OIC Journal - Issue 22

About OIC The year 2005 is considered a turning point in the history of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly the Organization of Islamic Conference) when it launched its reform process. That year witnessed the holding of the Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit at the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on 7-8 December, which adopted the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action. As a result of the continued developments experienced in the Islamic Ummah, it had become clear the need for a new headquarters suitable for the OIC, the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations. Saudi Arabia, the host country, gave great care and attention to this matter and decided to build a new permanent Headquarters for the OIC. During the historic Makkah Summit in 2005, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud unveiled the cornerstone of the new OIC Headquarters.

Soon after, the OIC General Secretariat announced an international architectural design competition for its new headquarters. More than one hundred participants from around the world submitted their

designs. On 17 May 2006, the jury announced the outcome of the competition, selecting the design submitted by Bramberger (architect) & Thomas Pucher of Austria. When the design was presented to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques he expressed his admiration and gave his generous approval of the project for immediate implementation.

In line with this gracious patronage, the Saudi Government allocated a 40,000sm plot of land in Qasr Khuzam district in Jeddah as the location for the Headquarters. The Austrian architecture team completed the final plans in July 2009; and the Saudi Ministry of Finance presented the detailed plans, estimated budget and design model to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who gave his approval.

The OIC Headquarters will be an international landmark in the skyline of Jeddah and a beacon for joint Islamic action, Muslim culture and its rich heritage. It will also provide a wonderful site for an international prominent institution. The design incorporates and entwines traditional Islamic architecture with modern necessities.

Main entrance hall

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various peoples of the world.

Originally named The Organization of the Islamic Conference, it was established pursuant a decision adopted by the historical summit which took place in 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 Jeddah. It adopted the decision to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization's secretary general. Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is the 9th Secretary General who assumed office in January 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 to keep pace with the developments that have unraveled recently across the world. The 11th Islamic Summit held in Dakar in March 2008 endorsed the new Charter, which has become the pillar of the OIC future 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 well as 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 membership has grown from its founding members of 25 to 57 states. In 2011 in Astana, Khazakhstan, the 38th Council of Foreign Ministers endorsed changing the emblem and name to Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The Organization has the singular honor of galvanizing the Ummah into a unified voice and representing Muslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. The Organization has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organizations 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 has taken various steps to remove misperceptions and have strongly advocated elimination of discrimination against 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 Member States, promotion of tolerance and moderation, modernization, extensive reforms in all spheres of activities including science and technology, education, and development of trade. It also emphasizes good governance and the promotion of human rights in the Muslim world, especially with regard to the children'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 (TYPOA) has been the recent reinvigoration and restructuring of the various OIC bodies. Among the OIC's key bodies the Islamic Summit, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the General Secretariat, in addition to the Al-Quds Committee chaired by the king of the Kingdom of Morocco, as Al-Quds remains the paramount issue on the OIC's agenda, and three permanent committees, one of which is concerned with science and technology (COMSTECH) that is chaired by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the second committee is concerned with economy and trade (COMCEC) which is chaired by the 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 Centre for 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 organs 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

Conference hall

Cornerstone of the Headquarters

OUR MESSAGE

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu OIC Secretary General

A new Islamic summit, a new era Egypt is hosting the Islamic Summit for the first time in its history and will be chairing it for the next three years. Egypt is taking the helm of leadership of the Islamic states at a critical, challenging time when the Muslim world is in the midst of transformation and Egypt itself is undergoing a renaissance. However, within these challenges lie great opportunities for all of us to rise up and take our rightful place among the developed world. What is needed is strong political will and true Islamic solidarity.

The mass awakening of our people loudly demanding their civic rights, improved living standards and good governance is one of the challenges that should be seen as an opportunity for the governments and the governed to engage in a dialogue for establishing a roadmap towards progress and stability. Accountability, transparency in governance, elimination of corruption, expansion of political participation, promotion of equality and civil liberties, protection of human rights and the deepening of democratic practices should be the hallmarks of this roadmap.

Some of the challenges ahead pose a threat to the very existence of a few member states. Terrorism and extremism are not only self-destructive within the local borders but, unless confronted and forcefully dealt with, can spill over and spread regionally and internationally. The socio-economic challenges, which were further aggravated by the global financial, economic and food crises, forming the undercurrents of several spots of unrest are another daunting challenge that demand constructive collaborative action plans.

Meanwhile, science, technology and innovation are engines of modern societies and economic development. Deficit in these areas and in knowledge-based economies is a fundamental hindrance to tackling poverty, hunger, diseases, environmental degradation and climate change. More financial resources, long-term planning and supporting institutional framework are essential.

During our preoccupation with these developmental challenges we should not be distracted from the issue at the heart of the Muslim Ummah; Palestine and Al-Quds. Israel’s deliberate, systematic and blatant violation of human rights and international law through its occupation of Palestinian territories, settlements building and blockade of Gaza, continues to be an obstacle to peace and security in the region. It is time to take a strong and united action on this protracted injustice inflicted on our Palestinian brothers.

The OIC, being the voice of the Muslim Ummah and in its new reformed and empowered capacity, has a unique role to lead in finding durable solutions to these issues and challenges. In this regard, the Member States need to align their interests, pool their resources together and act in unison for the goal of Joint Islamic Action.

OIC Journal

A WORD

Issued by The Organization of Islamic Cooperation Editor - in - Chief Isam Salim Shanti General Supervisor & Managing Editor Maha Mostafa Akeel Editors Ahmed Salem Abdelhamid Salhi

By Maha Akeel

Layout & Design Mohammed Abdelqader Qalaba Advisory Board Ali Abolhassani Shahreza Hasan Oker Gurler Address: Madinah Road, P.O. Box 178, Jeddah-21411 Saudi Arabia Tel: 6515222 Fax: 6512288 Telx.: 601366 Islami SJ. Website: www.oic-oci.org @OIC_OCI Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) For comments and enquiries E-mail: journal@oic-oci.org OIC Permanent Observer to the UN New York Office 320 East - 51st Street New York 10022 New York - U.S.A. www.oicun.org oic@un.int OIC Permanent Observer to the UN Geneva Office ICC-20 Route Pre-BoisCase Postal 1818 CH 1215 Geneve - SUISSE www.oic-un.org oic@oic - un.org authors of the articles published in OIC Journal do not necessarily represent the views of the OIC, but are the personal of

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OIC

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An organization that would serve to empower Muslim women and develop their capacities would surely go a long way towards addressing many of the same issues of concern for women in the OIC Member States. Whether it is female illiteracy, maternal and child health, domestic violence, unemployment, equal opportunity, access to justice and law protection, poverty, underdevelopment or political representation, these are issues that are commonly found to be the core problems for women. On top of that, there is the serious issue of women’s suffering under occupation and during wars and conflicts.

Furthermore, women’s rights and place in Muslim society is overshadowed by a negative stereotype in the West due mainly to the dominance of traditionbased attitudes towards women and misinterpretation of religious text that have greatly curtailed women’s progress and contribution to social development. The Women Development Organization to be headquartered in Cairo would also be expected to address this matter and advance a more accurate understanding of women’s role in Muslim society.

However, with only two states that so far have ratified the statute of the Women Development Organization, it seems that it will be a while before we see this organization take shape and perform its functions; 15 ratifications are needed to make it enter into force. On the other hand, many states are signing the statute, which is an encouraging sign of their interest in empowering women.

The views expressed by the writers/

views

An OIC Organization for Women Development in Cairo

right/

discretion to amend, revise, edit, delete or scrutinize any part or portion of the text as and wherever deemed necessary.

Any serious efforts to advance a society would be hindered by neglecting half of that society. At this period of time when the Muslim world is undergoing a process of reform and rebirth, not recognizing the central role of women and supporting them with the means to advance their contribution to development would be a set back to the Muslim Ummah.

In Focus UN recognizes Palestine as non-member observer state

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World Affairs A new wave of violence erupts against Rohingya Muslims

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Interview with HE President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh

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Human Rights OIC Human Rights Commission prepares agenda for its third session in Saudi Arabia

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39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers

20 OIC establishes a Humanitarian Alliance for Syria

Culture

Dhaka: the 2012 Capital of Islamic Culture for the Asian region

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Inauguration of King Abdullah Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna

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Economy Halal Food Fair and Congress held at Expo Centre in Sharjah

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Bill Gates and IDB team up to fight hunger and diseases

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Jakarta Conference on Women calls for Education Empowerment

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OIC Related Links

OIC Calendar: February – May 2013

Subsidiary Organs

27- February: 12th session of the Islamic Summit Conference – Cairo, Egypt

The International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) www.fiqhacademy.org The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) www.sesrtcic.org The Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) www.ircica.org The Islamic Center for the Development of Trade (CIDC) www.icdt-oic.org The Islamic University of Technology (UIT) www.iutoic-dhaka.edu Specialized Institutions and Organs The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) www.isdb.org International Islamic News Agency (IINA) www.islamicnews.org.sa The Islamic States Broadcasting Organization (ISBO) www.isboo.org The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Rabat (ISESCO)www.isesco.org.ma

16 -20 February: 3rd Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) Session – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

27 -28 February: 5th UN Alliance of Civilization – Vienna, Austria.

15- 16 March: Meeting of the Board of the Islamic University of Uganda and Graduation Ceremony – Kampala, Uganda.

19- 22 March: 2nd OIC Tourism Fair – Cairo, Egypt.

11 -14 April: 1st OIC Trade Handicrafts Exhibition – Casablanca, Morocco.

23 -26 April: Conference of Labor Ministers – Baku, Azerbaijan.

27 April: IRCICA Symposium on the OIC – Istanbul, Turkey.

8- 9 May: 5th Meeting of the Working Group to Develop the Operational Program on

Affiliated Institutions Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) www.icci-oic.org Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities (OICC) www.oicc.org Organization of the Islamic Shipowners Association (OISA) www.oisaonline.com

Issues Contained in the TYPOA to Clarify the Role of Organizations in the field of Dawa - Cairo, Egypt.

13 -16 May: 6th Exhibition of Agribusiness Industries of the OIC Member States –

World Federation of Arab Islamic International Schools

Muscat, Oman.

(WFAIS) www.wfais.org

14 -15 May: 29th Meeting of the Follow-up Committee of COMCEC - Istanbul, Turkey.

Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC) www.icyf.com

18- 22 May: Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Board of Governors Meeting – Dushanbe,

Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) www.ias-worldwide.org

Tajikistan.

IN FOCUS

UN recognizes Palestine as non-member observer state Ihsanoglu: an irreversible recognition of Palestinians’ right to statehood

Mahmoud Abbas (C), President of the Palestinian National Authority, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki (R) and the Palestinian delegation react after the vote to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority to a nonmember observer state (epa)

New York, USA – The United Nations General Assembly has voted on 29 November 2012 to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state, despite strong opposition from Israel and its Western allies, the United States and Canada.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), considered the resolution to admit Palestine as a non-member observer state of the United Nations a historic achievement towards ending the Israeli occupation and the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. He also praised the position of the international community to enhance the prospects for lasting peace in the region on the basis of the principle of a two-state solution.

The historic vote came after an impassioned speech from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who asked the UN to 4

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“issue the birth certificate of Palestine.”

On this occasion, Ihsanoglu congratulated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people, stressing that this political victory has irreversibly put on record the Palestinian people’s right to statehood.

The Secretary General commended the States that voted in favor of this resolution, stressing the continued support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for the Palestinian efforts to end the unjust Israeli occupation and establish the independent State of Palestine with full sovereignty on the 1967 borders and with Jerusalem as its capital.

UN member nations voted 138 to 9 in favor of recognizing Palestine, including 53 OIC member states. However, fortyone countries abstained from voting, including three OIC member states (Albania, Cameroon, and Togo) in addition

to Bosnia and Herzegovina which is an OIC observer state.

Canada and the United States stood with Israel in vehemently opposing raising Palestine’s status at the UN. Also voting “no” were the Czech Republic, Panama and the Pacific island nations of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

The OIC had intensified its efforts throughout the week leading to the vote through its Office in New York to rally support in favor of the vote for membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations. This was in implementation of the resolution of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States, held in Djibouti in November 2012.

OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu, made extensive contacts with a number of Member States and major groups in the UN General Assembly in order to ensure the highest percentage of vote in the UN in favor of an observer Palestinian State.

Ihsanoglu strongly reiterated his call for the OIC Member States to lend support for Palestine’s membership at the United Nations. “Today, the world is observing the OIC member states at this juncture in time before the vote on the membership of Palestine, awaiting its position,” he said in a speech at the CFM in Djibouti. He expressed thanks and gratitude for the countries that have been supporting Palestine’s right to be an independent State. However, he hoped that the countries with a different view on the issue would not deviate from the consensus of the OIC countries on such an important issue which determines the fate of an entire people.

Ihsanoglu stressed that, for the first time in more than four decades of OIC history, he is calling on the Member States to allow the OIC to offer an achievement of this size for Palestinians, and to take advantage of this historic opportunity to lead in voting in favor of a Palestinian State in the United Nations.

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed

his thanks and appreciation to the OIC for its support. He thanked the OIC Secretary General for his efforts leading to the vote at the UN General Assembly especially during the Djibouti CFM and bilateral meetings with OIC member states and non-member states in addition to his deliberations with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Lady Catherine Ashton.

In a letter he sent to President Abbas on 2 December 2012, Ihsanoglu stated that the great achievement realized by the Palestinian leadership in gaining non-member observer state at the UN would not have been reached without the consolidation and collaboration of efforts, stressing on the need to continue in collaborating at all levels.

The OIC had issued a number of resolutions in support of the Palestinian bid at the United Nations, most notably of which was the Declaration of the 4th Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in August and the Coordination meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers in September as well as other extraordinary meetings that were held over the past two years.

Worth mentioning that the Secretary General also led the effort of mobilizing support for Palestine's membership at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris in October 2011.

Although UN’s vote might be considered largely symbolic, the Palestinians view the status change as a crucial step toward recognition on the world stage. The Palestinians can now also gain access to UN agencies and international bodies, including the International Criminal Court. That has caused concern for Israel because the Palestinians could bring forward war crime accusations or raise the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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OPINION Cairo Summit: discussing the inevitable Dr. Isam Salim Shanti Chief Editor

The Muslim world today faces colossal and growing challenges, with serious implications for the political, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions, which weakened the position of the Muslims in the modern world and hindered its original role in consolidating the values of equality, justice, and development.

The lingering crises, which the Muslims encountered over the past few decades have busted its dormant power, lingered any tangible advancement, and enabled an easy access of foreign penetrations and interventions. Factors believed to have led to political and economic retreats, miniature advancement in science and technology, increase in poverty and illiteracy that caused high unemployment and increasing debt burden. As a result, the Muslim World is now lagging the advanced world and not capable to catch up with the multi-level progress witnessed in various parts of the world resulting in dependency and in some cases subordination.

Moreover, the past years have observed the rise phenomenon of Islamophobia in many countries around the world particularly in the western world as a result of misconception and misunderstanding of Islam and Muslims, or as a part of a political agenda, or maybe both. This alarming and dangerous issue has significantly contributed to the suffering of many Muslim communities around the world and to the distortion of the true image and content of Islam. In this regard, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has declared its position and stated that it is impossible to separate Islamophobia from international terrorism, a phenomenon that has seriously dented the reputation of Muslims, even though many States of the Muslim world are themselves victims of terrorism.

Most recently, several OIC Member States have witnessed dramatic challenges when popular mobilizations in the form of revolutionaries toppled their political regimes resulted in democratic elections in many countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen. Other countries still undergo popular revolutions and political changes in the wait for victory. Syria is the resilient example where the Syrian

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people have been struggling for freedom and democracy since almost two years.

These enormous challenges will impose themselves on the table before the leaders of the Muslim World during the 12th Sessions of the Islamic Summit, which will be held in Cairo on 6 – 7 February. These challenges will require the leaders of the Muslim Ummah to look at the best means to face them collectively in order to reclaim the Ummah and remove it from the state of weakness to that of strength and influence, from the state of passivity to that of proactivity, from the state of inaction or reaction to the state of action, and from the state individualism to the state of institutionalism and collectivity.

Muslims around the world will be eagerly waiting for the outcomes of this historical Summit praying that it will be a milestone in terms of vision and action for the benefit of the overall Islamic solidarity, and that it will render the appropriate remedies to confront the challenges facing the Muslim World for many years to come. Egypt, which hosts the Islamic Summit for the first time since the birth of OIC and with a democratically elected President and leadership, is very qualified to make this summit different from all previous ordinary summits, and with the support of all leaders of the Muslim World the 12th Summit is expected to discuss the inevitable and come up with solutions that set for a new era of joint Islamic action and Islamic future.

The 3rd Extraordinary Summit held in Makkah AlMukaramah in 2005 was proved to be a turning point visĂ -vis the joint Islamic action and solidarity. The Ten-Year Programme of Action (TYPOA) and the New Charter of the OIC clearly determined the challenges that threatened the Muslims as well as put forth the means to face them.

In fact, the OIC has made qualitative leaps in the fields of reforming its internal structure, the international relationships, humanitarian work, women rights, intra and inter-trade and investment, Islamophobia, diplomacy, media, and science and technology.

The 12th Ordinary Summit will need to capitalize on the existing achievements and puts its own vision and objective for the next phase in the coming years. In this context, it will be important for the summit to prioritize among the many different issues and deal first and foremost with issues that threaten the stability and security of the Muslims around the world. Jerusalem, education, poverty, unemployment, trade and investment, and Islamophobia are among the salient issues that deserve our leaders’ immediate attention.

In the twenty-first century it is rational to claim that many priorities may differ from the ones in the previous century.

However, Muslims around the World will still legitimately and patiently be waiting for tangible results that can serve the strategic interests of the Muslim World and create a new ground capable of delivering better future for all Muslim children.

PALESTINE FILE

Palestinians struggle to harvest their olive amid attacks by settlers

Ramallah (DPA) – Palestinian farmers are racing against land only with a prior permit that is issued 4 times a year time to harvest their olive while their farms are being only. “Soldiers are now deciding when we should cultivate repeatedly attacked by Israeli settlers. our crop, attend to it, and harvest it. We have to wait for an Olive harvest has turned years ago from a joyful event to a announcement that determines when we should go and in great concern for Palestinians, given the massive losses they what order,” he added in bitterness. incurred because of attacks on their lands by Israeli settlers.

He added that because of these constraints, his orchard Indeed, farmers who suffer the most are those whose produced 70 oil containers in the past year, compared to 200 orchards are close to the Israeli settlements spread across the containers in 2000. He expects a production of 40 containers West Bank or close to the Israeli Separation Wall. this year, as he is failing to give his land proper attention.

Maher Salah, an olive grower from Boreen village in the Palestinians are critical of the Israeli army’s role in south of Nablus, surrounded by settlements, lost a season- providing them protection from settlers’ attacks. They say long work and could not harvest his entire olive crop which that each time clashes start between Palestinian farmers and was repeatedly raided by settlers. the settlers, the army shows up but not to end the clashes; In one incident, an attack sparked a huge fire that destroyed rather, they disperse the locals using tear gas and rubber around one third of Salah’s crop. He had already incurred bullets, before pulling back the settlers and escorting them huge financial losses for the second year in a row, diminishing to their settlements. his chances of making any profit this year.

While Palestinians document attacks and file complaints Palestinian farmers accuse settlers of deliberately escalating against the settlers, their complaints are registered against their attack on olive orchards at the start of the harvest season unknown persons in the Israeli courts, according to Faraj during the last three months of each year.

An-Na’asan, the village councilman for Al-Mogheer village, The agricultural sector in Palestine generates $US 800 – 900 Ramallah. a year, contributing 20 – 25 per cent to Palestinian national Al-Na’san says that it is not only about the settlers’ attacks income. “Ever since I took office, I’ve been receiving reports – the Israeli army is destroying the agricultural sector entirely, daily of raids by settlers on farmers or on their lands,” said through confiscating hundreds of dunums of orchards. the Palestinian Agriculture Minister Waleed Assaf.

Palestinian farmers whose lands are close to Israeli Assaf accuses the Israeli army of waging a war on military posts are constantly threatened to have their land agriculture in Palestine, whether in terms of olive growing confiscated. or even with water usage, by denying Palestinian farmers Mostafa Dawood, from Hares village, northern Salfit, is access to water, in addition of course to the Separation Wall. one of those farmers. He owns 68 dunums of land near the Um Ali Jitawi, who lives in Jalbun village, eastern Jenin, Burkan industrial area, the Ariel settlement gardens, and the and who obtained a permit from the Israeli army to harvest famous trans-Samaritan road. her olive crop grown beyond the Separation Wall, says, “I Earlier this year, Mostafa joined forces with other farmer to was with a number of women harvesting olive in our lands, reclaim a piece of land and grow around 110 olives trees, and when settlers came to us, one of them in a military uniform 500 fig and cactus trees. Alas, he received an order from the and carrying a weapon, and ordered us to leave the land.” Israeli military to leave the land and return it to its original “The settlers started to harvest our own crop and taking it condition, as the land is registered as property of the State away, while we stood watching and eventually walked away, of Israel. afraid they might hurt us,” she added.

There are around 10 million olive trees in the occupied West Bank, making 45 per cent of the total agricultural land in the area.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that 7500 olive trees in Palestine were burnt, torn out or taken off during raids by settlers in the first 9 months of 2011.

Around half a million Israeli settlers and 2.7 million Palestinians live in the West Bank; tensions normally rise between the two sides over different issues.

Aside from the settlers’ attacks on orchards, stricter constraints by the Israeli army on Palestinian farmers living in areas close to the Israeli settlements exacerbate their losses.

Al-Baset Al-Nubani, a farmer from Al-Laban village in Nablus, says the Israeli army would allow him to enter his 7

PALESTINE FILE

OIC welcomes the Truce Agreement on Gaza, calls for investigating Israeli crimes The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu welcomed the truce agreement which ended the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, expressing hope that it will lead to lifting the blockade on Gaza and enabling its inhabitants to rebuild what has been destroyed by Israeli aggressions in past years.

He also invited donor countries and institutions to fulfill their pledges made in Sharm El-Sheikh Conference and engage in the immediate reconstruction of Gaza. The Secretary General also expressed gratitude to the Arab Republic of Egypt for its benevolent efforts to reach this agreement which put an end to the aggression. He commended the Palestinian factions for their positive spirit as regards national reconciliation and called for continued efforts to attain this objective so as to

enable the Palestinian people to unite and move towards the achievement of their national inalienable rights to freedom and independence.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General gave instructions for the coordination of a meeting of the OIC Ambassadorial Group in Geneva in order to request the convening of a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to form an independent international committee of inquiry to investigate the violations and crimes committed during the Israeli aggression. The OIC had followed a similar process with the Israeli aggression on Gaza late 2008 and early 2009, which led to the constitution of the International Fact-Finding Mission chaired by Jurist Goldstone.

Cases of storming Al Aqsa Mosque

by Israeli Occupation Forces in escalation The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemned strongly the storming of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli occupation forces on 5 October 2012.

He considered this aggression as an aggression against the Ummah in its dearest and holiest sanctity and one that should be countered and prevented in the future.

The Secretary General also warned against the danger of the escalating cases of the storming of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and its esplanades by extremist Jews and occupation forces. At the same time, Israel denies Muslims access to and prayer in the Mosque. More still, they are taken out of

the Mosque, detained and aggressed. The Secretary General considered this as a preliminary step toward implementing serious plans targeting Al Haram Al Qudsi Al Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). He appealed to the Muslim Ummah to stay alert to the harm and aggressions against the place of the night journey of Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him), which the Ummah will not allow to continue.

The Secretary General called upon UNESCO, the UN Security Council and the Islamic States members of the Council to assume their responsibilities in compelling Israel to end its aggressions and preventing it from increasing tension in the region.

OIC calls on international community to end settlements building by Israel The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemned strongly the decision of the Israeli occupation authorities to construct 797 new settlement units in the occupied city of Al Quds. He stated that the continuing settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories comes in the context of Israel’s attempt to change the demographic situation, create new realities in the occupied city of Al Quds, and isolate the city from its Palestinian environment.

Ihsanoglu stressed that all settlement activities are illegitimate and constitute a flagrant violation of the international law and the resolutions of international legitimacy. He called upon the international community to shoulder its immediate responsibility by putting an end to the Israeli settlement policy in all occupied Palestinian territories, including the city of Al Quds Al Sharif.

The Secretary General again condemned in the strongest 8

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terms the decision by the Israeli occupation authorities to approve the construction of 1213 new housing units for Israeli settlements in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

The Secretary General also expressed his strong condemnation of the decision by the Israeli occupation authorities to approve the construction of 3000 settlement units in the West Bank and the occupied city of Jerusalem, considering it a challenge to the will of the international community, which rejected the Israeli occupation and its policies by voting in favor of the State of Palestine at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Ihsanoglu, has further strongly condemned the approval of the Israeli occupation authorities to build 1500 new settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem. He stressed that the policy of illegal Israeli expansion was a defiance of the will of the international community and flagrant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people.

An international referendum in support of Palestinian national rights Shaher Awawdeh, Ph.D Department of PalestineOIC

As the UN General Assembly convened to grant Palestine an observer state status on 29 November 2012, the hearts of Palestinians were shaken to the core. The moment was rife with various emotions for the Palestinians who despite their serious split spent the whole night rejoicing over what they regarded as a historical achievement. Without the shadow of doubt, the Palestinian achievement constitutes an important landmark in the Palestinian struggle for freedom and statehood.

Although Israel attempted to rebuff the achievement by describing it a useless symbolic action that would never bring the Palestinians any closer to independence and statehood, one should not overlook the significance of symbolism in this chapter of Palestinian struggle. It should be noted that on 29 November 1947, Israel’s birth certificate was issued by the United General Assembly in the form of a resolution partitioning Palestine into two States. More than six decades later, the same international body assembled on the same day, 29 November, to issue the birth certificate for the State of Palestine. The symbolism of 29th November, yet, has another important facet. In 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Symbolism aside, the UN decision of granting Palestine an observer State status represents in itself an international recognition of the State of Palestine on the borders of 4th of June 1967. It should be viewed as an international move to save the two-state solution, which is the most internationally acceptable formula to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The resolution, further, represents a strong support to the forces of reason and responsibility and a rejection of the irrational and irresponsible exercise of force and violence.

The UN resolution, undoubtedly, invalidates the vague Israeli term of Palestinian “Territories”, which was deliberately used to cast these territories into the mold of a disputed entity with an ambiguous fate. Now, with the new status, these “Territories” are part of a State called Palestine that is under Israel occupation. In other words, the international community had its say in the thorny question of borders. This also means that Israel’s attempt to unilaterally demarcate the borders of the future Palestinian State is not accepted by the loftiest international body. Accordingly, all Israeli measures in occupied Palestine are further nullified.

At the same time, the magnitude of international support of the UN Resolution, 138 States in favor and 9 countries against, should be interpreted not only as an expression of extensive

international backing of the Palestinian national rights, but also as a wide international rejection of the Israeli occupation. Those countries that voted in favor have demonstrated courage and integrity by acting in accordance with the dictates of conscience and truthfulness rather than the diktat of power and aggression.

They have sent a message to the Palestinians that supporting their national aspirations and rejecting aggression are possible within the purview of global responsibility.

The massive support that the resolution enjoyed reflects an elaborate multilevel diplomacy spearheaded by Palestine with extensive support by various international groupings. The role of the OIC was prominently felt. Efforts of the OIC Secretary General, who was approached by Palestine and mandated by the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers to drum up support for the Palestinian endeavor, yielded positive results. His contacts with OIC Member States made it possible to secure the support of 53 countries. Regrettably, three OIC Member States, namely Albania, Cameroon and Togo in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an OIC Observer, chose to abstain and failed to abide by the OIC Charter and Ministerial resolutions that call on Member States to support the causes of the Ummah on top of which figures the cause of Palestine. It might be good for the OIC to consider introducing much more binding mechanisms for its Member States.

Nevertheless, a handful States decided to be on the wrong side of history. Only 9 countries cast “No”, namely Israel, the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Panama. Given the size and level of independency of the “objecting” States, one can conclude that only four “real” countries supported the continuation of the Israeli occupation by voting against the two-state solution, the US , Canada, the Czech Republic, and Panama.

The voting of the US needs a special pause. It was regrettable, to say the least. We should recall that in September 2010, President Obama said at the UN General Assembly “When we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that can lead to a new member of the United Nations, an independent, sovereign State of Palestine living in peace with Israel”.

Although the President’s statement is an astoundingly naive proclamation, any fair reader cannot ignore the aspirational dimension of such a promise made by the president of the country that has insisted to be the sole mediator in the quasidead Middle East peace process.

Granting Palestine an observer State status would definitely provide the Palestinians with numerous international tools to counter the unchecked Israeli violations of international law.

By joining UN organs and ratifying international treaties and conventions, Palestine will be in a better position to resist the illegal Israeli measures. This should start by confirming the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the lands of the State of Palestine and joining the International Criminal Court. Israel’s illegal practices, including the transfer of its citizens to settlements built in occupied Palestine, targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza, detaining minors, and tampering with the indigenous character of occupied East Jerusalem are all blatant violations of international law. Some of them, yet, are war crimes that require legal follow up by international legal bodies. Palestine, with its new status, should save no effort in utilizing international law to stop Israeli crimes and to protect the Palestinian people, land, properties and holy places.

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OIC Annual Coordination Meeting in New York addresses

New York, USA – The issue of the denigration of Islam, following the release of the film insulting Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and the violent reaction to that by some extremists in the Muslim world, received considerable attention from the media and in the meetings of the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during the Annual Coordination Meeting (ACM) in New York on 24- 29 September 2012 on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly. The OIC had strongly condemned the film and the consequent violence that occurred in Cairo and Benghazi, especially the murder of the US Ambassador in Benghazi, Libya, and called for the respect of religions and for a mechanism that would prevent such defamation and incitement to violence.

The Palestinian issue was at the top of the agenda of all the OIC meetings and bilateral meetings of the Secretary General Ekmelddin Ihsanoglu as well as the issue of the rights of the Rohingya in Myanmar and the escalating crisis in Mali and the Sahel region from the security, economic and humanitarian perspective.

Busy schedule: The Secretary General’s schedule was full of bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Bulgaria, Finland and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In his meeting with the Prime Minister of Mali Cheick Modibo Diarra, the Secretary General discussed the proposed names of the Special Envoy and the other political and humanitarian initiatives to be undertaken by the OIC. Ihsanoglu also had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Somalia Abdulwali Mohammed Ali, during which they discussed the recent developments in Somalia.

The Secretary General congratulated the Prime Minister on the successful ending of the transition period and noted that 10

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Somalia has turned a new page.

The Secretary General went on to have meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Algeria, Australia, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Mauritania, New Zealand and Suriname, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Philippines. He also had talks with the European Union High Representative for Political Affairs and Security policy Baroness Catherine Ashton, USAID Assistant Administrator Nancy Lindborg, the UNArab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN Alliance of Civilizations High Representative Jorge Sampaio, and US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner.

He also had a meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon. In addition to discussing the bilateral cooperation between the two organizations in the political and humanitarian fields, they discussed current developments in the region, particularly Palestine, Syria the Sahel and situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. They also addressed the best ways to tackle the rising trend of antiIslam/Muslims acts and religious intolerance in general.

In his message to the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers in New York on 28 September 2012, the UN Secretary General praised the leadership of the OIC in seeking to heal tensions and ensure that the international community is not held hostage by extremists on any side.

Ban Ki-moon welcomed OIC Secretary General’s swift and clear condemnation of the recent violence in Libya and elsewhere in the wake of protests over the recent deplorable video. He said that he encourages continued collaboration and coordination between the OIC and the UN. He gave examples of close coordinatio⁄n between the two organizations in Syria, Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia as well as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Islamophobia, situation in Mali, Syria and Rohingya Muslims “You can count on my full commitment to further strengthen our strategic partnership in the years ahead,” said Ban Ki-moon to the OIC meeting.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General also participated in the High Level Event on the Rule of Law, the High Level Event on “Peace-building: Way Towards Sustainable Peace and Security”, High Level Meeting on the Sahel, and the High Level Launch of the UN Guidance for Effective Mediation.

The Secretary General was also the keynote speaker at the event on “Strategic Dialogue with International Faithbased Civil Society: Track 1.5 Diplomacy for peace and Prosperity”.

The Secretary General also gave a lecture at the World Leaders Forum in Columbia University titled ‘The Islamic World in the New Century’, which is the title of his book published by Columbia Press. In his lecture, he said that the Muslim world today is going through an awakening.

This awakening brings with it a host of changes and it is an accumulative process.

The Secretary General reiterated his belief that the change in the Arab world is not a “spring” but a “fall” of dictators.

He expected the transformation of the region to take a generation’s time.

He elaborated on the role of the OIC in the Muslim world as a platform for common concerns and its role as a global actor. The lecture was one of several engagements during that day.

He had a meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, in which they discussed ways of cooperation for providing humanitarian assistance in some regions, especially in Myanmar and in Syria. He also met with the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on prevention of genocide Adama Dieng.

Later in the evening Ihsanoglu attended a reception hosted by the President of the United States of America HE. Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama.

Ihsanoglu and Ban Ki-moon at the 67th UNGA

Ihsanoglu stresses on measures for implementing resolutions against stigmatizing religions The OIC Secretary General said that achievements made in regards to religious tolerance are being challenged by a very small group of misguided people on both sides. In his speech to the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stressed on the need to develop measures to ensure the implementation of the resolutions on combating religious intolerance by national authorities, particularly in the areas of media and education.

The Secretary General pointed out to the operative paragraph in Resolution 16/ 18 adopted unanimously by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 stipulates that, “condemns any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, whether it involves the use of print, audio-visual or electronic media or any other means.”

“What is urgently needed now is the mobilization of the collective resources of all member states, equipped with a well-considered comprehensive strategy, capable of defeating this hate campaign,” said Ihsanoglu to the meeting.

While strongly condemning the tragic killing of the American officials and the attacks on the US diplomatic missions in Cairo, Ihsanoglu said that expressing anger or outrage should be no means get to killing people or destroying property.

“These incidents demonstrate the serious consequences of abusing the principle of freedom of expression at one side and the abuse of right to demonstration on the other side.

These recent incidents brought again to the fore the dire need for respecting religions and their symbols.”

The Secretary General proposed addressing the root causes of this problem, which is “ignorance”.

He said that only two ways to address this ‘ignorance’ effectively, media and education. By reaching out to the mass through firstly encouraging the mass media to vigorously and diligently disseminate the true image of religion and beliefs focusing on their basic tenets of peace and tolerance and not on actions taken by some misguided people in the name of those religions or faiths. Secondly, efforts should be exerted to develop an education system for the next generation promoting better understanding of civilizations and common human values.

The ACM calls for taking effective measures to combat the defamation of religions The ACM was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 28 September 2012, under the Chairmanship of Yerzhan Kazykhanov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General attended the Meeting.

In his speech to the Meeting, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the OIC Member States have managed to create a substantially strong voting power in the United Nations system, and stressed on the need to foster their 11

WORLD AFFAIRS unity and wisely use their strong position. He gave the example of the unanimous adoption of OIC-sponsored Resolution 16 /18 on combating religious intolerance at the UN Human Rights Council as an indication of their acquired strength.

Following the adoption of the Resolution, the “Istanbul Process” was launched to ensure its implementation.

The Secretary General assured that the OIC position on different issues in the world affairs has a direct bearing on the Muslim world and have enlisted greater respect by the world’s community. “Today, our proactive actions have brought us to the position of a global actor with constructive approach to cooperation with other international actors,” he said.

The Final Communiqué of the Meeting reaffirmed the centrality of the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif to the entire Islamic Ummah, and reiterated OIC’s full support for the just cause of Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people. Furthermore, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OIC Member States reiterated their commitment on the full implementation of the decisions of the 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in the holy city of Makkah al Mukarramah on 14 -15 August 2012.

With regards to Syria, the Meeting called on the Security Council to assume fully its responsibility by stopping the ongoing violence and bloodshed in Syria; and finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the Syrian crisis. The Meeting affirmed its strong commitment to secure humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people. The Meeting welcomed the initiative of the formation of a Contact Group composed of Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey aiming at solving the crisis in Syria.

On the other hand, the Meeting expressed its alarm and great concern on the mounting trend of Islamophobia and systematic defamation of Islam as well as discrimination against Muslims. It strongly condemned the anti-Islam/antiMuslim incidents, such as the burning of the Koran, the ban on construction of minarets, attacks on Prophets and venerated personalities, prohibition on the use and ban on religious symbols, and other discriminatory measures. It expressed strong condemnation of the production and projection of the reprehensible film insulting the noble Prophet (PBUH) by an irresponsible group in the US, resulting in unfortunate violent incidents. The Meeting denounced the aggressions perpetrated against many diplomatic missions around the world and the irresponsible violations, which claimed the lives of some workers of these missions.

The Meeting called upon the international community to exert efforts to prevent incitement to hatred and discrimination against Muslims and to take effective measures to combat the defamation of religions and negative stereotyping against persons based on their religions, faith or race.

The Meeting attached utmost importance to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression, as stipulated in international human rights law instruments. It further recalled that international human rights law provides that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities; and therefore may be subject to certain restrictions provided by law and necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others, 12

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and for the protection of national security or public order, or public health or morals.

The Foreign Ministers adopted a declaration condemning the sacrilegious act of releasing the defamatory video “innocence of Muslims” and publication of offensive caricatures of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him).

OIC Contact Group Meeting on Kashmir urges international community to play its due role The OIC Contact Group Meeting on Jammu and Kashmir reaffirmed its principled support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realization of their legitimate right to selfdetermination, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and aspiration of the Kashmiri people. The meeting, which took place on 26 September 2012, called upon India to allow international human rights groups and humanitarian organizations to visit Jammu and Kashmir.

The Meeting commended the efforts of Pakistan and its readiness to engage with India to resolve all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and urged the international community to play its due role to settle this long standing dispute on UN agenda.

Meeting on Bosnia underlines rule of law as part of settlement The OIC Contact Group Meeting on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which also took place on 26th September, expressed its deep concern over inadequate implementation of the key elements of the Dayton Peace Agreement, particularly relating to the building of the state institutions, regulatory framework, and return of refugees and displaced persons of their origin. The meeting also expressed concern on the lack of progress in fully implementing the “52+ agenda”, which sets out five objectives that need to be met and two conditions that need to be fulfilled by Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities before the Office of the High Representative is closed.

The Meeting further underlined the importance of the rule of law as part of any settlement impacting n the future of the country and invites all local and international actors to focus on the need to fully implement the existing legal obligations when presenting solutions for the future.

Support for Rohingya Muslims gains momentum at the first OIC Contact Group Meeting The first OIC Contact Group Meeting on the Rohingya agreed on the need to provide development projects in the Arakan region of Myanmar and not just humanitarian aid.

The meeting stressed on supporting the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar in gaining their legitimate rights as citizens and stressed on their human rights.

In his speech to the meeting, which took place on 26 September 2012, the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the meeting is in implementation of resolutions of the 4th Extraordinary Summit held in Makkah last August (Ramadan). The Summit had also decided to send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar, which was dispatched early September, and the Contact Group Meeting reviewed the report submitted by the mission on the physical and legal conditions of Rohingya Muslims.

Dr. Wakaruddin, the Director of the Arakan Rohingya Union, which was established by the OIC in May 2011 to

unite Rohingya refugees around the world, gave the contact group meeting an update on the humanitarian and security situation, especially in terms of abuse and persecution of Muslims, in Arakan.

The Secretary General said to the meeting that he wishes to visit Myanmar as soon as the position of the Government of Myanmar and their willingness to remedy the fundamental rights issues of the Rohingya Muslims are made clear through accepting signing a joint statement or communiqué to be issued in conjunction with his visit.

The Contact Group meeting called for the convening of a special session of the Human Rights Council and adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly at its 67th Session on the situation in Myanmar. It invited the OIC Secretary General to visit Myanmar to communicate the strong expectation of the Member States with a view to ending violence and restoration of the rights of the Rohingya Muslims. The Meeting also called upon the Government of Myanmar to launch a rehabilitation and reconciliation process in the region; to endeavor to reintegrate the two communities that are currently segregated due to the events; to resettle the internally displaced persons to new homes and to take measures for the long-term economic development of the region.

Contact Group Meetings on Sierra Leone and Somalia re-evaluates the situation The OIC Contact Group meetings on Sierra Leone and on Somalia as well as the OIC Committee of Six on Palestine re-evaluated the situation in the concerned states and discussed the ways and means of supporting them. The meetings were held on 25 September 2012. The meetings on

Sierra Leone and on Somalia focused on supporting them economically and during their democratic transition process.

OIC and UK sign Memorandum of Cooperation The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Government of the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on issues of promoting dialogue, peace and humanitarian assistance. OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Rt. Hon. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, UK Senior Minister of State signed the MOC on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 28 September 2012.

The memorandum covers cooperation in several areas including the promotion of peace and interfaith and intercultural dialogue and cooperating on humanitarian assistance and human rights.

Representatives of the OIC and the UK will hold annual consultations at an appropriate level to discuss issues of mutual interest and identify potential areas for cooperation and projects.

Baroness Warsi and Ihsanoglu signing the MOC

International condemnation of the antiFurthermore, a joint statement by the OIC Secretary Muslim film and the violent reaction against it General, the Arab League Secretary General, the African Jeddah, Saudi Arabia‫ ـ‬The film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ insulting Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) caused a strong wave of anger in the Muslim world, which was used by some extremists to express their rage with violence.

The OIC was among the first to condemn the film as an act of incitement and it strongly condemned the attacks on the American embassies in Cairo and Benghazi. The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated that the international community could not be held hostage to the acts of extremists on either side. He pointed out that the solution could only be found by addressing the issues pertaining to the freedom of religion and freedom of expression through structured international engagement.

He referred to the OIC initiative embodied in UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/ 18 and the Istanbul Process for its consensual implementation, which provide with the avenues for such engagement.

The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) also issued a statement strongly condemning the film as an abhorrent and reprehensible act that represents an irresponsible misuse of the right to freedom of expression, the exercise of which carries with it special duties and responsibilities under International Human Rights Law, according to Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Union Commissioner for Peace and Security and the European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy condemning any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to hostility and violence.

While fully recognizing freedom of expression, they stressed on the importance of respecting all prophets, regardless of which religion they belong to. They reiterated their strong commitment to take further measures and to work for an international consensus on tolerance and full respect of religion, including on the basis of UN Human Rights Council resolution 16 /18.

Meanwhile, the OIC Group in UNESCO also strongly condemned the production of the film and the defamatory caricatures by the French Magazine Charlie Hebdo. They also condemned the violence that erupted as a result. While fully recognizing freedom of expression, they stated that they believe in the importance of respecting all religions, as approved by the Executive Board in its decision ‘174 EX/46’, which emphasizes that the respect for freedom of expression and for religious beliefs and symbols are two indivisible principles. UNESCO, as the house of peace, and inter-cultural and civilizational dialogue, has the moral duty to launch a debate on the ethics of freedom of expression and respect for religion, they stressed.

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Mogadishu breathing again with the new promising leadership

Ihsanoglu calls on the international community to support Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia – The visit of the OIC Secretary led a high-level delegation on a tour in the camps of General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, to Mogadishu on 8 October displaced people in Mogadishu. He also visited the utility 2012, which was an unprecedented visit by an OIC Secretary camps established by the OIC Humanitarian Organizations General, sent a political message with an added impetus to Coalition, foremost of which was the central unit for first aid, the international voices raised recently about the possibility the only one of its kind in the Somali capital. of restoring hope to this more than two decades civil warIn a press conference held in Mogadishu, Ihsanoglu called torn country. on OIC Member States and the international community to This visit followed an eventful year in which the OIC expeditiously avail themselves of the historic opportunity offered its most distinctive humanitarian projects. It kept in Somalia to help this country to rise up. He said that the abreast with events in Somalia even before the occurrence historic moments witnessed by Somalia came under the of the worst famine ever in this country in July 2011. The political détente and the signs of stability, which were OIC opened its humanitarian office in Mogadishu in March manifested recently, especially with the election of a new 2011.The office played a leading role in coordinating and leadership, would be able to restore unity and pave the way supervising the humanitarian efforts of dozens of Islamic for development. relief organizations.

It is to be noted that the establishment of the OIC During the visit, Ihsanoglu met with President Hassan humanitarian office preceded that of the Coalition, which Shiekh Mahmoud and discussed with him means of supporting comprises 40 international organizations from 13 states.

Somalia at the political and developmental levels. President Following the famine, the OIC immediately embarked on Mahmoud expressed his thanks and appreciation for the role field surveys of the most hit areas. It sought to coordinate the played by the OIC during the pre-transition period as well efforts of Coalition according to their geographic location as its endeavors to support the current democratic process in and the nature of their activities. The field visits to Somalia the country in addition to the humanitarian efforts initiated conducted under OIC supervision amounted to 88. by the OIC since the said famine hit the country.

According to the September 2012 report, the volume The Somali President commended the major role played of assistance extended to Somalia amounted to about 92 by the OIC Office. He expressed the wish that the Office thousand tons of food. Through its Coalition, the OIC sought would develop its work by shifting to the development stage to provide different health and social services to be offered needed by Somalia. by 62 health utilities among the displaced populations and the On his part, the Secretary General underlined the need for surrounding areas in addition to providing water, education, the OIC to promote the participation of Somalia in the OIC social care and first-aid services. activities. He drew attention to the approval by the CFM in The OIC also endeavored to coordinate with a number of Astana of the establishment of a trust fund for Somalia. He UN agencies such as the WFP, the HCR, OCHA and UNICEF also met the Somali Parliament Speaker, Muhammad Shiekh in areas to which these organizations had no access.

Othman Juwary. They discussed means to promote and Meanwhile, the OIC held a number of conferences and expand the democratic process in Somalia. meetings on the conditions prevailing in Somalia, in Turkey, Ihsanoglu also met the Somali Prime Minister, Edi Farih Kenya, Egypt and Djibouti with the aim of addressing issues Shardoun Saeed, and reiterated the OIC’s desire to support of rehabilitation of areas such as water, health and return of Somalia to stand displaced people. up and restore The OIC is currently supervising and coordinating a stability and project for the return of displaced people to their villages. security which The number of families which returned so far totaled 10200. are necessary for In addition, it supervised the implementation of the project of prosperity. establishing more than 600 artesian wells in 18 regions south On another and north Somalia. The number of wells established until last level, Ihsanoglu August reached 71.

OIC Secretary General meeting the President of Somalia and touring IDP camp

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Philippines and MILF sign Framework Agreement

Ihsanoglu at signing ceremony with the President of Philippines

Manila, Philippines – The Government of Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front released on October 7, 2012 the Framework of Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which will pave the way for the establishment of the new autonomous political entity, the Bangsamoro, to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The agreement was signed on the afternoon of October 15, 2012, in a ceremony held in Malacañan Palace, witnessed by President Benigno S. Aquino III, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and other dignitaries.

The framework for the final peace agreement says the new entity will have power to create its own sources of revenue and to levy taxes. The civil court system in the area will also undergo improvement, while the Shari’ah justice system exclusively for Muslims will be expanded. The national government will have jurisdiction over defense and security, foreign policy, monetary policy and coinage, citizenship and naturalization and the postal system.

The OIC Secretary General was invited by both the Government of Philippines and the Chairman of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to participate at the Signing Ceremony of the Framework Agreement between the two sides. After witnessing the ceremony, the Secretary General had an hour-long private meeting with President Aquino III. The Secretary General congratulated the President for this important first step for terminating the long-standing conflict and expressed hope that it will usher a new era of tranquility and peaceful developments for the region.

He also emphasized the need to link the expected agreement, which will come up as a result of the Framework Agreement, to the 1976 Peace Agreement. The 1976 Tripoli Agreement constitutes a historic compromise that has gained the support of all Bangsamoro people and 57 member states of the OIC. The Secretary General ensured the President of the continuous support of the OIC to all peace efforts, and emphasized on the unity of the Bangsamoro people, which is more needed now than ever. The OIC at present is assisting in the process of bringing MILF and MNLF together to intensify their cooperation and coordination. The establishment of a Bangsamoro Coordination Council is under discussion for that purpose.

The OIC Secretary General proposed holding a tripartite meeting between the three partners of the 1976 and 1996 Peace Agreements, namely, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the OIC, to find practical and implementable solutions for the remaining unresolved issues. The proposed meeting is expected to tackle also the difficulties encountered in the full implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement or any discrepancies that may exist between the Agreements signed with the MNLF and the new Framework Agreement with the MILF. After Ihsanoglu assumed his post in 2005 as OIC Secretary General, the OIC initiated what is called the “Tripartite Process” to overcome all difficulties facing up implementation of the Final Peace Agreement of 1996. More recently the OIC has been observing the bilateral negotiations between the MILF and the Government of the Philippines that led to this recent Framework Agreement.

The OIC declared that it will continue monitoring the developments and offer required assistance to all parties.

The OIC also declared its commitment to assist fully in the development process once peace is established there.

Talks between the Philippines Government and the MILF started since more than fifteen years secretly under the auspices of Malaysia. An agreement had been reached to deal with most of the controversial topics between the two parties which was due to be signed on 5 August 2008. This was never done because of the objection of the Philippines Constitutional Court to that agreement, which led to the collapse of the negotiations process and resumption of clashes leading to substantial losses of lives and properties as well as displacement of more than half a million civilian residents.

However, by the beginning of 2009, the Philippines Government and the MILF resumed negotiations and agreed to form an International Contact Group comprising Japan, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in addition to a number of international nongovernmental organizations, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Asia Foundation as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation represented by the Secretary General’s Envoy for Peace in southern Philippines, Ambassador Sayed Kassem El Masry.

Talks have continued to prepare a Framework Agreement for a road map that leads to a comprehensive peace agreement in southern Philippines, which covers the size of the new autonomous region, internal security and wealth-sharing.

The Secretary General expressed hope that this Framework Agreement will be a first step towards finding a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Mindanao Muslim region. He asserts that the position of the OIC pertaining to the 1976 Agreement will continue to formulate the basis for any settlement of the conflict provided that it is acceptable by all factions of the Bangsamoro people.

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A new wave of violence erupts against Rohingya Muslims

OIC: The systematic violence is ethnic cleansing

Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar – The U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on 24 December 2012 expressing serious concern at an upsurge of sectarian violence between Muslims and Buddhists in strife-torn Rakhine state.

The resolution adopted by the 193-member world body urges government action to improve the situation of the Rohingya Muslim minority “and to protect all their human rights, including their right to a nationality.”

The worst communal violence in a generation in June, and again in late October, between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims killed about 200 people and left at least 110,000 displaced, the vast majority of them Muslims.

The General Assembly urged the government “to accelerate its efforts to address discrimination, human rights violations, violence, displacement and economic deprivation affecting various ethnic minorities,” singling out the Rohingyas and Kachin.

The new wave of violence against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine State broke out on 26 October 2012.

The fresh acts of violence caused the killing of scores of innocent Rohingya Muslims among which women and children, injured many, burned down around 3000 homes and forced hundreds to flee their homes.

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu strongly condemned this latest wave of violence, saying it is deplorable and a blatant violation of human rights. The Secretary General urged the authorities of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to deploy concrete measures that put an end to the aggressive acts against Muslims in Rakhine State. He urged it to ensure the safety and security of the lives and property of the Muslim community of Myanmar, to bring the perpetrators before justice and enact a policy of integration and reconciliation between Muslim and Buddhist communities. He also called for the need to effectively address the core causes of the violence by eliminating the pervasive discrimination practiced against the Rohingya Muslim community whose right of citizenship should be recognized.

The Secretary General reiterated the OIC’s readiness to

provide humanitarian assistance and services to the victims of the violence.

Meanwhile, the OIC mobilized efforts to have the issue of Rohingya Muslims be addressed at the UN Security Council.

The OIC considers the deliberate and systematic violence against the Rohingya Muslims as ethnic cleansing and should be considered at the highest level by the international community.

During the month of October, Rohingya villages in the Rakhine state came under coordinated attacks by the socalled Rakhine vigilantes, a group of Rakhine Buddhist.

Satellite images of totally destroyed Rohingya villages did not leave any doubt about what had really happened.

Rohingya sources reported that from October 21 to 26, over 30 Rohingya villages and 5,086 houses in Kyauk Phyu, Kyauk Taw, Minbyar, Rambray, Pauktaw, and Myauk-U townships in Southern Rakhine state were torched. Escaping the violence, it is estimated that 9,000 Rohingyas were at sea, in the forests, and on open ground without food or basic necessities. There were already around 70,000 registered Rohingya IDPs (internally displaced persons) in the camps before the recent violence.

The OIC is continuing its efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the affected victims of the violence through NGOs despite the announcement by the Myanmar Government that it will not allow the OIC to open a humanitarian coordination office in Rakhine state. The announcement was a disappointment to the OIC because it has signed an agreement with the government to open the office.

The OIC has been highly active and involved in trying to resolve the plight of the Rohingya Muslims. At the recent Summit in Makkah on 14- 15 August 2012, resolutions were adopted providing tangible actions for implementation, including providing financial support and appointment of an OIC special envoy.

Ihsanoglu appointed Jusuf Kalla, Chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross and former Vice President of Indonesia, as the special envoy in mid November. The Secretary General also decided to send a liaison officer to assess the

Ihsanoglu appoints special envoy to Myanmar

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from the ongoing reform process.

“The Rohingya minority should not be sacrificed in order to accommodate the new regime in Myanmar,” stressed Ihsanoglu. “The Government of Myanmar has a moral and legal obligation to protect this oppressed minority, to restore their citizenship, to allow them return to their homes, and put an end to the hate campaign against them.”

OIC delegation sign agreement with the government to open an office in Myanmar: An OIC delegation led by Ambassador Ufuk Gokcen, OIC Ihsanoglu urges Obama to raise the issue during his Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, visited Myanmar on 5- 15 September 2012. The mandate of visit to Myanmar: Before US President Barack Obama’s visit to Myanmar, the the mission was to: a) To make preliminary observations as to the root causes Secretary General sent him a letter on 13 November urging of the problem and the effect of the violence that took place him to raise the critical matter of the violence committed against civilian unarmed Rohingya Muslim minority with in the Rakhine State. b) Explore the conditions and various aspects of a the highest authorities of the country and the Leader of the Opposition to urge them to bring an immediate cessations to prospective visit by the OIC Secretary General. c) To make the necessary contacts regarding the ways and the violence.

Ihsanoglu stated that the OIC is concerned that the scale means for the OIC to carry out humanitarian assistance and of violence in Rakhine state is becoming dangerously close relief operations in the Rakhine State.

The delegation had extensive contacts with the Union and to a situation of ethnic cleansing. The reliable information Rakhine State authorities regarding the ways and means for OIC has received confirms that the Rohingya minority is the OIC and Myanmar Government to create a long-term being subjected to a systematic and large-scale campaign of engagement and cooperation in order to encourage taking terror, including mass killings, burning of complete villages, constructive steps towards rehabilitation and inter-communal confiscation of lands and forced expulsion of thousands from reconciliation. their homes, wrote Ihsanoglu.

The OIC delegation was received in the capital city Nay He also pointed out that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, stated on Pyi Taw by the Union Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Borders July 27, 2012, “reliable reports point out to the systematic Affairs and Interior and Social Affairs and in Sitwee met discrimination against the Rohingya minority and the with the Union Minister of Borders Affairs once more in the participation of the security forces in the clashes”. The High presence of the Chief Minister of Rakhine State.

The OIC delegation signed on 11th September 2012 in Commissioner has on several occasions urged the government Nay Pyi Taw, a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with of Myanmar to allow Rohingya to regain their citizenship. the Ministry of Borders Affairs to implement a humanitarian However, the Government has not responded to any of the program for the benefit of all communities living in the State international calls and has yet to acknowledge the Rohingya of Rakhine.

Within the framework of the MoC, the OIC will as an ethnic minority even though the UNGA has adopted establish a coordination and monitoring presence in Yangon Res.64 /238 dated 26 March 2010 stating, “Rohingya are an and Sitwee under the assistance of the Union and local ethnic minority in northern Rakhine State.”

The Secretary General pointed out to President Obama that authorities to conduct humanitarian activities.

The OIC delegation also briefed the Ambassadors of the the OIC has repeatedly urged the Myanmar government to take immediate measures to put an end to the consecutive OIC Member States and met with Vijay Nambiar, the Special waves of violence and create a climate conducive to a Advisor of the UNSG for Myanmar as well as representatives national reconciliation through addressing the underlying of some international governmental and non-governmental causes of the problem, such as exclusion of the Rohingya agencies. humanitarian needs of the affected people in Rakhine State.

The OIC Secretary General had dispatched two highlevel fact-finding delegations to Myanmar who met with the President of Myanmar, senior officials and Rakhine community members. Ihsanoglu also sent letters to the President of Myanmar Thein Sein, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the Chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar.

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WORLD AFFAIRS

OIC and IPHRC strongly condemn assassination attempt of teen activist Malala in Pakistan

Pakistan establishes Malala Fund for Girls' Right to Education Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Spokesperson of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the shooting of a 14-year-old girl in Pakistan on 9 October 2012 for being an activist speaking out for girls’ rights to education. He stressed that the OIC is a strong supporter of women’s rights and considers that such a criminal act should not go unpunished and should be brought to justice. In this context, the Spokesperson commended the actions initiated by the authorities in Pakistan. The Spokesperson added that the OIC respects human rights including rights of women as provided for in its Ten Year Program of Action, Charter and the Statute of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission.

The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) also issued a statement condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the assassination attempt

against the Pakistani teenaged peace activist Malala Yousufzai. Expressing grave concern over the deplorable attack, the Commission commended the endeavors of the young activist who had been decorated by the Government of Pakistan and internationally acclaimed for heroic endeavors with particular reference to upholding the right to education for girls in the Sawat valley.

The Commission underscored that the right to education was a fundamental human right. It was obligatory for both Muslim men and women to seek education as per Quranic injunction. Accordingly, the IPHRC had identified right to education as a priority area for its immediate work in addition to the rights of women and children. IPHRC expressed its best wishes for a full and speedy recovery of the teenage activist who went under treatment in London.

IPHRC welcomed the timely actions undertaken by the Government of Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Commission emphasized the importance of universal education as a fundamental human right and expressed the hope that its future work in this area would augment the efforts and sacrifices made by activists, like young Malala, in the Member States.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari announced on December 10, 2012 a $10 million donation for a global war chest to educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai. The ‘Malala Fund for Girls’ Right to Education’ aims at raising billions of dollars to ensure that all girls go to school by 2015 in line with United Nations Millennium goals. The agreement was signed with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris at a high-level ceremony.

Ihsanoglu on official visit to Oman Muscat, Oman - Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), made an official to the Sultanate of Oman. Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, received the Secretary General in his office on September 4. The meeting reviewed the bilateral relations between the Sultanate and OIC and means of promoting them in various fields, as well as exchanging views on the international and regional issues of common concern.

The meeting was attended by Ahmed bin Yousef Al Harthy, Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for Diplomatic Affairs, Dr Ali bin Ahmed al Issaei, Head of the Minister’s Office Department, Salim bin Mohammed al Riyami, Head of the International Organizations Department, officials at the ministry and the delegation accompanying the Secretary General.

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OIC Secretary General meets Sultan Qabus

Developing OIC-French relations

concrete areas of cooperation.

Paris, France - Secretary General He also invited Minister Fabius of the Organization of Islamic to visit OIC Headquarters at an Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin appropriate time.

Ihsanoglu paid an official visit to France upon the invitation of the On the course of the meeting, Secretary General Ihsanoglu French Foreign Minister Laurant and Minister Fabius exchanged Fabius on 25 October 2012. views about the developments During the meeting with Foreign in Syria and Mali, as well as Minister Fabius at the French on the repercussions of the Foreign Ministry Quai D’Orsay production of despicable antion 2 October, Minister Fabius Islam film and the publication of underlined the French Government’s offensive caricatures in France. commitment to have close political ّIhsanoglu meets French Foreign Minister Laurant Fabius The Secretary General indicated dialogue and practical cooperation with the OIC and referred to his decision to appoint a Special the necessity to show respect to sanctity of religious values Envoy to the OIC last summer. He also reiterated President and underlined the need to refrain from abusing freedom of Hollande’s invitation to the OIC Secretary General to Paris expression. Both the Secretary General and Minister Fabius called on the international community not to be hostage of in the coming months.

Secretary General Ihsanoglu welcomed the interest and the extremists on either side.

During his visit to France, OIC Secretary General also commitment of the new French Government to further develop relations with the OIC and expressed his readiness met the OECD Secretary General and addressed the OECD to engage in regular political dialogue and to explore further Permanent Council where he focused on the potential avenues of cooperation with France. In this respect, he cooperation between the OECD and OIC member states. invited a delegation from the French Foreign Ministry to OIC He also came together with the OIC Group of Ambassadors General Secretariat in order to have further consultations on accredited to UNESCO.

A visit to Egypt in preparation for the Summit Cairo, Egypt - Ekmeleddin to take advantage of Egypt’s Ihsanoglu, OIC Secretary General, leading role in consolidating met with Egyptian Foreign Minister joint Islamic solidarity.

Mohamad Kamel Amr at the Foreign Later, Ihsanoglu met with Dr. Ministry in Cairo on 4 November Hesham Qandil, the Egyptian 2012. The two parties discussed Prime Minister, and outlined the bilateral relations between the with him the efforts made by OIC and Egypt as well as a number the OIC in areas of irrigation of regional issues, foremost of and conferences, as well as its which the situation in Syria. The vision on water in the Member two parties also discussed the States. The Secretary General The Secretary General with Egyptian Prime Minister Qandil violent actions perpetrated against briefed Dr. Qandil on the the Muslim Rohingya minority in the province of Arakan Organization’s efforts to increase the rate of trade exchange in Myanmar, and exchanged views on suggested effective between the Member States, pointing out that intra-OIC moves to deal positively with this issue, particularly at the trade has grown to about 18% for 2011 in the context level of international fora. The meeting also addressed the of the Organization’s endeavor to reach 20% by 2015. necessary arrangements for the convening of the twelfth The two sides also discussed the Organization’s efforts to Islamic summit scheduled to be held early February in increase the share of scientific research in national income Egypt. in the Member States.

The OIC Secretary General also met with Dr. Mohamed While Ihsanoglu was in Cairo, Pope Tawardros II was Ibrahim, Egyptian Minister of State of Antiquities, and nominated as Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the examined with him possible activities and projects that could Orthodox Church at the altar lottery on 4 November, and be undertaken by the two parties for the protection of Islamic he congratulated him on the nomination. Ihsanoglu also heritage and antiquities in the OIC Member States. congratulated the Egyptian people on the occasion, and more The Secretary General then met with the Vice President particularly the Egyptian Coptic community, and expressed of Egypt Mahmoud Mekki on 5 November and briefed him the hope that the nomination of Pope Tawadros II will usher on OIC activities at various levels. The meeting discussed in a new promising era that will be of great benefit to the enhancing the cooperation between the two sides in order country, which is now launched on a new democratic phase.

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SPECIAL REPORT 39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers:

Session of Solidarity for Sustainable Development

Maha Akeel Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti – The 39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC Member States (Session of Solidarity for Sustainable Development) opened on 15 November 2012 in Djibouti, capital city of the Republic of Djibouti. The Council adopted the “Djibouti Declaration” which addressed major issues affecting the Muslim world.

At the time of the CFM, Israel had renewed the escalation of its aggression on Gaza, and the Council issued a special communiqué in which it strongly condemned that and appealed upon the UN Security Council to assume its responsibility to safeguard international peace and security and to hold an immediate session to take the necessary steps to bring an end immediately to Zionist aggression and raids.

H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti addressed the Council in the opening session, followed by Erlan Idrissov, the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the 38th CFM, and Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Conference then elected Mahmoud Ali Yussof, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, as Chairman of the 39th CFM, and the Bureau, with Afghanistan, Palestine and Gabon as Vice Chairmen and Kazakhstan as Rapporteur.

A wide range of issues of interest to the Member States were discussed by the Council leading to the adoption of resolutions on various issues. On the sidelines of the CFM a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the OIC and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

A meeting of the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir was convened and a special committee meeting on the Rohingya issue was also held. The Council called upon OIC Member States to raise the issue of Rohingya at the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly to expedite the measures required to protect the Rohingya Muslims and to dispatch a Commission of Inquiry to Myanmar, in implementation of the resolution of the 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit in Makkah Al-Mukarramah.

The Council also requested the OIC General Secretariat to coordinate with the authorities in Myanmar for the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Contact Group on Rohingya to visit Myanmar to assess the needs of humanitarian assistance for those affected and coordinate with the authorities in Myanmar to develop a plan for the urgent provision of this assistance.

The Council adopted a resolution to establish two new OIC regional offices over the next two years with a view to enhance OIC capacity to achieve the objectives set out in the OIC Charter and the Ten-Year Program of Action. The Council welcomed the holding of the brainstorming session on an OIC approach for combating discrimination and intolerance against Islam and adopted the resolution for establishing a group of eminent scholars and human rights experts to draw up an effective strategy to address Islamophobia.

Ihsanoglu: This session is held at a time when some Muslim countries are hit by severe crises In his opening speech at the 39th CFM on November 15, 2012, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsnaoglu said that

The aggression on Gaza, rights of Rohingya and religious intolerance tops the agenda

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the awakening of peoples and their aspirations for decent life and good governance, which gives primacy to the supreme interests of peoples, and in which leaders serve their peoples, all that has engendered a shift in the balance of power, leading to an unprecedented movement. He stressed that the purpose of government is to meet people’s demands through peaceful dialogue and that goals should be achieved gradually. “This session in the Republic of Djibouti is particularly important in that it is held at a time when some countries in the Muslim world are hit by severe crises,” said Ihsanoglu.

Starting with the Palestinian issue and Israel’s continued occupation, violations of international law and aggressions including the latest attacks on Gaza, which he condemned strongly, the Secretary General talked about the deteriorating situation in Syria and welcomed the Syrian opposition’s agreement in the recent meeting in Doha to unify their ranks.

He also talked about the situation in Mali and the Sahel region as a matter of deep concern because it destabilizes peace and security in the entire region. In this connection, he reiterated OIC solidarity with the National Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali and its support of the Burkina-Faso-led mediation efforts put in by the ECOWAS. The OIC had recently dispatched a joint mission with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to assess the humanitarian needs of Mali. The Secretary General said he will also dispatch a high-level delegation from the General Secretariat to Mali and Burkina Faso to discuss the possibilities of starting peaceful negotiations that would spare the country the evils of war. Meanwhile, he expressed satisfaction over the recent positive developments in Somalia in which the OIC played and continues to play an active role.

Concerning the Sudan, the OIC Secretary General appealed to the international community to honor its commitments about writing off Sudan’s debt and supporting its economy to face the post-cessation challenges. In another respect, he called upon the Sudan and South Sudan to continue their negotiations in order to settle the outstanding issues in a spirit of brotherhood and good neighborliness. He also called for a peaceful solution to tension in South Kurdufan and the Blue Nile as well as for the implementation of the Doha Peace Process for Darfur.

The issue of Muslim minorities and communities around the world were also addressed, particularly in the Philippines, where Ihsanoglu welcomed the signing of the framework agreement between the government and the MILF on October 15, 2012 and hoped that it would be implemented in good faith and will not suffer the same fate of the previous agreements.

As for the serious violations perpetrated against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, he called on Islamic States members of the United Nations to submit draft resolutions to both the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council including OIC’s viewpoint pursuant to the resolutions of the Islamic Summit, to avoid that the relevant draft resolution of the European Union remains the only draft resolution at the UN. And with the continuing escalation, Ihsanoglu said that Member States are under an obligation to make out the case

to the Security Council since the acts committed against the Rohingya take the form of ethnic cleansing.

Ihsanoglu also brought up the issue of Muslims in Greece and Bulgaria and the continued efforts by the OIC to improve the conditions of Muslims in these two countries and in other countries. The OIC intends to send a delegation to Sofia to discuss the issues of Muslims in this country and launch a dialogue with the authorities in Bulgaria in the hopes of solving the problems facing Muslims there.

Ihsanoglu expressed his thanks to the Governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Azerbaijan for their voluntary contribution of US$ 3 million each to the General Secretariat, of which it was in dire need.

Communiqué issued by the 39th CFM on the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers strongly condemns the dangerous Israeli escalation against Gaza, which started yesterday morning and caused the death or wounding of tens of Palestinians in the Gaza strip, including women and children. The Council considers this barbaric aggression a continuation of the on-going savage and devastating war waged by the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip since 2008.

The Council observes that these serious acts of aggression are being committed at a time when efforts are continuing to reach a military truce in the Gaza Strip and accomplish a comprehensive Palestinian reconciliation.

The Council sees this premeditated wanton aggression as an attack on the entire Islamic Ummah and warns against the continued Israeli escalation and the attempt to reinvade the Gaza Strip, which will further fuel the conflict and take the region to the brink of an explosion.

The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers stands by the Palestinian people in their struggle to attain their legitimate rights in face of the Zionist criminal aggression and calls on the States of the world to stand against this aggression.

The Council also appeals upon the UN security Council to assume its responsibility to safeguard international peace and security and hold an immediate to take the necessary steps to bring an end immediately to Zionist aggression and raids currently being carried out against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, bring the perpetrators to account and protect the Palestinian people.

In his meeting with Ashton, Ihsanoglu urges Europe to pressure Israel to stop its aggression on Gaza The Secretary General held extensive bilateral talks with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Lady Catherine Ashton on the latest Israeli aggressions on Gaza and urged the EU to put pressure on Israel to stop the escalation. On the sidelines of the 39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers on 16 November 2012 in Djibouti, the Secretary General discussed several issues with Lady Ashton who participated the session upon the invitation of the Secretary General; the main issue was the Palestinian, in addition to Myanmar and UN HRC Resolution 16/ 18 on religious intolerance.

During the bilateral meeting, the OIC Secretary General stressed on the need to stop Israel from escalating the 21

SPECIAL REPORT

Lady Ashton arrives at the 39th CFM

violence and act with self-restraint. The Secretary General also discussed with Lady Ashton supporting the recognition of Palestine observer membership in the United Nations. He called for efforts to unify the different Palestinian factions, which would lead to efforts for a two-state solution based on negotiations by two equal parties that would be conducive to peace and security in the Middle East.

On the situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Ihsanoglu drew the attention of Lady Ashton to the escalation of violence against them, which is becoming an ethnic cleansing. He urged the international community to prevent this escalation, pressure the Government of Myanmar to act responsibly and to revisit the issue of sanctions against Myanmar. Ihsanoglu also stressed on pushing for unhindered humanitarian access by the international community for the affected victims.

Finally, Ihsanoglu and Ashton exchanged views on means to promoting and implementing UN HRC Resolution 16/ 18 on combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion or belief. The EU has agreed to host the next meeting of the process for implementing the resolution (Istanbul Process) in London.

UN and EU stress on greater collaboration with the OIC on issues of mutual concern In recent years, the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have been steadily developing collaboration on many fronts, from maintaining regional peace and security to providing humanitarian relief, to promoting sustainable development, to advocating mutual understanding and tolerance across the world, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

In his statement to the 39th CFM, which was read on his behalf by Haile Menkerios, Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Ban Ki-moon focused on supporting democratic transitions in the Arab world, the Middle East process and the two-state solution as well as resolving the situation in Syria and Myanmar. He thanked the OIC for its significant contribution to humanitarian efforts in Somalia, and for its role in bringing the transition to a peaceful end. He also pointed to OIC’s stand on the Sahel echoing the UN’s call for strengthened resilience and a collective response to the crisis there.

Furthermore, Ban Ki-moon expressed his great appreciation for the constructive involvement of the OIC in the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, and thanked the OIC for its critical 22

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role in helping bring about resolution 16 /18 of the Human Rights Council on combating negative stereotyping and stigmatization based on religion or belief.

He concluded by stating that cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC has never been more relevant or necessary. He urged the Foreign Ministers to help empower women and young people, direct public spending towards wise investments in human capital, and set an example of responsiveness and accountability on the part of government.

As for the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Lady Catherine Ashton who participated in the 39th CFM, which is the first time that an EU representative to do so upon the invitation of the OIC Secretary General, she also stressed on the importance of cooperation between the EU and the OIC. She particularly thanked the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and commended him on the leadership he has shown in advancing the OIC and EU mutual goals and in deepening the cooperation between us.

“Today both the European Union and the OIC share a joint responsibility: promoting dialogue and tolerance in pursuit of a common path towards reconciliation and peace. To advance these aims, we all need to protect a common belief in the principles and values of justice, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings,” she said. “Freedom and shared prosperity, human rights and human dignity are overarching values for us all,” she added.

Ashton stressed that a more intensive engagement between the European Union and the OIC can help achieve these common goals, even if differences remain.

Ihsanoglu mobilizes a unified stand on the issues of Gaza, Myanmar, Syria and Mali in his bilateral meetings Ihsanoglu held several high-level bilateral meetings at the 39th CFM mobilizing a unified stand on the escalation of Israeli aggression against Gaza, the continued violence in Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims and in Syria.

The Secretary General discussed the security and humanitarian developments in Mali and Sahel with the Foreign Minister of Mali and other African countries. He talked with the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan on its successful chairmanship of the 38th CFM and the establishment of the OIC office for food security in Kazakhstan.

In his meeting with the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, he reviewed the progress of the peace process in southern Philippines with the Muslim community.

He held separate meetings with the Chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). He then held a meeting that included the Foreign Minister of Djibouti and the Chairmen of MNLF and MILF that resulted in an agreement to activate the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum and a request for the OIC to formulate the guidelines for this forum.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of Central African Republic met with the OIC Secretary General where he raised the issue of their aspiration to become full members in the OIC. As for the Foreign Minister of Kosovo, he discussed support for Kosovo’s recognition as a state.

Ihsanoglu also met with US President’s Special Envoy to the OIC Rashad Hussein, to whom he conveyed his congratulations to President Obama on his reelection and discussed the letter he sent to President Obama regarding developments in Myanmar in light of the President’s upcoming visit to the country. Ihsanoglu also discussed promoting and implementing UN HRC Resolution 16 /18 on combating religious intolerance and incitement to hatred based on religion or belief.

Other bilateral meetings of the Secretary General were with the Foreign Ministers of Guinea, Somalia, Suriname, Pakistan, Gambia, Uganda, Chad, Cameroon, Turkey and Iraq.

Contact Group meeting on Jammu and Kashmir stresses on means for supporting Kashmiri people The Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met on 16 November 2012 on the sidelines of the 39th CFM. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mrs. Hina Rabbani Khar and high-level officials of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Niger attended the meeting.

Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu opened the meeting. In his statement, he reaffirmed the principal position of the OIC in fully supporting the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle to achieve their legitimate rights and stressed on considering new means for supporting them.

He announced that the delegation of the next visit Pakistan's Foreign Minister by the OIC Special Envoy to Jammu and Kashmir would include representatives of OIC subsidiary and specialized organs that can help deliver assistance.

Other distinguished members of the Contact Group also made statements and reiterated their continued support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. A statement was also made by one of the True Representatives of the Kashmiri people, who also presented a Memorandum to the Secretary General containing proposals for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Humanitarian NGOs granted consultative status At the 39th CFM, the Rules for Granting OIC Consultative Status to Humanitarian NGOs headquartered in an OIC member state were approved.

The Rules allow Humanitarian NGOs headquartered in an OIC Member State to apply for Consultative Status in the OIC. The humanitarian NGOs have to be registered officially and accredited to work in the activity specified in the application for consultative status. Muslim minorities and communities humanitarian relief organizations accredited in the States where these minorities and communities exist and

operate in their favor can also apply.

The qualified humanitarian NGOs by the OIC would enable them to participate in the meetings relevant to their activities and to provide consultations and advice in the humanitarian field to promote the principles and objectives of the OIC Charter.

Establishing OIC Food Security Institution The Council adopted several important resolutions in the economic field. The most significant of which is deciding to establish an OIC Food Security institution in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Council requested the Secretary General to convene a meeting of intergovernmental experts to finalize the constituent instrument of the institution. The Council also welcomed the offer of Djibouti to host a Center for OIC Food Security Reserve for East, Central and Southern Africa and Horn of Africa in Djibouti.

The Council approved the organization of a Stakeholder Conference on post-Conflict reconstruction in Somalia, in collaboration with UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation. It also approved the convening of the First Conference of the OIC Labour Minister in Azerbaijan on 2326 April 2013.

Fifth OIC Annual Report on Islamophobia Released The OIC Observatory on Islamophobia released its Fifth Annual Report covering the period from May 2011 to September 2012, at the commencement of the 39th Session of the CFM in Djibouti. In his foreword to the Report, the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu reiterated that Islamophobia formed a contemporary manifestation of racism and discrimination. The Secretary General further underscored that if the current trends are ignored, the long term implications of intolerance and discrimination against the Muslim world be far more intense than those witnessed recently and were highlighted in the Report.

The Report includes five chapters that have catalogued and analyzed Islamophobic incidents in different categories providing with an update on the state of play.

The concluding part of the Report underscored that a lot more needs to be done to effectively combat the anti-Islam phenomenon and correct the misperceptions against it and its followers, and that all stakeholders need to be politically and socially involved with an honest sincerity of purpose towards result-oriented reconciliation among different faiths and civilizations.

OIC Assistant Secretaries General (L to R) Amb. Abdul Moiz Bokhari, Amb. Samir Bakr, Amb. Abdullah Alim

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SPECIAL REPORT

Interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Erlan Idrissov

The primary goal of our Chairmanship was to strengthen the global competiveness of the Muslim Ummah The 39th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held in Djibouti in November 2012, marked the end of Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship of the CFM. The OIC Journal took the opportunity to review some of the most memorable moments of the Chairmanship with Erlan Idrissov, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan.

Your Excellency, as it has been often pointed out, Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship coincided with a very dramatic and challenging period for the Islamic Ummah.

Nevertheless, your country successfully navigated the OIC through the harsh realities of this period - what were the secrets of your success?

From the very outset of its Chairmanship Kazakhstan had a good understanding of the fundamental needs of the Islamic world and the priorities of its development.

The primary goal of our Chairmanship was to strengthen the global competiveness of the Muslim Ummah in the political, economic, socio-cultural and ideological spheres.

This point was made clearly by the President of Kazakhstan H.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev at the 38th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Astana. This vision laid the foundation for the agenda of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship, which we proposed in Astana and strictly followed.

Overall, our Chairmanship has witnessed a period of change, both for the Ummah and for the OIC. Of course, we could not have anticipated the uprisings, but we tried to keep a steady hand on the reigns, to listen to as many opinions as possible, and to build consensus. I think that the fact that we have chaired so many organizations in the past few years – like CICA, the OSCE, and the SCO – has helped prepare our diplomats for anything. Now we are looking forward to 24

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the next challenge of a non-permanent seat in the Security Council.

What were the main pillars of this agenda?

The Kazakh Chairmanship followed three major principles, namely Peace, Cooperation and Development, which became the slogan of the OIC CFM in Astana. These three keywords were not just a catchy motto, but our sincere vision of what we should do as the Chairman of the OIC. Concerning Peace, our biggest challenge was to manage the situation in the Middle East and the process of political transition after the uprisings in many countries of North Africa and the Middle East. In doing so, Kazakhstan was actively involved in supporting the Palestinian cause in a number of international fora, particularly the United Nations and leaded the first ever OIC delegation to the Holy See to raise the issue of Palestinian sovereignty over Catholic Church property in the occupied territories.

Kazakh observers also took part in OIC election observation missions in Algeria and post-revolutionary Tunisia.

A special case was Syria, where despite the efforts of the OIC and other international mediators, blood is still being shed. Unfortunately, the leadership of Syria missed numerous opportunities to address the legitimate aspirations of its people. The humanitarian situation worsens with every

passing day and the country is in a state of a civil war for which Syrians are paying a heavy price. As a pledge of Kazakhstan’s commitment to the OIC-led humanitarian assistance to Syria, my country recently allocated US$200.000 to help Syrian refugees. We remain very concerned about the situation, both within the country and because of the potential regional spill over.

Under the Kazakh Chairmanship the OIC had to deal with political unrest and hardships of Muslims also in other parts of the world?

That’s true. While the situation in North Africa and the Middle East were our highest priorities, we also had to address crises in other areas of the Islamic world. For example, over the past eighteen months, the OIC has taken a significant role in promoting peace in Mali, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Sudan and Somalia. The OIC community has also addressed the situation of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and raised funds for famine-stricken Somalia with a total amount of $500 million, which became a true symbol of Islamic solidarity.

Looking back at what has been done by the OIC in terms of peace-making and humanitarian assistance, I would like to avail of this opportunity to express a sincere gratitude to the OIC Secretary General, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for his unparalleled dedication and personal commitment to the values and goals of the Organization.

That said, I believe that much more can be done by the OIC in relation to conflict prevention and crisis management.

Wherever possible, the OIC should be a leading instrument for promoting peace and security in crises involving Islamic countries. I urge OIC Member States to further develop the organization’s capabilities in this respect.

We all know that Kazakhstan’s President, H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev clearly articulated some major initiatives for the Islamic world. How did the Kazakh OIC Chairmanship manage to put them into practice?

I believe that President Nazarbayev’s vision, as set out in his bold speech at the 38th OIC CFM in Astana last June, was for the long-term development of the Islamic world.

These were not objectives that we could achieve within a Chairmanship of just over one year. In that respect, I hope that future Chairmanships will be inspired by President Nazabayev’s call for a more competitive Ummah, and for Islamic countries to do more to help each other.

Our aim this year was to take some key steps in that direction. For instance, Kazakhstan proposed considering the OIC’s participation in G20 Summit meetings, not least to enhance the international visibility of the OIC, but also because OIC countries cover such a large percentage of humanity. We have also promoted a more active cooperation of the OIC with the EU, the OSCE and encouraged further contacts with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Among other big outcomes of Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship are the launching of the OIC Plan of Action for Cooperation

with Central Asia, the establishment of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission and the adoption of the OIC Water Vision.

Another major project proposed by Kazakhstan was the establishment of the OIC Food Security Office. We worked very hard to bring this project into existence for the longterm benefit of people in need throughout the OIC area. The result of these efforts became evident, when the last OIC CFM in Djibouti adopted a resolution on the establishment of the OIC Food Security Office with its headquarters to be based in Kazakhstan. Currently, Kazakhstan and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) are negotiating issues related to the establishment of feasible financial mechanisms to create an effective mutual food assistance system across the Islamic world. The same work is being done by Kazakhstan together with the IDB to launch a Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Fund.

I am proud of this legacy of our Chairmanship. I think that we not only demonstrated that Kazakhstan has the capacity to lead such a large organization during such a difficult time; we also managed to set in motion a number of initiatives that will have a positive impact on peoples lives for years to come.

The raw statistics of our Chairmanship also tell a good story.

We held 38 international Islamic events, which significantly enriched the agenda and practice of the OIC. The Member States held five meetings of the Executive Committee, two sessions of the Annual Coordination Meeting at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and a series of conferences on specific issues related to environment, health and science. In total there were 10 meetings at the ministerial level and this is the biggest number in the history of the OIC. But it is not just the quantity of meetings that counts, it is the quality, and the outcomes. I think history will show that under Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship, the OIC took important steps forward.

Your Excellency, finally, what are the most tangible benefits Kazakhstan gained from its experience as the OIC Chairmanship?

Kazakhstan’s capital Astana will always be mentioned as the place of the OIC’s rebirth, symbolized by the change of its name from the Organization of Islamic Conference to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. And we hope that the OIC will continue in “the spirit of Astana”.

The Chairmanship also provided my country with a chance to increase the awareness within the Islamic Ummah of Kazakhstan’s role as a responsible and mature state with an enormous potential for development. At the same time, Kazakhstan had the unique opportunity to deepen its selfperception as an inseparable part of the Ummah and to extend its relationship with the Islamic world.

Kazakhstan will continue to be actively engaged in OIC matters in order to enable the implementation of many initiatives that were launched during our Chairmanship, and to further achieve the OIC’s objectives. We will continue to work through the OIC, and other multi-lateral fora, to promote peace, cooperation and development.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshiar Zibari:

The Situation in Syria affects us, The choice is either political solution or failed state Syria is a big challenge and the situation there affects the situation in Iraq, according to Hoshiar Zibari, the Foreign Minister of Iraq. In an interview with the OIC Journal on the sidelines of the 39th CFM, Zibari stressed that Iraq has called for a political solution to the crisis in Syria and that Iraq has tried to maintain a balanced position.

Zibari explained that Syria is a real big challenge, not only for the country itself or the Arabs but to the whole Muslim world. “It has become an international crisis,” he said.

“Everyone is sorry and saddened by the spilling of Syrian blood, the bombing of residential areas and the suffering of the Syrian people, but no one has the solution or the key for settling this, instead there is pushing towards more escalation, which led to the increase in violence on both sides,” he added.

Zibari said that Iraq called for a political solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people. Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN and Arab League joint special envoy for Syria, is working on this and he is supported by the international, Arab and Muslim community, according to Zibari. “This is the only ray of hope,” he said. “The choice, really, in our estimation, is between a political solution that leads to a political, democratic transfer of power or a failed state in the heart of the Arab and Muslim world.” It is a difficult choice, and the sides should think whether there is an alternative, then let’s hear it. “That is why we in Iraq tried to maintain a balanced position, not out of support to the regime or Baath Party at all, but out of fear for our own national interests because among the effects of this crisis is the transfer of terrorism, sectarianism, extremism, immigration and refugees.” From this perspective, we tried to maintain a balanced position, not 26

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siding with the regime or the opposition, so that we can have a role in communicating with all sides and urge them towards a solution, he said.

As for the situation in Iraq and the continuation of violence, Zibari stressed that the situation in Iraq, despite some incidents of violence now and then, has improved from the perspective of security, economy and the opening of the world towards Iraq. He pointed out that after the change that took place and the forming of a constitutional and legal framework for the sustainability of a state, the situation is good. The whole region is going through a difficult time, he pointed out, but Iraq’s situation is relatively better than some Arab states that witnessed revolutions of the Arab Spring or what has been termed such. So, from this perspective, the situation in Iraq is moving towards stability and progress.

As for the bombing incidents we hear about in the media, Zibari said that these bombing are executed by terrorist groups and networks that are present in Iraq, and the situation in Syria affects Iraq, but it is not like before when it was on a daily basis. These groups try to execute a series of bombings to prove their presence, but not like before, and the sectarian violence has almost ended. On that note, he praised the role of the OIC and its initiative with the signing of the Makkah Declaration that ended the sectarian violence between the Shiat and Sunni. At the height of the sectarian war and terrorism, the OIC initiative had a positive influence on the political situation in Iraq and on the psychology of the Iraqi people, he said.

Somalia's first female Foreign Minister, Fawzia Y.H. Adam:

On the way to reconstructing Somalia

Fawzia Y. H. Adam was chosen by the President of Somalia to be Somalia’s first female foreign minister and deputy prime minister, and her first official trip is to the 39th CFM in Djibouti only two days after taking her position.

The OIC Journal took the opportunity to interview the intelligent, charming lady who has a difficult task ahead of her but was clearly capable of handling it.

What do you consider as your main challenge?

Somalia has been in a civil war for the last 30 years. A lot of destruction has taken place and a lot of bad publicity including terrorism, piracy, famine, refugees and all kinds of difficulties. My challenge is to change the image. Thank God the war is over, except for a few skirmishes here and there.

We have to reconstruct the country and bring it together. It is a challenge but also an opportunity to take part in the historic rebuilding of the country. So, I’m very pleased and looking forward to a successful Somalia in a few years.

How do you see the support of the international community, particularly the OIC and its member states?

We are very grateful, particularly to Turkey, which has taken the lion share in the rebuilding of Somalia in every sector. We are very grateful to every member state of the OIC, very grateful to the institution itself and looking forward to working closely with the OIC. Is security still an issue with the Shabab and pirates?

I think the pirates are less active at the moment as the world has taken a firm position on how to deal with them.

The Shabab are still there, very weak but still there. We are hoping they will be eliminated soon.

But the danger is less?

Much less.

With regards to development programs, what are your priorities?

We have 6 pillars that our president put together.

Institutional building is the first priority, but equally security is priority. Bringing back all the refugees around the world is a priority and assisting displaced people. Education and all social services are also a priority. It is a massive, massive, massive work but we have certain programs with the budget and agenda for addressing these priorities. It is in the very early stage. The cabinet was approved only two days ago and it shows how hard we are working that I am here. I’m looking forward to working closely with the Secretary General.

What is your message in your meeting today with the Secretary General?

The main message is to thank the Organization for keeping us a member for so long when we did not contribute anything during the past years. Secondly, to activate the humanitarian fund that is pending. And third, to see what the OIC can offer to help us as we need everything at this stage.

Worth noting is that the 39th CFM decided to establish a Trust Fund for Somalia to continue in relieving the suffering of the Somali people and contribute to peace-building, rehabilitation and development processes in the country.

The 39th CFM adopted a resolution on the situation in Somalia in which it welcomed the efforts made to end the transitional period and affirms its full support for its outcomes, including the successful political process, establishment of permanent institutions, drafting of an official constitution for the country, providing for the formation of a 275-member legislative body (directly selected by the Council of Elders and Tribal Leaders), the election of a new President for Somalia, and the constitution of a government of national unity.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Foreign Minister of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj: We are working on

getting membership in international organizations

For the first time a foreign minister of Kosovo participates in a CFM meeting.

The OIC Journal took the opportunity to interview Enver Hoxhaj, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo.

What is the status now of recognizing Kosovo as an independent state?

Kosovo now has been recognized by 95 countries, and the geography of recognition is a global one, the countries are from different parts of the world that have formally and officially recognized Kosovo as an independent state. What is more important is that the process of recognition is continuing, each week there are countries taking the decision. At the same time, we are working very hard in getting membership in different international organizations, and we are hoping that good news will come pretty soon.

What about the support of OIC and its member states?

We are very grateful for the support given to us, first by the Secretary General Prof. Ihsanoglu, and at the same time very grateful for the support of many OIC member states. For the time being there are 30 countries that have recognized Kosovo, but still there are 27 countries that did not take that decision. On the margins of this conference I met several OIC members, today I had 14 meetings, and I hope some of the countries will move on recognizing Kosovo.

We have been an oppressed nation for very long. We have been fighting for very long for justice, for dignity and liberty. We were oppressed by Serbia, which have committed genocide in Kosovo, killed thousands of people, destroyed our Islamic heritage and tried to wipe out our Islamic memory. In that sense, I’m appealing to the Islamic states to recognize Kosovo as an independent country because we are fighting for the same aspirations as some countries are fighting for today.

Maybe this is the fear, that some nations might seek what Kosovo is trying to achieve?

Kosovo has been part of Yugoslavia; it was never part of Serbia. When Yugoslavia ceased to exist as a multinational federative state, when Yugoslavia started its process of dissolution, which started first in Slovenia getting 28

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independence and then Croatia, of course other countries started to declare independence because all were sovereign nations within Yugoslav federation.

Kosovo was having in former Yugoslavia its own president, its own prime minister, its own parliament, justice system and institutions; all the attributes of a state. Secondly, Serbia has committed genocide in Kosovo and lost any kind of moral right to speak on Kosovo. Third, according to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, the UN was charged to administer Kosovo between June 1999 and December 2007.

The institutions of pre-independence Kosovo were created under the umbrella of the UN. We built a government at that time, a justice system, the basis for a market economy and created many laws. The main mandate of the resolution is to find a settlement between Kosovo and Serbia. My fourth point is that between 2005 and 2007 under the leadership of Martti Ahtisaari, as UN Special Envoy for Kosovo and Serbia, we had a negotiation process, a process which was designed by the international community. We accepted all the proposals coming from Serbia. Then, finally, Ahtisaari recommended independence as the best solution to Kosovo’s statehood.

My last argument is that Kosovo has not set any precedence for any parts of the world. Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by all neighboring countries in the region and by the majority of the European Union countries (22 out of 27). In addition, the international court of justice brought in July 2010 a clear verdict that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate international law, that Kosovo legally has the right to exist as an independent state. In that case, countries shouldn’t fear Kosovo’s experience because Kosovo was sovereign; it was not a cessation but a country which its independence in the framework of international administration and the framework of negotiations.

Minority Serbs in Kosovo have some concerns, how are you dealing with that?

Kosovo Serbs have been integrated in the best way in the local level institutions and the central level. They are enjoying the most extended rights that any community can have not only in the Balkans but across Europe. They are running 6 municipalities which are composed mostly by Kosovo Serbs. In the 120-seat parliament, 30 members are from the Kosovo Serb community. In our government, there is a deputy prime minister and 3 ministers from Kosovo Serb community, which means that they have been integrated at all levels of institutions.

Kosovo, today, is a very multiethnic, cohesive and inclusive state and society. At the same time, during the past 5 years we have undertaken measures and created mechanisms on how to protect the most important culture and heritage for the Serbs living in Kosovo and for the Serbs living elsewhere in the world. In that regard, we decided to establish protective zones around 45 churches and monasteries existing in Kosovo. We are proud of Kosovo being a multiethnic and multi-religious state and society.

Interview with HE President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh

The Resolutions adopted by this Session are highly important

At the end of the 39th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers the OIC Journal interviewed the President of Djibouti on the highlights of the Session.

Your Excellency, the 39th Session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) is the first OIC conference in Djibouti. What is the significance of this for Djibouti?

As you mentioned, the significance is that it is the first OIC conference to be held in the Republic of Djibouti. It is held at a critical stage in the history of our Islamic Ummah as it is faced with problems from all sides and when there are various political, cultural, social and economic challenges facing OIC Member States. Moreover, the Republic of Djibouti has succeeded in organizing this large and important conference: more than 37 foreign ministers and 650 delegation members attended. On the other hand, the resolutions adopted by this Session are highly important. All this indicates the profound significance of this conference and the success of the Djiboutian foreign policy and diplomacy in gaining the appreciation, respect and confidence of the OIC and Member States due to its neutrality, integrity and positive balance at all regional and international levels.

In your statement, you referred to the historical relationship between the beginning of the spread of Islam and Djibouti (or what was generally known at that time as Abyssinia). Can you tell us about this relationship and how it has evolved through the ages?

As you know, Islam entered our region before it entered Medina, the capital of the Islamic caliphate. Since the dawn of the Da’wa, the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) migrated to this region twice to protect their new right religion upon the order of the Prophet (PBUH) who advised them to go to Negus, the fair king of this region at that time. Since then Islam became firmly and deeply rooted here over the ages and spread to the Horn and east Africa.

The people of Djibouti are all Muslims.

They love their religion innately, are keen on their Islamic creed and heritage, and interact with the Islamic Ummah with tolerance and moderation. They maintain their constants and spiritual and cultural values with neither ‘ifrat’ (exaggeration) nor ‘tafreet’ (underestimation).

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SPECIAL REPORT In my opening statement, I mentioned that the idea of ​​ establishing the OIC, as mentioned by the late King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, was originally of the late Somali President Aden Abdullah Osman, who sent letters to the leaders of Islamic countries calling them to unite their efforts and hold a conference to organize their ranks and solve the difficult issues facing the Muslim Ummah at that time. This idea evolved into holding the Rabat Conference at the invitation of the late King Hassan II followed by the establishment of this prestigious and blessed organization.

This is another indication that our region has been a strategic depth to the Islamic Ummah and specifically the Arabian Peninsula where revelation took place, Muslims’ qibla lies, and the beloved Prophet (PBUH) is buried.

This Session coincided with the escalation of the Israeli aggression on Gaza. The CFM issued a special statement in which it strongly condemned the escalation that resulted in the killing of Palestinian innocent people and the destruction of their houses. How do you see the situation in Gaza, especially after the truce agreed upon between both parties? How can we resolve the Palestinian Question in light of Israel’s continuous aggression and settlement activities and threatening the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem in general with its excavations?

I hope the truce be honored because otherwise Israel would seize the opportunity to wage another war on Gaza that targets the unarmed innocent Palestinian people there and perhaps in other parts of Palestine. This is always expected from the Israelis who do not respect their covenants. During the period of Israeli occupation of Palestine and Arab territories they never honored their promises and do not want to resolve this issue that has unfortunately become the source of all problems in the Middle East and the world. Had the Israelis been serious about peace and ending this conflict, this issue would have been resolved a long time ago.

Of course, as long as settlement activities continue as well as targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque with the excavations under its foundations and the Judaization of Al-Quds, the peace process shall not progress and the negotiations shall not achieve any success. By these actions Israel provides the reason for resistance that would lead to actions and reactions and affect any progress in the negotiations for a peaceful and just solution.

In this regard, the international community should shoulder its historical and human responsibilities. It should stand in front of Israeli intransigence and pressure on Israel to respond to the international will and stop settlement and Judaization of Jerusalem, release Palestinian prisoners, stop arbitrary arrests and return to the negotiating table according to international decisions to put an end to this issue through the declaration of an independent Palestinian State on the agreed borders of its national territory and with Al-Quds as its capital.

In this context, I would like to congratulate the Palestinian leadership and people for their success in obtaining the observer membership at the United Nations. I hope they have 30

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full recognition in the near future.

I would also like to avail from this occasion to commend the important resolutions adopted at this 39th Session of the CFM in Djibouti regarding Al-Quds and Palestine which inevitably had a positive role in uniting the international attitudes for the State of Palestine to gain observer membership at the United Nations.

In your statement, you referred to the dangers of Islamophobia and deliberate distortion of Islam and Muslims by some quarters in the West for a variety of reasons. In your opinion, what is the best way to deal with this phenomenon and its implications? What is your assessment of the role played by the OIC to counter Islamophobia?

I think that the best thing that can be adopted in this matter is what was addressed at the brainstorming meeting held in Djibouti recently on the sidelines of the CFM. The resolution issued by this meeting provides an important vision and summary that renders the OIC the collective and consolidated platform for the efforts of Islamic countries and institutions in the fight against this phenomenon and its implications, especially after the appearance of abusive caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) which pained us deeply and resulted in various reactions in the Muslim world that include extremist reactions equivalent to the extremism and hatred of these caricatures.

In this regard, I would like to commend the role of the OIC Secretary General, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in monitoring the phenomenon of Islamophobia to refute and face it.

The unification of efforts and cooperation towards having unified Islamic channels that express moderate centrist Islamic thought which reflects the true face of Islam as the religion of justice, equality, progress, prosperity and civilization, is the successful way to dispel this phenomenon and eliminate it altogether.

I would also like to note with appreciation the initiative of King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for interfaith dialogue. This will gather the religious, jurisprudence and intellectual references of religions, cultures and civilizations to have a quiet and focused dialogue to come out with a cure for these phenomena that incite conflict and hatred among people and nations.

This 39th Session adopted a resolution on the establishment of the Office for Food Security. What does this mean for Member States, especially the African ones?

This resolution came after a long time of research and study by experts with view to enable and unite Muslims to confront all humanitarian disasters that may occur due to natural causes. In Djibouti, we proposed to host a regional office for food security because of the recurring famines that have been hitting the Horn and East Africa in recent years.

This requires us to be prepared with such food reserve that provides the necessary first aid in cases of recurrent drought and famine that hit the African continent now and then.

Of course, this can be only achieved by joining forces and solidarity among all Islamic countries according to their respective abilities, potentials and conditions in translation of the hadith of the Prophet (PBUH): “The connection between Muslims is like that of a strong building - one part strengthens another.�

In Djibouti, we have the appropriate sites and facilities at ports and are fully prepared for that. I hope that this resolution can be put it into practice soon.

The CFM adopted a resolution on the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. What is the background of this conflict and the importance of the resolution for you?

I would like to thank all the 57 Muslim countries that supported this resolution on the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. This is not a new position of all our brothers as it has been their stand since the start of this problem with Eritrea.

A few years ago, Eritrea occupied a Djiboutian territory.

There were clashes between both armies and victims fell and there were prisoners on both sides. From the very outset of this Eritrean attack, we sought to resolve the conflict by peaceful means and asked the mediation of our brothers so that the two peoples can avoid the consequences of any conflict that would affect the development and stability in both countries in particular and the region in general.

In spite of the numerous resolutions issued by the United Nations, the African Union, he IGAD countries and others against the Eritrean aggression, Eritrea still refuses so far to exchange of prisoners of war or hand over the lists of prisoners or the dead.

H.H. the Emir Qatar mediated in order to put an end to this conflict and we have provided our brothers in Qatar with the proofs of our rights. We expect that our brothers in Qatar would end this issue out of our belief in the wisdom and sagacity of H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, the Emir of Qatar.

The events in Somalia as a neighbor of Djibouti affect your country. How do you see the recent developments in Somalia and what is your outlook of the situation there?

Since its inception 23 years ago, the Somali crisis passed through several stages: the collapse of the State and its institutions, tribal war, failed international intervention, intervention of regional states in the Somali equation, and reconciliation attempts at home and abroad. Djibouti hosted 4 such conferences of reconciliation: the first and second ones since the beginning of the crisis in 1991 and the third in Arta in 2000 at which Somali tribal reconciliation was achieved.

Then Djibouti hosted the conference at which the previous Somali government led by Abdullah Yusuf and the Union of Islamic Courts agreed. This was followed by the election of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. During his term, the Somali State started to move towards relative stability but the advent of Shabab Mujahideen negatively impacted the stability of the Somali government. Recently, the new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud was democratically elected in a true translation of the satisfaction of the Somali people at

this stage with a peaceful and smooth transition of power by members of the Somali parliament and for the first time in Somalia since the collapse of the Somali State.

The new president started his negotiations to form the government and moved internally and externally to stabilize the central State that can control the entire national territory. In this regard, I would like to commend the AU countries which have been supporting the successive Somali governments with the (AMISOM) troops that helped the government forces in defeating Shabab Mujahideen and consolidating the foundations of the Somali State. However, the objective is not for these troops to remain in Somalia for ever but to stabilize the Somali government to have full power on its territory. This can be achieved only by a unified Arab, Islamic and international position to support the Somali President and government to build the army and security. This can be followed by economic support to create State institutions that will manage the affairs of state. Shabab Mujahideen or other extremist groups or armed militias exploit the dire needs of young people and children and recruit them. If these youth are recruited into the ranks of the regular security forces to protect the State and its institutions and if jobs are created for them, we will be able to actually help the Somali people and eliminate piracy and lawlessness in this ancient ArabIslamic State that has all the elements of stability, prosperity and development but only lacks the international will to achieve this. Somalia is the only African country that speaks one language and has one religion and doctrine.

I would like here to commend the OIC efforts towards Somalia and call upon it to continue the adoption of such a position that unites the efforts of Member States to work for the consolidation of the nascent Somali State.

The crisis in Mali raises serious concern in the Sahel region as a whole. What are the effects of this crisis? And how do you see the way to solve it?

It is a worrying crisis indeed. Here I would like once again to commend the resolutions of the 39th CFM in Djibouti on Mali. We believe that the solution to this issue will be through the consolidation of international efforts to combat extremism, terrorism and insecurity in many areas of our Islamic countries, which has general effects on all of us. As we have mentioned regarding Somalia, what happens in Mali and other Sahel countries is the same worrying phenomenon that affects the economy and development of these poor people and make them more miserable. Generally speaking, these phenomena can only be eliminated through the consolidation of regional and international efforts and making security and political action compatible with economic reform efforts which are the only way for the peoples of these countries out of poverty, destitution and need that make young people turn to extremism. Effective Islamic solidarity in creating unified economic strategies, such as strengthening partnerships and development of Zakat and Awqaf beyond the borders of a single country become the best way out.

Here the role of the OIC becomes more asserted in coordinating and unifying these efforts towards this target.

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OIC NEWS Sultan of Brunei receives Ihsanoglu

OIC Secretary General meeting Sultan of Brunei Darussalam

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam - The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu was received

by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Perutan of Brunei Darussalam Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at his palace today on December 1, 2012. Ihsanoglu was on a two-day long official visit to the country. During the discussion the Sultan

reiterated his commitment and support to the OIC as well as to the causes of the Muslim Ummah.

OIC Secretary General on his part briefed the Sultan on the activities of the Organization. Both sides exchanged views on issues of crucial importance for the Muslim World including the situation in Palestine, developments in the Middle East with emphasis on Syria, problems of the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, implementation of the OIC Ten Year Program of Action and OIC-Brunei cooperation.

Earlier in the day the Secretary General had a bilateral meeting with His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Besides the issues of mutual and international concern, their discussion focused on increasing active participation of Brunei in the OIC activities.

The Secretary General paid a courtesy visit to the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah. He also delivered a lecture under the “Eminent Speakers’ Lecture Series” on “the Muslim World in the 21st Century” at The Core, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Ihsanoglu meets Morocco's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rabat, Morocco – Abdelilah Benkirane, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, received at the Headquarters of the Prime Ministry in Rabat on 13 December 2012, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

The meeting reviewed areas of joint Islamic action and the role of the OIC in developing it and expanding its scope by implementing the Ten-Year Program of Action adopted by the 2005 Makkah Summit. The Prime Minister praised the effective role the OIC is now playing in the international scene to support the just causes of Muslims, chiefly the cause of Palestine and the Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benkirane expressed the determination of Morocco, a founding Member State of the OIC, to continue to support the Organization and all its activities.

For his part, the Secretary General commended the Moroccan experiment in democratic transformation thanks to the wise and clear-sighted leadership of His Majesty King Mohamed VI, which anchored the interplay of security, stability and openness on the necessity of participation and reform through a democratically-elected government.

The Secretary General visited the Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade (ICDT), where he followed a presentation on the programs and activities of the Centre and gave directives for intra-trade among OIC member states to be developed.

On the margins of his participation in the 4th meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People Group, held in Marrakech, Morocco, on 12 December 2012, the Secretary General also met with Dr. Saad Dine El Otmani, 32

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Ihsanoglu with the Prime Minister of Morocco

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco.

The two sides reviewed the tragic situation in Syria with the continuation of bloodshed, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Syrian citizens and rendered more than 1.5 million of them displaced or refugees. They stressed the need to act quickly to find a peaceful solution that would guarantee transfer of power to meet the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

They also reviewed the latest developments on the Palestinian question in light of the State of Palestine obtaining the status of an observer state at the United Nations. They stressed the need for all Member States to stand in solidarity with and support the State of Palestine at international fora.

OIC participates in the First Istanbul World Forum on ‘International System and Justice’

Istanbul, Turkey – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu participated in the Panel on ‘International System and Justice’ during the First Istanbul World Forum organized by the Turkish Prime Ministry and the SETA Foundation in Istanbul on 13 October 2012.

In his intervention, the Secretary General highlighted the challenges faced by the World today related to Justice and International System and underlined the need to revise the existing understandings, reaffirm certain perceptions and modify others about concepts like justice, development, international governance, reconciliation and confidencebuilding, diversity and coexistence. In the context of major transformations observed today at national, regional and global levels as well as peoples’ evolving aspirations for peace and welfare, Secretary General alluded to the roles incumbent upon governments, international organizations, and civil society in order to ensure promotion and protection of a new international system towards eventually having a more fair, pluralistic and stable system.

In his statement, he also stressed the importance of ensuring justice for all as well as observing the broad range of Human Rights and the Rule of Law as the basic principles and guidelines of governance. He also recognized the increasingly decisive role of the civil society in building and sustaining a new international system as is observed in the events and developments unfolding around the globe in response to people’s expectations and struggles for a peaceful and more democratic world order.

The Secretary General stated that given the complex state of current global crises, the need to reform the United Nations Security Council is felt stronger than ever. He said that the OIC should have its rightful place in the reformed Security Council, as it is the sole official representative of the Muslim World containing a quarter of the world population.

Ihsanoglu underscored the necessity of having better understanding of peaceful coexistence among the followers of different religions, faiths, as well as the followers of other traditions, based on respect to human dignity as the core value.

Asian Dialogue sets the stage for a new chapter of cooperation with OIC Ihsanoglu underlined the OIC’s intent to continue its Kuwait city, Kuwait – Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), efforts to encourage and promote cooperation with the said that the OIC’s participation in the Asian Cooperation Asian Cooperation Dialogue in order to prepare the right Dialogue, sets the stage for a new chapter of cooperation environment through which the beams of human innovative between the two organizations. He further expressed his potential may be focused on social development and confidence that this cooperation will witness a continued economic progress for all the partners.

The OIC Secretary General said that the year 2002 growth for the achievement of a twofold joint objective: boosting relations and stimulating economic and social had witnessed the inauguration of the Forum for Asian Cooperation Dialogue, in Thailand, with a view to promoting development for the peoples of the Islamic world.

These statements were included in the OIC Secretary solidarity among the Asian States and building up their General’s address, delivered on his behalf by Amb. Samir competitive capacities through an optimal use of the wide Bakr Diab, Assistant Secretary General for the Affairs of spectrum of resources available to them. He called upon Palestine and Al Quds, to the first Summit of the Asian today’s world where globalization is the buzzword, to go beyond the notion of national frontiers..

Dialogue, held in Kuwait, on 16 October 2012.

Secretary General of the OIC congratulates the President of Sierra Leone on his re-election Free Town, Sierra Leone – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu congratulated the President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma on his re-election.

The Secretary General further expressed the hope that this historical event would further give him the opportunity to lead his country’s people towards greater prosperity, democracy, stability and development. He also appealed to other candidates and their supporters to accept the results

and to only resort to constitutional means in case of any electoral dispute. The Secretary General then reiterated the determination of the OIC to continue to support Sierra Leone in its peace-building efforts.

An OIC delegation of observers had taken part in monitoring the Presidential, Parliamentary, and District Council elections on 17 November 2012 upon an invitation from the Government of Sierra Leone.

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Ihsanoglu calls on President Obama to continue engaging with the Muslim world Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu sent a letter to US President Barack H. Obama congratulating him on winning a second term and calling on him to continue his engagement with the Muslim world, which he launched at the start of his first term.

Ihsanoglu expressed his sincere congratulations and felicitations on Obama’s resounding re-election to a second term as President of the United States of America. He took the opportunity to remind Obama of the bold initiative he undertook in his first term of engaging with the outside world, in particular with the Muslim world in June 2009 at the Cairo University, which demonstrated vision and leadership.

The Secretary General was among the guests invited to the event at the Cairo University, which, according to him,

aroused great hopes and expectations of an evenhanded policy of the US in addressing the outstanding issues in the Middle East region, and in combating and countering the forces of intolerance and prejudice that seek to create divisions. Hence, Ihsanoglu hoped that the enthusiasm that was generated from the speech Obama delivered in Cairo will find greater resonance in his second term.

The Secretary General expressed his joy that the OIC was able to build up a relationship with the US of trust, confidence and cooperation, and that the OIC looks forward to strengthening this relationship in substance in the coming years. Ihsanoglu assured Obama of OIC’s commitment to work with him and his government in close cooperation to bring peace, progress and harmony to people.

Ihsanoglu conveys OIC solidarity with Mali to President Traoré Bamako, Mali – The Interim President of the Republic of Mali H.E. Dr. Dioncounda Traoré received on 26 November 2012 a high-level OIC delegation in his office in Bamako.

During the audience, the delegation delivered a special written message from the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. In the message, the Secretary General conveyed the full solidarity of the OIC with the Republic of Mali in its endeavors to preserve its national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The President, on his part, commended the initiative of the Secretary General and requested the OIC to continue its support for Mali in the search for a peaceful resolution to the current crisis in his country.

Earlier, the delegation met with the Foreign Minister, Tieman Coulibaly, and exchanged views on the ongoing efforts to solve the conflict in Mali and the Sahel.

On December 11, soldiers arrested Mali’s Prime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra at his residence and later he appeared on national television and announced his government’s resignation. Hours later, Mali’s President named Diango Sissoko as the new Prime Minister.

The house arrested of Diarra shows that the military remains the real power in the troubled West African nation despite handing back authority to civilians after a coup in March.

The United Nations is considering backing a military intervention in Mali. The recent developments have drawn international rebuke and raised questions about the viability of the military operation, which would use the country’s military to try to take back Mali’s north from Islamic extremists.

President of Burkina Faso receives OIC delegation in Ouagadougou Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – The President of Burkina Faso H.E. Blaise Compaoré received on 29 November 2012, a high-level OIC delegation in his office in Ouagadougou.

During the audience, the delegation delivered a special written message from the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in which he conveyed the appreciation of the role of the President in his capacity as the ECOWAS-led mediator on the crisis in Mali and reiterated the continued support of the OIC in its mediation efforts slated to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Mali within the framework of preserving its

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national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The President, for his part, commended the active peacebuilding engagement of the OIC in the region and invited the OIC to participate in the planned first face-to-face meeting in Ouagadougou between representatives of the Government of Mali and the Malian rebel movements.

Earlier, the Delegation had met with the Foreign Minister Djibril Bassolé and exchanged views on the ongoing mediation efforts to solve the conflict in Mali and the Sahel.

OIC Participates in 4th UTSAM Symposium on Combating International Terrorism and Trans-border Criminality

Antalya, Turkey – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) took part in the 4th edition of the Symposium on International Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) held by the International Terrorism and Transnational Crime Research Center (UTSAM) over 7 -9 December 2012 in Antalya, Republic of Turkey.

This year’s edition of the Symposium stood out by the wide diversity of expert participants representing academia, law-enforcement agencies, international and regional organizations as well as NGOs. The working papers and debates during the three-day event focused heavily on the evolving nexus between terrorism networks and cross-border criminality, particularly in fragile and failed States.

The OIC emphasized the need for reinforcing the

international legal arsenal within a multi-pronged approach that should address the roots causes of the phenomena of terrorism and extremism. It also highlighted the endeavors deployed by the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, to hold a high-level international conference under the auspices of the United Nations in a bid to develop a joint action by the international community against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and to articulate a consensual definition of terrorism.

Among the prominent issues explored during the Symposium was the imperative of tackling the corruptive power of transnational criminal networks by dismantling their infrastructures and pre-empting any alliance between transnational criminality and terrorist activities.

Pakistan ratifies and Gambia signs OIC Statute of Women Development Organization

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – A signing ceremony of the statute of the Women Development Organization (WDO) was held at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on 30 December 2012 by two Member States. Pakistan ratified the statute of the Women Development Organization (WDO) while Gambia signed the document. The WDO would be a specialized body of the OIC for the empowerment of women in the Member States and it to be based in Cairo, Egypt. More signing and ratification of the statute of the Women Development Organization are expected during the

upcoming 12th Islamic Summit in Cairo in early February 2013.

Indonesia was the last country that signed the Statute during the 4th Ministerial Conference on Women’s Role in the Development of OIC Member States, which was held on 4- 6 December 2012 in Jakarta.

The WDO will start functioning once the required number of ratifications by the Member States is obtained. With Pakistan the number of ratifications stands at two.

OIC participates in NAUSS Conference on ‘Impact of Terrorism on Social Development’

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The Organization of Islamic participants underlined the pernicious impact of terrorism on Cooperation took part in a conference on counter-terrorism social development and growth, the role of civil institutions co-organized by Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in combating terrorism, the funding of terrorist activities, (NAUSS) and the Council of Arab Ministers of Social the role of government and social institutions in facing Affairs on 24- 26 November 2012 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. terrorist activities, and the role of women and the family The Conference pooled together over 200 counter-terrorism in strengthening national identity as part of long-term antiexperts, practitioners, and law-enforcement officials from terrorism strategies. The experiences conducted in the field a dozen Arab countries and eight European and American of counter-terrorism of nine OIC Member States, namely countries.

Algeria, Egypt, Iraq Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, In a statement addressed to the Conference, the OIC Sudan, and UAE, were explored and debated.

Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu reiterated the In its concluding session, the Conference adopted a set of principled position of the OIC of rejecting terrorism in all recommendations, notably an OIC recommendation calling forms and manifestations or any justification or rationalization for a scale-up of support for the implementation of the OICfor it. He reaffirmed the call launched by the OIC to support sponsored HRC Resolution 16/ 18 on combating defamation global efforts to articulate a consensual definition of terrorism of religions, particularly as the scourge of Islamophobia is and to develop an ‘International Code of Conduct to Combat increasingly threatening not just social cohesion and peaceful Terrorism.’ coexistence in many communities around the world, but it During the three-day sessions of the conference, held more dangerously poses a daunting challenge to international under the theme “Security is the Responsibility of All”, peace and security.

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OIC establishes a Humanitarian Alliance for Syria

Ihsanoglu: the Syrian crisis moving towards Dénouement

Aiman Abboushi Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), indicated that the Syrian crisis is passing through its final chapters. In a press conference on 18 December 2012, Ihsanoglu asserted that the crisis is passing through critical stages that require international agreement to ceasefire and commence a political resolution that paves the way for a genuine political transition in Syria. He stressed that the solution should be viable and should contribute to establishing a regime that gathers rather than disperses the Syrians, expresses the hopes of the Syrian people, and does not repeat the mistakes that took place in Iraq. Ihsanoglu expressed his keenness on preserving the Syrian State institutions and that at this point of no-return all stakeholders await compromises on the part of the Syrian government.

In the same context, the OIC Secretary General warned that the tragic situation in Syria would devolve into a civil war that would claim more innocent lives and its effects would extend to the neighboring countries and the entire region. In his statement before the Fourth Friends of Syria Meeting held on 12 December 2012 in Marrakesh, Ihsanoglu reiterated that moral obligations dictate that all stakeholders should extend urgent help to the victims of violence.

Ihsanoglu expressed profound concern and bitterness on the deteriorating situation in Syria despite the collective efforts exerted by the international community to solve this crisis in light of the ongoing massacres, random killing of innocent civilians, mostly children and women, and the havoc that is being wreaked on homes and infrastructure.

In reply to a question on the possibility of appointing a representative of Syrian opposition at the OIC at the press conference he held in Jeddah, Ihsanoglu indicated that this issue had not been discussed. However, he noted that communications with the coalition of Syrian opposition forces and other stakeholders have been going on.

On the sidelines of Marrakesh Meeting, Ihsanoglu received Ahmad Muaz Al-Khatib, chairman of the coalition of Syrian opposition forces, and George Sabra, Head of Syrian National Council. This was the first time the OIC Secretary General meets prominent opposition leaders 36

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indicating a transformation in the OIC policy. The OIC had suspended Syria's membership at the Fourth Extraordinary Summit held last August in Makkah. Ihsanoglu reviewed with the two opposition leaders the situation in Syria and the results of the Friends of Syria Meeting.

At the press conference, Ihsanoglu also explained that the Syrian opposition asserted to the OIC during the Marrakesh Meeting its desire to receive OIC’s political and humanitarian support.

He said that the Marrakesh Meeting conveyed an explicit message regarding the recognition of the coalition of Syrian opposition forces that reflects a broader political support and focuses the hope of the international community on the new political leadership. However, he noted that recognition of the coalition is a sovereign matter for each of the OIC Member States.

Humanitarian Forum for Syria: On the other hand, Ihsanoglu revealed that the OIC Humanitarian Alliance for Syria that includes 30 Islamic relief organizations commenced its work. He indicated that the OIC contacted the Turkish government to open a humanitarian office in Turkey to follow up the situation of the Syrian refugees there and coordinate the provision of humanitarian assistance to them. He said that the OIC humanitarian programs for Syria focus on four urgent aspects: food, shelter, health and education.

The OIC held a humanitarian forum in Istanbul on 24 November 2012. In his statement at the forum, Ihsanoglu stressed that the Syrian regime, by refusing OIC’s good offices and ignoring international efforts, intentionally adopts the scorched earth policy and takes the crisis towards the most critical stages. He said that the Syrian regime waged a fierce war that wreaked havoc on infrastructure and displaced millions of Syrians. At the Humanitarian Consultative Forum on Syria, Ihsanoglu accentuated that the bitter reality requires the Forum to show deeper humanitarian and political responsibility towards the current and future developments in Syria.

OIC calls to avoid involving Palestinians in the Syrian crisis: The OIC Secretary General condemned strongly the targeting and shelling of Yarmuk camp for Palestinian refugees in Syria by the forces of the Syrian regime, which caused the death and injury of tens of Palestinians, describing this aggression as a dangerous and unjustified escalation and insisting on the need for it to be stopped immediately.

Ihsanoglu affirmed the need to avoid involving Palestinians in the Syrian crisis. He called at the same time for providing support to Palestinian refugees in Syria, avoiding causing them any harm and sparing them the adverse impacts of the current events in Syria.

Ihsanoglu and El-Araby discuss regional issues at OIC Headquarters

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu received on December 20, 2012 at his office, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States (LAS) Dr. Nabil El-Araby. The two secretaries general discussed regional issues, particularly the Palestinian issue and the Israeli settlements, in addition to the fallouts to the Syrian crisis, Islamophobia and other issues of mutual concern.

During their meeting, the two sides stressed on increasing the cooperation and coordination between the OIC and the LAS, especially with regards their work at the United Nations. The meeting further addressed the need for joint cooperation and coordination between the two organizations and their member states over the conference for making the Middle East a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction that is supposed to take place in Helsinki, Finland.

In a press conference following a long meeting, Ihsanoglu said that new horizons of cooperation and coordination have opened with the League of Arab States (LAS) on regional issues. El-Araby, who was visiting the

OIC for the first time, also pointed to the complete agreement of perspectives between the two organizations, especially with regards the Palestinian and Syrian issues. He highly praised the leadership and knowledge of Ihsanoglu and the contributions of the OIC on various issues hoping that the constructive cooperation between the two organizations would continue.

With regards the attacks on Yarmuk camps at the Syrian capital Damascus, El Araby said that he tried to call the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Almuallem, who did not answer his call, and, according to El-Araby, currently there are no contacts with Syria after the suspension of its membership from the League. However, he said that he had several talks with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and that there are contacts with the United Nations over this issue.

On the other hand, El-Araby stressed that there is a need to reconsider the way the Palestinian issue is being addressed at the United Nations. He referred to the points made by the Arab initiative committee during the meeting in Doha under the Qatari chairmanship on December 9, 2012 and an agreed upon plan on how to proceed with contacts over the issue with the Security Council. However, he denied any change to the Arab initiative, which was made by the Arab leaders and which the foreign ministers cannot make a decision about, he stressed.

On the Syrian issue, the Arab League Secretary General answered a question on the failure of the mission of the UN-Arab League Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi by saying that it is early to pass judgment especially that Brahimi began his mission only three months ago.

However, El Araby pointed out that Brahimi has succeeded in holding a meeting between the foreign ministers of the US and Russia in Dublin and between their deputies in Geneva, revealing that Brahimi is continuing his efforts and will be proposing new initiatives.

Meanwhile, El-Araby agreed with Ihsanoglu’s statement in which he said that “the Syrian regime has entered the phase of no return”, saying that it means there is no return to the old regime. He pointed out that there is in fact an agreement since June 30 of this year at a Geneva meeting of the five major countries over two important matters: the launch of the transitional phase and forming a recognized government, which is what Brahimi is exploring. El Araby stressed that there is close coordination with the OIC on the Syrian and Palestinian issues.

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Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States seeks observer status in the OIC The Turkic Council delegation also briefed the officials of the OIC and the representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps in Jeddah about the structure and activities of the Turkic Council.

Secretary Generals of the OIC and the Turkic Council expressed their hope that this visit would be the beginning of a fruitful cooperation that will serve the common interests of both organizations.

Akinci spoke with the OIC Journal about the Turkic Council and prospects of cooperation with the OIC. He said that what the Turkic Council can contribute to the activities of older organizations active in the region such as the OIC and ECO is in local knowledge. “Being a small organization I think is an advantage because we have detailed knowledge of the problems and opportunities. We will have maximum 6 members so we can concentrate on OIC Secretary General speaks with the Secretary General of Turkic Council in his office regional issues.”

The aim of the Turkic Council is integration, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – At the invitation of Secretary explained Akinci. “The building blocks are usually General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) economic and the cement is culture. The idea that nourished Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Halil Akinci, Secretary General of the Turkish Council is cultural at the outset, but of course we the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic have to take pragmatic steps in order to solidify the cultural Council) and his delegation paid an official visit to the aspects that already existed and establish long-lasting Headquarters of the OIC in Jeddah on 22 December 2012. relations and we have to start with economic integration.”

This was the first visit from the Turkic Council to the OIC The Turkic Council is a young organization, only two and the first official meeting between the two organizations. years old (2009), and in the course of the two years it held The Turkic Council is an intergovernmental organization two meetings of economic ministers and several meetings whose overarching aim is promoting comprehensive of working groups. It is working on complete projects, cooperation among Turkic states. The founding and current for example, it has a group for entrepreneurship, which members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and will contribute to the development of SMEs because these Turkey. The Organization was established by the Nakhchivan enterprises create employment and economic activity at the Agreement, which was signed in 2009 by the Presidents of local level. It also has a group on diversification because the the four states. members want to avoid their economies becoming a single At the meeting in OIC, the two Secretaries General crop economy, particularly Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are discussed issues of common interest, including ways of rich in energy resources but they should not depend on deepening cooperation between the two organizations to energy resources. The Council also has a group on transport address the common challenges facing the Muslim world. and customs. It is trying to make legislation uniformed as They also shared views on regional and global matters and much as possible because a businessman should know what how to jointly contribute to peace, security, stability and kind of rules to expect in starting a business in a member prosperity of their common region and the world at large. country.

Halil Akinci, with a view to establishing working In terms of cooperation with the OIC, Akinci said that relations between the two organizations on an institutional the Turkic Council intends to cooperate in every field within basis, stated that the Turkic Council is interested in gaining an institutional framework, “which is why it would be Observer Status at the OIC and that the due process will much easier for us to cooperate if we were granted observer be initiated at the earliest. The four members of the Turkic status.”

Council, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and The OIC is already working on projects in Central Asia, Turkey are also members of the OIC. Both Secretaries which the Turkic Council is interested in contributing to, General welcomed the prospect of working more closely namely the railway link and the OIC Plan of Action for together.

Central Asia. To supplement these programs, the Turkic Various departments of the OIC made individual Council shall concentrate on the Caspian Crossing and also presentations to the Turkic Council delegation on the shorten the route between China and Europe to attract transit activities of the OIC and prospective areas of cooperation. trade, which is already taking place by investing in roads.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

OIC-OCHA partnership mission explores humanitarian crisis in Sahel region

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – A joint partnership mission to the West African Sahel Region led by the OIC and OCHA ended on 21 October 2012 in Ouagadougou, after visiting Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, respectively.

The mission also included participants from Azerbaijan, Brunei Darussalam, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and representatives from the African Union, ECOWAS, Islamic Development Bank, Red Crescent Societies, Direct Aid and the International Islamic Charity.

The objective of the mission was to gather first-hand information and witness the impact of the humanitarian crisis in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and further explore best ways of strengthening cooperation between the OIC, UN, regional organizations and NGOs in addressing identified humanitarian needs by respective Governments.

The mission met with high-level officials, including Ministers, local authorities, civil societies, non-governmental organizations, donor representatives and the United Nations representatives and it received comprehensive briefings on

the current humanitarian concerns in the three countries. The delegation also visited several projects in the field where they met with people affected by food insecurity, malnutrition, displacement, and flooding. They saw concrete programs being implemented by local authorities and humanitarian workers to alleviate the suffering of the affected people.

This provided them with a better picture of real needs and challenges faced on a day-to-day basis by people of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso, the mission visited Mentao refugees’ camp where it saw the impact of the escalating situation in Mali on the refugees and the support being provided by humanitarian actors in support of the Government.

The findings of the mission reinforced the need to implement approaches that build the resilience of the population to overcome recurrent shocks and the need to ensure stronger linkages between humanitarian programming, early recovery initiatives and sustainable development efforts.

Saudi Arabia commended for its humanitarian support to Somalia and Gaza Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the a total cost of SR8,568,750.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin This project comes within the framework of the ongoing Ihsanoglu expressed his thanks and gratitude for the cooperation between the Saudi committees and campaigns, continued efforts of the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the OIC to promote the principles of Islamic values of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, for his country’s continued reviving the spirit of solidarity and participation in this event generosity in supporting plagued Muslim peoples. He and to contribute to the needs of thousands affected families, underscored the Kingdom’s contribution to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza and Somalia through the the poor, widows and orphans. The project will satisfy the directives of HRH Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz, the Interior needs of more than 600,000 beneficiaries, making Saudi Minister, General Supervisor of the Saudi Relief Committees Arabia at the forefront in supporting the humanitarian cause and Campaigns, on implementation of the project of Eid Al- and strengthening Islamic solidarity among the peoples of Adha Sacrificial meat project for Palestinians and Somalis at the Islamic World.

Appeal for help to Sierra Leone, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria and Sudan following floods Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The OIC Secretary General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has called on all Member States and the international community at large to urgently extend humanitarian assistance to Sierra Leone following the outbreak of one of the worst cholera epidemics in the country, which has so far affected more than 12,000 people.

Ihsanoglu expressed fears that this preventable and curable disease could contaminate more people unless safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, quick and effective medical care were readily available to the people.

The Secretary General also launched an urgent appeal for Niger and Senegal following heavy rains that fell on these two countries during the month of August 2012, causing

extensive damage and loss of human lives.

In Nigeria, the deadly floods ravaged parts of the country and caused the loss of hundreds of human lives, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and huge destruction of properties. Ihsanoglu urged the member states to extend urgent assistance to those affected.

He also called on Member States and humanitarian organizations to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Republic of Sudan following the heavy floods that ravaged Sudan, in general, and Sanar State, in particular. The floods destroyed thousands of homes and caused widespread havoc, leaving thousands without shelter.

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Ihsanoglu addresses OSCE Council in Vienna: OIC to establish a specialized unit for maintenance of security and conflict resolution

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Vienna, Austria – Conflict prevention brought its active support to the newly and conflict resolution require a multi formed UN Peace Building Commission. dimensional approach and not only Of significance, the recent meeting the use of military means to guarantee in Djibouti in mid-November of the OIC sustainable peace, asserted Ekmeleddin Council of Foreign Ministers decided Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the to establish a specialized unit within Organization of Islamic Cooperation the OIC General Secretariat dedicated (OIC). He also announced that the OIC will to maintenance of security and conflict establish a specialized unit within the OIC resolution. “This will increase the role General Secretariat in Jeddah dedicated and capacity of the OIC to contribute to to maintenance of security and conflict international efforts in terms of conflict resolution. prevention, conflict resolution and In his statement to the Permanent mediation,” said Ihsanoglu. To this end, Council of the Organization for Security and the OIC has close cooperation with the Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, UN Mediation Support Unit and it is ready Austria, on 29 November 2012, Ihsanoglu to cooperate with the Conflict Prevention said that the OIC attaches importance to Center of the OSCE. identifying and addressing the root causes In view of the foregoing, Ihsanoglu of conflicts and disputes. “Dealing with touched upon certain issues dominating conflict through a comprehensive approach the political agenda of the OIC presently, obviously carries far more benefits as including the decisive and critical changes against the military option alone,” he said. taking place in some OIC Member States, Bearing in mind that most conflicts and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the situation trouble spots in the world are unfortunately in Syria, developments in Afghanistan and located in and around the Muslim world, Myanmar, and the OIC’s mediation efforts the Secretary General pointed out that the in Somalia, the Philippines, Mali and the OIC occupies a very important position Sahel region. and bears an added value in contributing to Ihsanoglu also mentioned OIC’s the global peace and security. The OIC has endeavors to strengthen human rights become a `strategic partner` of the UN, as within the OIC Member States, particularly described by the UN Secretary General. with the establishment of the Independent The Secretary General also pointed out Permanent Human Rights Commission that the principles embodied in the OIC and laying greater emphasis on the cause Ten Year Program of Action of 2005 and of empowering women. Furthermore, the its new Charter adopted in 2008, foresees OIC is concerned with the serious threat to strengthening the role of the OIC in global security due to the rise of intolerance conflict prevention, confidence building, and racial discrimination based on religious peace keeping, conflict resolution and beliefs and faith. He commended the past post-conflict rehabilitation in the OIC and current Chairs in Office for prioritizing Member States through negotiation, shuttle religious intolerance in the agenda of diplomacy, mediation and the use of good the OSCE and praised the efforts of Mr. offices.

Akhmetov of Kazakhstan, the Personal The OIC has committed itself to adhere Representative of the OSCE on Combating to the principles of the UN Charter, to Intolerance and Discrimination against contribute to international peace, harmony Muslims, with whom he had intensive and security, and to promote inter-state consultations in Jeddah. Ihsanoglu urged relations based on justice, mutual respect the Council to further initiate necessary and good neighborliness. To this end, remedial steps to contain the perpetrators Ihsanoglu said that the OIC is ready to of discrimination. enhance relations with other international The Secretary General concluded and regional organizations in conflict by stressing that the OIC and OSCE are prevention, conflict resolution and post- uniquely positioned to adopt a common conflict peace building. Indeed, the OIC strategy in addressing the vexing issue of has pursued concrete actions to deepen religious intolerance. He urged the Council its partnership and cooperation with the to pool both organizations’ resources UN, the OSCE, the EU, the LAS and the together and develop a network to reach AU on conflicts affecting their common the common people in raising awareness of membership. The Organization has also the malaise of fanning hatred and violence.

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Steps Towards Operationalisation of OIC’s Unit on Conflict Prevention and Resolution Murtaza Shaikh (IQd Legal and Political Officer & OIC Conflict Prevention and Resolution Fellow) The recent decision of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers at their 39th Meeting in Djibouti, 15 -17 November 2012, to establish a specialized unit for conflict prevention, conflict resolution and mediation marks a timely and highly significant institutional development. It responds to the genuine interest from the wider international community for such capacity and engagement in light of its unique trans-regional and Islamic nature in an evidently insecure, uncertain and ever more inter-dependent world.

Cleary the OIC has been and remains substantively engaged in a number of ongoing conflict situations such as Syria, Myanmar and Mali. However the decision to establish a specialized unit represents a qualitative shift in approach towards better organization and systematization of its work through a dedicated mechanism. Such better capacity would enable more effective engagements with better analyses and timely communications rather than when a conflict has broken out, thus laying emphasis on much less costly (in human lives and material losses) conflict prevention rather than resolution or very late and costly (post-conflict) peace building.

The decision in fact is a culmination of a sustained and concerted push by the Secretariat, beginning with the adoption of the Ten-Year Programme of Action (TYPOA) in 2005. Part X calls for OIC to strengthen its role particularly in conflict prevention and resolution in OIC Member States as well as in conflict situations involving Muslim communities. Subsequently a number of CFM Resolutions were adopted and an Inter-Governmental Group of Experts (IGGE) constituted to deliberate on the ‘The Future Role of the OIC in Maintaining Security, Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution’.

Directly preceding the 4th Meeting of the IGGE in December 2011, a workshop was delivered jointly by the UN Mediation Support Unit (MSU) and the Initiative on Quiet Diplomacy (IQd), who shared first-hand experience of establishing such a mechanism (MSU) and direct experience of stimulating and encouraging similar developments at other regional international organisation (IQd).

The IGGE at the meeting that followed agreed on the need to establish a ‘Unit’ to specifically focus on conflict prevention and resolution through mediation and quiet diplomacy. However while the CFM’s decision based on this agreement is a landmark achievement, it only represents half the journey. The remaining half will entail the actual

establishment of the Unit and its operationalisation to a level where it can meaningfully contribute to the OIC effectively preventing and resolving conflicts in a systematic and methodological manner.

The agreement of the IGGE provides a sound starting point to achieve this ultimate aim by specifying the two principle aims of the prospective Unit: i) To monitor potential and emerging crisis situations and consider undertaking timely diplomatic response; and ii) To identify and analyse the causes of potential conflict and determine ways and means to address these conflicts.

Without systematic and on-going monitoring, the OIC will not be able to anticipate potential conflicts or to address the causes with a view to preventing the same situation from recurring. If the OIC is able to implement these two functions in the working methods of the Unit, it would generally result in the OIC being less reactionary and more strategic. As such the Unit would benefit from prioritizing the following suggested working methods, which cover the two stages when potential engagement may take place in a conflict: Prevention – The first and most important would be to maintain vigilance with regard to varying extents of tensions or conflicts that may arise which fall within the OIC’s mandates.

It would require the Unit to keep abreast of the general state of affairs primarily in all member-States and in non-memberStates with Muslim minorities to identify any indicators of tension or anxiety and not just violence or armed hostilities.

As such, the OIC would not just be an actor interested in the resolution of conflicts, but also in prevention through addressing tensions before violence erupts or is considered an option by the parties.

Resolution - The second would be to meet the pressing need of OIC staff and departments already engaged in an increasing amount of conflict-related work. This can include initial notes and research on both proximate and root causes. This will better equip the OIC in mediation and intermediary roles and would include tasks such as detailed conflict analysis and suggestions of potential options and techniques for mitigation or resolution.

This function would likely address the specific resolution of ongoing conflicts, in which the OIC has become engaged.

This spectrum of engagement ranging from ‘down-stream’ (near the onset of conflict) to ‘up-stream’ (well before the onset of the conflict) would uniquely place the OIC as one of a handful of international organizations in a position and capable of genuinely and practically preventing conflicts. Bringing about such a change in practice from reactive to preventive action would be in line with evolving thinking at state and inter-governmental level (e.g., the UN Group of Friends of Mediation of which the OIC is an active member). Such an exercise is not at present carried out by UN institutions and so the OIC has the opportunity to be at the forefront in the contemporary practice of preventive diplomacy.

The adoption of the above working methods will mean that the OIC need not be reliant on the breakout of conflict in order to consider engagement, but rather its own oversight and analysis.

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DIALOGUE

Ihsanoglu addresses the Symposium on Tolerance in Vienna:

Islamophobia is an assault on people’s identity and their human dignity

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Vienna, Austria – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, addressed the Symposium on Tolerance in Vienna, Austria, on 26 November 2012, where he stressed on the need for tolerance as an imperative at the center of the global agenda. The two-day Symposium was organized jointly by the Turkish Parliament and the European Union.

In his statement, the Secretary General said that respect for human rights, democratic pluralism, rule of law, transparency and accountability are universal values, and they are the product of the collective wisdom, conscience and progress of mankind. As such, he added, no single culture can claim sole ownership of such values.

Ihsanoglu pointed out that self-fulfilling prophecies like clash of civilizations’ have fuelled divisions, misperceptions and apprehensions between the West and the Muslim world. In his view, the main problem emanates from lack of knowledge of “the other”, and the negative propaganda perpetrated in the absence of knowing the other side or knowing the other side in the wrong context.

In this context, he underlined Islamophobia as a contemporary manifestation of racism. “Islamophobia leads to hate crimes,” said Ihsanoglu, “and as such, it generates fear, feelings of stigmatization, marginalization, alienation and rejection. The net result is heightened anxiety and rising violence. Islamophobia is also an assault on people’s identity and their human dignity.”

The Secretary General listed some actions that should be done to correct this situation, foremost is for Western countries to recognize the problem and adopt a multifaceted approach. He also recommended taking account of the importance of the intellectual front and devising sound strategies to tackle the issue in the areas of value systems and perceptions. Furthermore, the West must define hate crimes broadly and address the information deficit as well as enact adequate legislation and implement this legislation effectively. In conjunction with national legislation, they should also implement international commitments and agreed norms.

In addition, Western countries should help to strengthen Muslim communities and civil society organizations and try to enable them to work with local and national authorities, stated Ihsanoglu. He also pointed to the role of education programs that foster tolerance, understanding, and respect towards “the other” as well as educating and training law-enforcement officials.

Finally, in the field of public discourse related to Muslims and Islam, he urged responsible politicians, both in government and opposition, to underline the importance of accurate and unbiased political discourse.

The Secretary General concluded by a call to strive towards creating strong and ‘cohesive communities’ where every individual has a sense of belonging to his/her community and State, as well as a stake in its well-being.

In this context, he informed the gathering of OIC’s endeavors, which are guided by the Ten Year Program of Action that underscores the importance of intercultural and interfaith dialogue towards achieving peace, security and stability in a globalized world. These include establishing the Islamophobia Observatory in the OIC General Secretariat in order to draw attention and address the increasing phenomenon of Islamophobia and appointing a Special Envoy on this matter.

OIC’s efforts to foster tolerance and understanding were crowned with the adoption of its initiative, Resolution 16 /18, in the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). The eight points proposed by Secretary General Ihsanoglu in the 15th Session of the HRC in Geneva in 2011, which outlined a new approach towards evolving a consensus against incitement to violence and intolerance on religious ground, formed the basis of the consensus reflected in Resolution 16 / 18.

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Acceptance or Tolerance

Bridging Cultures through Dialogue Workshop Humeyra Ceylan Azhar Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) hosted a two day workshop entitled ‘Bridging Cultures through Dialogue’ in collaboration with the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Jeddah and the Al-Makkiyah Al-Madaniyah Institute on 24 – 25 November 2012. The workshop aimed to bring intellectuals, thinkers, diplomats, academics and the public together for an open debate on cultures, human rights, and freedom of expression in order to promote mutual understanding among different cultures and beliefs.

The workshop started with welcome addresses by Amb. Vefahan Ocak, Director General of Cabinet and Principal Advisor to the OIC Secretary General, and Amb. Dieter W. Haller, the Ambassador of Germany to Saudi Arabia. Both speakers talked about the importance of diversity and unity in a country for a peaceful co-existence.

First keynote address was by Dr. Sami Angawi (Founder of Al-Makkiyah Al-Madaniyah Institute). As an architect, he pointed out that strong bridges could only be built on strong pillars to connect the diverse population in the world. He mentioned that there is a chain of prophets and civilizations and we need to connect all of them rather than focusing on individuals only.

Second keynote address was by Klaus Streicher (Head of the Division for Cultural and Media Relations at the German Consulate). Streicher said that the German Government gives great importance to intercultural dialogue both at home and abroad. In addition to initiating dialogue with Islamic world through German Foreign Office on a political level, German Government also works with civil society partners to promote better understanding between cultures.

After the keynote addresses, Prof. Frank Griffel (Yale University) delivered the first lecture entitled 'Natural Law and the Fitra-Tradition in Islam: Examining the Issues of Faith and Freedom of Expression across Faith Traditions'. Prof.

Griffel discussed natural law by giving examples of various scholars’ and philosophers’ definitions since the ancient time, within Christianity and during the Enlightenment. However, three important documents, namely the 'United States Declaration of Independence', the French 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen', the United States’ 'Bill of Rights', shifted the focus from natural law to natural rights.

Islamic law, on the other hand, does not speak about natural law the way the European law tradition does. While in the West the language comes from Greek philosophy and Roman law, in Islam, the issue of natural law is discussed in notions that stem from the Qur’ān, using the Arabic word ‘fiṭra’ in order to refer to the natural disposition of humans.

The second lecture called 'A Comparative Perspective on European and Saudi Arabian Perceptions of Human Rights and Freedom of Expression' by Samar Fatany (Chief Broadcaster in Saudi Radio) drew attention to 9 /11 attack

against the United States and its role in compounding suspicion and fear against Muslims and creating extreme prejudice against them. She said that the OIC played an active role in dealing with Islamophobia and there should be genuine initiatives by the West to combat Islamophobia.

She urged European leaders to reconsider their stand on the so-called freedom of expression right that legitimizes defamation of Islam. Fatany also mentioned that Muslims, Christians and Jews should work together to remove hatred.

On the second day, in her paper 'The Concept of Justice as Defined in European and Islamic Thought' Prof. Gudrun Kramer (Free University Berlin) mentioned different ways of defining justice as long as it provides common ground among cultures and civilizations to keep balance in societies.

She said that justice exists in Islam and in Europe in different forms, though the emphasis on different aspects of justice can be shifted as sometimes respect and protecting communal rights can be more important and some other times individual rights can be prioritized. However, balancing individual and communal rights and enjoying equal rights in the society are important.

'Principles of Human Rights and Maqasid ash-Shariah: Sharing Common Ground' was delivered by Prof. Abu Bakr Bagader (King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah) where he outlined the early scholars in Islam who defined ‘maqasid al shariah’ (intentions of shariah) and the more recent 20th century scholar Ibn Ashur who revived the ‘maqasid’ theory and renewed Islamic legal theory which brought common objectives in Islamic law. Bagader said that there is difference of opinions among Muslim scholars that ‘ikhtilaf’ (disagreement) is very important in Islam as it was witnessed throughout the history.

The last paper 'Negotiating Islamic and European Human Rights Perspectives' presented by Rizwan Sheikh (Director in Cultural Affairs Department, OIC) clarified that OIC is not a religious organization. It is a political organization having members from Muslim countries or Muslim majority populated countries which negotiates for its members through political discourse and debate. OIC considers Islamophobia a contemporary form of racism and focuses on what should be done to monitor religious intolerance and discrimination.

The panel speakers at the workshop

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HUMAN RIGHTS

OIC Human Rights Commission prepares agenda for its third session in Saudi Arabia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Independent Permanent Turkey on 7 -8 January to examine the legal options for Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) concluded a two- addressing religious intolerance against Muslims.

Prof. Dzuhayatin said to the OIC Journal that the meeting day working group meeting on 30 December 2012 at the Headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was productive and went beyond their expectations. In order (OIC) in preparation for its Third Session to be held in Saudi to identify concrete areas of cooperation with the Member Arabia in February 2013. The group meeting was chaired by States, they decided to send an introductory note and a letter requesting that the Member States assign a focal point to Prof. Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin of Indonesia.

The first working group’s session focused on the communicate with IPHRC and put them in contact with civil situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, society organizations. “This will be our first direct contact particularly with regard to settlements and political with the Member States,” she explained.

It was decided that as a first step, the IPHRC would prisoners from a human rights perspective. The commission members discussed raising these issues to the international request Member States to provide information on legislative level and explored ways of supporting and cooperating with and policy framework in these areas in the interest of the Palestinian human rights institutions and NGOs. The objective analysis and identification of best practices. Prof. members also considered visiting Palestine and decided to Dzuhayatin added that once they are in contact with the civil society organizations in the Member States they can initiate action to that end.

The second working group addressed the priority areas communicate with them directly as well.

Worth noting is that the 18-member IPHRC, had its identified by the IPHRC, which included women’s rights, statute adopted by the 38th Session of the Council of Foreign right to education and right to development. The third group deliberated on the issue of incitement and intolerance leading Ministers (CFM) in Astana, Kazakhstan in June 2011. It held to hatred and violence on religious grounds from the human its first session in Jakarta in February 2012 and finalized rights perspective. It was decided that a representative of its rules of procedure in its second session in Istanbul in the Commission will participate in the upcoming Panel of August 2012, which were later endorsed by the 39th CFM in Eminent Persons’ meeting organized by the OIC in Istanbul, Djibouti in November 2012.

IPHRC makes its debut in the USA

Dzuhayatin (R) and Sheikh (L) in New York

Washington DC, USA – Gathering for the first time in Washington and New York, representatives of the newly established human rights commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) stated on 13 December 2012 that they plan to start their substantive work by the end of the month.

“In recent months we have outlined a series of priority issues, and we now plan to start our work to highlight those issues in working groups later this month in Jeddah,” the Commission’s chair, Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, told journalists in Washington.

“In particular, this Commission is expected to work on removing misperceptions over the issue of perceived incompatibility between Islam and universal principles of 44

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human rights.”

On this latter point, she and others involved with the new body are emphasizing that the Commission’s mandate is to deal with civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in the context of universal application – that the commission will not be attempting to apply any hybrid understanding of human rights as filtered through Islam. They also reiterate that the OIC itself is a political, not a religious, body.

Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin reported that the commission had spent the past year formulating its terms of reference and rules of procedure. An important part of that process has been to agree on priority areas, which will include women’s and children’s issues, political and minority rights, as well as the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Over the four decades of the OIC’s tenure, this latter topic has been a defining one for the body, now described as a standing agenda item.

“This will not be from a political point of view, however, but rather from the human rights perspective,” she noted.

“For instance, how the conflict affects the lives of people, of women and children in particular, in their right to development, their right to peace, security and education.”

Rizwan Sheikh, the Executive Director of the Commission’s interim secretariat in Jeddah, said that the Commission will receive agenda items from from the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and from grassroots concerns.

MEDIA

OIC Broadcasting Authorities Regulatory Forum (IBRAF) to enhance the role of electronic and print media

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated that there was a need to be aware, more than ever, of what was being broadcast and published in the electronic and print media. In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Director of the Department of Information Affairs at the OIC General Secretariat Dr. Isam Shanti, he asserted that this had become more important in the light of hate campaigns against the pristine religion of Islam and its symbols, especially after the release of the offensive films and cartoons. He urged Member States to reject the publications whatever their justifications on the grounds that they represent deliberate and intentional target of the symbols of the pristine religion of Islam.

The Secretary General’s speech was made at the opening session of the meeting of the OIC Broadcasting Regulatory Authorities Forum that was held at the OIC General Secretariat on 2 October 2012. Ihsanoglu remarked that the

Forum had a huge responsibility as it would contribute to enhancing the role of joint Islamic media action in electronic and print media, in line with the requirements of paragraph 7 of the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action on cultural and information exchange among Member States.

The OIC Broadcasting Regulatory Authorities Forum was convened pursuant to the resolution adopted by the 9th session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers, held at Libreville, Gabonese Republic on 19- 20 April 2012.

The Secretary General also called on Member States that are yet to join this Forum to do so in order to benefit from the services and opportunities that would be offered in broadcasting regulation, and to contribute to establishing and developing infrastructure for broadcasting regulatory authorities in those states lacking specialized organs for such purposes.

Islamic Broadcasting Union focuses on joint Islamic media action

OIC Secretary General (center right) and Saudi Minister of Information (center left) at the IBU meeting

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called on Member States to exert all efforts to move forward joint Islamic media action, and make available all necessary financial wherewithal for that end.

In his address to the meeting of the Executive Council of Islamic Broadcasting Union (IBU), which commenced its proceedings at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah on 20 November 2012, the Secretary General called on the Council to take clear and appropriate decisions that would put into practice the visions of the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action adopted by the 2005 Makkah Al Mukarramah Summit.

Ihsanoglu reminded that media, in both its positive and negative aspects, plays a very important and effective role in

this era. It also has a direct impact in escalating situations and stoking up conflicts, especially when it comes to distortion and denigration of religions and religious symbols. He added that the importance of media becomes clear in light of the changes and transformations going on in the region, describing them as an integral part of the system of fundamental freedoms, democracy, accountability and fight against corruption.

Ihsanoglu recalled that the meeting was being held as part of efforts to complete the upgrade of the IBU. He pointed out that reform of the system of joint Islamic media action in the OIC required collective work to provide the IBU with necessary resources and powers to enable it develop cooperation among radio and television channels in the Muslim world.

Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Islamic Broadcasting Union (IBU), chaired the meeting of the Council at the OIC Headquarters.

In his statement before the meeting, Dr. Khoja indicated that all stakeholders coordinated to bring the meeting to success, especially that the meeting discusses a number of ideas that aim to improve the work of IBU. He also asserted the importance of media and the need to adopt those technologies and visions that would serve the media objectives in favor of Islam and its contemporary issues.

Moreover, the attendees listened to a report by the IBU General Director Muhammadu Salim, in which he touched upon the recent achievements of the IBU and referred to the plans to be implemented over the coming two years. After that, the attendees reviewed the agenda items.

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CULTURE Jakarta Conference on Women calls for Education Empowerment Ihsanoglu: Islam disapproves female genital mutilation

Jakarta, Indonesia – Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), indicated that Islam does not approve the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) observed in some countries and societies in the Islamic world. He called for stopping this hazardous practice. On the other hand, he urged the international community to provide the required protection for Palestinian women against the violations of Israeli occupation forces.

In his statement at the opening session of the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Women’s Role in the Development of OIC Member States, held in Jakarta on 4 December 2012, Ihsanoglu pointed out that women issues gained prominence on the OIC agenda, especially at the international levels.

He asserted that the OIC succeeded in obtaining its welldeserved international recognition of its role in this regard, especially that the United Nations (UN) considers the OIC as a strategic partner in international peace and security issues.

The ‘UN Women’ (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) Executive Director Michelle Bachelet participated at the opening session of the conference marking the first participation of UN Women Executive Director in an OIC women conference. In her address to the conference, she stressed on the importance of women’s empowerment, dignity and equality.

Ihsanoglu reviewed the achievements of the OIC on women issues and empowerment since the convening of the first OIC conference on women in Istanbul in 2006, only one year after he assumed office. He also referred to the establishment of the Department of Family Affairs at the OIC General Secretariat and the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) whose members include four women out of eighteen and the current chairperson of the commission is a woman. Ihsanoglu said 46

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that one of the functions of the IPHRC is to raise awareness on women’s rights in the OIC Member States in addition to other issues.

Ihsanoglu concluded by calling upon the OIC Member States to sign the Statute of the OIC Women Development Organization to be headquartered in Cairo. In response to his call, Indonesia, the host country of the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Women, signed the Statute at a ceremony held on the sidelines of the Conference.

In a press conference, Ihsanoglu indicated that the OIC has taken great strides on the path to advance women in the Islamic world. He added that it is important to note in this context that Indonesia that hosted the Fourth Ministerial Conference was the place in which Prof. Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin of Indonesia chaired the IPHRC in its first session on 20 February 2011. This proves the serious march of the OIC towards woman advancement in the society.

He asserted that the OIC did not spare any effort in empowering women in all important positions and sectors, and that a woman presiding over such a sensitive organ as the IPHRC proves women’s ability to bear the various responsibilities with men.

Jakarta Declaration:

The Conference adopted ‘Jakarta Declaration’ at the end of the deliberations of its fourth session on 6 December 2012. The Declaration calls for taking the required measures to alleviate poverty through ensuring woman’s access to jobs and honorable work on equal footing with men, taking into consideration the required measures for removing the administrative and legal obstacles and granting women the investment opportunities to empower them economically.

The Declaration also asserts the right of women to have access to education and training at all levels that would encourage them and increase their opportunities. It also calls for providing women with the required capacities and efficiencies to enable them to enter the labor market.

Meanwhile, the conference urged the OIC Member States to intensify their efforts to prevent all forms of violence against women.

On the other hand, the participants called upon the Governments of the OIC Member States to expedite their signing the Statute of the OIC Women Development Organization to be headquartered in Cairo to support the OIC efforts towards empowering women and advance their situation in the Islamic world.

The Conference also welcomed the UN resolution on approving the observer membership of Palestine and undertook to work on ending all forms of violence against Palestinian women under occupation.

The Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on the Role of Women in Development in OIC Member States will be held in Azerbaijan.

Dhaka: the 2012 Capital of Islamic Culture for the Asian region Dhaka (Dacca) is the capital city and the industrial, China porcelain pieces), a decorative style that was popular commercial and administrative center of the People’s during the 1930s. The mosque, which previously lacked Republic of Bangladesh, with flourishing trade in cotton any historical significance, is one of the few remaining saris, jute products, rope, string, baskets and boats. architectural example of the Chinitikri (Chinese pieces) It is located on a channel of the Dhaleswari River, in the method of mosaic decoration. This decorative technique heart of the world’s largest jute-growing region. Between is found in the striking star motif that is in part the reason Dhaka and its nearby river port of Narayanganj lies for the mosque’s current acclaim and popular name, Star Bangladesh’s greatest industrial concentration.

Mosque or Sitara Masjid.

The city is divided into three distinct sections: An old Lalbagh Fort area of narrow streets and bazaars, a modern part, called The fort of Aurangabad, popularly known as the Ramna, with government, touristic, and cultural facilities, Lalbagh Fort, was built in 1678 AD. The fort has a three and a residential and industrial community north and west storied structure with slender minarets at the South of Ramna.

Gate. It has many hidden passages and a mosque of Dhaka’s history dates back to around A.D. 1,000, but massive structure. Outstanding among the monuments the city achieved glory as the 17th Century Mughal capital of the Lalbagh Fort are the Tomb and Audience room of Bengal. English, French, and Dutch industrialists set up and Hummam (bathing place), now housing a museum. factories there in the 17th and 18th Centuries, and Dhaka The fort was the scene of bloody battle during the first passed under British rule in 1765. After the partition of war of independence (1857) when 260 spays stationed British India, and the independence of Pakistan, in 1947, here backed by the people revolted against British forces.

Dhaka became the administrative capital of East Pakistan, It is one of the great historical places of Mughal era. and later, in December 1971, the capital of Bangladesh.

A small museum is there in this fort where you will find the Islamic heritage: clothes and weapons of the Mughols.

Tara Masjid (Star Mosque): Ahsan Manzil Star Mosque, locally known as Tara Masjid, is situated Ahsan Manzil was the official residential palace and seat at the Armanitola area of the old part of the city. The of the Dhaka Nawab Family. This magnificent building is mosque has ornate designs and is decorated with motifs of situated at Kumartoli along the banks of the Buriganga River. blue stars. It was built in the first half of the 19th century. The construction of this palace was started in Built in the Mughal style in the late 18th Century, this mosque the year 1859 and was completed in 1869. It is was originally a simple rectangular mosque. In early 20th constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture.

Century, a local businessman, financed the renovation of the To preserve the cultural and history of the area, the palace mosque and added a new eastern verandah. The surface was became the Bangladesh National Museum on 20 September redecorated with Chinitikri work (mosaic work of broken 1992.

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CULTURE

Inauguration of King Abdullah Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna

(L-R, seated) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Austria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Spindelegger with others at the inauguration of the ‘King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue’ (epa)

Vienna, Austria – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques “We hope that this center would work for promoting King Abdullah’s call for interfaith dialogue is a great understanding among the followers of different faiths as humanitarian initiative for the peaceful coexistence of the well as for reviving moral and human values,” he added. followers of different religions and cultures, said Saudi Prince Saud urged the center to work for deepening the Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. values of tolerance, understanding and respecting the other Speaking at the opening ceremony of the King Abdullah and prevent abuse of religions and Prophets.

Bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) on 26 November 2012, Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu participated in Prince Saud said Vienna was selected to host the center the inauguration of the Center. considering its contributions to human civilization.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer emphasized the “It is the most suitable place for a center whose goal is importance of dialogue to settle conflicts and end violence. to bring peoples and cultures closer and deepen the values “People should think of options other than violence,” he said of moderation and tolerance,” said Prince Saud. He said while emphasizing Austria’s multireligious and multicultural King Abdullah’s interfaith dialogue initiative had its origin tradition. “This has made our country a center for dialogue,” in Makkah. “This center which we open today is the fruit he pointed out. In his address to the ceremony, King Juan of great endeavors that began in Makkah, and continued in Carlos of Spain commended the establishment of the center.

Madrid and New York. This opening means we have crossed He praised King Abdullah for the initiative while pledging the phase of preparation to start actual working to achieve his country’s continuous support to the center. the center’s objectives,” the Prince said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said his organization Prince Saud described KAICIID as a historic initiative would extend all support for the successful functioning of

by King Abdullah. “We hope it would encourage objective the center. He praised King Abdullah and the Governments and responsible human dialogue to strengthen the common of Spain and Austria for their efforts to set up the center. grounds of the followers of different faiths that represent the Muslim World League Secretary General Dr. Abdullah core of divine messages and human cultures.”

Al-Turki said the center was established in response to the He said the center would take up important issues that desire of the leaders of different faiths to cooperate for the concern all human beings and that were the reasons behind welfare of humanity. “The world is in need of cooperation costly wars, bloody conflicts and loathsome crimes. for the good,” he added.

Prince Saud said lack of moral values was creating a lot of The opening ceremony was also attended by Austrian social problems around the world, including dismemberment Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, Spanish Foreign of family relations, spread of injustice and corruption and Minister Jose Manuel Garcea-Margallo and hundreds of increasing number of crimes. religious leaders.

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OIC library lectures resumes

Dr. Anwar Eshki

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The OIC Library resumed its lecture series on 26 September with Dr. Anwar Eshki’s talk about Islamic law and the American constitution. Dr. Eshki made a comparison between shariah and the American constitution as he highlighted that the former is not totally religious. The first Islamic constitution was instituted after the Prophet’s migration to Madinah to ensure peace and order in the society which included non-Muslims. All people of the Book were considered as nationals of the Islamic state as in the American constitution.

Dr. Eshki compared the two constitutions in detail including the presidency and its duration, condition for choosing the head of state, and formation of political authority.

In October, the 7th library lecture ‘Islam in Mozambique’ was given by Abdula Manafi from Cultural Affairs Department at OIC General Secretariat. Manafi highlighted Islamic contribution to Mozambique starting from the

country’s name as it was derived from Sheik Mussa Ben Mbiki, the Island’s first Arab ruler. Mozambican Muslims are nearly %20 of the total population. They are mainly indigenous Mozambicans and citizens of South Asian descent and a small number of Muslims are originally from North Africa and the Middle East.

Muslims in modern Mozambique are very active and very much engaged within their communities. They are involved in politics, business, economics and social affairs in the country. Islamic schools, Muslim TV channels, radio stations and newspapers emerged and mosques are used as a space for cultural, political and social engagement. Manafi also drew attention to lack of leadership and unity among Muslims in Mozambique. Islam is rising but there is lack of room for political Islam.

The OIC library lectures will continue every month with different topics and speakers from around world.

Abdula Manafi giving his lecture on Mozambique

Adoption of project to establish network for academic cooperation Kuwait City, Kuwait – A regional meeting on ‘Upgrading University Education to Respond to Labor Market Needs’ was held at Kuwait University on 24 -26 September 2012, which adopted a project to establish a ‘Network to Promote Academic Cooperation toward a Better Match with the Labor Market’. A recommendation was issued for approval of a proposal by Al-Azhar University and Al-Mansoura University to co-host the network, upon receipt by the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) General Secretariat of an official request thereof.

Participants in the meeting called for encouraging universities to develop academic programs to establish a new range of disciplines, organizing symposia to further the concept of productive university and its role in harmonizing education with the labor market demand, convening a oneday meeting to bring together companies and graduates.

Recommendations also included the staging of an exhibition

alongside the first conference for cooperation between Islamic universities and the business sector in Muslim countries, with focus on developing curricula to best respond to the labor market needs, providing vocational training for students and establishing counsel and training administrations at member universities.

As part of the Federation’s role in stimulating cooperation and partnership between member universities, five agreements were signed between Kuwait University and Al-Azhar University, Al-Mansoura University, Al-Neelain University, Gulf University and Mogadishu University.

The meeting, convened in association between the FUIW, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and Kuwait University, gathered university rectors, deans and experts from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, the Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon, Jordan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

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EDUCATION 6th Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education :

Role of Higher Education in the Development of Science and Technology for a Prosperous Future

Khartoum, Sudan – The Sixth Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research was held in Khartoum, Republic of the Sudan, on 20 -21 November 2012 under the patronage of the President of Sudan Field Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, and Vice President Dr. Al-haj Adam. Held under the theme ‘Role of Higher Education in Development of Science and Technology for Prosperous Future’, the participants adopted the Khartoum Declaration in which they agreed to accord increased attention to the promotion of scientific research and reorient it in such a way as to address the development problems being faced by Muslim countries.

In his message to the Conference, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated that the ability of any system to foster an environment of knowledge creation and research is directly related to the opportunities it offers for the commercialization of research outcomes. He called upon the Member States to examine among other things, ways and means to foster university-industry linkages across the OIC countries and encouraging private sector partnership with the universities. He added that the Muslim world is facing enormous challenges of under-development, poverty, illiteracy, malnourishment, gender inequality and limited access to quality education.

Ihsanoglu stressed that excellence in knowledge, research and innovation is imperative for the Muslim world to reclaim its rightful place in the international arena. The Secretary General expressed satisfaction on the steady progress registered since 2005 in the OIC in the areas of higher education, science, technology and innovation. The progress owes itself to actions at the national level as well as the concerted efforts by the OIC and its relevant institutions.

The Secretary General’s message to the Conference was read out by Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Abdul Moiz Bokhari.

Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of ISESCO also addressed the Conference and briefed the Member States about ISESCO’s activities to develop planning and implementation mechanism for projects aimed at advancing science, technology and innovation capacities and strengthening higher education and scientific research.

At the close of the opening session, the Vice President delivered ‘ISESCO Science and Technology Prizes’ for 2012 to their winners, in recognition of their distinguished works in Basic Sciences (Biology, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Technology).

Dr. Reda Shibli (Jordan) has won the Prize for Biology; Prof. Dr. Abel Maharramov (Azerbaijan) has won the Prize for Chemistry; Prof. Dr. Begen Yesimov (Kazakhstan) has won the Prize for Geology; Prof. Dr. Tasawar Hayat (Pakistan) has won the Prize for Mathematics; Prof. Dr. Abdeslam Hoummada (Morocco) has won the Prize for 50

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Physics; and Prof. Dr. Uda Hashim (Malaysia) has won the Prize for Technology.

The laureates receive each a commemorative ISESCO Gold Medal, a $ 5,000 cash prize, and a certificate acknowledging their achievements.

The Conference, inter alia, adopted the ‘Key Performance Indicators: Guidelines for Assessment and Quality Enhancement for Universities in the Islamic World’. This document is meant to serve as a guide for universities in the OIC Member States for achieving academic excellence, enhancement of R&D, and improvement of quality of education to compete with the world-class universities. The Conference also approved the establishment of the ‘PanIslamic Research and Education Network (PIREN)’ as a platform for scientists, researchers and education networks for sharing knowledge and good practices to improve connectivity.

The Conference program included a roundtable discussion on the 'role of higher education for the development of science and technology towards a prosperous future'.

In the Khartoum Declaration, the Ministers urged the Member States to develop capacities of their higher education systems, expand their scope to comply with the relevant new requirements, improve quality to achieve excellence in higher education, and accord due attention to enforce the ‘Key Performance Indicators’ and develop follow-up and implementation mechanisms as well as benefit from the ‘Guide for Assessment and Quality Enhancement for Universities in the Islamic World’.

Furthermore, they recommend that the Member States to pay special attention to employability issues regarding higher education graduates. In addition, they recommended devoting further attention to the youth by assessing and addressing challenges in education, science and technology, particularly through setting up youth science academies and education associations enabling them to take up challenges and overcome hurdles in line with their own vision, approaches and choices.

The Ministers welcomed IDB’s proposal to Member States to make up to 10% of their financing applications to the Bank on the promotion of science, technology and innovation for development, through independent projects or activities integrated into sector-based projects.

Winners of ISESCO prizes

11th General Conference of ISESCO:

New three-year action plan adopted Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The General Conference of the implemented under the 2007- 2009 action plan and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization progress evaluations of the activities and programs carried (ISESCO) convened its 11th session in Riyadh, Saudi out over the period from 1 January 2010 through 30 Arabia, on 1- 2 December 2012, under the patronage of the September 2012.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin The Conference adopted the Three-Year Action Plan for Abdulaziz Al Saud, as part of the celebration of ISESCO’s 2013- 2015 and all the other reports. The Action Plan included 30th anniversary. several important recommendations and proposals: Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Anqary, Minister of Higher • To give further care to the integration of educational Education of Saudi Arabia, delivered the opening address of systems through conducting regional field studies to achieve the host country, followed by Dr. Abdellatif Abid, Minister the ‘Education for All’ goal by 2015; of Education of Tunisia and President of the 10th General • To call for dedicating more programs aimed at Conference. empowering Muslim women, effectively involving them in Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of the socio-economic and political development and promoting Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization production culture and development-oriented projects (ISESCO), said in his address that this session is a among women; starting point for broadening horizons and enhancing the • To devote further attention to programs on management efforts exerted to advance the Organization at all levels of water resources and supply of fresh water to most needy and effectively contribute to supporting the educational, countries, particularly within the framework of ISESCO’s scientific and cultural resurgence in the Member States and ‘Strategy for Management of Water Resources in the Islamic promoting comprehensive sustainable development.

World’; The ISESCO Director General stated that one of the • To extend further support to the institutions of Arabic crucial issues put on the agenda of the Conference is the teaching to non-Arabic speakers in the Member States and adoption of the draft action plan for the years 2013 -2015, among Muslims outside the Islamic world; stressing that it is an ambitious plan having drawn on the • To call for benefiting from youth promising potential in expertise and experiences gained from the implementation redressing the image of Islam and Muslims; of the previous nine action plans.

• To call for developing national scientific research Finally, Dr Altwaijri welcomed the accession of the policies to identify the needs and enhance the Member Republic of Uganda to ISESCO. States’ scientific and technological base through establishing Then the attendance listened to the address of Irina centres of excellence in research and independent bodies to Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, in which she spread successful experiences; expressed her pleasure to participate in the 11th session of the • To call for setting up businesses for marketing research General Conference, commending the special cooperation findings, establishing research parks to carry out major multiand partnership relations sustained for nearly three decades disciplinary scientific projects in the Member States, and now between ISESCO and UNESCO. She reiterated her setting up an institution for fostering scientific cooperation resolve to sustain this partnership in such a way as to meet at the international level; the new urgent aspirations of the different social groups.

• To call for increasing the budget allocated to scientific The Director General then presented the reports and research to at least 1% of Member States’ GDP and of waqf documents placed on the agenda of the 33rd session of the funds’ profits and offering incentives to private businesses Executive Council. In this regard, he reviewed the major to allocate a major part of their budgets to the promotion of achievements made by ISESCO during the second year of scientific research; the Three-year Action Plan for 2010- 2012 as well as the • To call for developing a new vision to counter smear programs and activities dedicated to Al-Quds Al-Sharif campaigns against Islam and Muslims through moving and Palestine. He also presented the final quantitative from their moral to the legal rejection and incriminating the and qualitative evaluation of all activities and programs instigators of such campaigns.

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ENVIRONMENT

The OIC Water Vision

Working together for a water-secure future Across the 57 nations of the Organization of the Islamic sharing of resources across international boundaries limits Cooperation (OIC), maximizing the productive use of water management. In addition, the often rising and conflicting and minimizing its destructive impacts is a common and major demands for water from different sectors, especially in challenge, despite the great diversity of water environments. balancing food and water security needs, is likely to increase The OIC’s multiplicity and huge water challenges, coupled in the future with changes in socio-economic conditions with its shared beliefs, provide an extraordinary opportunity in Member States. The key water challenges under the for its Member States to work together to ensure a water- ‘Millennium Development Goals’, ‘access to clean water’ secure future, sharing varied experiences and learning from and ‘adequate sanitation services’, have received a patchy what has and has not worked. response with coverage ranging from very low to very high The OIC over the last decade has worked to address across the Member States. directly major issues of environmental and social concern The OIC Water Vision of "working together for a water such as clean water availability and access to sanitation secure future" is a powerful call, but the challenge will be and, following a direct request from the OIC Ministers to move to implement this and to achieve results. Adopting Responsible for Water, the OIC General Secretariat began this and developing supporting activities will foster greater the process of developing a common vision to address cooperation and collaboration between Member States water issues up to the year 2025. Following deliberations at ensuring the rich knowledge and experiences available meetings of an Advisory Panel of Experts in Dubai in May within that can be shared. Through commitment to this 2010 and Astana in June 2011, a draft vision was developed that was then presented to wider communities within the vision by all OIC members there are real possibilities of OIC for adoption. The OIC Ministers Responsible for Water addressing many of the present and future water security adopted the ‘OIC Water Vision’ at the conclusion of their challenges. The initial objective for the vision is to catalyze improved water security in OIC member countries through conference held in Istanbul on 5- 6 March 2012.

The need for an OIC water vision to catalyze action to cooperation in key activities and will involve: • connecting centres of excellence within the OIC in water address the major challenges facing Member States is only science, policy, management and technology development too apparent and highly pertinent. Many OIC nations are classified as water scarce, while others are endowed with to build capacity, and share and enhance knowledge, • identifying solutions to water problems through large freshwater resources; baseline conditions in others are much more limited and these conditions are likely to be increased dialogue and exchange of experience as well as further exacerbated under a changing climate. The situation through promoting concrete actions, and • promoting solutions to water security challenges in the may be more aggravated where the quality of the water is poor, where access to finance is difficult or where the national and international agendas of OIC leaders.

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IT

Will the new decision

by ICANN cause a world cyberspace crisis?

Wajdi Al-Quliti

Director of IT Departement, OIC

When Internet became known globally and spread among the common people, some abbreviations like ‘.COM’ , ’.NET’ or ‘.ORG’, started to be used without knowing what they are and what they stand for. These common abbreviations are part of the 22 generic top-level domain names (gTLD) that exist to direct the Internet traffic. These gTLDs are managed by a non-profit private company ‘Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN).

The current practice permits use of only Latin characters in these gTLDs, however, these gTLDs are being planned to be assigned and written in other language characters, including Arabic, Chinese and others , to allow the Internet users to browse in their own language. ICANN was established in 1988 as a profit-making company, but it has been converted into a non-profit establishment aiming to manage and keep the Internet safe and stable. ICANN does not control content on the Internet. It cannot impede the spam nor interfere with the Internet access. Nevertheless, through its control over the Internet’s gTLD system, it has developed an important impact over the expansion and improvement of the Internet.

An ICAAN Board decision has brought about a substantial change in this gTLD system: “On June 20, 2011 ICANN’s board voted to end most restrictions on the generic top-level domain names (gTLD) from the 22 currently available. Companies and organizations will be able to choose essentially arbitrary top-level Internet domains.

The use of non-Latin characters (such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.) will also be allowed in gTLDs. ICANN will begin accepting applications for new gTLDs on January 12, 2012. Entertainment and financial services brands are most likely to apply for new gTLDs for their brands, initial price to apply for a new gTLD will be $185,000, with an

annual fee of $25,000.” [Wikipedia] http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ICANN This critical ICANN decision will change the face of the internet completely, if approved and implemented as planned.

It has already created some controversial disputes that were expressed by many individuals, countries, organizations and religious groups. If the management of these new gTLDs is completely given to business groups, these businesses will most likely steer policies for their own benefit, resulting in total disregard of the public interest.

In his speech delivered at the World International Conference of Telecommunications (WICT) last year in Dubai, ICANN President and CEO Mr. Fadi Chehade has ensured the participants that ICANN and himself would be extremely transparent and cooperative in this new gTLDs expansion process. In addition, he assured that there was no hidden fight between ICANN and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to own the internet and it was only a misunderstanding by the public, while commenting on the row that there was a kind of conflict between ICANN and ITU to dominate the Internet.

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and Gulf Cooperation Council, have also raised criticism for the ICANN’s proposed expansion of domain name system. Their concerns relate to the increased possibility of the misuse of registration and usage of IGO names and acronyms in the new system.

Furthermore, “Religious convictions are emerging as the key battle line in the massive domain name expansion currently in progress at internet addressing overlord ICANN. … Muslim and Catholic groups have also started to complain about proposed gTLDs that purport to represent key elements of Islam and Catholicism,” according to Kevin Murphy, writer in the Register online magazine http://www.theregister. co.uk/201212/07//icann_gtld_expansion_religious_war/ All these comments and points raised by various public circles should remind ICANN that it is dealing with and assuming a very strong role in worldwide public policies.

It sets the global internet-related policies that affect many people, societies and communities with a variety of values and cultures. Therefore, ICANN MUST adhere and respect these cultures and values and not to impose its own “Western” culture and values onto the other people and communities.

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Microfinance: Groundbreaking initiative to save people from poverty

Rabat, Morocco (DPA) – Zeinab never imagined that she would have an income-generating project. She received a small loan from a specialized association, and was able to secure the money, though not a huge sum, to start her dream project. With much pride, Zeinab talks about her experience. Coming from the suburbs of Agadir, she made her dream come true with a project based on the abundant Argan Trees.

Zeinab talked in front of visitors to the First Microfinance Conference, held in early October at the Al-Sukhairat city near Rabat, about a number of Argan-based products, such as oils and cosmetics. She explained how her new project evolved and grew, and how it helped her life transform.

All the exhibitors at the Microfinance Conference share Zeinab’s first baby steps towards ambitious projects.

The small loans they received enabled them to break the vicious cycle of poverty and renewed their hope for true social integration. Some of the loan recipients invested in traditional industry, while others preferred glass or copper products. Whichever the case, these micro loans helped save them from falling into poverty and from becoming victims to social vulnerability.

Actors in the field of microfinance whom DPA news agency met with, say they have high hopes for this field, as it helps ease the burden on impoverished people. It is expected that at least one third of the Moroccan population – around 3 million people - would benefit from this type of loans until 2020. A lot is at stake here, which requires putting in place the laws to regulate this field within the national economic cycle.

It is undoubtedly a social and human activity that was made possible in Morocco, thanks to initiatives by the civil society, while community-based associations obtained license to grant such loans directed at youth and women in the first place. With that in mind, a number of beneficiaries who acknowledge that microfinance is a successful

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mechanism to fight poverty and exclusion also admit they are facing various obstacles, especially with interest rates which remain high, and the cautious approach these donor associations take.

On top of being a key component of the national financial scene, as it fulfills the financial needs of the poor and expands the scale of financial integration, financial authorities deem it necessary to develop this sector. There are also calls to transform these donor civil associations to anonymous companies with limited capital – an issue brought up for discussion in the Moroccan Parliament with a view to designing a new strategy with the ultimate goal of advancing the microfinance sector, already contributing a million new jobs until the end of last year.

With the interest of the human being at its heart, the microfinance sector enjoyed from the start the support of the Government and international institutions as well as Moroccan banks; so much so that the Moroccan model has become pioneering in the North Africa and Middle East region. Several associations working in the microfinance sector have set the appropriate legal framework and are working under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Central Bank. His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco is willing to put the experience and knowledge of the Kingdom of Morocco in this field under the disposal of sisterly countries with which it has long-standing relations. In his statement addressed to the participants at the First Microfinance Conference, he called upon national and international actors to continue supporting the microfinance sector, so that they could face the challenges and win the bets, especially given the world economic situation.

The microfinance sector in Morocco gained momentum in 2001, with the establishment of the National Federation for Microfinance, which brings together several associations working in one of the top 10 job creation sectors in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Services, trade, and handcrafts top the list of projects financed by micro loans, with 73 per cent, especially among the urban population, which benefited from around 64 per cent of the total loans compared to 36 per cent in rural areas. This is mainly attributed to the mindset of rural people who consider loans as an interest-based transaction, and thus should be avoided. On the other hand, authorities are attempting to expand the activities of microfinance associations to include housing finance for the poor and covering the costs of building local power grids and drinking water systems. Authorities are also introducing incentive fiscal measures, and strengthening control mechanisms through establishing an accounting system appropriate for microfinance associations, as part of ensuring financial transparency.

Kazakhstan and the Islamic Development Bank on the way to a growing cooperation Bakyt Batyrshayev, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the OIC The recent activities of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Central Asia unequivocally demonstrate that Kazakhstan, which joined the Bank in 1995, is securing its status as the most attractive target of the IDB for cooperation building in the region. For a long time one of the most visible signs of this status was the existence of the IDB regional office for Central Asia and Caucasus, based in Almaty, which is widely known as the economic and financial center of Kazakhstan. Moreover, as for October 2012, the volume of the IDB Group financing in Kazakhstan totaled $987 million US dollars. In this regard, I would like to stress an outstanding role of the IDB President Ahmad Mohamed Ali, whose devotedness to Islamic values and cooperation spirit were of paramount importance for the IDB-Kazakhstan collaboration.

Since the very beginning of October 2012, the Islamic Development Bank and Kazakhstan launched the so called IDB Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS) for Kazakhstan 2013 -2015. Thus, Kazakhstan has become the first Central Asian country to have this kind of project with IDB, which is planning to implement it, following four major pillars of the Strategy: • Increasing competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s economy; • Enhancing economic diversification; • Consolidating financial sector; • Development of regional integration.

Within these pillars the IDB Group will also extend its full cooperation and engagement in Transport, Energy (with the focus on renewable energy), Agriculture and Rural Development, non-extractive high-value added industries, Islamic Banking and Finance and Regional Integration and cooperation initiatives and programs. In this regard, it is to be stressed that the MCPS fully meets the long-term objectives of the State Program for the Forced Industrial and Innovation Development, adopted

by Kazakhstan few years ago. This Program is also to enable the IDB in putting the MCPS in practice. Apart of

that, the IDB Group will work in close cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan for improving the regulatory and institutional environment for developing an Islamic Banking and Finance system in Kazakhstan and the Central Asian region as a whole.

At the ceremony of launching of the MCPS in Astana on October 2, 2012, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Mr. Aset Isekekshev stated that the Strategy made it possible to rebuild Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the IDB and direct substantial investments in certain sectors of the Kazakh economy. According to him, the MCMS envisages to attract 1 billion US dollars of investments. The President of the Islamic Development Bank Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali highly estimated the first Country Partnership Strategy for Central Asia, as a sign of historic partnership, contributing to competitiveness and sustainable economic growth through effective diversification in a medium and long term outlook.

However, it seems that that economic significance of MCPS for Kazakhstan is not limited only by KazakhstanIDB bilateral relationship. The successful implementation of the Strategy may have a positive economic impact upon entire Central Asian region, offering thereby other Central Asian countries an attractable mode of collaboration with IDB. The Chairmanship of Kazakhstan at the OIC, which just recently came to its end in mid-November 2012, appeared to be an additional driving force to enhance the cooperation between Kazakhstan and the IDB. The Kazakh Chairmanship was highly welcomed from the very beginning by the IDB. In his letter to the President of Kazakhstan H.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of the IDB Group, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali wrote on this occasion, “Indeed, Kazakhstan has taken over the Chairmanship of the OIC CFM at a crucial juncture in the history of the Muslim world, and as a young, yet successful and dynamic state is fully equipped and prepared for this noble mission”. The initiatives, proposed

by Kazakhstan as the OIC Chairman, like establishment of the OIC Food Security Office with its Headquarters to be based in the Kazakh capital Astana, drastically increased the attractiveness of Kazakhstan for the IDB and could instigate launching of the MCMS. The 39th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Djibouti in November 15 -17, 2012, adopted the resolution on Establishment of the OIC Food Security Institution, with its main office to be located in the Kazakh capital. It is certain that the implementation of this resolution will make the Kazakhstan-IDB cooperation even more comprehensive and viable.

In conclusion, I would like to stress Kazakhstan’s determination to develop and enhance the cooperation with the IDB for the sake of increasing economic cooperation among Muslim states.

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ECONOMY

Halal Food Fair and Congress held at Expo Centre in Sharjah More than 90 exhibitors from 26 countries participated

Ihsanoglu meeting with Sharjah Ruler HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan Al Qassimi

Sharjah, UAE – Leading industry experts and scholars from all over the world gathered for the inaugural Halal Congress Middle East that opened at the Expo Centre Sharjah on 11 December 2012. The two-day event discussed and reviewed halal practices and procedures as well as new opportunities that will arise with the growing global demand for Halal products. Delegates from 31 countries attended the Congress while Halal experts, scientists and scholars from 12 countries made presentations.

The UAE Minister of Education Humaid Al Qutami was the guest of honor at the inaugural ceremony. He highlighted the importance of halal certification and stressed the need to create awareness in this regard to promote halal products.

In his message, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said that the specialized character of the trade fair is extremely important in that it showcases various halal food products available in our member states. He stressed that intra-OIC trade cannot be promoted unless all information and data are available about our countries’ capabilities, resources and potentials. This trade fair complements the various OIC activities of standardizing and mainstreaming of halal food within the framework of intra-OIC trade. In addition, this event is a suitable opportunity for all stakeholders to chart the right path to develop this vital sector.

The Secretary General stated that, after the various OIC expert meetings which culminated in the drafting of the OIC Halal Food Standards, the entry into force in 2010 of the Statute of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic

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Countries (SMIIC) gave great impetus to halal food activities.

SMIIC is an effective forum for mobilizing capacities to enhance the volume and quality of trade exchange among OIC Member States. This, in turn, will contribute to the poverty alleviation efforts, resource utilization and capacity building. In 2011, the Institute adopted OIC standards and rules for halal food. The Secretary General stressed that the conference will achieve the target of increasing the private sector’s participation in the halal food industry and enhancing intra-OIC trade.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director General of the Expo Centre in Sharjah, highlighted the importance of the congress in bringing together and uniting the Muslim populations across the world.

He also stressed the importance of achieving a universal model for halal accreditation and practices. “Despite the various challenges that I am sure we will be facing, I am confident that we can achieve a universal halal model in the near future,” said Al Midfa.

The Halal Congress was held alongside the Halal Food Fair Middle East, which opened a day earlier on 10 December 2012. The exhibition showcased more than 90 exhibitors from 26 countries like Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine and the US. The event aimed to showcase the $2.77 trillion global Halal industry that is growing exponentially at 20% annually to stakeholders from across the world. Of the global Halal industry, which covers food, health services and cosmetics, the annual food market alone accounts for about 20% and is valued at around $550bn.

The show was held under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Sharjah Ruler and Supreme Council Member. A talking point at the opening ceremony was the selection of the UAE’s Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) by OIC to chair the Halal Food Technical Committee, which was seen as a global high point for the country and the regional Halal industry.

The World Bank and Islamic Development Bank sign Memorandum of Understanding on Islamic Finance Tokyo, Japan – The World Bank and the Islamic appropriate risk management framework for Islamic Development Bank signed a Memorandum of financial institutions in particular and the Islamic finance Understanding (MoU) on 14 October 2012 in Tokyo, industry in general; and Japan to set out a framework for collaboration between • Capacity building in the Islamic financial services the two parties and lend support to global, regional and industry with a view to fostering financial stability and country efforts in the development of Islamic finance. promoting increased access to Islamic financial services in World Bank Managing Director Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin markets around the world.

The core tenant of Islamic finance is a system that and the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali signed the memorandum on behalf promotes risk-sharing and the avoidance of interest and of their institutions with the common objectives of fostering, leverage. Global Islamic financial assets have increased encouraging, and studying the expansion of Islamic finance significantly over the past three decades, crossing US$1 trillion in 2010 and estimated to have exceeded US$1.2 globally. trillion in 2011, up from about US$5 billion in the late The MoU adopts the following principles: • Knowledge Sharing to identify and disseminate sound 1980s. Islamic finance could account for a substantial share of financial services in many countries in the practices in the Islamic financial services industry.

• Cross fertilization of ideas that would foster the coming years. Through the MoU, the World Bank and development of Islamic finance that is critical for growth, Islamic Development Bank will explore Islamic finance as a potential tool supporting the efforts of countries to reach efficiency and financial inclusion.

• Encourage research and promote awareness of their development goals.

IDB President calls for encouraging innovation and creativity in Islamic countries

Johor Bahru, Malaysia – In a speech at the opening ceremony of the 8th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on 12 December 2012, the President of the IDB Group called on the participants to encourage innovation and creativity in Islamic countries and launch regional partnerships to achieve accelerated development. The 8th Forum was inaugurated by the Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

Addressing the three-day event, Dr. Mohamed Ali underlined the readiness of the IDB Group to provide grounds for the Islamic countries to share the Malaysian experience in economic development by organizing seminars, workshops and exchange of experts. He admired

the Malaysian experience which has transformed the country’s economy from a developing economy to a high income one and praised the Malaysian grand investment project, “Iskandar Malaysia”, which is expected to bring rapid economic development, investment opportunities and clean environment to the Southern region of the country.

The IDB President announced that the IDB had declared the year 2013 G (1434 H) as the year for encouraging innovation and creativity to support development in its member countries. He further stated that, during the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Board of IDB Governors to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 18- 22 May 2013, IDB will organize a symposium entitled “Creativity for Development”.

21st Council Meeting of the Islamic Financial Services Board

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Islamic Development Bank Ali, President of the IDB Group.

(IDB) hosted on 16 December 2012 at its Headquarters The Council discussed a number of technical topics the 21st Council Meeting of the Islamic Financial Services relating to IFSB activities and decided to appoint the Board (IFSB), an international standard-setting organization, Governor of the Qatar Central Bank Sheikh Abdullah Saud established in Kuala Lumpur by several central banks from Al–Thani as its Chairman for the year 2013. It also decided to IDB member countries. Its objective is to enhance soundness approve the application of Bank of Morocco (i.e. Morocco’s and stability of the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI) central bank) to be upgraded to full member status. through issuance of global prudential standards and guiding On the occasion, the 6th Islamic Financial Stability Forum principles. convened to discuss the challenges faced by regulatory and The meeting was chaired by Rasheed M. Al-Maraj, supervisory authorities while identifying measures to boost Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain and attended by 17 consumer protection and ensure the resilience and stability Central Bank Governors along with Dr. Ahmad Mohamed of the Islamic financial services industry.

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IDB hosts Risk Management Meeting on Islamic Banking in collaboration with GARP Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group’s research and training arm, IRTI (Islamic Research and Training Institute) hosted a joint consultative meeting on 24 December 2012 on Risk Management in collaboration with GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals), an international non-profit organization in global financial risk testing and certification programs. Other IDB Group departments such as IFPDC (Islamic Financial Product Development Center) and GRMD (Group Risk Management Department) collaborated in the event held at the IDB Headquarters.

The event mainly sought to achieve four objectives: i) to identify issues considered important to market players, regulators, stakeholders, Shari’ah scholars and researchers; ii) to identify risk management and measurement tools applicable to Islamic financial institutions in accordance with Shari’ah principles; iii) to serve as a basis for further policy and technical discussions with stakeholders of the Islamic financial industry, and iv) to provide a market review as a basis to determine a priority for the development of risk management framework.

The participants also discussed prioritizing the development of practice driven risk management standards, which will allow for more rapid implementation of the general principles enunciated by the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), the international standard setting body that promotes and enhances the soundness and stability

of the Islamic financial services industry.

Given the background of GARP in risk management and the rich background of IDB in Islamic finance, the two institutions are expected to come up with a road map on how to address Islamic finance-related risk management issues.

Since 2011, IRTI and GARP have been discussing a joint pilot project to map and measure risks in Islamic financial products to develop practice driven learning material for risk professionals. Dr. Ahmed Jachi, Chairman of Islamic Finance at GARP explained, “Islamic banks performed in a better way than conventional banks in terms of the effects of the global economic crisis. However, at the end of the day, there are risks whether you are Islamic or conventional. If Islamic banks address these issues more properly, they may be in a better position than the conventional banks.”

Dr. Azmi Omar, Director General of IRTI, on the occasion emphasized the need to come up with an integrated set of principles and best practices for managing risks in Islamic banking and to disseminate it at a global level.

To begin with, IRTI and GARP are to initiate a pilot project on risk mapping measurement and mitigation of Murabahah instrument. The scope could be extended to other instruments after the successful conclusion of the pilot project. The participants at the meeting further expressed willingness, with no binding commitment, to help in the project by sharing information, providing advice and insight for the successful completion of the pilot project.

ICD, AGF sign MoU to spur development of SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Islamic Corporation for the Development of Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) signed a Memorandum 58

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of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in the development of the SME sector in ICD’s member countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region on December 9, 2012 in Jeddah. ICD's CEO and General Manager Mr. Khaled Mohammed AlAboodi, and AGF CEO Mr. Felix Adahi Bikpo inked the MoU. As per the MoU, ICD and AGF shall join forces to cooperate in the development of the SME sector in Africa particularly in the SubSaharan region through providing term financing, equity investment, lines of financing or guarantees.

Both institutions shall cooperate in structuring, establishing, promoting, marketing and launching funds that will promote the development of the SME sector in the said region.

As a start, ICD and AGF shall collaborate in developing a SME Fund for West Africa where both institutions are planning to deploy further capital in 2013.

Bill Gates and IDB team up to fight hunger and diseases UN: One in eight of world population going hungry

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Bill Gates, founder of the US software giant Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, announced a partnership with the Islamic Development Bank that is aimed at combating disease and food insecurity in poor countries. Gates made the announcement in a speech on October 8, 2012 at IDB. The memorandum of understanding established a five-year partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the IDB for cooperation in agricultural development, and prevention and elimination of diseases such as malaria and polio.

“I am confident that our partnership with the Gates Foundation will be a positive step in injecting new resources and momentum into the fight against polio, malaria, food insecurity and other pressing development challenges,” said Ahmed Mohamed Ali, President of IDB. He said that the Islamic Development Bank is committed to catalyzing new approaches to funding economic and social development in its member countries around the world at present and for the future. This is in line with OIC's Ten-Year Program of Action for eradicating poverty and polio.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria have been chosen since they have been found to have a high level of polio incidence. The support will concentrate on efforts to increase national response systems through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The IDB also announced that it is working with the Gates Foundation and the Government of Pakistan to put together a deal worth SR 851.2 million aimed at funding polio eradication activities through 2015. According to the agreement, Pakistan has agreed to repay the principal amount while the Gates Foundation will pay any additional administrative costs.

Also on the table, the IDB is cooperating with the Gates Foundation to provide SR 45 million to help prevent and eradicate polio in Afghanistan. The finance package will be

on a matching-grant basis. “The bank’s innovative approach to financing is helping to address some of the world’s most pressing health and development challenges, including the urgent need to end polio forever. It is for this reason that I am enthusiastic about our collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank,” said Gates.

With regard to food insecurity, in their latest report, the United Nations’ food agencies stated on October 9, 2012 that one out of every eight people in the world is chronically undernourished, and aid groups warned that rising food prices could reverse gains in the fight against hunger.

The UN agencies said 868 million people were hungry in 2010- 2012, or about 12.5 percent of the world’s population, down more sharply than previously estimated from about 1 billion, or 18.6 percent in 1990 -92.

The new figures, based on a revised calculation method and more up-to-date data, are lower than the last estimates for recent years that pegged the number of hungry people at 925 million in 2010 and 1.02 billion in 2009.

“That is better news than we have had in the past, but it still means that one person in every eight goes hungry.

That is unacceptable, especially when we live in a world of plenty,” said Jose Graziano da Silva, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“Most of the progress in hunger reduction was made until 2006, as food price levels continued to decline. With the rise in food prices and the economic crisis that followed, there have been many fewer advances,” he warned.

Food prices have risen over the previous few months, fueled by drought in the United States, Russia and other major grain exporters, and FAO expects prices to remain close to levels reached during the 2008 food crisis.

But Graziano da Silva said the world can still achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to halve the prevalence of undernourishment in the developing world by 2015.

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Zakat's potential role in accelerating global development discussed at the United Nations and upholding the rights of the poor and marginalized. Faith-based giving such as Zakat which amounts to billions of dollars needs to be spent in more strategic and effective way to accelerate development in OIC member countries,” stated Ambassador Ufuk Gokcen, Permanent Observer of OIC at the United Nations, in his opening address.

“This event is an effort in this direction.

We need to examine the potential of Zakat, tailor out a development strategy in the context of local realities, and identify right regional and international partners,” said Dr. Tariq H. Cheema, the Ambassador Ufuk Gokcen, Permanent Observer of OIC CEO of the World Congress of Muslim at the United Nations (second from left) at the forum on zakat Philanthropists.

New York, USA – International development leaders and Representatives of leading UN and Civil experts highlighted the importance of Zakat in advancing society bodies shed light on the role of faith based giving global development at a forum titled "Linking Muslim in improving lives and shared real examples of successful Giving to the MDGs". The forum was co-hosted at the partnerships between faith-based organizations and the United Nations by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation development agencies.

(OIC), the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists, and An OIC affiliate project "World Zakat Organization" was the UN Millennium Campaign in New York on November also showcased at the forum. The main focus of WZO activity 16, 2012. will be eradication of poverty among the poor and needy on “While some countries have made impressive gains in permanent basis through developing sustainable projects in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), others the area of food security, human resource development in are falling behind. The Muslim world is no exception. particular, skill training and small and medium enterprises Faith emphasizes building communities, sharing wealth financing programs.

IDB creates largest US$30 million Shariah-compliant Fund for SMEs in Tunisia Tunis, Tunisia – The Islamic Corporation for the said that with their shared mission, CDC looks forward to Development of the Private Sector (ICD), a member of enhancing cooperation with the ICD through this innovative the Islamic Development Bank Group, entered into an product especially tailored for Tunisia. On his part, ICD Chief agreement on 23 November 2012 with Tunisia’s deposits Executive Officer Khalid Al Aboodi expressed happiness and consignment fund (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, in contributing towards the economic development of a CDC), a Tunisian public institution, to launch the largest member country through this dedicated equity product.

The THEEMAR Fund is being launched with the Shari’ah-compliant SME fund known as THEEMAR Investment Fund in the country. Taking the initiative by additional support of KIPCO Group, a major holding creating an integrated solution to the problems of financing company in the Middle East and North Africa, the Al Baraka for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the Fund, with Bank Tunisia and the United Gulf Financial Services – North a capital of around US$ 2.33 billion and an outlay of US$30 Africa. It also benefits from the support of the International million regulated by Tunisia’s financial market board Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), another member (Conseil du Marché Financier CMF), is expected to provide institution within the IDB Group.

THEEMAR is expected to address most financing issues additional growth capital to the SMEs. Thereby, the Fund will be helping SMEs contribute to economic development that face SMEs from equity to technical assistance through and additional employment opportunities in the Tunisian direct and mezzanine investments utilizing Islamic modes of economy. It is worth noting that the SME sector is considered financing. By concentrating on growth capital for relatively new businesses, the Fund is likely to reduce volatility the backbone of the Tunisian economy.

On the occasion, Jamel Belhaj, CDC General Director, normally characterized with SMEs. 60

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Opening of the 3rd Conference on Health Tourism in Iran Mashhad, Iran – The Secretary General of the Member States are at different levels of development and Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, while some are able to cater for the health needs of their on 18 December 2012, said that health tourism should not nationals, it is quite a different case with many others. This be something that only the wealthy can afford, but rather is where this noble idea of promoting health tourism within should be universal and affordable by all categories of our our own Member States becomes relevant for many of the populations. He added that health gains can be maximized citizens of our Member States who usually find themselves when health tourism is pitched not only at the high-end of the with no choice but to seek medical services outside their tourism market, but is mainstreamed across that market. This places of regular domicile and, more often than not, they opt came as part of Ihsanoglu’s message to the 3rd Conference for the Western countries or countries such as India, South on Health Tourism in the Islamic Countries held in Mashhad, Africa, Thailand and China.’

Islamic Republic of Iran, on 18 -19 December 2012.

The Secretary General explained that the concept of The Secretary General also said that he was particularly ‘health’ involves more than just mere treatment of diseases as encouraged by the emerging trend at the Conference, whereby local and regional partnerships were developing it implies general well-being of people. This in turn will spur with the participation of the public and private sectors the Member States to develop the necessary infrastructure and provide the requisite resources. He also noted that becoming well-pronounced.

Ihsanoglu reiterated that promoting health is at the heart the availability of a health and wellness infrastructure of OIC policy, pointing out that the OIC has carried out a will ultimately be an important criterion for choosing a number of programs and activities aimed at empowering holiday destination, which fits well in the overall economic Member States to provide quality health services to their agenda of the OIC aiming at fostering economic and social citizens. But he noted: ‘[w]e are however, aware that our development of its Member States.

First meeting of OIC/COMCEC Private Sector Tourism Forum

Izmir, Turkey – The 1st Meeting of the OIC/ in the World and the OIC Region: Policies, Strategies and COMCEC Private Sector Tourism Forum was held on 7 -8 Tools; (2) The Role of Private Sector in Sustainable Tourism December 2012 in Izmir, Turkey with the collaboration of and Community Based Tourism. The keynote speakers Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Ministry made presentations on sustainable tourism by stressing on of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and the the importance of local authenticity for the development Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial of the of sustainable tourism in the OIC countries. They also Organization of Islamic Countries (COMCEC). The Forum particularly touched upon the details of the “Environmentally was attended by public and private sector representatives Friendly Accommodation Facility Certification Project” of from 11 OIC Member Countries, OIC General Secretariat Turkey with related to sustainable tourism. and relevant OIC institutions, including the Statistical, Following the discussions and presentations, the Forum Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for emphasized the significance of sustainable and communityIslamic Countries (SESRIC), the COMCEC Coordination based tourism for the OIC region and raising awareness of Office, and the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade all relevant stakeholders in the member countries.

(ICDT) as well as the United Nations Development Program The Forum welcomed the offer of the Ministry of Culture (UNDP) Turkey office. and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey to organize a training The Forum focused on the following two working program on 'Management of Hotels and Travel Agencies' in sessions: (1) Sustainable and Community Based Tourism April 2013.

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The 3rd Annual Meeting of the AMAN Union:

Support for investment and export insurance in OIC Countries stood at USD 17.4 billion

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Export-Import Bank of year 2013, impact of the global current credit crunch on the Malaysia Berhad (EXIM Bank), together with the Islamic AMAN Union members, as well as global trade as a whole.

Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export The Secretariat presented the 2011 Annual Report of the Credit (ICIEC) and the Arab Investment and Export Credit Union, which reveals that the insured business by members Guarantee Corporation (DHAMAN) jointly organized the reached USD 17.04 billion against 15.06 billion in 2010, an 3rd AMAN Union Annual Meeting from 20 – 22 November increase of a healthy 17.6% compared to 2010.

2012, which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was The AMAN Union Database Center was officially officiated by Senator Dato’ Dr. Awang Adek Hussin, the launched during the Meeting. AMAN Union Secretary Deputy Finance Minister of Malaysia.

General Dr. Abdel-Rahman El-Tayeb Taha commented, AMAN Union Annual Meeting is a yearly gathering “The AMAN Union Database is the first of its kind and is which assembles Commercial and Non-Commercial credit established for the benefit of national export credit insurance and political Risks Insurers and Reinsurers from member agencies in the Arab and Islamic countries. We are confident countries of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation that the establishment of this Database Center will help in (OIC), and also a ground-breaking event for the global solving issues on reliability and cost of credit information Islamic business community to meet, interact and transact in our Region,” Dr. Taha added, “This will enable members business. of the Union to share and exchange their underwriting The Forum brings together over 80 participants from knowledge and experience on.” partners in the field of export credit insurance. A number Dr. Abdel Rahman Taha who is also the CEO of the of special invitees and speakers/panelists including Dr. Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Mohammed Emir Mavani Abdullah, Director of Oil, Gas & Export Credit (ICIEC), expressed deep concern over the Energy and Financial Services Performance Management prevailing uncertain economic outlook globally. “The union and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) and Dr. Frederico Gil is now holding its 3rd Annual Meeting in difficult economic Sander from the Multilateral Investment Guarantee times that will require more effort in the industry to face Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank will discuss on the these challenges,” stated Dr. Taha. recent developments in the industry during the event. The “We believe this Forum is playing a critical role in keynote speaker Diana Smallridge, the President and CEO bringing the industry captains together to create a collective of the International Financial Consulting, spoke on “ECA’s, Critical Public Agents in Promoting Trade and Economic impact to advance the future of the credit insurance and reinsurance industry in Islamic and Arab Countries,” said Development”.

The 3-day meeting discussed the latest development Dato’ Adissadikin Ali, Managing Director/Chief Executive and updates in the industry, member’s expectations for the Officer of EXIM Bank Malaysia.

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EGYPT Full Name: Arab Republic of Egypt Capital: Cairo Population: 83,688,164 Area: 1,002,450 km2 Official Language: Arabic Monetary Unit: Egyptian Pound

Administrative Division and Main Cities

The Republic is administratively divided into 27 governorates. The governorates are either completely urban or a blend of urban and rural areas. The biggest cities of the country are Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Zagazig, Port Said, Al Mahala Al Kubra, Luxor, Mansoura, Tanta, Asyut, and Menya.

Geography:

Arab Republic of Egypt is located in the far north-eastern

African continent, bordered on the north by the south-eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and on the east by the northwestern coast of the Red Sea. Most of the Egyptian land is located in Africa but part of its land, the Sinai Peninsula, is located in the continent of Asia. Egypt has borders with Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the north-east and Red Sea to the east. Egypt is traversed by the Suez Canal between its Asian and African territories. Most of the population of Egypt is concentrated in the Nile Valley, Cairo in particular, which has nearly a quarter of the population, and Alexandria. The rest lives in the Delta and on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

Culture

Egypt enjoys a distinguished cultural heritage, accumulated over thousands of years, during which each of the Egyptian successive civilizations (Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic) contributed to the coherent entity of thinking, literature and arts. Because of its history, human capabilities and relations with Europe, Egypt has been a cultural pioneer in the modern age in the Arab world. The Egyptian writers, thinkers, authors, artists and musicians excelled in the Arab cultural production fields. Moreover, Cairo has always been the most active cultural capital in the Arab world, as the Egyptian cultural, literary and artistic life emerged early and it still flourishing. The Khedivial Opera House was the first opera house in the Middle East and the developing world.

In 2002, with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated. At a big ceremony attended by Presidents, Kings, Queens, and high international delegations, the new Library of Alexandria was launched, to be a beacon of culture as well as Egypt’s window on the world, and vice versa.

Tourism:

Egypt is known throughout its history as a destination for tourists and travelers since the visit of “Herodotus” in ancient times to record his surprise at the vast difference between Egypt and his country. Also the discovery of the Pharaohs monuments since the last century has added a special charm to it, in addition to its unique religious and cultural monuments, its geographic location centering the world, the moderate climate in summer and winter, as well as the extended coast, and the treasures of the unique coral reefs at its beaches.

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VIEWPOINT Islam’s influence on European identity

Ambassador Saadeddin Taib Advisor to the OIC Secretary General, OIC

One of the most stunning facts is when we realize that, even though its advent came six centuries later than Christianity, Islam has not only influenced it but even caused it to follow suit in one major respect, which makes Christianity much indebted to Islam.

As is well known, the spiritual and moral foundations of Western civilization rest on the teachings of the Bible. Western advances in rational and intellectual thinking, however, are rooted in the Greek heritage. When Christianity emerged and became established as a religion, all the sciences and disciplines of knowledge had long ebbed and faded from memory as Western thought had grown exceedingly emaciated, with a wide gap separating the Christian faith and reason. It was only with the birth of Islam that the Muslim Arabs came to rescue the West as they built the bridge between faith and reason.

The Arabs’ role, in this respect, was not confined to translation, but went beyond it to other fields of endeavor, as they embarked upon a thorough, all-embracing scrutiny of the Greek culture, adding their commentaries and interpretations to refine and enrich it with their own ideas. Then, upon these foundations which they apprehended and then innovated, they erected their own towering edifice of sciences and it is indeed to the Arabs and Muslims that the credit should go for saving the works of Socrates, Plato, Euclid, Heraclitus, and Galen from utter evanescence and oblivion.

From an examination of the aforementioned facts, it is quite apparent to any fair-minded researcher that what was transferred

by Arabs to the West went beyond the Greek heritage to the transfer of all manner of Arab sciences and knowledge. What’s more, it is to the Arabs that Europe owes the unfathomable merit of introducing it to the objective and scientific methodology of study, research, and development of the sciences.

Arguing for the immeasurable influence of Arab philosophy on Western scholastic philosophy could take up volumes of research. Yet, suffice it to mention briefly a handful of preeminent thinkers of the Middle Ages who endowed Christianity with its intellectual rationale and presented Europe with the rational backbone without which the advent of the renaissance would clearly have been appreciably delayed.

Foremost among these thinkers is undeniably Saint Thomas Aquinas, who is considered the leading champion and proponent of Christianity and Christian philosophy. Even so, one should not overlook the fact that it was the illustrious scholar and philosopher of the 10th Century, Avicenna, who provided to this Anglican saint and to 13th Century Europe the launch pad for Western philosophical development, thanks to his important 64

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theory on essence and existence.

In his book Dux et Princeps Philosophia, Roger Bacon reports that Thomas Aquinas frequently quoted the ideas of Avicenna in his important work on De Ente et Essentia and that he even placed him on a par with Plato. Moreover, he incorporated in his school of thought some of the most consequential theories of Avicenna on form and matter.

Thomas Aquinas was also molded by Al-Farabi (Died 950 A.D.) and cited countless paragraphs from his works. His ideas were also shaped by the influential Sufi philosopher of Islam, Imam Al-Ghazali, who died in 1111 A.D. Although St. Thomas opposed the theory of the spirit propounded by the Andalusian and Moroccan-born philosopher Averroes (112698), he considered him the prime commentator and interpreter of Aristotle and his ideas.

Christian and Judaic thinkers have deemed Averroes the unparalleled philosopher since Aristotle’s time because his ideas and views spread like fire throughout Europe and left their indelible imprint on the thinking of European university circles.

Yet, Saint Thomas Aquinas was not the only Western thinker whose ideas were fashioned by Arab philosophy to a significant extent, because we can find many others who followed this example, including his notable mentor Albertus Magnus (Died in 1230 A.D.), who was the first to adopt unreservedly the “Arab logic” as developed by Avicenna and had yet the widest and deepest impact on scientific progress in the West.

From Oxford, we can also make a special mention of Roger Bacon, who died in 1294, and, among European thinkers, was one of the most sedulous admirers and enthusiasts of Arabs, in addition to William of Auvergne, who was one of the foremost professors at Paris University and had a closer affinity to Arab philosophers than Thomas Aquinas.

Again, there is John Baconthorpe (Died 1346 A.D.), who was the Dean of the British Carmelite Church and was dubbed “the Prince of Averroes” so much was he an ardent admirer of the latter.

Judaic thinkers were also impassioned students of the pillars of Arabic philosophy. Indeed, much progress in Judaic thought owes its very existence to the Arabs as the Jews are well known to have enjoyed their full freedom in Arab countries, where their thinkers took advantage of abiding Muslim tolerance and openmindedness and of magnanimous encouragement and patronage of their intellectual works by Arab rulers.

Had it not been for this propitious environment and conditions afforded the Jews under the Arab State as well as the ascent of Arab philosophy as an overflowing source of inspiration, it would never have been possible for Judaic thinkers such as Moses Maimonides, Yehuda Ben Shlomo Cohen, Guebson, and Levi Ben Gershon (Gersonides) to emerge. These Judaic thinkers, who are considered the pride of Judaic philosophy, are well-known to have used the Arabic language as their vehicle and mode of writing.

If, in the wake of the Renaissance, political motivations have moved Western thinkers to silence vis-à-vis the inestimable debt of gratitude they owed the Arabs, fair-minded orientalists have openly depicted it in detail and recognized that the epic scientific momentum of the post-Hellenic era had in fact originated in the Arabic disciplines and sciences of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries subsequently leading to the emanation of the European renaissance.

About OIC The year 2005 is considered a turning point in the history of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly the Organization of Islamic Conference) when it launched its reform process. That year witnessed the holding of the Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit at the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on 7-8 December, which adopted the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action. As a result of the continued developments experienced in the Islamic Ummah, it had become clear the need for a new headquarters suitable for the OIC, the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations. Saudi Arabia, the host country, gave great care and attention to this matter and decided to build a new permanent Headquarters for the OIC. During the historic Makkah Summit in 2005, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud unveiled the cornerstone of the new OIC Headquarters.

Soon after, the OIC General Secretariat announced an international architectural design competition for its new headquarters. More than one hundred participants from around the world submitted their

designs. On 17 May 2006, the jury announced the outcome of the competition, selecting the design submitted by Bramberger (architect) & Thomas Pucher of Austria. When the design was presented to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques he expressed his admiration and gave his generous approval of the project for immediate implementation.

In line with this gracious patronage, the Saudi Government allocated a 40,000sm plot of land in Qasr Khuzam district in Jeddah as the location for the Headquarters. The Austrian architecture team completed the final plans in July 2009; and the Saudi Ministry of Finance presented the detailed plans, estimated budget and design model to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who gave his approval.

The OIC Headquarters will be an international landmark in the skyline of Jeddah and a beacon for joint Islamic action, Muslim culture and its rich heritage. It will also provide a wonderful site for an international prominent institution. The design incorporates and entwines traditional Islamic architecture with modern necessities.

Main entrance hall

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various peoples of the world.

Originally named The Organization of the Islamic Conference, it was established pursuant a decision adopted by the historical summit which took place in 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 Jeddah. It adopted the decision to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization's secretary general. Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is the 9th Secretary General who assumed office in January 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 to keep pace with the developments that have unraveled recently across the world. The 11th Islamic Summit held in Dakar in March 2008 endorsed the new Charter, which has become the pillar of the OIC future 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 well as 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 membership has grown from its founding members of 25 to 57 states. In 2011 in Astana, Khazakhstan, the 38th Council of Foreign Ministers endorsed changing the emblem and name to Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The Organization has the singular honor of galvanizing the Ummah into a unified voice and representing Muslims by espousing all causes close to the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. The Organization has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organizations 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 has taken various steps to remove misperceptions and have strongly advocated elimination of discrimination against 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 Member States, promotion of tolerance and moderation, modernization, extensive reforms in all spheres of activities including science and technology, education, and development of trade. It also emphasizes good governance and the promotion of human rights in the Muslim world, especially with regard to the children'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 (TYPOA) has been the recent reinvigoration and restructuring of the various OIC bodies. Among the OIC's key bodies the Islamic Summit, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the General Secretariat, in addition to the Al-Quds Committee chaired by the king of the Kingdom of Morocco, as Al-Quds remains the paramount issue on the OIC's agenda, and three permanent committees, one of which is concerned with science and technology (COMSTECH) that is chaired by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the second committee is concerned with economy and trade (COMCEC) which is chaired by the 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 Centre for 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 organs 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

Conference hall

Cornerstone of the Headquarters