy and the Islamic finan-cial services industry, the high profilefunction mainly focused on three ma-jor points, namely, issuance of Sukukin France as of the start of the year2011; real estate market as a marketmodel for Islamic finance; and joint fi-nancing of projects in France andcountries in the Mediterranean and Af-rica.

Participants at the event also dis-cussed all the possible legal proceduresfor issuance and exchange of Sukuk aswell as some relevant experiences bycompanies outside France and ways ofdeveloping the French real estate mar-ket based on Islamic finance. Duringthe Forum, the French officials alsovowed to push for materialization ofthree major priorities, namely: turningParis into an international hub for issu-ance of Sukuk, employing Sukuk forIslamic financing, and attracting fur-ther Islamic banks and companies tothe French capital.

which Islamic finance contributes tobalanced growth and development liesin its emergence as an increasingly im-portant channel for fostering interna-tional financial linkages, as observedthrough the increasing international di-mension of Islamic finance in this re-cent decade.

She added “The internationaliza-tion of Islamic finance is shaping newglobal patterns of financial and tradeflows. It is also facilitated by progres-sive liberalization of emerging econo-mies in the recent decade. There isnow increased presence of Islamic fi-nancial institutions beyond their do-mestic borders and increased foreignparticipation in Islamic domestic finan-cial markets. The wave of internation-alization in Islamic finance which con-tinued unabated despite the recentglobal crisis has contributed to strong-er investment and financial flows be-tween Asia and the Middle East, gener-ating mutually reinforcing growthprospects for both regions. This has inparticular contributed to the deepeningof financial and economic ties betweenAsia and the Middle East, which har-nesses the complementarities in thesedynamic growth regions to promotetrade, direct investment and finance.”

Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz


ECONOMY

26th Session of the Standing Committeefor Economic and Commercial Cooperation

The 26th Session of OIC Standing Committee for Eco-nomic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) was heldin Istanbul, Turkey, on 5-8 October 2010.

In his inaugural address, H.E. Abdullah Gul, the Presi-dent of Turkey, referring to past activities of COMCEC, em-phasized the pivotal role of COMCEC as incessantly carry-ing out its endeavors and serving as a solid platform ofcooperation in the area of economy and trade. Upon under-lining some of the structural problems in the OIC MemberStates, President Gul stressed the necessity of social partici-pation in administrative structures to strengthen their stabili-ty.

H.E. Gul pointed out the benefits of free movement ofgoods, capital, information and persons among the OICMember States which would pave the way for a more ration-al use of resources in areas like trade, investment, technolo-gy and employment. In this regard, President Gul stressedthe importance of COMCEC projects and programs such asTrade Preferential System of OIC (TPS-OIC), Standardsand Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), OICHalal Food Standards and OIC Vocational Education andTraining Program (OIC-VET). With regard to TPS-OIC,H.E Abdullah Gul, Chairman of COMCEC, requested theMember States who did not do so, to sign and ratify TPS-OIC Agreements as soon as possible and join the systemwhich is about to be operational.

President Gul also touched upon the crucial decisionsadopted by the COMCEC Economic Summit held on the oc-casion of the 25th Anniversary of the COMCEC. He sharedhis belief in the need for a plan of action defining prioritiesof cooperation and providing an effective implementationmechanism. H.E. Gul also pointed out that enhancement ofcooperation in agriculture, transportation and tourism wouldmake substantial contribution to economic development.

Ihsanoglu emphasizes the role ofregional groupings as building blocksfor economic integration

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic

sized the need for OIC Member States to venture into foodsecurity and agricultural development programs since 41 outof the 57 Member States of OIC are considered as food defi-cit countries. He declared that these countries received foodaid averaging about 11% of the Official Development Assis-tance to developing countries, even as they continue to re-quire an estimated annual amount of US$24.5 billion tomake up for their food deficits.

The Secretary General also stressed on the need to in-volve the private sector, national specialized agencies, andother regional actors in the elaboration, execution and moni-toring processes of the envisaged development projects.

Signing of Agreements

Signing ceremonies were held at the opening and closingsessions. During the signing ceremony held at the openingsession, the Headquarters Agreement of the Standards andMetrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) wassigned between Nihat Ergun, the Minister of Trade and In-dustry of Turkey, and Lutfi Oksuz, the Secretary General ofthe SMIIC, and witnessed by the Secretary General of theOIC.

Also a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) wassigned between the Secretary General of the OIC and theSecretary General of D-8. The MOU seeks to encourage thedevelopment of joint programs and projects in all sectorsthrough utilization of the human and material resources ofboth organizations. They are also poised to exchange experi-ences and expertise to ensure the speedy implementation oftheir various economic development programs.

The eight member states of the D-8, also known as De-veloping-8, are also members of the OIC and representabout two-thirds of the OIC population. The two organiza-tions share common economic objectives and are desirousof collaborating in such areas as agriculture and food securi-ty, trade, energy and micro-finance. It is envisaged that col-laboration between the two organizations would promotesynergies and optimization of resources, while avoiding du-plication and over-lapping.

In addition, Fahmi Said Ibrahim, Minister of Foreign Af-fairs of Union of Comoros, signed the "Framework Agree-ment on Trade Preferential System among the MemberStates of the OIC"; the "Protocol on the Preferential TariffScheme for TPS-OIC (PRETAS)"; and the TPS-OIC Rulesof Origin.

At the closing session, Minister of Economy of Afghani-stan Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal signed the "Agreement forPromotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investment amongMember States of the OIC" and "General Agreement for Ec-

onomic, Technical and Commercial Cooperationamong Member States of the OIC".

Closing Session

The closing session of the 26th Session of the CO-MCEC was held on 8 October 2010 under the chair-manship of Dr. Cevdet Yilmaz, Minister of State ofTurkey.

Dr. Yilmaz made a closing statement at the Ses-sion. He stated that COMCEC needed to producemore comprehensive and up-to-date framework ofcooperation with an effective implementation mecha-nism which would address the current needs and re-

quirements of the Member Countries. Dr. Yilmaz empha-sized that in order to alleviate poverty and enhance thewelfare, the Member States would attach paramount impor-tance to agriculture and rural development projects and pro-grams. He underlined the crucial role of transportation in in-creasing trade and tourism among the member countries andrequested the Member States to actively participate in prep-arations for the Exchange of Views Session on this topicwhich would be held during the 27th Session of the CO-MCEC.

The 17th SessionalCommittee Meeting

The 17th Sessional Committee Meeting of the CO-MCEC was held on 4 October 2010, prior to the 26th Ses-sion of the COMCEC. The committee reviewed the variousproject proposals in the agenda of COMCEC.

On Dakar-Port Sudan Railway Line Project, followingthe presentation of the General Secretariat on the results ofthe “Stakeholders Meeting of the Dakar-Port Sudan RailwayLine Project” which was held in Jeddah on 26 May 2010,the representatives of the IDB expressed that due to the sizeand complexity of the project, a pre-feasibility study shouldbe conducted taking into consideration existing feasibilitystudies, such as the African Development Bank's study onthe 'Dakar-Djibouti Railway Project'.

Concerning the Project entitled the “Establishment ofthe Federation of Islamic Road Transport Associations,” theCommittee welcomed the offer of the Union of Chambersand Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) to be the co-ordinator of the Project. The Committee requested TOBB,in coordination with the ICCI, to submit the project profileform to the next Sessional Committee meeting. Regardingthe Project entitled the "Establishment of the Federation ofIslamic Air Transport Associations" the Committee reiterat-ed its request to the General Secretariat to submit the projectprofile form to the 18th Meeting of the Sessional Commit-tee.

The Committee welcomed the new project proposal re-ceived from ICDT on Technical Cooperation among theOIC Member States in the area of competition law and poli-cy and requested the ICDT to study details of the said tech-nical assistance program in cooperation with interestedMember States and to submit the Project profile form to the18th Meeting of the Sessional Committee.

Regarding 'Development of Halal Food Standards andProcedures', after exhaustive discussion on the subject, themeeting took note of the "OIC General Guidelines on HalalFood"; "Guidelines for Bodies Providing Halal Certifica-tion"; and "Guidelines for the Accreditation Bodies Accred-

Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu underscored, inhis speech at the opening ceremony, the important role ofregional groupings as building blocks for achieving eco-nomic integration in Islamic countries. In the meantime hedescribed trade liberalization as the most viable mechanismfor promoting productivity, economies of scale, transfer oftechnology, regional cooperation and socio-cultural under-standing.

He urged OIC Member States to consider supporting thenumerous capacity-building programs undertaken by thevarious OIC institutions as this will certainly pave the wayfor aligning national trade policies to enhance intra-OICcooperation in the domain of trade.

He noted that the Twenty-Sixth Session of COMCECwould have the unique opportunity of examining the vari-ous achievements so far realized in the implementation ofthe various economic programs of the OIC, and prescribingways and means of realizing the objectives set by the OICTen Year Program of Action in the economic field duringthe remaining five-year period as its agenda is anchored onthe promotion of intra-OIC Trade and the eradication ofpoverty among the most vulnerable segments of the OICcommunity. The promotion of intra-OIC trade has the ob-jective of increasing competitiveness and value-added to en-able wealth creation and increased agro-industrial produc-tivity, he added.

The Secretary General stated that the increased activitiesof the relevant OIC trade organs, namely the Islamic Centrefor the Development of Trade (ICDT) and the InternationalIslamic Trade Financing Corporation (ITFC) have contrib-uted to the progressive improvement of intra-OIC tradefrom US$271.45 billion in 2004 to US$551 billion in 2008(i.e., from 14.5% in 2004 to 16.6% in 2009 of the totaltrade) and the OIC will actualize the objective of attainingthe target of 20% of intra-OIC trade in 2015.

He mentioned that there is a need to increase competi-tiveness in OIC countries which is closely related to thenew focus on fostering cooperation in the agriculture andfood sector. Ihsanoglu cited the example of OIC Cotton Ac-tion Plan which has succeeded in reviewing and approvingsixteen projects that have been submitted for further actionat the level of relevant funding institutions. He also empha-


ECONOMY

26th Session of the Standing Committeefor Economic and Commercial Cooperation

The 26th Session of OIC Standing Committee for Eco-nomic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) was heldin Istanbul, Turkey, on 5-8 October 2010.

In his inaugural address, H.E. Abdullah Gul, the Presi-dent of Turkey, referring to past activities of COMCEC, em-phasized the pivotal role of COMCEC as incessantly carry-ing out its endeavors and serving as a solid platform ofcooperation in the area of economy and trade. Upon under-lining some of the structural problems in the OIC MemberStates, President Gul stressed the necessity of social partici-pation in administrative structures to strengthen their stabili-ty.

H.E. Gul pointed out the benefits of free movement ofgoods, capital, information and persons among the OICMember States which would pave the way for a more ration-al use of resources in areas like trade, investment, technolo-gy and employment. In this regard, President Gul stressedthe importance of COMCEC projects and programs such asTrade Preferential System of OIC (TPS-OIC), Standardsand Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), OICHalal Food Standards and OIC Vocational Education andTraining Program (OIC-VET). With regard to TPS-OIC,H.E Abdullah Gul, Chairman of COMCEC, requested theMember States who did not do so, to sign and ratify TPS-OIC Agreements as soon as possible and join the systemwhich is about to be operational.

President Gul also touched upon the crucial decisionsadopted by the COMCEC Economic Summit held on the oc-casion of the 25th Anniversary of the COMCEC. He sharedhis belief in the need for a plan of action defining prioritiesof cooperation and providing an effective implementationmechanism. H.E. Gul also pointed out that enhancement ofcooperation in agriculture, transportation and tourism wouldmake substantial contribution to economic development.

Ihsanoglu emphasizes the role ofregional groupings as building blocksfor economic integration

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic

sized the need for OIC Member States to venture into foodsecurity and agricultural development programs since 41 outof the 57 Member States of OIC are considered as food defi-cit countries. He declared that these countries received foodaid averaging about 11% of the Official Development Assis-tance to developing countries, even as they continue to re-quire an estimated annual amount of US$24.5 billion tomake up for their food deficits.

The Secretary General also stressed on the need to in-volve the private sector, national specialized agencies, andother regional actors in the elaboration, execution and moni-toring processes of the envisaged development projects.

Signing of Agreements

Signing ceremonies were held at the opening and closingsessions. During the signing ceremony held at the openingsession, the Headquarters Agreement of the Standards andMetrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) wassigned between Nihat Ergun, the Minister of Trade and In-dustry of Turkey, and Lutfi Oksuz, the Secretary General ofthe SMIIC, and witnessed by the Secretary General of theOIC.

Also a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) wassigned between the Secretary General of the OIC and theSecretary General of D-8. The MOU seeks to encourage thedevelopment of joint programs and projects in all sectorsthrough utilization of the human and material resources ofboth organizations. They are also poised to exchange experi-ences and expertise to ensure the speedy implementation oftheir various economic development programs.

The eight member states of the D-8, also known as De-veloping-8, are also members of the OIC and representabout two-thirds of the OIC population. The two organiza-tions share common economic objectives and are desirousof collaborating in such areas as agriculture and food securi-ty, trade, energy and micro-finance. It is envisaged that col-laboration between the two organizations would promotesynergies and optimization of resources, while avoiding du-plication and over-lapping.

In addition, Fahmi Said Ibrahim, Minister of Foreign Af-fairs of Union of Comoros, signed the "Framework Agree-ment on Trade Preferential System among the MemberStates of the OIC"; the "Protocol on the Preferential TariffScheme for TPS-OIC (PRETAS)"; and the TPS-OIC Rulesof Origin.

At the closing session, Minister of Economy of Afghani-stan Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal signed the "Agreement forPromotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investment amongMember States of the OIC" and "General Agreement for Ec-

onomic, Technical and Commercial Cooperationamong Member States of the OIC".

Closing Session

The closing session of the 26th Session of the CO-MCEC was held on 8 October 2010 under the chair-manship of Dr. Cevdet Yilmaz, Minister of State ofTurkey.

Dr. Yilmaz made a closing statement at the Ses-sion. He stated that COMCEC needed to producemore comprehensive and up-to-date framework ofcooperation with an effective implementation mecha-nism which would address the current needs and re-

quirements of the Member Countries. Dr. Yilmaz empha-sized that in order to alleviate poverty and enhance thewelfare, the Member States would attach paramount impor-tance to agriculture and rural development projects and pro-grams. He underlined the crucial role of transportation in in-creasing trade and tourism among the member countries andrequested the Member States to actively participate in prep-arations for the Exchange of Views Session on this topicwhich would be held during the 27th Session of the CO-MCEC.

The 17th SessionalCommittee Meeting

The 17th Sessional Committee Meeting of the CO-MCEC was held on 4 October 2010, prior to the 26th Ses-sion of the COMCEC. The committee reviewed the variousproject proposals in the agenda of COMCEC.

On Dakar-Port Sudan Railway Line Project, followingthe presentation of the General Secretariat on the results ofthe “Stakeholders Meeting of the Dakar-Port Sudan RailwayLine Project” which was held in Jeddah on 26 May 2010,the representatives of the IDB expressed that due to the sizeand complexity of the project, a pre-feasibility study shouldbe conducted taking into consideration existing feasibilitystudies, such as the African Development Bank's study onthe 'Dakar-Djibouti Railway Project'.

Concerning the Project entitled the “Establishment ofthe Federation of Islamic Road Transport Associations,” theCommittee welcomed the offer of the Union of Chambersand Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) to be the co-ordinator of the Project. The Committee requested TOBB,in coordination with the ICCI, to submit the project profileform to the next Sessional Committee meeting. Regardingthe Project entitled the "Establishment of the Federation ofIslamic Air Transport Associations" the Committee reiterat-ed its request to the General Secretariat to submit the projectprofile form to the 18th Meeting of the Sessional Commit-tee.

The Committee welcomed the new project proposal re-ceived from ICDT on Technical Cooperation among theOIC Member States in the area of competition law and poli-cy and requested the ICDT to study details of the said tech-nical assistance program in cooperation with interestedMember States and to submit the Project profile form to the18th Meeting of the Sessional Committee.

Regarding 'Development of Halal Food Standards andProcedures', after exhaustive discussion on the subject, themeeting took note of the "OIC General Guidelines on HalalFood"; "Guidelines for Bodies Providing Halal Certifica-tion"; and "Guidelines for the Accreditation Bodies Accred-

Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu underscored, inhis speech at the opening ceremony, the important role ofregional groupings as building blocks for achieving eco-nomic integration in Islamic countries. In the meantime hedescribed trade liberalization as the most viable mechanismfor promoting productivity, economies of scale, transfer oftechnology, regional cooperation and socio-cultural under-standing.

He urged OIC Member States to consider supporting thenumerous capacity-building programs undertaken by thevarious OIC institutions as this will certainly pave the wayfor aligning national trade policies to enhance intra-OICcooperation in the domain of trade.

He noted that the Twenty-Sixth Session of COMCECwould have the unique opportunity of examining the vari-ous achievements so far realized in the implementation ofthe various economic programs of the OIC, and prescribingways and means of realizing the objectives set by the OICTen Year Program of Action in the economic field duringthe remaining five-year period as its agenda is anchored onthe promotion of intra-OIC Trade and the eradication ofpoverty among the most vulnerable segments of the OICcommunity. The promotion of intra-OIC trade has the ob-jective of increasing competitiveness and value-added to en-able wealth creation and increased agro-industrial produc-tivity, he added.

The Secretary General stated that the increased activitiesof the relevant OIC trade organs, namely the Islamic Centrefor the Development of Trade (ICDT) and the InternationalIslamic Trade Financing Corporation (ITFC) have contrib-uted to the progressive improvement of intra-OIC tradefrom US$271.45 billion in 2004 to US$551 billion in 2008(i.e., from 14.5% in 2004 to 16.6% in 2009 of the totaltrade) and the OIC will actualize the objective of attainingthe target of 20% of intra-OIC trade in 2015.

He mentioned that there is a need to increase competi-tiveness in OIC countries which is closely related to thenew focus on fostering cooperation in the agriculture andfood sector. Ihsanoglu cited the example of OIC Cotton Ac-tion Plan which has succeeded in reviewing and approvingsixteen projects that have been submitted for further actionat the level of relevant funding institutions. He also empha-


iting Halal Certification Bodies" as non-binding referencedocuments and that any further discussion on this topic willbe based on these documents.

Meeting of the COMCEC TaskForce on Food Security

The Third Meeting of the COMCEC Task Force onFood Security was held on 4 October, 2010. The Task Forceagreed to work plan for 2010-2011 and to establish an Exec-utive Framework for Agriculture, Rural Development andFood Security for OIC Member States, embodying identi-fied Programs and Projects in the critical sectors with time-lines and benchmarks, accompanied by Lead Countries,Lead Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and Region-al and International Organizations working in the fields ofagriculture, rural development and food security.

MUSIAD, IBF and PalestinianBusiness Forums

The Second Palestinian Business Forum was held in Is-tanbul on 5 October 2010. The Message of the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC was delivered at the opening ceremonyby Amb. Hamid Opeloyeru, Assistant Secretary General forEconomic Affairs. About 800 local, Palestinian and otherArab businessmen from 20 countries attended the Forum. Ajoint exhibition of products by companies from Palestineand members of the MÜSIAD (Independent Industrialistsand Businessmen's Association) were also organized on thesidelines of the Forum.

The 14th International Business Forum (IBF) was alsoheld in Istanbul, Turkey on 6-8 October 2010 under the pat-ronage of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister ofTurkey, and was honored by H.E. Abdullah Gül, Presidentof Turkey and Chairman of COMCEC. The Prime Ministerof Turkey, Vice President of Iraq, Minister of Trade and In-dustry of Egypt and the Minister of Foreign Trade of Turkeydelivered speeches at the opening ceremony of the Forum.The Forum was attended by a number of distinguished presi-dents, bureaucrats, chairmen of non-governmental organiza-tions (NGO), academicians, businessmen and press mem-bers from all over the world. Also present were 35 ministersof trade/economy and industry from OIC Member Statesand representatives of nearly 600 business companies from65 countries.

Experts review ways ofstrengthening intra-OIC

cooperation in agricultureand rural development

Pursuant to the relevant resolution of the 25th Session ofthe COMCEC, a workshop on Agriculture and Rural Devel-opment under the theme “Sharing of Best Practices and Suc-cess Stories within the framework of Poverty Reduction”was organized by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), incollaboration with the Statistical, Economic and Social Re-search and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC)in Antalya, Turkey, on 16-18 September 2010. This work-shop was a preparatory meeting for the “Exchange of ViewsSession” of the 26th Session of the COMCEC on the theme

of “Agriculture and Rural Development in the OIC MemberStates”.

More than 50 experts from 15 OIC Member States andits relevant institutions, as well as 12 regional and interna-tional organizations, such as Alliance for Green Revolutionin Africa, Arab Organization for Agriculture Development,International Center for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas,Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund forAgricultural Development and others attended the workshop.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the OIC,in his message delivered on his behalf by Amb. Opeloyeru,urged participants of the workshop to identify areas of jointactions and quick-wins so as to overcome the technical ob-stacles standing on the way of effective and mutually benefi-cial cooperation among OIC countries in the area of agricul-tural and rural development.

The three-day workshop reviewed such thematic issuesas agriculture and agricultural productivity, small-farm hold-ers, value-added in agriculture, rural development, food se-curity and poverty alleviation, as well as intra-OIC coopera-tion in the area of agricultural and rural development. Duringthe event, experts also made presentations on the success sto-ries/experiences of some OIC countries in addressing theseissues.

The workshop equally identified challenges and con-straints that impede the agricultural and rural development inOIC Member States and proposed multi-level recommenda-tions to address them. The findings of the workshop weresubmitted for consideration by the 26th Session of the CO-MCEC.

Governors of the OIC Central Banksand Monetary Authorities reviewed,reassessed the global financial crisis

The Governors of the Central Banks and Monetary Au-thorities of the OIC Member States met in Istanbul, Turkeyon 27th September 2010, under the theme: “Payments Sys-tems and Capacity Building in OIC Member States” as a fol-low-up to their last year's decision. The Meeting, jointly or-ganized by the Central Bank of Turkey and SESRIC, wasofficially opened by Durmus Yilmaz, Governor of the Cen-tral Bank of Turkey. About 20 Governors of Central Banksand Monetary Authorities as well as the representatives ofthe OIC institutions attended the meeting.

In his message delivered on his behalf by the DirectorGeneral of the Economic Affairs Department Cheikh OumarSow, the OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu urged the Gov-ernors to foster and expand Islamic banking and financial in-struments both within the OIC Member States and world-wide in order to promote the general welfare and collectiveprosperity of the Ummah.

The Governors addressed the issues of payments systemsboth within the Islamic Ummah and worldwide, as well asprovided strategic guidance on capacity building efforts forthe financial systems of the OIC Member States. The meet-ing finally embarked on crafting a road-map for the nextmeetings of the Central Banks and Monetary Authorities.

This gathering was preceded by an Experts Group Meet-ing on 26 September 2010 in Istanbul. Experts from MemberStates debated and made recommendations on alternative op-tions to cross-border payments and settlement systemsamong OIC Member States, including oversight, risks and fi-nancial stability. Experts also dwelt on capacity building ini-tiatives towards exploring technical assistance, partnership,training and joint projects opportunities in the Islamic world.

7170

ECONOMY

Nigeria keen to boost relations with the IDB Group Jeddah, Saudi Arabia- Elaborating on the

Nigerian Government's development goals, Ni-gerian Vice President Mohammad Namadi Sam-bo stated that his country is adopting a visionwhereby it is expected to become one of themost developed nations of the world by the year2020.

“To achieve this end, huge investments spe-cially in the field of energy and transportationneed to be made in Nigeria”, said the top rankingofficial, underlining that in addition to the saidfields the Republic of Nigeria is also seeking as-sistance of the IDB Group in housing and educa-tion sectors , including in improvement of a bilin-gual (Arabic-English) educational system.

Sambo said this during a working session at the IslamicDevelopment Group (IDB) in Jeddah on 3 September 2010.He and his accompanying delegation conferred with thePresident of the IDB Group Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali. He

expressed satisfaction over the trend of relationsbetween his country and IDB Group noting thatNigeria views IDB as an optional partner inachieving the desired level of socio-economic de-velopment.

Sambo putting forth a proposal to mark IDBInvestment Day in his country to promote differ-ent IDB Group affiliates, including ITFC, ICIECand ICD, the visiting Nigerian Vice-Presidentalso extended an official invitation to IDB GroupPresident Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali to visit thenation.

The IDB President for his part accepted theinvitation and extended congratulations to Nigeria

over its capital increase with the IDB, which now stands at8.6% of the Bank's capital registering an amount of US$ 2billion. Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali then expressed hope thatthe increasing cooperation between Nigeria and IDB wouldmaterialize further infrastructural development in favor ofthe Nigerian people.

Cotton is the main source of revenue in many OIC Member StatesCasablanca, Morocco- The Fourth OIC Steering Com-

mittee and the Third OIC Project Committee Meetings onCotton were organized in Casablanca, Morocco, on 27-28September 2010.

The opening ceremony began with the message of Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organizationof the Islamic Conference (OIC). In his message, the Secre-tary General considered the fact that the 5-year Cotton Ac-tion Plan aims at promoting wealth creation, increasingcompetitiveness in the agro-industrial sector and at the sametime, alleviating poverty in OIC Member States, it is, there-fore, important to conduct a comprehensive evaluation ofthe impact this program has created on the developmentalobjectives of OIC Member-States.

The said Committee Meetings approved 13 cotton pro-jects, which were submitted from the 9 Member States and 2concerned institutions of the OIC.

The Meetings examined the issue of extending the dura-tion of the OIC 5-Year Cotton Action Plan (2007-2011) foranother 5 years period from 2011-2016. In this regard, theCommittee expressed the view that there is a need to extendthe Plan of Action with a view to building on the experiencealready established and ensure the overall objective of thePlan.

At the end, the Committee Meeting mandated the Chair-man of the Steering Committee to submit a proposal to thiseffect to the 26th Session of the COMCEC.

The said Cotton Meetings achieved good success andwill contribute to improve the cotton and textile sectors inOIC Member States.

IDB approves financing for new development projectsJeddah, Saudi Arabia- The 271st session of the Board of

Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)approved on 5 October, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Ah-mad Mohamed Ali, President of IDB, financing for new de-velopment projects totaling US$ 772.3 million. Nine mem-ber countries have been approved to receive financing:Albania, Bangladesh, Gambia, Indonesia, Mauritania, Paki-stan, the Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The financing also included technical assistance in theform of grants for developmental projects in Benin, Chad,

Togo, and GCC countries, and grants and concessional loansfor the Sudan.

The approved financing included also health and educa-tional projects directed towards communities in non-membercountries, including Congo, Fiji, India, and South Africa.

It is worth mentioning that five of the nine projects ap-proved for member countries are considered as mega pro-jects which fall in line with the strategic objectives of theIDB and are in consistent with the IDB Vision 1440H.

Vice President Sambo


iting Halal Certification Bodies" as non-binding referencedocuments and that any further discussion on this topic willbe based on these documents.

Meeting of the COMCEC TaskForce on Food Security

The Third Meeting of the COMCEC Task Force onFood Security was held on 4 October, 2010. The Task Forceagreed to work plan for 2010-2011 and to establish an Exec-utive Framework for Agriculture, Rural Development andFood Security for OIC Member States, embodying identi-fied Programs and Projects in the critical sectors with time-lines and benchmarks, accompanied by Lead Countries,Lead Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and Region-al and International Organizations working in the fields ofagriculture, rural development and food security.

MUSIAD, IBF and PalestinianBusiness Forums

The Second Palestinian Business Forum was held in Is-tanbul on 5 October 2010. The Message of the SecretaryGeneral of the OIC was delivered at the opening ceremonyby Amb. Hamid Opeloyeru, Assistant Secretary General forEconomic Affairs. About 800 local, Palestinian and otherArab businessmen from 20 countries attended the Forum. Ajoint exhibition of products by companies from Palestineand members of the MÜSIAD (Independent Industrialistsand Businessmen's Association) were also organized on thesidelines of the Forum.

The 14th International Business Forum (IBF) was alsoheld in Istanbul, Turkey on 6-8 October 2010 under the pat-ronage of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister ofTurkey, and was honored by H.E. Abdullah Gül, Presidentof Turkey and Chairman of COMCEC. The Prime Ministerof Turkey, Vice President of Iraq, Minister of Trade and In-dustry of Egypt and the Minister of Foreign Trade of Turkeydelivered speeches at the opening ceremony of the Forum.The Forum was attended by a number of distinguished presi-dents, bureaucrats, chairmen of non-governmental organiza-tions (NGO), academicians, businessmen and press mem-bers from all over the world. Also present were 35 ministersof trade/economy and industry from OIC Member Statesand representatives of nearly 600 business companies from65 countries.

Experts review ways ofstrengthening intra-OIC

cooperation in agricultureand rural development

Pursuant to the relevant resolution of the 25th Session ofthe COMCEC, a workshop on Agriculture and Rural Devel-opment under the theme “Sharing of Best Practices and Suc-cess Stories within the framework of Poverty Reduction”was organized by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), incollaboration with the Statistical, Economic and Social Re-search and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC)in Antalya, Turkey, on 16-18 September 2010. This work-shop was a preparatory meeting for the “Exchange of ViewsSession” of the 26th Session of the COMCEC on the theme

of “Agriculture and Rural Development in the OIC MemberStates”.

More than 50 experts from 15 OIC Member States andits relevant institutions, as well as 12 regional and interna-tional organizations, such as Alliance for Green Revolutionin Africa, Arab Organization for Agriculture Development,International Center for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas,Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund forAgricultural Development and others attended the workshop.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the OIC,in his message delivered on his behalf by Amb. Opeloyeru,urged participants of the workshop to identify areas of jointactions and quick-wins so as to overcome the technical ob-stacles standing on the way of effective and mutually benefi-cial cooperation among OIC countries in the area of agricul-tural and rural development.

The three-day workshop reviewed such thematic issuesas agriculture and agricultural productivity, small-farm hold-ers, value-added in agriculture, rural development, food se-curity and poverty alleviation, as well as intra-OIC coopera-tion in the area of agricultural and rural development. Duringthe event, experts also made presentations on the success sto-ries/experiences of some OIC countries in addressing theseissues.

The workshop equally identified challenges and con-straints that impede the agricultural and rural development inOIC Member States and proposed multi-level recommenda-tions to address them. The findings of the workshop weresubmitted for consideration by the 26th Session of the CO-MCEC.

Governors of the OIC Central Banksand Monetary Authorities reviewed,reassessed the global financial crisis

The Governors of the Central Banks and Monetary Au-thorities of the OIC Member States met in Istanbul, Turkeyon 27th September 2010, under the theme: “Payments Sys-tems and Capacity Building in OIC Member States” as a fol-low-up to their last year's decision. The Meeting, jointly or-ganized by the Central Bank of Turkey and SESRIC, wasofficially opened by Durmus Yilmaz, Governor of the Cen-tral Bank of Turkey. About 20 Governors of Central Banksand Monetary Authorities as well as the representatives ofthe OIC institutions attended the meeting.

In his message delivered on his behalf by the DirectorGeneral of the Economic Affairs Department Cheikh OumarSow, the OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu urged the Gov-ernors to foster and expand Islamic banking and financial in-struments both within the OIC Member States and world-wide in order to promote the general welfare and collectiveprosperity of the Ummah.

The Governors addressed the issues of payments systemsboth within the Islamic Ummah and worldwide, as well asprovided strategic guidance on capacity building efforts forthe financial systems of the OIC Member States. The meet-ing finally embarked on crafting a road-map for the nextmeetings of the Central Banks and Monetary Authorities.

This gathering was preceded by an Experts Group Meet-ing on 26 September 2010 in Istanbul. Experts from MemberStates debated and made recommendations on alternative op-tions to cross-border payments and settlement systemsamong OIC Member States, including oversight, risks and fi-nancial stability. Experts also dwelt on capacity building ini-tiatives towards exploring technical assistance, partnership,training and joint projects opportunities in the Islamic world.

7170

ECONOMY

Nigeria keen to boost relations with the IDB Group Jeddah, Saudi Arabia- Elaborating on the

Nigerian Government's development goals, Ni-gerian Vice President Mohammad Namadi Sam-bo stated that his country is adopting a visionwhereby it is expected to become one of themost developed nations of the world by the year2020.

“To achieve this end, huge investments spe-cially in the field of energy and transportationneed to be made in Nigeria”, said the top rankingofficial, underlining that in addition to the saidfields the Republic of Nigeria is also seeking as-sistance of the IDB Group in housing and educa-tion sectors , including in improvement of a bilin-gual (Arabic-English) educational system.

Sambo said this during a working session at the IslamicDevelopment Group (IDB) in Jeddah on 3 September 2010.He and his accompanying delegation conferred with thePresident of the IDB Group Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali. He

expressed satisfaction over the trend of relationsbetween his country and IDB Group noting thatNigeria views IDB as an optional partner inachieving the desired level of socio-economic de-velopment.

Sambo putting forth a proposal to mark IDBInvestment Day in his country to promote differ-ent IDB Group affiliates, including ITFC, ICIECand ICD, the visiting Nigerian Vice-Presidentalso extended an official invitation to IDB GroupPresident Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali to visit thenation.

The IDB President for his part accepted theinvitation and extended congratulations to Nigeria

over its capital increase with the IDB, which now stands at8.6% of the Bank's capital registering an amount of US$ 2billion. Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali then expressed hope thatthe increasing cooperation between Nigeria and IDB wouldmaterialize further infrastructural development in favor ofthe Nigerian people.

Cotton is the main source of revenue in many OIC Member StatesCasablanca, Morocco- The Fourth OIC Steering Com-

mittee and the Third OIC Project Committee Meetings onCotton were organized in Casablanca, Morocco, on 27-28September 2010.

The opening ceremony began with the message of Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organizationof the Islamic Conference (OIC). In his message, the Secre-tary General considered the fact that the 5-year Cotton Ac-tion Plan aims at promoting wealth creation, increasingcompetitiveness in the agro-industrial sector and at the sametime, alleviating poverty in OIC Member States, it is, there-fore, important to conduct a comprehensive evaluation ofthe impact this program has created on the developmentalobjectives of OIC Member-States.

The said Committee Meetings approved 13 cotton pro-jects, which were submitted from the 9 Member States and 2concerned institutions of the OIC.

The Meetings examined the issue of extending the dura-tion of the OIC 5-Year Cotton Action Plan (2007-2011) foranother 5 years period from 2011-2016. In this regard, theCommittee expressed the view that there is a need to extendthe Plan of Action with a view to building on the experiencealready established and ensure the overall objective of thePlan.

At the end, the Committee Meeting mandated the Chair-man of the Steering Committee to submit a proposal to thiseffect to the 26th Session of the COMCEC.

The said Cotton Meetings achieved good success andwill contribute to improve the cotton and textile sectors inOIC Member States.

IDB approves financing for new development projectsJeddah, Saudi Arabia- The 271st session of the Board of

Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)approved on 5 October, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Ah-mad Mohamed Ali, President of IDB, financing for new de-velopment projects totaling US$ 772.3 million. Nine mem-ber countries have been approved to receive financing:Albania, Bangladesh, Gambia, Indonesia, Mauritania, Paki-stan, the Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The financing also included technical assistance in theform of grants for developmental projects in Benin, Chad,

Togo, and GCC countries, and grants and concessional loansfor the Sudan.

The approved financing included also health and educa-tional projects directed towards communities in non-membercountries, including Congo, Fiji, India, and South Africa.

It is worth mentioning that five of the nine projects ap-proved for member countries are considered as mega pro-jects which fall in line with the strategic objectives of theIDB and are in consistent with the IDB Vision 1440H.

Vice President Sambo


ic world and encouragingimplementation of the 'OICFramework for Develop-ment and Cooperation inthe domain of Tourism'among the OIC MemberStates during the periodfrom 2008 to 2018.

The Conference alsoadopted the proposal byIran, being a focal point forthe OIC on research andtraining in tourism sector,on creating an OIC awardof 'Seal of Excellence forHandicrafts' to preserveand develop traditional andcontemporary crafts to bepresented during futuresessions of the ICTM.

The 7th ICTM invitedIran to establish an 'OICCentre for SpecializedTraining on TraditionalArts'. The Conferenceurged the OIC Member

States and relevant institutions tocooperate with the Centre to be host-ed in Iran. It is aspired that the Centrewill contribute towards promotingtraining in the tourism sector espe-cially in the domain of traditional artsand handicrafts.

The Conference also urged theOIC Member States to encourage andfacilitate joint tourism ventures andother investments by the private sec-tor in the expansion and upgrading ofthe existing tourism capacities and ac-tivities. In this regard, the OIC Mem-ber States were encouraged to partici-pate actively in the celebration of"Tlemcen, Capital of Islamic Culture"which will take place in Algeria dur-ing 2011 to promote and develop cul-tural tourism. The Member Stateswere also urged to take part in the 1stOIC Health Exposition includingHealth Tourism which will be held on24-27 February 2011 in Tunisia.

Furthermore, the Conferencecalled for the construction of newtourist facilities of appropriate qualityand service standards using up-to-date technologies. It also stressed theimportance of strengthening and pro-moting eco-tourism partnership andcooperation as an emerging compo-nent of tourism among the Islamiccountries and endorsed the establish-ment of an open-ended workinggroup to consider the issue and tosubmit an appropriate proposal on itto the 8th Session of the ICTM whichwill be hosted by Sudan in 2012.

7372

ECONOMY

Seventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism MinistersIran invited to establish an OIC Centre forSpecialized Training on Traditional Arts

President Ahmadinejad and Ihsanogludiscuss Iran-OIC cooperation

Tehran, Iran - The President of Iran H. E. Dr. MahmoudAhmadinejad received in audience on 29 November 2010 inhis office the Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. The Secre-tary General briefed the President on the preparations for theconvening of the Senior Officials' meeting of the SeventhSession of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers(ICTM), which was held in Tehran on 28-29 November2010 and highlighted the important achievements expectedof this meeting.

For his part, President Ahmadinejad expressed his confi-dence that the Seventh Session of the ICTM will successful-ly achieve its objectives. In this context, he emphasized theimportance of tourism in promoting Islamic dignity of the

Muslim Ummah as well as its role in generating income andeconomic development of the Islamic countries. The Presi-dent noted that there are huge potentials in the OIC MemberStates for development of tourism especially in the area ofhandicrafts and underlined the importance of creating a com-mon market for exchanging handicrafts. The President andSecretary General agreed to further boost cooperation be-tween Iran and the OIC.

Earlier in the morning, the Secretary General had a meet-ing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran ManuchehrMottaki at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs in Tehran. Mottaki expressed his support for the Secre-tary General's endeavors and assured him of Iran's continu-ous cooperation with the OIC. The Minister also expressedhis country's willingness to establish a centre for tourismstudies within the framework of the OIC in Iran and soughtthe Secretary General's support on this subject matter. TheSecretary General assured him of his full support for the es-tablishment of the proposed centre.

They discussed a number of other issues, which includedincreasing movement of tourists among OIC Member States,hosting of the 7th Session of the Islamic Conference of Tour-ism Ministers and the Third Ministerial Conference onWoman by Iran. They also discussed the restructuring pro-cess of the UN and OIC and preparations underway for theconvening of the next OIC Islamic Summit in Egypt inMarch 2011.

Institutional cooperationbetween the OIC and ECO to be enhanced

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu held a bi-lateral meeting with the Secretary Gen-eral of the Economic Cooperation Or-ganization (ECO) Mohammed YahyaMaroofi at ECO Headquarters in Teh-ran, Iran on 29 November 2010. TheOIC Secretary General was briefed onvarious projects and initiatives under-taken by ECO, a regional organizationthat consists ten Member States who

are also members in the OIC.ECO Secretary General added that

his organization has managed to urgeits member states to cooperate on im-plementing several projects in thefields of agriculture development,fighting narcotics, capacity-building,and roads and railway infrastructuredevelopment to link ECO membercountries. The railway project linkingTurkey and Pakistan is one of the suc-cessfully accomplished projects so far.

The OIC Secretary General stressedon the need for fostering institutionalcooperation between the OIC and ECO.He suggested that a series of technicalmeetings of senior officials from bothinstitutions take place at the OIC Gen-eral Secretariat in Jeddah in the near fu-ture to discuss ways and means for en-hancing cooperation between ECO andOIC on specific projects as both institu-tions complement each other in a num-ber of areas.

International Islamic LiquidityManagement Corporation (IILM) established

Eleven central banks and two multi-lateral organizations signed the Articlesof Agreement for the establishment ofthe International Islamic LiquidityManagement Corporation (IILM) on 25October 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Ma-laysia. This global initiative is aimed toassist institutions offering Islamic fi-nancial services in addressing their li-quidity management efficiently and ef-fectively. In addition, the initiativewould facilitate greater investmentflows for the Islamic financial serviceindustry. To this end, the IILM will is-sue, in an integrated manner, high qual-

ity Shariah-compliant financial instru-ments at both the national level andacross borders, thereby enhancing thesoundness and stability of the jurisdic-tions in which they operate.

The signatories of the IILM Arti-cles of Agreement are governors andrepresentatives from the central banksor monetary agencies of the OICMember Countries, including Indone-sia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar,Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Turkey andthe United Arab Emirates. The IslamicDevelopment Bank and the Islamic

Corporation for the Development of thePrivate Sector are the multilateral or-ganizations participating in this initia-tive. Luxembourg and Mauritius, astwo non-OIC Member Countries, havealso signed the IILM Articles of Agree-ment.

The Memorandum of Participationfor the IILM was signed on 7th October2010 in Washington on the sidelines ofthe IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings.The signing of the Articles of Agree-ment signifies the official establishmentof the IILM.

A general view of Tehran. (epa)

Tehran, Iran - The 7th Session ofthe Islamic Conference of TourismMinisters (ICTM) was held in Tehran,Iran on 28-30 November 2010. Theopening ceremony of the Conferencewas attended by the Senior Advisor tothe President of Iran Mashaei, andVice-President and Head of the Cultu-ral Heritage, Handicraft and TourismOrganization of Iran Baghaei, as wellas Ministers and Heads of delegationsfrom the OIC countries, OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, andrepresentatives of OIC institutions andthe United Nations World Tourism Or-ganization (UNWTO).

In his speech at the opening cere-mony, the OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu declared that ap-preciable progress has been made inthe implementation of the project on"Sustainable Tourism Development ina Network of Cross-Border Parks andProtected Areas in West Africa"through the funding support of theUNWTO. He noted that the post-feasibility funding arrangements areunderway with the imminent donor'sconference under the high patronageof the OIC Summit Chairman MaitreAbdoulaye Wade, President of the Re-public of Senegal. In this framework,the OIC Member States, funding insti-tutions, bilateral and multilateral de-velopment assistance bodies, enterpris-es and institutions of the private sectorand concerned OIC institutions wereurged, as noted in the resolution of theConference, to actively participate at

the Donors' Conference to be held inDakar, from 27 to 29 May 2011 to mo-bilize resources for the implementationof the said Regional Project.

Ihsanoglu called for an increasedcooperation among the OIC countriesin the area of tourism services so thatthe level of intra-OIC tourism ex-changes can further contribute to therealization of the target set for intra-OIC trade. He stressed the need toscale up infrastructure development inthe tourism sector and underlined thatdeliberate efforts must be put in placeto increase intra-OIC tourism exchang-es. He also noted that intra-OIC tour-ism arrivals in 2009 reached 130.5million as compared to the world totalinternational arrivals of 880 million inthe same year and the total revenue ac-cruable to OIC countries is estimatedat US$102.8 billion as against the totalworld tourism receipts of US$852 bil-lion in 2009. The Secretary Generalurged the OIC Member States to re-double their efforts towards develop-ing capacity-building projects relatedto tourism sector.

The 7th Session of the ICTM en-dorsed the Tehran Declaration and theResolution on Tourism Development,which included a provision for theOIC General Secretariat to initiate, inconsultation with OIC Member States,an annual 'OIC City of Tourism' awardin recognition of exceptional contribu-tions to the improvement of tourism inthe Member States. This initiative isaimed at boosting tourism in the Islam-


ic world and encouragingimplementation of the 'OICFramework for Develop-ment and Cooperation inthe domain of Tourism'among the OIC MemberStates during the periodfrom 2008 to 2018.

The Conference alsoadopted the proposal byIran, being a focal point forthe OIC on research andtraining in tourism sector,on creating an OIC awardof 'Seal of Excellence forHandicrafts' to preserveand develop traditional andcontemporary crafts to bepresented during futuresessions of the ICTM.

The 7th ICTM invitedIran to establish an 'OICCentre for SpecializedTraining on TraditionalArts'. The Conferenceurged the OIC Member

States and relevant institutions tocooperate with the Centre to be host-ed in Iran. It is aspired that the Centrewill contribute towards promotingtraining in the tourism sector espe-cially in the domain of traditional artsand handicrafts.

The Conference also urged theOIC Member States to encourage andfacilitate joint tourism ventures andother investments by the private sec-tor in the expansion and upgrading ofthe existing tourism capacities and ac-tivities. In this regard, the OIC Mem-ber States were encouraged to partici-pate actively in the celebration of"Tlemcen, Capital of Islamic Culture"which will take place in Algeria dur-ing 2011 to promote and develop cul-tural tourism. The Member Stateswere also urged to take part in the 1stOIC Health Exposition includingHealth Tourism which will be held on24-27 February 2011 in Tunisia.

Furthermore, the Conferencecalled for the construction of newtourist facilities of appropriate qualityand service standards using up-to-date technologies. It also stressed theimportance of strengthening and pro-moting eco-tourism partnership andcooperation as an emerging compo-nent of tourism among the Islamiccountries and endorsed the establish-ment of an open-ended workinggroup to consider the issue and tosubmit an appropriate proposal on itto the 8th Session of the ICTM whichwill be hosted by Sudan in 2012.

7372

ECONOMY

Seventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism MinistersIran invited to establish an OIC Centre forSpecialized Training on Traditional Arts

President Ahmadinejad and Ihsanogludiscuss Iran-OIC cooperation

Tehran, Iran - The President of Iran H. E. Dr. MahmoudAhmadinejad received in audience on 29 November 2010 inhis office the Secretary General of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. The Secre-tary General briefed the President on the preparations for theconvening of the Senior Officials' meeting of the SeventhSession of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers(ICTM), which was held in Tehran on 28-29 November2010 and highlighted the important achievements expectedof this meeting.

For his part, President Ahmadinejad expressed his confi-dence that the Seventh Session of the ICTM will successful-ly achieve its objectives. In this context, he emphasized theimportance of tourism in promoting Islamic dignity of the

Muslim Ummah as well as its role in generating income andeconomic development of the Islamic countries. The Presi-dent noted that there are huge potentials in the OIC MemberStates for development of tourism especially in the area ofhandicrafts and underlined the importance of creating a com-mon market for exchanging handicrafts. The President andSecretary General agreed to further boost cooperation be-tween Iran and the OIC.

Earlier in the morning, the Secretary General had a meet-ing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran ManuchehrMottaki at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs in Tehran. Mottaki expressed his support for the Secre-tary General's endeavors and assured him of Iran's continu-ous cooperation with the OIC. The Minister also expressedhis country's willingness to establish a centre for tourismstudies within the framework of the OIC in Iran and soughtthe Secretary General's support on this subject matter. TheSecretary General assured him of his full support for the es-tablishment of the proposed centre.

They discussed a number of other issues, which includedincreasing movement of tourists among OIC Member States,hosting of the 7th Session of the Islamic Conference of Tour-ism Ministers and the Third Ministerial Conference onWoman by Iran. They also discussed the restructuring pro-cess of the UN and OIC and preparations underway for theconvening of the next OIC Islamic Summit in Egypt inMarch 2011.

Institutional cooperationbetween the OIC and ECO to be enhanced

The Secretary General of the Or-ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu held a bi-lateral meeting with the Secretary Gen-eral of the Economic Cooperation Or-ganization (ECO) Mohammed YahyaMaroofi at ECO Headquarters in Teh-ran, Iran on 29 November 2010. TheOIC Secretary General was briefed onvarious projects and initiatives under-taken by ECO, a regional organizationthat consists ten Member States who

are also members in the OIC.ECO Secretary General added that

his organization has managed to urgeits member states to cooperate on im-plementing several projects in thefields of agriculture development,fighting narcotics, capacity-building,and roads and railway infrastructuredevelopment to link ECO membercountries. The railway project linkingTurkey and Pakistan is one of the suc-cessfully accomplished projects so far.

The OIC Secretary General stressedon the need for fostering institutionalcooperation between the OIC and ECO.He suggested that a series of technicalmeetings of senior officials from bothinstitutions take place at the OIC Gen-eral Secretariat in Jeddah in the near fu-ture to discuss ways and means for en-hancing cooperation between ECO andOIC on specific projects as both institu-tions complement each other in a num-ber of areas.

International Islamic LiquidityManagement Corporation (IILM) established

Eleven central banks and two multi-lateral organizations signed the Articlesof Agreement for the establishment ofthe International Islamic LiquidityManagement Corporation (IILM) on 25October 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Ma-laysia. This global initiative is aimed toassist institutions offering Islamic fi-nancial services in addressing their li-quidity management efficiently and ef-fectively. In addition, the initiativewould facilitate greater investmentflows for the Islamic financial serviceindustry. To this end, the IILM will is-sue, in an integrated manner, high qual-

ity Shariah-compliant financial instru-ments at both the national level andacross borders, thereby enhancing thesoundness and stability of the jurisdic-tions in which they operate.

The signatories of the IILM Arti-cles of Agreement are governors andrepresentatives from the central banksor monetary agencies of the OICMember Countries, including Indone-sia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar,Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Turkey andthe United Arab Emirates. The IslamicDevelopment Bank and the Islamic

Corporation for the Development of thePrivate Sector are the multilateral or-ganizations participating in this initia-tive. Luxembourg and Mauritius, astwo non-OIC Member Countries, havealso signed the IILM Articles of Agree-ment.

The Memorandum of Participationfor the IILM was signed on 7th October2010 in Washington on the sidelines ofthe IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings.The signing of the Articles of Agree-ment signifies the official establishmentof the IILM.

A general view of Tehran. (epa)

Tehran, Iran - The 7th Session ofthe Islamic Conference of TourismMinisters (ICTM) was held in Tehran,Iran on 28-30 November 2010. Theopening ceremony of the Conferencewas attended by the Senior Advisor tothe President of Iran Mashaei, andVice-President and Head of the Cultu-ral Heritage, Handicraft and TourismOrganization of Iran Baghaei, as wellas Ministers and Heads of delegationsfrom the OIC countries, OIC SecretaryGeneral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, andrepresentatives of OIC institutions andthe United Nations World Tourism Or-ganization (UNWTO).

In his speech at the opening cere-mony, the OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu declared that ap-preciable progress has been made inthe implementation of the project on"Sustainable Tourism Development ina Network of Cross-Border Parks andProtected Areas in West Africa"through the funding support of theUNWTO. He noted that the post-feasibility funding arrangements areunderway with the imminent donor'sconference under the high patronageof the OIC Summit Chairman MaitreAbdoulaye Wade, President of the Re-public of Senegal. In this framework,the OIC Member States, funding insti-tutions, bilateral and multilateral de-velopment assistance bodies, enterpris-es and institutions of the private sectorand concerned OIC institutions wereurged, as noted in the resolution of theConference, to actively participate at

the Donors' Conference to be held inDakar, from 27 to 29 May 2011 to mo-bilize resources for the implementationof the said Regional Project.

Ihsanoglu called for an increasedcooperation among the OIC countriesin the area of tourism services so thatthe level of intra-OIC tourism ex-changes can further contribute to therealization of the target set for intra-OIC trade. He stressed the need toscale up infrastructure development inthe tourism sector and underlined thatdeliberate efforts must be put in placeto increase intra-OIC tourism exchang-es. He also noted that intra-OIC tour-ism arrivals in 2009 reached 130.5million as compared to the world totalinternational arrivals of 880 million inthe same year and the total revenue ac-cruable to OIC countries is estimatedat US$102.8 billion as against the totalworld tourism receipts of US$852 bil-lion in 2009. The Secretary Generalurged the OIC Member States to re-double their efforts towards develop-ing capacity-building projects relatedto tourism sector.

The 7th Session of the ICTM en-dorsed the Tehran Declaration and theResolution on Tourism Development,which included a provision for theOIC General Secretariat to initiate, inconsultation with OIC Member States,an annual 'OIC City of Tourism' awardin recognition of exceptional contribu-tions to the improvement of tourism inthe Member States. This initiative isaimed at boosting tourism in the Islam-


ECONOMY

G20 addresses currency issuesand plans to reduce global poverty and the developmentgap.

President Lee Myung-bak, other G20 leaders and repre-sentatives of international organizations adopted the 'SeoulDeclaration' and 'Seoul Action Plan' at the end of five dis-cussion sessions.

The 'Seoul Declaration' set up a framework to resolvecurrency disputes and reaffirmed the will of G20 leaders toprohibit protectionism, to build a global financial securitynetwork and to reform the International Monetary Fund(IMF). They also agreed on the need for development toachieve sustainable, balanced economic growth.

The G20 also adopted the 'Seoul Action Plan' which con-tains policy measures for cooperation and action to move to-wards market exchange rates and exchange rate flexibility.World leaders hope that this will provide new momentum toease global currency account imbalances.

G20 leaders agreed to implement a market-determinedcurrency policy system to reflect economic fundamentalsand to boost currency flexibility, while refraining from com-petitive currency depreciation.

They also decided to shift International Monetary Fund(IMF) quota shares for industrialized countries to dynamicemerging markets, developing countries and underrepresent-ed countries to better reflect the current economy.

The G20 also welcomed the creation of a 'Flexible Cred-it Line' (FCL) and 'Precautionary Credit Line' (PCL) as newpreventative tools to cope with future crises.

The G20 leaders further adopted the 'Seoul Consensus'.It proposes new directions and principles to help in eradicat-ing poverty and narrowing the gap between developing andindustrialized countries. The leaders also adopted a 'Multi-Year Action Plan' for infrastructure development in develop-ing countries.

A G20 Business Summit was held as part of efforts toconsider the opinions of the private sector.

APEC leaders agree on a free trade zoneYokohama, Japan (agencies) -

Leaders of the Pacific Rim economiesthat have spearheaded the still-fragileglobal recovery agreed to work towardbuilding a region-wide free trade zonethey say is the lynchpin for sustainablegrowth.

The 21-member Asia-Pacific Eco-nomic Cooperation (APEC) forumunanimously pledged to avoid raisingmore trade barriers and to roll backthose they may have erected in themidst of crisis.

“We reaffirm our unwaveringcommitment to achieving free andopen trade and investment in the re-gion,” the leaders said in a declarationreleased after their two-day summitended on November 14, 2010. “Wemust take steps to build a foundationfor stronger, more sustainable andmore balanced growth in the future.”

The leaders agreed to “take con-crete steps toward realizing a FreeTrade Area of the Asia-Pacific,” ac-cording to their declaration, with Japa-nese Prime Minister Naoto Kan sayingthe rough target year was 2020.

This goal should build on regional

groupings suchas the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship, a US-backed freetrade agree-ment that nineAPEC mem-bers are nego-tiating, and AS-EAN Plus 3,which groupsthe 10-nationAssociation ofSoutheastAsian Nationswith China, Japan and South Korea,the statement said. It would not beforged through APEC, which has nonegotiating power.

The summit's declaration also not-ed a need to reduce trade imbalancesand government debt. It also includesa pledge to move toward more “mar-ket-determined exchange rate sys-tems”.

For the first time, the leaders ap-proved a strategy calling for balanced,sustainable and innovative growth

IDB Group signs partnership strategy with Uganda The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group on No-

vember 3, 2010 signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) on Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS)with Uganda, which will be the vehicle for IDB Group sup-port to Uganda for the next five years starting 2011 in linewith the country's National Development Plan (NDP). TheNDP is the foundation stone for the country's long-termtransformation process.

Signing the MOU, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali stated, “weat the IDB Group are determined to be part of Uganda'stransformation process by focusing on the topmost prioritiesand utilizing whatever means we have at our disposal. It isfor this reason that IDB Group has put together this conceptof the MCPS, which underscores the need for IDB membercountries to cooperate or partner among themselves, withthe IDB serving as a facilitator. This member country-to-member country partnership is the cornerstone of IDBGroup's revitalized cooperation and policy dialogue withmember countries. It will complement our traditional role ofdirect project and program financing.”

On the basis of the consultations undertaken by the IDBGroup with the Ugandan authorities and other stakeholdersin the first stage of the MCPS exercise, the IDB Group as-

sistance over the next 5-years will focus on four main pillarsthat directly support the Government's objective of sustainedgrowth for employment-generation and social economictransformation. These pillars are (i) infrastructure develop-ment, (ii) agricultural productivity and value-addition, (iii)private sector development and (iv) human resource and in-stitutional capacity development. Specific activities undereach pillar would be mutually agreed.

The IDB Group has so far approved 28 operations in al-most all sectors of the Ugandan economy. Recent approvalswere for the construction of small bridges in northern andnorth eastern Uganda, a line of financing facility to theUganda Development Bank Limited for onward lending tosmall and medium scale enterprises, financing facility tosupport the microfinance industry, rehabilitation and expan-sion of technical and vocational institutes and a teachertraining school among others. Other notable technical assis-tance (TA) grants were to assist the Bank of Uganda devel-op a regulatory framework for Islamic Banking and Finance,a feasibility study grant for the development of water infra-structure for agricultural production and productivity, andassisting Uganda Investment Authority in its efforts to pro-mote Uganda as an investment destination.

IDB and UNAIDS sign partnership agreement The Islamic Development Bank (IDB)

and the United Nations Program on HIV /AIDS (UNAIDS) on December 12 signed amemorandum of understanding (MOU) forcollaboration efforts on a range of AIDS pro-grams in sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia,the Middle East and North Africa. The MOUwas signed between IDB Group PresidentDr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali and UN/AIDS Ex-ecutive Director Michel Sidibé.

Under the document, the two sides shallcooperate in maximum use of available re-sources while effectively cooperating andsharing information on HIV prevention andcontrol measures. The program also pays special attention tomeasures aimed at preventing HIV from mother to child asUN estimates indicate an estimated 1.4 million HIV positivepregnant women live in low- and middle-income countries.In 2009 alone, the UN figures registered some 370,000 newHIV infections among children worldwide.

At the signing ceremony, President of theIDB Group Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali under-lined the emphasis IDB Group has attachedto promotion of health services and the sup-port it has lent to development of health sec-tor activities and hygiene infrastructure sinceits inception more than 3 decades ago. “Pro-moting health and eventually human develop-ment in IDB member countries and Muslimcommunities in non-member countriesaround the world constitute a major thrust ofthe IDB Group's Vision 2020,” Dr. Ali reiter-ated.

“The Islamic Development Bank's invest-ment in promoting the global fight against

AIDS is welcome at a time when resources for HIV pro-gram are flat-lining,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Directorof UNAIDS, after signing the memorandum of understand-ing at the IDB Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “To-gether, we will strive towards slowing down the spread ofHIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.”

IDB signs financing agreementsfor US$180 million projects in Uzbekistan

IDB delegation led by Dr. RamiMahmoud Saeed, Director, CountryDepartment, visited Tashkent, Uzbeki-stan during 8-9 November 2010, toco-sign with Uzbekistan financingagreements for 2 priority projectsamounting to US$180 million. IDBwill extend a record amount ofUS167.2 million for the reconstructionand upgrading of M39 Road in Surk-handarya region, biggest operation ofIDB Group in Uzbekistan since it

joined the Bank in 2003. In order toassist the Government of Uzbekistanin improving the existing education in-frastructure in rural areas, IDB willprovide financing of US$11.7 millionfor construction and equipping of 13secondary schools, and training 300teachers in rural areas where about3,000 secondary school students willbe enrolled.

During the mission, the concept ofMember Country Partnership Strategy

(MCPS) was introduced to Uzbeki-stan, which highly appreciated newprogrammatic approach of the IDBGroup in development activity. IDBexpressed its readiness and commit-ment to cooperate with the Govern-ment of Uzbekistan in formulation ofsound MCPS for Uzbekistan uponcompletion of the country's NationalDevelopment Program (Welfare Im-provement Strategy 2011-14).

A general view of political leaders seen at the meeting hall during theG-20 summit, 12 November 2010 in Seoul, South Korea.(epa)

Seoul, Korea - Twenty world leaders came together inSeoul on November 11-12 to discuss the state of the globaleconomy as it emerges from the financial crisis. Together,they took the necessary steps to reduce market volatility andmove past the crisis, creating sustainable growth going for-ward.

The fall meeting was the fourth leaders summit and thefirst in an emerging country, reflecting shifts in the globaleconomic balance and a growing understanding of the inter-dependence of countries and regions in the international fi-nancial system.

Within the larger agenda, the leaders continued to workto build a lasting system of cooperation - a framework - andto reform international financial organizations and financialregulations. At the Seoul Summit, the G20 built on pastagreements, while introducing new agenda items that sup-port the same fundamental goals. Specifically, Korea sup-ported discussion of a system of global financial safety nets

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders pose for a familyphotograph in Yokohama, Japan, on 13 November 2010. (epa)

both in the region and within theirown borders. Countries should pro-vide better access to credit and socialservices for women, the poor and oth-er vulnerable groups, it said.

They also intend to improve ener-gy security and reduce carbon emis-sions that contribute to global warm-ing.

APEC's next summit will be heldin Honolulu, Hawaii, with the 2012gathering due to move to Russia's FarEast city of Vladivostok.

IDB President Dr. Ali


ECONOMY

G20 addresses currency issuesand plans to reduce global poverty and the developmentgap.

President Lee Myung-bak, other G20 leaders and repre-sentatives of international organizations adopted the 'SeoulDeclaration' and 'Seoul Action Plan' at the end of five dis-cussion sessions.

The 'Seoul Declaration' set up a framework to resolvecurrency disputes and reaffirmed the will of G20 leaders toprohibit protectionism, to build a global financial securitynetwork and to reform the International Monetary Fund(IMF). They also agreed on the need for development toachieve sustainable, balanced economic growth.

The G20 also adopted the 'Seoul Action Plan' which con-tains policy measures for cooperation and action to move to-wards market exchange rates and exchange rate flexibility.World leaders hope that this will provide new momentum toease global currency account imbalances.

G20 leaders agreed to implement a market-determinedcurrency policy system to reflect economic fundamentalsand to boost currency flexibility, while refraining from com-petitive currency depreciation.

They also decided to shift International Monetary Fund(IMF) quota shares for industrialized countries to dynamicemerging markets, developing countries and underrepresent-ed countries to better reflect the current economy.

The G20 also welcomed the creation of a 'Flexible Cred-it Line' (FCL) and 'Precautionary Credit Line' (PCL) as newpreventative tools to cope with future crises.

The G20 leaders further adopted the 'Seoul Consensus'.It proposes new directions and principles to help in eradicat-ing poverty and narrowing the gap between developing andindustrialized countries. The leaders also adopted a 'Multi-Year Action Plan' for infrastructure development in develop-ing countries.

A G20 Business Summit was held as part of efforts toconsider the opinions of the private sector.

APEC leaders agree on a free trade zoneYokohama, Japan (agencies) -

Leaders of the Pacific Rim economiesthat have spearheaded the still-fragileglobal recovery agreed to work towardbuilding a region-wide free trade zonethey say is the lynchpin for sustainablegrowth.

The 21-member Asia-Pacific Eco-nomic Cooperation (APEC) forumunanimously pledged to avoid raisingmore trade barriers and to roll backthose they may have erected in themidst of crisis.

“We reaffirm our unwaveringcommitment to achieving free andopen trade and investment in the re-gion,” the leaders said in a declarationreleased after their two-day summitended on November 14, 2010. “Wemust take steps to build a foundationfor stronger, more sustainable andmore balanced growth in the future.”

The leaders agreed to “take con-crete steps toward realizing a FreeTrade Area of the Asia-Pacific,” ac-cording to their declaration, with Japa-nese Prime Minister Naoto Kan sayingthe rough target year was 2020.

This goal should build on regional

groupings suchas the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship, a US-backed freetrade agree-ment that nineAPEC mem-bers are nego-tiating, and AS-EAN Plus 3,which groupsthe 10-nationAssociation ofSoutheastAsian Nationswith China, Japan and South Korea,the statement said. It would not beforged through APEC, which has nonegotiating power.

The summit's declaration also not-ed a need to reduce trade imbalancesand government debt. It also includesa pledge to move toward more “mar-ket-determined exchange rate sys-tems”.

For the first time, the leaders ap-proved a strategy calling for balanced,sustainable and innovative growth

IDB Group signs partnership strategy with Uganda The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group on No-

vember 3, 2010 signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) on Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS)with Uganda, which will be the vehicle for IDB Group sup-port to Uganda for the next five years starting 2011 in linewith the country's National Development Plan (NDP). TheNDP is the foundation stone for the country's long-termtransformation process.

Signing the MOU, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali stated, “weat the IDB Group are determined to be part of Uganda'stransformation process by focusing on the topmost prioritiesand utilizing whatever means we have at our disposal. It isfor this reason that IDB Group has put together this conceptof the MCPS, which underscores the need for IDB membercountries to cooperate or partner among themselves, withthe IDB serving as a facilitator. This member country-to-member country partnership is the cornerstone of IDBGroup's revitalized cooperation and policy dialogue withmember countries. It will complement our traditional role ofdirect project and program financing.”

On the basis of the consultations undertaken by the IDBGroup with the Ugandan authorities and other stakeholdersin the first stage of the MCPS exercise, the IDB Group as-

sistance over the next 5-years will focus on four main pillarsthat directly support the Government's objective of sustainedgrowth for employment-generation and social economictransformation. These pillars are (i) infrastructure develop-ment, (ii) agricultural productivity and value-addition, (iii)private sector development and (iv) human resource and in-stitutional capacity development. Specific activities undereach pillar would be mutually agreed.

The IDB Group has so far approved 28 operations in al-most all sectors of the Ugandan economy. Recent approvalswere for the construction of small bridges in northern andnorth eastern Uganda, a line of financing facility to theUganda Development Bank Limited for onward lending tosmall and medium scale enterprises, financing facility tosupport the microfinance industry, rehabilitation and expan-sion of technical and vocational institutes and a teachertraining school among others. Other notable technical assis-tance (TA) grants were to assist the Bank of Uganda devel-op a regulatory framework for Islamic Banking and Finance,a feasibility study grant for the development of water infra-structure for agricultural production and productivity, andassisting Uganda Investment Authority in its efforts to pro-mote Uganda as an investment destination.

IDB and UNAIDS sign partnership agreement The Islamic Development Bank (IDB)

and the United Nations Program on HIV /AIDS (UNAIDS) on December 12 signed amemorandum of understanding (MOU) forcollaboration efforts on a range of AIDS pro-grams in sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia,the Middle East and North Africa. The MOUwas signed between IDB Group PresidentDr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali and UN/AIDS Ex-ecutive Director Michel Sidibé.

Under the document, the two sides shallcooperate in maximum use of available re-sources while effectively cooperating andsharing information on HIV prevention andcontrol measures. The program also pays special attention tomeasures aimed at preventing HIV from mother to child asUN estimates indicate an estimated 1.4 million HIV positivepregnant women live in low- and middle-income countries.In 2009 alone, the UN figures registered some 370,000 newHIV infections among children worldwide.

At the signing ceremony, President of theIDB Group Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali under-lined the emphasis IDB Group has attachedto promotion of health services and the sup-port it has lent to development of health sec-tor activities and hygiene infrastructure sinceits inception more than 3 decades ago. “Pro-moting health and eventually human develop-ment in IDB member countries and Muslimcommunities in non-member countriesaround the world constitute a major thrust ofthe IDB Group's Vision 2020,” Dr. Ali reiter-ated.

“The Islamic Development Bank's invest-ment in promoting the global fight against

AIDS is welcome at a time when resources for HIV pro-gram are flat-lining,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Directorof UNAIDS, after signing the memorandum of understand-ing at the IDB Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “To-gether, we will strive towards slowing down the spread ofHIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.”

IDB signs financing agreementsfor US$180 million projects in Uzbekistan

IDB delegation led by Dr. RamiMahmoud Saeed, Director, CountryDepartment, visited Tashkent, Uzbeki-stan during 8-9 November 2010, toco-sign with Uzbekistan financingagreements for 2 priority projectsamounting to US$180 million. IDBwill extend a record amount ofUS167.2 million for the reconstructionand upgrading of M39 Road in Surk-handarya region, biggest operation ofIDB Group in Uzbekistan since it

joined the Bank in 2003. In order toassist the Government of Uzbekistanin improving the existing education in-frastructure in rural areas, IDB willprovide financing of US$11.7 millionfor construction and equipping of 13secondary schools, and training 300teachers in rural areas where about3,000 secondary school students willbe enrolled.

During the mission, the concept ofMember Country Partnership Strategy

(MCPS) was introduced to Uzbeki-stan, which highly appreciated newprogrammatic approach of the IDBGroup in development activity. IDBexpressed its readiness and commit-ment to cooperate with the Govern-ment of Uzbekistan in formulation ofsound MCPS for Uzbekistan uponcompletion of the country's NationalDevelopment Program (Welfare Im-provement Strategy 2011-14).

A general view of political leaders seen at the meeting hall during theG-20 summit, 12 November 2010 in Seoul, South Korea.(epa)

Seoul, Korea - Twenty world leaders came together inSeoul on November 11-12 to discuss the state of the globaleconomy as it emerges from the financial crisis. Together,they took the necessary steps to reduce market volatility andmove past the crisis, creating sustainable growth going for-ward.

The fall meeting was the fourth leaders summit and thefirst in an emerging country, reflecting shifts in the globaleconomic balance and a growing understanding of the inter-dependence of countries and regions in the international fi-nancial system.

Within the larger agenda, the leaders continued to workto build a lasting system of cooperation - a framework - andto reform international financial organizations and financialregulations. At the Seoul Summit, the G20 built on pastagreements, while introducing new agenda items that sup-port the same fundamental goals. Specifically, Korea sup-ported discussion of a system of global financial safety nets

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders pose for a familyphotograph in Yokohama, Japan, on 13 November 2010. (epa)

both in the region and within theirown borders. Countries should pro-vide better access to credit and socialservices for women, the poor and oth-er vulnerable groups, it said.

They also intend to improve ener-gy security and reduce carbon emis-sions that contribute to global warm-ing.

APEC's next summit will be heldin Honolulu, Hawaii, with the 2012gathering due to move to Russia's FarEast city of Vladivostok.

IDB President Dr. Ali


IMF economists investigate Islamicbanking and its diffusion around the world

In a recent study, two IMF econo-mists investigated Islamic banking andits diffusion around the world. It is stat-ed that “[Islamic banks] showed great-er resilience during the recent financialcrisis as they were not involved in trad-ing 'toxic assets.'” The main reasonsare identified as follows: (1) Islamicbanks finance their activities out of de-posits rather than from wholesale fund-ing, in contrast to most conventionalbanks; (2) Shariah law prohibits Islam-ic banks from dealing in second-hand,interest-bearing mortgages, which were

the main cause of the US subprimemortgage crisis; (3) Islamic banks fa-vor investments in sectors that werenot hit as hard by the global crisis suchas utilities, telecom, healthcare, andhigh-tech.

The authors found that quality ofinstitutions in a country, which tradi-tionally matters for conventional bank-ing, is not important for the diffusionof Islamic banking. This is due to thefact that Islamic banking is primarilyguided by Shariah law, which is large-ly independent of regulatory institu-

tions. The authors suggest that Islamiccountries can build up their Islamicbanks even if not enough progress ismade to reform institutions.

They also found that Islamic banksact as a complement, rather than a sub-stitute, to conventional banks. This isbecause the more established the con-ventional banking system is in a coun-try, the more accommodating it will beto Islamic banking. Also, Islamicbanks serve devout Muslims who havenot been served by conventional banks.

OIC NEWS

76

ECONOMY

77

IDB approves $4 billion operation plan for 2011The 272nd meeting of the Islamic Development Bank's

Board of Executive Directors on 28 November 2010 ap-proved the US$ 4 billion operation plan for the new finan-cial year 2011, comprising of US$ 357 million for conces-sional loan financings, US$ 58 million for grant financingsand technical assistance as well as US$ 3.8 billion for leas-ing, installment sale/istisna'a, equity financing, profit shar-ing and lines of financing. The meeting also approved a totalamount of US$ 415.7 million for new development projects

in a number of IDB Group member countries including;Iran, Pakistan and Senegal, which also included a US$ 2million amount to finance relief for reconstruction of Sa'adaProvince and resettlement of the displaced population inYemen. The approvals also accounted for a total amount ofUS$ 1.5 dedicated to financing IDB Waqf Fund projects inthe areas of health and education in the Philippines, India,Ethiopia and the United Kingdom.

IDB extends US$ 220 million to Pakistanfor financing Mega Hydro Power Plant Project

The Islamic Development BankGroup on 28 November 2010 ap-proved a US$ 220 million financingfor the Neelum-Jhelm Hydro PowerPlant Equipment in Pakistan. Underthe approval, the leasing facility shallbe extended to the Government of Pa-kistan with duration of 15 years after a5-year gestation period. Other finan-ciers to the project include Saudi Fundfor Development (SFD), Kuwait Fund

for Development (KFD), Abu DhabiFund (ADF), OPEC Fund for Interna-tional Development (OFID) and Ex-port Import (EXIM) Bank of China.

The power plant forms an essentialpart of the Government of Pakistan'sstrategy to meet the presently existingpower generation capacity deficit ofover 4000 mega watts. It involves theconstruction of a run-of-the-river Hy-dro Electric Power Plant with an in-stalled capacity of 969 mega watts ca-

OIC marks International Day against Nuclear TestsThe Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs

Ambassador Abdullah Abdulrahman Alim on 29 August2010 at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, launched a photo-graphs exhibition, which was organized by the Embassy ofthe Republic of Kazakhstan to mark the International Dayagainst Nuclear Tests.

Ambassador Alim expressed the OIC's appreciation ofKazakhstan and President Nazarbayev for the proposal toproclaim an international day against nuclear tests. He an-nounced that the Council of Foreign Ministers unanimouslywelcomed the initiative in Dushanbe in May 2010, becausethe OIC believes that disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are key issues for the preservation of regionaland international peace and security.

While affirming that the 2006 signing of the 'Treaty onNuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia' in Kazakhstanwas an important factor in boosting nuclear nonprolifera-tion, he expressed the hope that a similar agreement wouldbe reached to declare the Middle East region free of nuclearweapon.

OIC signs MOU for recycling wasteThe Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)

signed at its Headquarters in Jeddah on September 1, 2010 aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the SaudiNaqa'a Environmental Enterprise for recycling waste andpreserving the environment. According to the MoU, Naqa'awill provide new solutions to discarding waste that dependson environmental awareness and emphasis on recycling.

The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu saidthat the signing of the MoU is inline with the OIC's goal ofreducing the negative impact on the environment and en-courage environmental responsibility among OIC staff. Hesaid that the project launched from the OIC Headquarters inJeddah is to be an environmental role model for other organ-izations and institutions in the Muslim world.

The Secretary General also pointed out that as OIC fo-cuses on improving the status of the youth in the Islamicworld and Naqa'a is a youth project, the OIC was keen tosupport this project created and managed by innovativeyouth.

Grand Mufti of Bulgaria holdsconsultations at the OIC General Secretariat

The Secretary General of the OIC received at hisoffice Mustafa Haci, Grand Mufti of Bulgaria, and_abanali Ahmed, Chairman of the High IslamicCouncil of Bulgaria, on 16 October 2010.

During the meeting, the situation of the Muslimcommunity and the recent developments in Bulgariawere discussed. Secretary General welcomed theGrand Mufti and reiterated the OIC's close interestand continued support to the Muslim communitiesin the non-member countries. During the discussion,the Secretary General expressed his concern on the continua-tion of some past practices in Bulgaria from the Communistera, such as the restrictions imposed on the Muslim commu-nity to elect their own Mufti and recognition of the electeddelegates to the Islamic Council (Shura).

Secretary General Ihsanoglu expressed his expectationon the reconvening of the Islamic Council with the electedlegitimate delegates in accordance with the relevant lawsand traditions as soon as possible to eliminate the ambigui-

ties created by the recent conflict.The Secretary General also referred to the Final

Communiqué of the Annual Coordination Meeting ofthe OIC Foreign Minister held in New York on 24September 2010 which stated “The Meeting calledupon the Members States to monitor closely theproblems encountered by the Muslim community inBulgaria concerning the usurpation of their right toelect their religious leader...”

The Secretary General concluded his remarks byassuring the Grand Mufti of Bulgaria that the OIC will con-tinue to closely follow the developments as to the rights ofthe Muslim community in Bulgaria and undertake necessaryconsultations with the OIC institutions and Member States tothis end.

After their meeting with the Secretary General, theGrand Mufti and his delegation was also received by Ambas-sador Abdullah A. Alim, Assistant Secretary General for po-litical affairs, and Talal A. Daous, Director of the Depart-ment of Muslim Communities and Minorities.

Joint OIC-UNDP South South Cooperation Unitdelegation visits Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan - A joint OIC-UNDP South-SouthCooperation Unit delegation visited Pakistan and was re-ceived by Yousuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistanon the 29th October 2010. The head of the joint missionconveyed greetings of Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OICSecretary General, stating that the mission was a follow-upof the Secretary General's earlier visit and commitment tosupport the Government of Pakistan in alleviating theplight of the flood affected people. He reiterated the Secre-tary General's vision to promote an integrated develop-ment plan approach in the recovery and reconstruction

phases. The Prime Minister thanked the OIC Secretary General

for his commitment and the support of Member States tothe flood affected people of Pakistan, and invited the OICto participate in the forthcoming donor conference, whichwill be held in November in Islamabad.

Earlier, the five-day joint mission met the Head of theNational Disaster Management Authority, the Youth Par-liament, the UN Agencies, the Pakistan Red Crescent Soci-ety and various stakeholders.

Amb. Alim looks at one of the photographs in the exhibition.

Director General of Administration Department signingthe MoU with Naqa'a Environmental Enterprise.

pable of producing 5,150 GWH peryear.

IDB Group has scaled up develop-ment, reconstruction and rehabilita-tion efforts in Pakistan since a recentnatural disaster hit the country back inJuly 2010 when heavy monsoon rainswashed away millions of homes,shops and livelihoods leaving mil-lions of people in need of basic com-modities.


IMF economists investigate Islamicbanking and its diffusion around the world

In a recent study, two IMF econo-mists investigated Islamic banking andits diffusion around the world. It is stat-ed that “[Islamic banks] showed great-er resilience during the recent financialcrisis as they were not involved in trad-ing 'toxic assets.'” The main reasonsare identified as follows: (1) Islamicbanks finance their activities out of de-posits rather than from wholesale fund-ing, in contrast to most conventionalbanks; (2) Shariah law prohibits Islam-ic banks from dealing in second-hand,interest-bearing mortgages, which were

the main cause of the US subprimemortgage crisis; (3) Islamic banks fa-vor investments in sectors that werenot hit as hard by the global crisis suchas utilities, telecom, healthcare, andhigh-tech.

The authors found that quality ofinstitutions in a country, which tradi-tionally matters for conventional bank-ing, is not important for the diffusionof Islamic banking. This is due to thefact that Islamic banking is primarilyguided by Shariah law, which is large-ly independent of regulatory institu-

tions. The authors suggest that Islamiccountries can build up their Islamicbanks even if not enough progress ismade to reform institutions.

They also found that Islamic banksact as a complement, rather than a sub-stitute, to conventional banks. This isbecause the more established the con-ventional banking system is in a coun-try, the more accommodating it will beto Islamic banking. Also, Islamicbanks serve devout Muslims who havenot been served by conventional banks.

OIC NEWS

76

ECONOMY

77

IDB approves $4 billion operation plan for 2011The 272nd meeting of the Islamic Development Bank's

Board of Executive Directors on 28 November 2010 ap-proved the US$ 4 billion operation plan for the new finan-cial year 2011, comprising of US$ 357 million for conces-sional loan financings, US$ 58 million for grant financingsand technical assistance as well as US$ 3.8 billion for leas-ing, installment sale/istisna'a, equity financing, profit shar-ing and lines of financing. The meeting also approved a totalamount of US$ 415.7 million for new development projects

in a number of IDB Group member countries including;Iran, Pakistan and Senegal, which also included a US$ 2million amount to finance relief for reconstruction of Sa'adaProvince and resettlement of the displaced population inYemen. The approvals also accounted for a total amount ofUS$ 1.5 dedicated to financing IDB Waqf Fund projects inthe areas of health and education in the Philippines, India,Ethiopia and the United Kingdom.

IDB extends US$ 220 million to Pakistanfor financing Mega Hydro Power Plant Project

The Islamic Development BankGroup on 28 November 2010 ap-proved a US$ 220 million financingfor the Neelum-Jhelm Hydro PowerPlant Equipment in Pakistan. Underthe approval, the leasing facility shallbe extended to the Government of Pa-kistan with duration of 15 years after a5-year gestation period. Other finan-ciers to the project include Saudi Fundfor Development (SFD), Kuwait Fund

for Development (KFD), Abu DhabiFund (ADF), OPEC Fund for Interna-tional Development (OFID) and Ex-port Import (EXIM) Bank of China.

The power plant forms an essentialpart of the Government of Pakistan'sstrategy to meet the presently existingpower generation capacity deficit ofover 4000 mega watts. It involves theconstruction of a run-of-the-river Hy-dro Electric Power Plant with an in-stalled capacity of 969 mega watts ca-

OIC marks International Day against Nuclear TestsThe Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs

Ambassador Abdullah Abdulrahman Alim on 29 August2010 at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, launched a photo-graphs exhibition, which was organized by the Embassy ofthe Republic of Kazakhstan to mark the International Dayagainst Nuclear Tests.

Ambassador Alim expressed the OIC's appreciation ofKazakhstan and President Nazarbayev for the proposal toproclaim an international day against nuclear tests. He an-nounced that the Council of Foreign Ministers unanimouslywelcomed the initiative in Dushanbe in May 2010, becausethe OIC believes that disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are key issues for the preservation of regionaland international peace and security.

While affirming that the 2006 signing of the 'Treaty onNuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia' in Kazakhstanwas an important factor in boosting nuclear nonprolifera-tion, he expressed the hope that a similar agreement wouldbe reached to declare the Middle East region free of nuclearweapon.

OIC signs MOU for recycling wasteThe Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)

signed at its Headquarters in Jeddah on September 1, 2010 aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the SaudiNaqa'a Environmental Enterprise for recycling waste andpreserving the environment. According to the MoU, Naqa'awill provide new solutions to discarding waste that dependson environmental awareness and emphasis on recycling.

The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu saidthat the signing of the MoU is inline with the OIC's goal ofreducing the negative impact on the environment and en-courage environmental responsibility among OIC staff. Hesaid that the project launched from the OIC Headquarters inJeddah is to be an environmental role model for other organ-izations and institutions in the Muslim world.

The Secretary General also pointed out that as OIC fo-cuses on improving the status of the youth in the Islamicworld and Naqa'a is a youth project, the OIC was keen tosupport this project created and managed by innovativeyouth.

Grand Mufti of Bulgaria holdsconsultations at the OIC General Secretariat

The Secretary General of the OIC received at hisoffice Mustafa Haci, Grand Mufti of Bulgaria, and_abanali Ahmed, Chairman of the High IslamicCouncil of Bulgaria, on 16 October 2010.

During the meeting, the situation of the Muslimcommunity and the recent developments in Bulgariawere discussed. Secretary General welcomed theGrand Mufti and reiterated the OIC's close interestand continued support to the Muslim communitiesin the non-member countries. During the discussion,the Secretary General expressed his concern on the continua-tion of some past practices in Bulgaria from the Communistera, such as the restrictions imposed on the Muslim commu-nity to elect their own Mufti and recognition of the electeddelegates to the Islamic Council (Shura).

Secretary General Ihsanoglu expressed his expectationon the reconvening of the Islamic Council with the electedlegitimate delegates in accordance with the relevant lawsand traditions as soon as possible to eliminate the ambigui-

ties created by the recent conflict.The Secretary General also referred to the Final

Communiqué of the Annual Coordination Meeting ofthe OIC Foreign Minister held in New York on 24September 2010 which stated “The Meeting calledupon the Members States to monitor closely theproblems encountered by the Muslim community inBulgaria concerning the usurpation of their right toelect their religious leader...”

The Secretary General concluded his remarks byassuring the Grand Mufti of Bulgaria that the OIC will con-tinue to closely follow the developments as to the rights ofthe Muslim community in Bulgaria and undertake necessaryconsultations with the OIC institutions and Member States tothis end.

After their meeting with the Secretary General, theGrand Mufti and his delegation was also received by Ambas-sador Abdullah A. Alim, Assistant Secretary General for po-litical affairs, and Talal A. Daous, Director of the Depart-ment of Muslim Communities and Minorities.

Joint OIC-UNDP South South Cooperation Unitdelegation visits Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan - A joint OIC-UNDP South-SouthCooperation Unit delegation visited Pakistan and was re-ceived by Yousuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistanon the 29th October 2010. The head of the joint missionconveyed greetings of Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OICSecretary General, stating that the mission was a follow-upof the Secretary General's earlier visit and commitment tosupport the Government of Pakistan in alleviating theplight of the flood affected people. He reiterated the Secre-tary General's vision to promote an integrated develop-ment plan approach in the recovery and reconstruction

phases. The Prime Minister thanked the OIC Secretary General

for his commitment and the support of Member States tothe flood affected people of Pakistan, and invited the OICto participate in the forthcoming donor conference, whichwill be held in November in Islamabad.

Earlier, the five-day joint mission met the Head of theNational Disaster Management Authority, the Youth Par-liament, the UN Agencies, the Pakistan Red Crescent Soci-ety and various stakeholders.

Amb. Alim looks at one of the photographs in the exhibition.

Director General of Administration Department signingthe MoU with Naqa'a Environmental Enterprise.

pable of producing 5,150 GWH peryear.

IDB Group has scaled up develop-ment, reconstruction and rehabilita-tion efforts in Pakistan since a recentnatural disaster hit the country back inJuly 2010 when heavy monsoon rainswashed away millions of homes,shops and livelihoods leaving mil-lions of people in need of basic com-modities.


Brazilian postal stamps featuring the OIC logo

Full Name: Federal Republic of NigeriaCapital: AbujaPopulation: 158,259,000 (2009 estimate)Area: 923,768 sq. kmOfficial Language: EnglishMonetary Unit: Naira

GeographyNigeria is a country in West Africa and the most popu-

lous country in Africa. It shares land borders with Benin inthe west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in thenorth, and borders the Gulf of Guinea in the south. Since1991, its capital has been the centrally-located city of Abu-ja; previously, the Nigerian government was headquarteredin the coastal city Lagos.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria consists of thirty-sixstates, and the administrative headquarters and capital cityAbuja is located in the Federal Capital Territory, which isgeographically situated in the middle of the country. Effec-tive participation in governance by all adults is assuredthrough the sharing of powers, revenue and responsibilitiesbetween the three tiers of government, i.e. the Federal Gov-ernment, the State Governments and the various Local andMunicipal Councils of the federation.

Agricultural, Mineral and Marine ResourcesIn addition to its huge population, Nigeria is endowed

with significant agricultural, mineral, marine and forest re-sources. Its multiple vegetation zones, plentiful rain, surfacewater and underground water resources and moderate cli-matic extremes, allow for production of diverse food andcash crops. Over sixty percent of the population is involvedin the production of food crops such as cassava, maize,rice, yams, various beans and legumes, soya, sorghum, gin-ger, onions, tomatoes, melons and vegetable. The main cashcrops are cocoa, cotton, groundnuts, oil palm and rubber.Extractions from these for export and local industrial use in-clude cocoa flour and butter, rubber crumb, vegetable oil,cotton fiber and yarn. The rain forests have been well ex-ploited for timber and wood products of exotic and popularspecies.

Oil and Gas, by value, are the most important minerals.

NIGERIA

They are exploited and produced in the Niger Delta basinand off-shore on the continental shelf and in the deep-sea ofthe territorial waters. Nevertheless, there are significantnon-oil mineral deposits on land many of which have beenidentified and evaluated: coal, iron ore, gypsum, kaolin,phosphates, lime -stone, marble, columbine, baryte andgold.

EconomyWith a mixed economy emerging market, Nigeria is ob-

viously the largest market in sub-Saharan Africa with rea-sonably skilled and potential manpower for the efficient andeffective management of investment projects within thecountry. It is well connected by a wide network of motora-ble all-season roads, railway tracks, inland waterways, mari-time and air transportation.

Nigeria's economy could be aptly described as mostpromising. It is a mixed economy and accommodates allcorners, individuals, corporate organizations and govern-ment agencies, to invest in almost all range of economic ac-tivities. Since 1995, the Government has introduced somebold economic measures, which have had a salutary effecton the economy by halting the declining growth in the pro-ductive sectors and putting a stop to galloping inflation;they have reduced the debt burden, stabilized the exchangerate of the Naira and corrected the balance of payments dis-equilibrium.

Nigeria's current industrial policy thrust is anchored on aguided deregulation of the economy and Government's dis-engagement from activities which are private-sector orient-ed, leaving Government to play the role of facilitator, con-centrating on the provision of incentives policy andinfrastructure that are necessary to enhance the private sec-tor's role as the engine of growth.

According to the World Bank, the country has alreadyreached middle income status. With its abundant supply ofnatural resources, well-developed financial, legal, commu-nications, transport sectors and stock exchange, which is thesecond largest in Africa. Nigeria is ranked 37th in the worldin terms of GDP as of 2007.

COUNTRY PROFILE

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OIC NEWS

OIC sponsors nine Pakistani youths for a workshopon Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Manila, Philippines - In collabora-tion with the UNDP's South-SouthCooperation Unit, OIC has sponsorednine youths from Pakistan to attendthe South-South Citizenry Based De-velopment Academy (SSCBDA) heldin the Philippines on November 22-26,2010.

Around 115 participants attendedthe workshop, with a total of 29 fromBangladesh, Canada, India, Maldives,Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand. Therest were from different parts of thePhilippines. The Pakistan delegation

consisted two from the Youth Parlia-ment of Pakistan and seven from theMinistry of Youth Affairs.

The participants were enrolled in arigorous three-day focused learning oncommunity managed disaster risk re-duction. Some organizations showedinterest in hosting the next workshop,including those from Bangladesh andPakistan. The training workshop was asuccessful event in the sense that itgave the participants an opportunity tolearn from other countries' experienceson Community Based Disaster Risk

Reduction (CBDRR). Simultaneously with the

SSCBDA, there was a meeting of theParliamentarians for Disaster RiskReduction (DRR), also held in thePhilippines. This was organized bythe UN International Strategy for Dis-aster Reduction. OIC managed to fa-cilitate the participation of the Paki-stan Youth delegation in this meetingas well. This was also a successfulevent, the output of which will be in-cluded in the next Global Platform forDRR.

OIC election observers participate in monitoringgeneral elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Upon the invitation by the Presi-dent of the Central Election Commis-sion (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovi-na (BiH) Irena Hadziabdic to take partin monitoring of general elections inBiH, the OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu dispatched a teamof OIC election observers to BiH,which is an OIC Observer State.

The BiH general elections, held onOctober 3, 2010, were conducted in atension-free atmosphere and in accor-dance with established internationalnorms and standards. The turnout was

encouraging.Ihsanoglu expressed his satisfac-

tion with the overall peaceful conductthat marked the elections and extendedhis congratulations to the Bosnian peo-ple and authorities for their remarkablepreparations and democratic maturity.The OIC Secretary General indicatedhis conviction that the elections wouldfurther strengthen democracy in BiHand foster the stability in and unity ofthe country.

Bakir Izetbegovic, son of the war-time leader, was voted to become one

of Bosnia's three presidents -the Mus-lim seat- in the country's tripartitepresidential poll.

Since the Dayton agreementwhich ended the war in the mid-1990s, voters from the Bosnian Mus-lim, Serb and Croat communitieselect their own candidates for thejoint presidency.

Social Democrat Zeljko Komsicgarnered over 50 per cent in his bid toretain the Croat seat, while NebojsaRadmanovic has kept the Serbian one.

OIC and WFP Agree to work together in SomaliaMogadishu, Somalia - The Or-

ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) and the United Nations WorldFood Programme (WFP) have agreedto launch a joint humanitarian pro-gram to assist displaced people in theAfgooye corridor, southwest of theSomali capital Mogadishu.

A Memorandum of Understand-ing (MOU) between the two organi-zations was signed on 6 December2010 in Nairobi by Ambassador AttaEl Manan Bakhiet, the OIC's Assist-ant Secretary General for Humanitari-

an Affairs, and WFP Somalia ActingCountry Director Salman Omer.

Both Amb. Bakhiet and Omerhave expressed their hope that thepartnership between the OIC andWFP would be successful, whichwould allow these two organizationsto extend their cooperation in otherareas.

The agreement said that the OICwould find partner NGOs to distrib-ute food assistance to those in need.An independent monitoring body

would monitor the proper distribu-tion of the assistance to those it wasintended for.

The agreement also mentionedthat the OIC and WFP would jointlyraise funds for their works in Somal-ia for the six months duration of theMOU. Some 400,000 people - most-ly forced to flee their homes in Mog-adishu because of fighting - live in aseries of camps along the road lead-ing from the capital to the town ofAfgooye.

In celebration of the role of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) and its communication with theMuslim community in Brazil, the Municipality of Sao Pau-lo, Brazil issued postal stamps featuring the OIC logo. Thisinitiative comes in recognition of the efforts of the OICGeneral Secretariat, including the organization of the 17thSession of the Committee in charge of the Coordination ofJoint Islamic Action in the Field of Dawa held on 31 May -2 June 2010 in the Brazilian city.


Brazilian postal stamps featuring the OIC logo

Full Name: Federal Republic of NigeriaCapital: AbujaPopulation: 158,259,000 (2009 estimate)Area: 923,768 sq. kmOfficial Language: EnglishMonetary Unit: Naira

GeographyNigeria is a country in West Africa and the most popu-

lous country in Africa. It shares land borders with Benin inthe west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in thenorth, and borders the Gulf of Guinea in the south. Since1991, its capital has been the centrally-located city of Abu-ja; previously, the Nigerian government was headquarteredin the coastal city Lagos.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria consists of thirty-sixstates, and the administrative headquarters and capital cityAbuja is located in the Federal Capital Territory, which isgeographically situated in the middle of the country. Effec-tive participation in governance by all adults is assuredthrough the sharing of powers, revenue and responsibilitiesbetween the three tiers of government, i.e. the Federal Gov-ernment, the State Governments and the various Local andMunicipal Councils of the federation.

Agricultural, Mineral and Marine ResourcesIn addition to its huge population, Nigeria is endowed

with significant agricultural, mineral, marine and forest re-sources. Its multiple vegetation zones, plentiful rain, surfacewater and underground water resources and moderate cli-matic extremes, allow for production of diverse food andcash crops. Over sixty percent of the population is involvedin the production of food crops such as cassava, maize,rice, yams, various beans and legumes, soya, sorghum, gin-ger, onions, tomatoes, melons and vegetable. The main cashcrops are cocoa, cotton, groundnuts, oil palm and rubber.Extractions from these for export and local industrial use in-clude cocoa flour and butter, rubber crumb, vegetable oil,cotton fiber and yarn. The rain forests have been well ex-ploited for timber and wood products of exotic and popularspecies.

Oil and Gas, by value, are the most important minerals.

NIGERIA

They are exploited and produced in the Niger Delta basinand off-shore on the continental shelf and in the deep-sea ofthe territorial waters. Nevertheless, there are significantnon-oil mineral deposits on land many of which have beenidentified and evaluated: coal, iron ore, gypsum, kaolin,phosphates, lime -stone, marble, columbine, baryte andgold.

EconomyWith a mixed economy emerging market, Nigeria is ob-

viously the largest market in sub-Saharan Africa with rea-sonably skilled and potential manpower for the efficient andeffective management of investment projects within thecountry. It is well connected by a wide network of motora-ble all-season roads, railway tracks, inland waterways, mari-time and air transportation.

Nigeria's economy could be aptly described as mostpromising. It is a mixed economy and accommodates allcorners, individuals, corporate organizations and govern-ment agencies, to invest in almost all range of economic ac-tivities. Since 1995, the Government has introduced somebold economic measures, which have had a salutary effecton the economy by halting the declining growth in the pro-ductive sectors and putting a stop to galloping inflation;they have reduced the debt burden, stabilized the exchangerate of the Naira and corrected the balance of payments dis-equilibrium.

Nigeria's current industrial policy thrust is anchored on aguided deregulation of the economy and Government's dis-engagement from activities which are private-sector orient-ed, leaving Government to play the role of facilitator, con-centrating on the provision of incentives policy andinfrastructure that are necessary to enhance the private sec-tor's role as the engine of growth.

According to the World Bank, the country has alreadyreached middle income status. With its abundant supply ofnatural resources, well-developed financial, legal, commu-nications, transport sectors and stock exchange, which is thesecond largest in Africa. Nigeria is ranked 37th in the worldin terms of GDP as of 2007.

COUNTRY PROFILE

7978

OIC NEWS

OIC sponsors nine Pakistani youths for a workshopon Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Manila, Philippines - In collabora-tion with the UNDP's South-SouthCooperation Unit, OIC has sponsorednine youths from Pakistan to attendthe South-South Citizenry Based De-velopment Academy (SSCBDA) heldin the Philippines on November 22-26,2010.

Around 115 participants attendedthe workshop, with a total of 29 fromBangladesh, Canada, India, Maldives,Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand. Therest were from different parts of thePhilippines. The Pakistan delegation

consisted two from the Youth Parlia-ment of Pakistan and seven from theMinistry of Youth Affairs.

The participants were enrolled in arigorous three-day focused learning oncommunity managed disaster risk re-duction. Some organizations showedinterest in hosting the next workshop,including those from Bangladesh andPakistan. The training workshop was asuccessful event in the sense that itgave the participants an opportunity tolearn from other countries' experienceson Community Based Disaster Risk

Reduction (CBDRR). Simultaneously with the

SSCBDA, there was a meeting of theParliamentarians for Disaster RiskReduction (DRR), also held in thePhilippines. This was organized bythe UN International Strategy for Dis-aster Reduction. OIC managed to fa-cilitate the participation of the Paki-stan Youth delegation in this meetingas well. This was also a successfulevent, the output of which will be in-cluded in the next Global Platform forDRR.

OIC election observers participate in monitoringgeneral elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Upon the invitation by the Presi-dent of the Central Election Commis-sion (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovi-na (BiH) Irena Hadziabdic to take partin monitoring of general elections inBiH, the OIC Secretary General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu dispatched a teamof OIC election observers to BiH,which is an OIC Observer State.

The BiH general elections, held onOctober 3, 2010, were conducted in atension-free atmosphere and in accor-dance with established internationalnorms and standards. The turnout was

encouraging.Ihsanoglu expressed his satisfac-

tion with the overall peaceful conductthat marked the elections and extendedhis congratulations to the Bosnian peo-ple and authorities for their remarkablepreparations and democratic maturity.The OIC Secretary General indicatedhis conviction that the elections wouldfurther strengthen democracy in BiHand foster the stability in and unity ofthe country.

Bakir Izetbegovic, son of the war-time leader, was voted to become one

of Bosnia's three presidents -the Mus-lim seat- in the country's tripartitepresidential poll.

Since the Dayton agreementwhich ended the war in the mid-1990s, voters from the Bosnian Mus-lim, Serb and Croat communitieselect their own candidates for thejoint presidency.

Social Democrat Zeljko Komsicgarnered over 50 per cent in his bid toretain the Croat seat, while NebojsaRadmanovic has kept the Serbian one.

OIC and WFP Agree to work together in SomaliaMogadishu, Somalia - The Or-

ganization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) and the United Nations WorldFood Programme (WFP) have agreedto launch a joint humanitarian pro-gram to assist displaced people in theAfgooye corridor, southwest of theSomali capital Mogadishu.

A Memorandum of Understand-ing (MOU) between the two organi-zations was signed on 6 December2010 in Nairobi by Ambassador AttaEl Manan Bakhiet, the OIC's Assist-ant Secretary General for Humanitari-

an Affairs, and WFP Somalia ActingCountry Director Salman Omer.

Both Amb. Bakhiet and Omerhave expressed their hope that thepartnership between the OIC andWFP would be successful, whichwould allow these two organizationsto extend their cooperation in otherareas.

The agreement said that the OICwould find partner NGOs to distrib-ute food assistance to those in need.An independent monitoring body

would monitor the proper distribu-tion of the assistance to those it wasintended for.

The agreement also mentionedthat the OIC and WFP would jointlyraise funds for their works in Somal-ia for the six months duration of theMOU. Some 400,000 people - most-ly forced to flee their homes in Mog-adishu because of fighting - live in aseries of camps along the road lead-ing from the capital to the town ofAfgooye.

In celebration of the role of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC) and its communication with theMuslim community in Brazil, the Municipality of Sao Pau-lo, Brazil issued postal stamps featuring the OIC logo. Thisinitiative comes in recognition of the efforts of the OICGeneral Secretariat, including the organization of the 17thSession of the Committee in charge of the Coordination ofJoint Islamic Action in the Field of Dawa held on 31 May -2 June 2010 in the Brazilian city.


Central Asian countries occupy a strategic location and are endowedwith natural resources still mostly untapped. Several of them are rich inIslamic heritage and their relations with the Muslim world is seeped inhistory. Some are among the last countries to join the family of OICMember States in the 1990s; their entry was welcomed like a relative longlost in the cold and returned to the warm fold of the family.

With all these factors and more it is only natural that the OIC shouldtake particular interest in strengthening relations between Central Asiancountries and the rest of the Muslim world. There has also been a growinginterest of Central Asia in getting involved in the activities of the OIC.The rest of OIC Member States in turn are intensifying their engagementwith the region.

The 2010 session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) tookplace for the first time in a Central Asian member state, Tajikistan. Dur-ing that session, the 37th, a special brainstorming meeting was held toelaborate on the means for fostering cooperation between the CentralAsian countries themselves and between them and the rest of OIC Mem-ber States. The discussions revealed the eagerness on all sides for such in-creased cooperation and the tremendous opportunities and potential forwin-win relations in different fields.

Since then, frequent high-level visits between Central Asian countriesand the OIC and its institutions were reciprocated, economic developmentprojects were signed, and OIC participation in the meetings of regional or-ganizations concerning Central Asia region has beeen expanded.

The next CFM, also in a Central Asian member, Kazakhstan, willmost probably build on that momentum.

However, just as there are great potentials there are also huge chal-lenges facing the region, ranging from terrorism and drug trafficking topoverty, instability and natural disasters. Tackling them would require co-ordinated efforts and collective action. The OIC is committed to support-ing the Central Asian member states in their individual and collective at-tempts towards tackling these challenges.

A case in point is OIC's focused involvement in resolving the Afghani-stan issue. It is our belief that stability and economic development are nat-urally related. Hence our conviction and promotion of a comprehensiveapproach led by greater Afghan ownership and with increased regionalcooperation and effective international partnership as the way forward to-wards stability and development in Afghanistan and the region.

The OIC has been present and active on the Afghan front and will con-tinue and expand its engagement. It has appointed a permanent representa-tive in Afghanistan with the aim of providing a platform for dialogueamong the parties and direct assessment of developments and proposals.

The OIC is determined to be a contributing factor to the process thatwould lead to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

Ekmeleddin IhsanogluOIC Secretary General

There were the obligatory clips ofterrorist training camps, the planes flyinginto the Twin Towers, the victims of so-called “honor killings”. The Muslim ex-perts - looking officially “Islamic” intheir long beards and hats - included onewho declared that one day the flag of Is-lam would fly over the White House.The non-Muslim experts - Robert Spen-cer (a leading anti-Muslim advocate inthe Park51 Islamic centre controversy),Ayaan Hirsi Ali (a prolific anti-Muslimwriter) and Franklin Graham (who hassaid Islam "is a very evil and wicked re-ligion") - are well known, even famous,for spewing anti-Muslim hate.

Of course, these characters emphati-cally agreed with the caricatures withlong beards and white hats, repeating thepropaganda that Islam requires its adher-ents to dominate people. Among the“normal” Muslims interviewed were awoman in niqab (fewer than one per centof Muslim women in America wear thefull face veil and accompanying robes),and Muslims in the Muslim ”hood”, cit-ies like Dearborn, Michigan and Patter-son, New Jersey.

Do some Americans fear black peo-ple? For sure. But we don't validate

those fears by allowing them to be ex-pressed with fake innocence on respect-ed news shows. Why are fears of Mus-lims validated by television airings?

Are there criminals in America whoare African American? Yes, again. Butthey're not presented as representativefigures of the community by reputablenews programs. Why do such shows goout of their way to find the scariest, mostcartoonish Muslims possible and presentthem as spokespeople for Muslims?

No serious journalist would ask arandom black guy with a briefcase on thestreet to explain the pathology of an Af-rican American criminal because of thecoincidence of shared skin color. But se-rious journalists called on ordinary Mus-lim Americans to explain the behavior ofhomicidal maniacs and extremists, there-by making the link between the craziesand the mainstream community.

Are there people willing to offer allsorts of racist theories about black crime,from problems in black genes to defi-ciencies in black culture? Plenty. But theonly time they show up on mainstreamnews shows are as examples of racism,not as experts on race.

We are having a national conversa-tion about belonging. The threatenedQur'an burning in Florida and the contro-versy over the proposed Islamic centre inlower Manhattan are examples of this na-tional conversation about whether Amer-ica can stretch her arms wide enough toembrace Muslims too. Irresponsible andsensational depictions of Muslims in thepopular media are not the cause of Islam-ophobia, but they certainly can make itworse. Recent news shows and media re-ports do nothing to shed light or under-standing on this national conversation,which is too bad.

But the conversation must continue.And I hope it continues in our mosques,churches, synagogues and other holyplaces, with Americans of all faiths talk-ing face to face about differences andabout our shared humanity - free of thestereotypes that lately are so prominentin our television shows and magazines.

* Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) was the first Muslim elected to USCongress. This article is distributed bythe Common Ground News Service(CGNews) with permission from the au-thor.

Source: On Faith, 13 October 2010,newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith

Copyright permission is granted forpublication.

Washington, DC - At a time whenour nation is seeing a rise in intolerantbehavior, crossing every cultural line, weseem simultaneously stuck with a nation-al news media that is preoccupied withconflict and controversy when we des-perately need one that weighs facts andreports fairly. A recent national newsprogram reinforced these concerns. Letme explain what I mean.

Imagine a respected television showor news magazine article with the title,Should Americans Fear Black People?

Imagine staccato hip-hop music forthe teaser, with clips of black gang mem-bers toting guns, hanging around urbanscenes, looking scary. Imagine thezoom-in close up of a shoulder tattoo,proclaiming "Thug for Life".

As the host (some household name)opens the show, imagine that the whiteexpert opining about the root causes ofurban decay is a nationally recognizedracist like, for instance, David Duke, aformer Louisiana State Representativeand a leader in the Ku Klux Klan - aonce widespread white supremacy move-ment. With a straight face, and no senseof irony, the host solicits Duke's views,and he proceeds to declare, "When theAmerican people saw the Los Angeles ri-ots, they received a peek into their fu-ture", referring to the 1992 riots thaterupted following the acquittal of fourwhite police officers who were on trialfor beating Rodney King, an AfricanAmerican motorist.

Imagine the television cameras goingin search of voices of “real” black peo-ple. Where do they go? The 'hood ofcourse! I mean, where else do black peo-ple live?

The intrepid host invites regularAmericans to ask the experts to explainblack pathology: "Why is their rap musicso degrading to women?" Cynthia fromWyoming wonders. "Why are so manyblacks at the bottom of the economic andeducational ladder?" Chuck from NewYork muses.

Is this starting to get a little uncom-fortable? Of course it is. Just ask DonImus, an American radio host fired in2007 for making racist and sexist re-marks, about the wisdom of indulging inracial stereotyping against blacks. AddJews, Catholics, and others as well. Nota good idea.

Now replace black with Muslim, andthat's just about how ABC News treatedIslam and Muslims on the recent televi-sion shows 20/20 and This Week withChristiane Amanpour.

Keith EllisonUS Congressman

Should wefear Islam?

80

OUR MESSAGEVIEWPOINT

Maximizingpotentials inCentral Asia


About OIC

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organizationafter the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization isthe collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Mus-

lim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various peoples of theworld.

The Organization was established pursuant a decision adopted by the historical summit which took placein Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on 12th Rajab 1389 AH/ 25 September 1969 AD, following the criminal

arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

In 1970, the first ever meeting of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Minister (ICFM) was held in Jed-dah. It adopted the decision to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization'ssecretary general. Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is the 9th Secretary General who assumed office in Janu-

ary 2005 after being elected by the 31st ICFM Session.

The first OIC Charter was adopted by the 3rd ICFM Session held in 1972. The Charter was amended tokeep pace with the developments that have unraveled recently across the world. The 11th Islamic Sum-mit held in Dakar in March 2008 endorsed the new Charter, which has become the pillar of the OIC fu-ture Islamic action in line with the requirements of the 21st century. The new Charter provides for the

dissemination and safeguard of Islamic teachings and values based on moderation and tolerance, as wellas the need to strive for the projection and defense of the true image of Islam. The new Charter also

called for encouraging inter-civilizational and interfaith dialogue. Over the last 40 years, the OIC mem-bership has grown from its founding members of 30 to 57 states.

The Organization has the singular honor of galvanizing the Ummah into a unified voice and representingMuslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. The Organ-

ization has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organiza-tions to protect the vital interests of the Muslims and to work for the settlement of conflicts and disputes

involving Member States. In safeguarding the true values of Islam and Muslims, the organization hastaken various steps to remove misperceptions and have strongly advocated elimination of discriminationagainst Muslims in all forms and manifestations. It has also engaged in fighting Islamophobia by setting

up a dedicated observatory to track and monitor the phenomenon and its disturbing manifestations The Member States of the OIC face many challenges in the 21st century. To address these challenges,the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit held in Makkah in December 2005, laid down a

blue print called the Ten-Year Program of Action (TYPOA) which envisages joint action by the MemberStates, promotion of tolerance and moderation, modernization, extensive reforms in all spheres of activi-

ties including science and technology, education, and development of trade. It also emphasizes goodgovernance and the promotion of human rights in the Muslim world, especially with regard to the chil-

dren's and women's rights as well as family values enshrined in Islamic Shariah [law].

One of the outstanding achievements since the adoption of the Ten-Year Programme of Action (TY-POA) has been the recent reinvigoration and restructuring of the various OIC bodies. Among the OIC'skey bodies the Islamic Summit, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the General Secretariat, in ad-dition to the Al-Quds Committee chaired by the king of the Kingdom of Morocco, as Al-Quds remainsthe paramount issue on the OIC's agenda, and three permanent committees, one of which is concernedwith science and technology (COMSTECH) that is chaired by the President of the Islamic Republic ofPakistan, the second committee is concerned with economy and trade (COMCEC) which is chaired bythe President of the Republic of Turkey, while the third one is concerned with information and culture

(COMIAC) which is chaired by the President of Senegal.

The OIC has subsidiary organs, notably Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centrefor the Islamic Countries (SESRIC), the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA),

the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) and the Islamic Center for the development of Trade(ICDT). Other specialized organs operating under the OIC include the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). There are also affiliated or-gans such as the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and the Islamic World Academy of

Sciences (IAS). The OIC subsidiary, affiliated and specialized organs play a vital role in boosting cooperation in various

fields among the OIC Member States.

For more details, visit the OIC website at www.oic-oci.org

In view of the vital need for effective action to alleviate the ordeal faced by the Pakistani people, the OICSecretary General launched a Flash Appeal to the Member States of the OIC, their citizens, philanthro-

pists, civil society organizations, and to all people of good will in the international community at large togenerously partake in the relief effort and contribute towards the alleviation of the plight of floods victims

in Pakistan.

To this end, donations in cash and kind are all welcome.In terms of medicine, anti-typhoid, anti-cholera, anti-malaria, anti-tetanus, anti-diarrhea, anti-snake venom

are urgently required. Additionally, food and non-food items such as dried milk for children and families, dates, high nutrition

biscuits, food packets consisting of tea, sugar, milk, vegetable oil as well as water coolers, mosquito nets,blankets, floor mattresses are in urgent need.

The government of Pakistan has entrusted the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)to coordinate the relief efforts nationwide, whose contacts are as follows:

Fax numbers (0092519202518//0092519224205//0092519206140)Website: www.ndma.gov.pk

The OIC General Secretariat has also opened a special account as indicated below for any cash assistance:

Name of Account: OIC Pakistan Floods Assistance FundDollar Account No: 5600758

Swift Code: SAMBSARIIBAN: SA 294000 0000 000005600758

Samba Financial GroupMain Branch, Al-Andalous Street

Jeddah - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Flash Appeal for Emergency Assistanceto the Floods Victims in Pakistan


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