OIC Journal - Issue 26 by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

January - March 2014

Issue No. 26

Al Quds Committee Meeting

Warns against dividing Al-Aqsa

New OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani affirms his resolve to serve the Muslim Ummah

The 40th Council of Foreign Ministers: Action Plan for Protecting Al Quds Statute of the Islamic Organization for Food Security

i b a

Hosts the 41st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM)

r A i d u Sa f o m o d g n i K

Of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Jeddah 18-19 June 2014

OUR MESSAGE

Peace, Economic Development and Cultural Power Iyad Madani OIC Secretary General

No one can deny or ignore the fact that the Muslim world is faced with daunting challenges, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as the collective voice of the Muslim world and the bearer of its causes, has been working diligently in addressing these challenges, particularly after the historic 2005 Extraordinary Islamic Summit in Makkah which laid down the roadmap on how to address the various challenges in the form of a Ten-Year Program of Action. Now, as we reevaluate the progress made in implementing that roadmap and attempt to redraw it, considering the new developments in our region and globally, we need to focus on a number of crucial challenges, some of which have been ongoing, some have inflated with time, some suddenly exploded on the scene and some we can possibly see coming in the horizon. The political challenges are known, beginning with the issue of Palestine and Al Quds, the raison d’être of the OIC. The Palestinians are still without a recognized state and the blessed Al Quds and Al Aqsa Mosque under occupation and threat of destruction. It is time to take serious steps by the Palestinians, the OIC Member States and the international community to unify ranks, mobilize support and exert pressure to end this long overdue injustice.

The Muslim world is blessed with abundant human and natural resources and it has the potential to be at the forefront of economic power if these resources are well harnessed and managed.

During the past 40 years since the establishment of the OIC other wars, conflicts and political instabilities in several Member States have also erupted and are continuing, and the consequences of which in the form of terrorism, extremism, human suffering and economic hardship are still being endured. However, another alarming issue has seeped through the fabric of our community and is threatening to disintegrate it, and that is sectarian differences and violence. All these issues are of utmost concern for the OIC and they are a smoldering danger not only to our region but also to the world. We need to develop our peace-building and conflict-resolution capacity to set our house in order and take charge of our own destiny. The enhancement of our leverage as a collective block within the international community could contribute to resolving many ongoing conflicts and coming to grips with a host of problematic issues. The OIC is a political intergovernmental organization, and its main mandate is political. Of importance are also the economic, social and cultural aspects in promoting solidarity, harmony and progress among the Member States. The Muslim world is blessed with abundant human and natural resources and it has the potential to be at the forefront of economic power if these resources are well harnessed and managed. On the other hand, poverty, even abject poverty, is also an entrenched fact of life in many parts of the Muslim world due to a range of reasons. Increasing inter-economic cooperation among the Member States is one solution to developing the various industries and sectors, including small and medium enterprises, in our countries, which would lead to improving income, standard of living and basic services. Another priority area is investing in our human resources – men and women – who are the engine for socio-economic development, science and technology advancement and social cohesion. We must invest in our youth, develop their skills and capacities in all fields, and involve them in the building process of their community. Soft diplomacy – the power of culture – is a critical component that directly and indirectly influences perceptions, confidence and understanding between people. Harvesting trust and long-term cooperation and mutual interest, even at the highest level, requires people-to-people dialogue, cultural exchange and smart use of the media to bridge the gap in communication and understanding, including on controversial matters concerning human rights and religion. It is a factor that will contribute greatly to reducing suspicion, intolerance and such phenomena as Islamophobia. The role of civil society and NGOs in these matters should be incorporated. With the support of the Member States and the cooperation of OIC institutions, the OIC will continue implementing the Ten-Year Program of Action adopted in 2005, and will pursue a clear vision of the future of the OIC.

OIC Journal Issued by The Organization of Islamic Cooperation Chief Editor & General Supervisor Maha Mostafa Akeel Editors Ahmed Salem Abdelhamid Salhi Layout & Design Mohammed Abdelqader Qalaba Advisory Board Ali Abolhassani Shahreza Dr. Abubaker Bagader Jakhongir Khasanov Address: Madinah Road, P.O. Box 178, Jeddah-21411 Saudi Arabia Tel: 6515222 Fax: 6512288 Telx.: 601366 Islami SJ. Website: www.oic-oci.org For comments, enquiries and advertisement

OIC Related Links Subsidiary Organs 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 Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) www.ias-worldwide.org

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 World Federation of Arab Islamic International Schools (WFAIS) www.wfais.org Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC) www.icyf.com Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) www.ias-worldwide.org

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-Bois- Case Postal 1818 CH 1215 Geneve - SUISSE www.oic-un.org oic@oic - un.org The views expressed by the writers/ authors of the articles published in OIC Journal do not necessarily represent the views of the OIC, but are the personal views of the authors themselves. However, OIC reserves the right/ discretion to amend, revise, edit, delete or scrutinize any part or portion of the text as and wherever deemed necessary.

OIC Calendar: April – June 2014

2 - 3 April: 30th General Assembly and 19th Board of Directors Meeting of the ICCIA – Tunis, Tunisia 4 - 5 April: IUIU›s University Council Meeting and Graduation Ceremony – Kampala, Uganda 6 - 7 April: 1st Meeting of the Council of Organizations Granted Consultative Status in OIC – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 8 - 10 April: 2nd Meeting of the Inter-governmental Group of Experts on the OIC Committee of Permanent Representatives – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 13-16 April: 7th Exhibition of Agribusiness Industries in the OIC Member States – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 20 - 24 April: 5th Regular Session of OIC IPHRC – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 23 - 26 April: 2nd Tourism Fair of the OIC member states – Tunis, Tunisia 7-8 May: 30th Session of the Follow-up Committee Meeting of the COMCIC – Ankara, Turkey 20-22 May: OIC-UN Biennial General Cooperation Meeting – Istanbul, Turkey 2-3 June: 8th Board of Directors & 6th General Assembly Meeting of SMIIC – Islamabad, Pakistan 18-19 June: 41st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 25-26 June: 40th Anniversary of the IDB on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the IDB’s Board of Governors – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

CONTENTS World Affairs 9. 16 . 18 .

OIC calls for respecting the rights of Muslims in Crimea No end to African exodus tragedies despite high fatalities OIC urges Myanmar government to adhere to the agreed framework

Humanitarian Affairs 34 .

OIC Humanitarian Organizations Conference calls for Donors’ Conference

for Yemen

36 . 39.

Al Quds Committee Meeting Warns Against Dividing Al Aqsa

OIC and ISF provide humanitarian assistance to refugees in Chad DIHAD: Focus on Syrian humanitarian crises

Human Rights 41.

The OIC Human Rights Commission calls for combating extremism in

Member States

Youth

48. Ministers of Youth and Sports call for investing in youth and distancing

them from extremism

OIC Holds Ministerial Level Emergency Meeting on Situation in Central African Republic

Religion 49.

Encouraging pre-marriage genetic testing

Culture 52. Old Cairo market: Trade of mother-of-Pearl inlay handicrafts on the verge

of extinction

56.

Kano: 2013 Islamic Culture Capital for the African Region

Special Report on the 40th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers

Islamic Advisory Group Adopts Urgent Plan of Action Against Polio

Ministers of Culture Adopt Implementation Plan for King Abdullah’s Initiative for InterCultural Dialogue

Economy 58.

Tourism Ministers approves mechanism for selecting Old City of Tourism

and the Award of OIC Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts

Opinion Articles 06. 10. 14.

BDS drive only way to end ‘silent genocide’ of Palestinians

Transitional Period

40.

Role of Women in the Maintenance of International Peace and

Remembering Mandela Tunisia: Consensual Constitution to End Post-Jasmine Revolution

Security

50.

Anonymous Group “Hacktivism”

IN FOCUS

MOHAMED VI AND ABBAS OPEN AL-QUDS COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS OIC Warns Against Attempts at Spatial-Temporal Division of Al-Aqsa between Muslims and Jews Madani calls for coordination mechanism for resource mobilization and developmental plan for the city Marrakech, Morocco – The Al-Quds Committee reiterated that a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East is the option for which OIC Member States are striving for, in accordance with the resolutions of the International legitimacy and based on the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the road map provisions to enable the Palestinians establish their sovereign, independent and geographically-contiguous state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. The Committee stated in its Final Communiqué that the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, resumed since July 2013, constitute a significant milestone in the efforts to reach peace, in accordance with the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the adopted peacekeeping operations guidelines. The Al-Quds Committee met in Marrakech, Morocco on 17 and 18 January 2013.

OIC Journal January - March 2014

The Moroccan monarch King Mohamed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, inaugurated the conference with the attendance of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Also at the conference were the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani and foreign ministers of member states of the Al-Quds Committee, the Director General of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds AlSharif Agency, Abdelkebir Alaoui Mdaghri, and other international personalities who participated in the Committee’s meeting for the first time. In his address at the opening session, King Mohamed VI emphasized that the convening of the meeting, at his invitation, clearly attests to the common desire of the OIC Member States to continue defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic character of Al-

Quds Al-Sharif. He added that defending the City of Al-Quds was neither a transient matter nor limited to convening Committee meetings, on the contrary, the Committee’s action includes effective diplomatic initiatives and tangible fieldwork in the holy city, carried out by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds AlSharif Agency, which is affiliated with the Al Quds Committee. The Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee added that, in the situation facing Al-Quds, Arab and Islamic joint action must be consolidated, ranks closed and innovative measures adopted to effectively contribute to sustaining the desire for peace. He called for a pragmatic, efficient strategy in which the Al-Quds Committee would play a crucial role as a permanent mechanism of the OIC. The President of the State of Palestine,

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IN FOCUS Mahmoud Abbas, on his part called for exerting all possible efforts to save the City of Al-Quds from the ferocious aggressions of the Israeli occupation, stressing that AlQuds is threatened and that the situation requires a response, without delay or postponement.

in a manner that would position them to counter occupation measures in the occupied Al-Quds, to take initiatives to protect Palestinian heritage and culture and boost protection of its timeless history by supporting Palestinian cultural activities across the world.

President Abbas presented to King Mohamed VI an official document prepared by the State of Palestine which contain a list of violations perpetrated by the occupying Israeli authorities in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Secretary General concluded his speech by stressing on the need to state unambiguously that tampering with the AlAqsa Mosque and Al-Quds are a red line which the Islamic Ummah would not allow anyone to cross under any circumstances. He warned that any such action would not only jeopardize the entire peace process but also could prolong the conflict and undermine security and stability in the entire region.

For his part, the Secretary General of the OIC, Iyad Ameen Madani, said that the Committee’s meeting was held at a time when Al-Quds Al-Sharif, the central cause of the Islamic Ummah, is going through one of its most difficult phases. He warned of the attempts to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque temporally and spatially between Muslims and Jews. Hence, he called for considering appropriate legal measures to be taken against Israel, the occupying power, at international legal bodies including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. The Secretary General pointed out that the conditions in Al-Quds, and more than at any other time before, requires the harnessing of all resources and capabilities of the Muslim world as well as joint coordination, especially between the OIC General Secretariat, the League of Arab States, the Islamic Development Bank and the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Shareef Agency, to protect Al-Quds, support the steadfastness of its people in confronting Israeli Judaization machinations. It also requires greater joint efforts by forming a follow-up committee for coordination between member states, OIC institutions, development agencies, and civil society organizations and regular consultations with regional and international organizations. Lastly, it requires mobilization of resources in order to implement the strategic plan for the development of Al-Quds. Madani called for launching the necessary steps towards the implementation of the OIC Action Plan adopted by the special ministerial session on Al-Quds at the 40th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and to enable Bayt Mal Al-Quds AlSharif Agency to play its role optimally. He also called for enabling civil society organizations to play and strengthen their role

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along with its Islamic and Christian holy sites, in order to create the appropriate atmosphere for the success of the resumed peace talks. The Committee invited all member states and financial institutions to provide necessary material support to the Bayt Mal AlQuds Al-Sharif Agency to help it live up to the aspirations of the Islamic governments and peoples in defending Al-Quds Al-Sharif on the field. The Committee also called to examine the possibility of creating a “Waqf” and to move to compulsory contributions by the member states of fixed percentage to be determined by the States to support the budget of Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency and its projects. Additionally, it called for launching grassroots donation campaigns in OIC member states to support Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The Communiqué also called on OIC member states to organize visits at various levels to Al-Quds Al-Sharif, prompting them to encourage Arab and Muslim businessmen’s actual contribution in support of the Holy City, and strengthening cooperation between the civil society organizations in the member states and international bodies and stakeholders advocating the just cause of Al-Quds.

Following that, the foreign ministers of member states of the Al-Quds Committee held an interactive session with international figures on the situation in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and to underscore the responsibility of the international community in preserving the legal status of the city and safeguarding its role and status in accordance with relevant UN resolutions. After deliberations, the Committee condemned the fait-accompli policy adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities in AlQuds Al-Sharif and all its aggressive and illegal practices. The Communiqué also called upon the international community as a whole to assume its responsibilities and press Israel to stop its illegal settlements, its violations of the Palestinian people’s rights, its provocative advertisements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as well as the statements and illegal claims by some of its officials to annex Al-Quds,

The Committee welcomed the guiding principles adopted by the European Union (EU), which prevents Israeli entities in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the rest of the Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967 from receiving grants and financial instruments emanating from the EU. It called on the EU to abide by these guidelines and to play a more effective role in opposing the Judaization process of Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The Al-Quds Committee Communiqué also emphasized the importance of Christian churches as an essential component of the diverse cultural heritage of Al-Quds AlSharif. It urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to continue its efforts to preserve the heritage of Al-Quds. The Committee called on Israel, the occupying power, to facilitate implementation of the World Heritage Committee’s resolution to dispatch a joint mission of the World Heritage Centre and UNESCO’s technical advisory bodies to control and monitor Israeli excavations in and around Al-Quds’s old city and walls as endangered world heritage.

OIC Journal January - March 2014

PALESTINE FILE

BDS drive only way to end ‘silent genocide’ of Palestinians The Palestinian narrative is a story of a prolonged occupation by Israel based on policies of Apartheid and racism, ongoing building on Palestinian land of Israeli settlements, house demolitions, and the continued denial by Israel of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. Gaza, the largest open air prison in the world, of which Israel is its jailer as it holds the keys and totally controls all aspects of life of the people of Gaza.

Mairead Maguire Peace activist from Northern Ireland Awarded the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize

The Israel policies of divide and rule, keeping Gaza and West Bank cut off from each other, ensures that neither human contact or real peace negotiations can take place

The Israel policies of divide and rule, keeping Gaza and West Bank cut off from each other, ensures that neither human contact or real peace negotiations can take place, as is evidenced by the fact that at the current peace talks presided over by US Secretary of State John Kerry Gaza’s 40 percent of Palestinians is not represented at the negotiating table. South African visitors to Palestine have described the situation of blockade, occupation — and ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem — as far worse than anything they experienced under the South African Apartheid era. Why has this desperate injustice perpetrated upon the Palestinians by Israeli policies been allowed to go on for over 60 years, in spite of United Nations over 60 resolutions, calling on Israel to uphold international law, but continuing to be ignored by Israel When anyone in the international community is brave enough to articulate the facts of Israel’s repression of the Palestinian people, they are bullied, threatened and accused of anti-Semitism. We all know the Jewish narrative but our sadness for one of humanity’s greatest acts of inhumanity should not stop us from speaking out on Israel’s current policy of a “silent genocide” of the Palestinian people, and currently today of the people in Gaza. Their denial by Israel of their basic freedoms is not a natural humanitarian tragedy, it is an Israeli policy, in which governments, media, corporations, are all complicit if not by supporting Israeli government, through funding, trading, or silence about one of humanities great inhumanities being done to the Palestinian people. But, there is much we can all do. The greatest hope we can give Palestinian people is telling the truth about their imposed suffering by Israel. To tell the Palestinian narrative, even at the risk of being called anti-Semitic, will give legitimacy to the Palestinian people and in time will force Israel to choose peace not land, as it has done for so long. The Palestinian people have asked the international community to support their non-violent BDS campaign (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and I applaud the recent actions of the Irish academics in responding to this Appeal, and calling for a Boycott of Israel universities, as indeed they are part of the system which upholds Apartheid and occupation by Israel. Prof. Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, who in his 6 years has often been refused entry into Palestinian territory, by Israel authorities, has recommended that UN member states should impose a ban on imports of products from Israeli settlements. I hope many will follow his advice. As a well supported international BDS campaign helped end Apartheid in South Africa, the Palestinian people believe so too will this nonviolent action help end Israel’s denial of their right to self-determination, freedom and peace to which Palestinians have a right.

Israel attempts to impose sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the exercise undertaken by the “Israeli Knesset” in envisaging the enactment of racist laws to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Holy Mosque of Al-Aqsa, in concomitance with the escalated storming actions perpetrated by the Israeli police and the extremist settler groups against the Mosque and their aggressions against the worshipers present in its precincts. OIC Secretary General Iyad

Ameen Madani considered this serious escalation as a direct provocation of the feelings of the entire Islamic Ummah, an affront to the international community’s will, and a flagrant violation of all UN resolutions and relevant international covenants. The OIC Secretary General affirmed that this serious unprecedented step comes within the framework of a racist policy pursued by Israel, the occupation force, to create a new fait accompli aimed at completing the plans

OIC Journal January - March 2014

for the judeization of the City of Al-Quds/ Jerusalem and as a persistent attempt to fragment the Holy Mosque of Al-Aqsa. The Secretary General instructed for the convening of an urgent coordination meeting in New York for the OIC Member States ambassadors to envisage a call for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the Israeli violations against the occupied City of Al-Quds.

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PALESTINE FILE

A general view from the southern part of the Israeli Gilo neighborhood of Highway 60, backdropped by the West Bank village of Beit Jala near the city of Bethlehem, West Bank (epa)

A Palestinian man walks outside his family›s home, which consists of tents and shacks, near the Jewish settlement of Al-Karmel, south of Yatta, Hebron, the West Bank (epa)

OIC calls on states to affirm their public stand against Israeli settlements Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, expressed his strong condemnation of the decision taken by the Israeli occupation authorities to approve the construction of 1400 colonial settlement units, which it unveiled the plans for on January 10, in the West Bank including the occupied City of Al-Quds. He stressed that the Israeli colonial settlement activities are illegal, in blatant violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, and susceptible to undermine all chances of progress in the peace process and the two-state solution. The OIC Secretary General called on the international community to assume its responsibility and take a firm stand to put an end to the Israeli colonial settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territories including the City of Al-Quds. He further reminded the major states of their publicly announced official stands against the Israeli settlement projects, and called on them to affirm their real political will and give concrete meaning to their stands, politically and economically, vis-à-vis Israel. The Secretary General also called on civil society organizations to take an effective mass-level stand towards the racist Israeli colonial settlement practices. The settlement plans have provoked angry reaction from the international community

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and from Palestinian negotiators. The international community considers the colonization of occupied land to be illegal, and the Palestinians have long viewed settlement construction as a key obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.

tlement watchdog, in the six months since the peace talks began on July 29, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advanced plans for 7302 new homes, including 4880 in the West Bank and 2422 in east Jerusalem.

Some 350000 Jewish settlers live in the occupied West Bank, in addition to another 200,000 Israelis settled in occupied and annexed east Jerusalem.

EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process visits OIC

Israel revealed plans for another 550 new homes in three settlement neighborhoods of annexed east Jerusalem on February 5. The OIC Secretary General again condemned the decision, saying the settlement expansion project is a blatant aggression on the Palestinian people’s rights and represents a flagrant violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy. Madani added that the insistence of the occupying power, Israel, to continue the racist and illegal policy of settlement, which aims to change the demographic situation in the city of Jerusalem and isolate it from its Palestinian surroundings, requires a firm stand of the international community, especially the UN Security Council, which must assume its responsibilities and work towards stopping these violations and successive Israeli aggressions and consider them war crimes. According to figures from Peace Now set-

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Ambassador Samir Bakr, OIC Assistant Secretary General for Palestine and Al-Quds Affairs, received in his office on 25 November 2013 at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Ambassador Andreas Reinicke and his accompanying delegation. Ambassador Bakr reviewed with the visiting envoy the political stances of the OIC on the Palestinian question and stressed the role of the European Union in the efforts being made to drive the peace process, pressure and compel Israel to accept international references, and stop settlement building on all Palestinian territories, particularly the occupied Jerusalem. For his part, Ambassador Reinicke emphasized the EU’s commitment to continuing its efforts in support of the Peace Process on the basis of the two states solution and the 1967 border in order to reach a lasting peace in the Middle East.

OIC Journal January - March 2014

WORLD AFFAIRS Madani at Geneva Conference outlines OIC policy on Syrian crisis Montreux, Switzerland – The OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani leading a three member delegations, attended the Geneva Conference on Syria commonly known as Geneva II on 22 January 2014 at Montreux, Switzerland. In his intervention in the conference the Secretary General, termed the meeting as the beginning of a promising process those witnesses for the first time attendance of representatives of both the Syrian government and the Opposition.

UN-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, (L), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, (R), at Geneva II peace talks (epa)

The OIC Secretary General stressed the Syrian Government’s responsibility for the tragic deterioration of the situation within Syria. He also underlined the prime role of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as the countries of the region in ending the crisis.

Madani also reiterated the basis for the OIC policy on the Syrian crisis as outlined in its Summit resolutions. Namely: to preserve Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity; to abide by the Islamic values of peace, justice and equality; to adhere to human rights; and to do all possible to prevent the conflict from becoming a fully fledged civil war.

Madani also urged the meeting not to lose sight that the case of Syria is a case of a people struggling for freedom from op-

pression. The OIC Secretary General cautioned that the situation in Syrian should not be exploited as a stage to gain influence, but rather as a reason to reach a new paradigm in the region. A paradigm that leads to a stable, prosperous region that is able to live at peace with itself and with the world at large. On the sideline of the Conference, the Secretary General had bilateral meetings with different dignitaries attending the Conference to discuss the Syrian crisis as well as issues related to the OIC. Madani met with Didier Burkhalter, President of the Swiss Confederation, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN-LAS Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the Secretary General of the Arab League and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, Indonesia and Iraq.

Kuwait hosts 2nd International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria

OIC calls on the Syrian regime to facilitate relief access

Kuwait – The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) renewed its principled position in support of evolving a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria. In a statement addressed to the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, held in Kuwait on 15 January 2014, Iyad Ameen Madani, OIC Secretary General, voiced the view that there was an imperative need to put an end to the innocent bloodshed and to achieve the legitimate rights of the Syrian people in terms of democracy, respect for human rights and good governance, within the framework of Syria’s unity, security and stability. The Second Pledging Conference was a sequel and follow-up to the earlier one hosted by Kuwait in January 2013. The Secretary General said, in the statement delivered on his behalf by the OIC Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Amb. Abdullah Alim, that the Conference comes in the full conviction of the importance of holding such a conference and rallying humanitarian action in a solid and streamlined fashion in order to respond to the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people. Madani also expressed the hope that the international community would strive towards achieving an early peaceful solution to the

crisis which has been dragging for so long. The Secretary General laid stress on the need for the Syrian regime to facilitate the entry of international humanitarian organizations into Syria and to allow the extension of humanitarian aid in accordance with specific mechanisms to be defined in agreement with the regime. Madani further pointed out that today, three years after the outbreak of the crisis, the humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening and continue to deteriorate for those who have been internally displaced, whether willfully or by force, as well as for those who have sought refuge in neighboring countries, whose numbers have exceeded 6 million. He also noted that continued

OIC Journal January - March 2014

disruptions in Syria since then have complicated the process of evaluating the humanitarian needs in the country, at a time when the repercussions of the crisis have started manifesting clearly in the form of rocketing basic food and commodity prices. The Conference concluded with pledges to the tune of $2.4 billion for the relief of the Syrian people, according to figures announced by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who stated in his closing address to the Conference that the target amount was $6.5 billion and that “pledges in excess of 2.4 billion have been announced”.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (R), Emir of Kuwaiti Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad (C), and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (L) during the opening session of the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria (epa)

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WORLD AFFAIRS Arab Summit pledges to end divisions

OIC and Arab League to coordinate in the face of common challenges

Kuwait – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, paid tribute in his address at the inaugural session of the Twenty-fifth Session of the Arab Summit held in Kuwait on 25 – 26 March 2014, to the close cooperative and consultative relations between the OIC and the League of Arab States in their stand in the face of their common issues and challenges, and he underlined, on the occasion, the OIC’s keen interest in further advancing its coordination with the Arab League. The Secretary General affirmed that the relations between the OIC and the League of Arab States are of a fundamental and pivotal character, with the cause of Palestine, AlAqsa Mosque and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, at the forefront, particularly under the recurrent and systematic Israeli violations aimed at judaizing Al-Quds and the stifling and brutal constraints meted upon the Jerusalities.

Madani said “the advancing danger and the serious challenges facing us all take the shape of discord and mutual killings which have gained ground in our ranks. This is a strife where there is no victor. It would rather invite perils for all”. The Secretary General also recalled that the Extraordinary Islamic Summit which was held in Makkah in 2012 had adopted the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud for the establishment of a Centre for Dialogue among the Islamic Doctrines for the benefit of mutual understanding. He added that the OIC is striving hard to ensure that the Center becomes a reality in the near future. Madani also drew the attention of the conferees to the extremist voices and groups that have hijacked Islam and misappropriated the right to speak on its behalf, whereas in actual fact, Islam with its established values and aspirations and with its advocacy of

justice, equality, concord, coexistence and mutuality, is totally unrelated to them and to their ideologies and what they call for. In addition, the Secretary General invoked a number of other challenges facing the OIC and the Arab League, including the identity challenge, the challenge of achieving an innovative approach to coexistence that is mindful of the legitimate national interests of states and that lays the foundations at the same time for regional and inter-regional concord and coexistence and maximizes mutual interests and benefits rather than engaging in conflicts and mutual killings. He further noted that the OIC and the Arab League are the two organizations most capable of providing the necessary channels and forums for the consideration of such an approach and its alternatives. A declaration was read out at the end of the summit stressing that the 22 members of the Arab League would “pledge to work decisively to put a final end to divisions”. The final statement condemned “mass killing committed by the Syrian regime’s forces against the unarmed people” and reiterated the Arab League’s backing for “a political solution to the Syrian crisis in accordance with the Geneva One declaration”. That declaration calls for a transition of power in Syria, which is suspended from the Arab League. But two rounds of talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and rebels, brokered by U.N. and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, collapsed without a result.

OIC calls for respecting the rights of Muslims in Crimea In the framework of the recent developments in Ukraine, and particularly in Crimea, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is concerned about the security and well-being of the Muslim Crimean Tatar Community. Any recurrence of the past suffering of the Crimean Tatars who were expelled from their homeland in Crimea in the 20th Century should not be allowed. It is of the utmost importance for the OIC that the right of citizenship, lives, religious and cultural heritage and property should be safeguarded. It is the firm belief of the OIC that in the 21th century, constructive dialogue, peaceful and good neighborly relations should be the norm for the members

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of the international community. Russia seized control of Crimea amid the political upheaval that followed President Viktor Yanukovych’s ouster in February amid bloody street protests against his decision to turn away from a European Union trade deal in favor of closer ties with Moscow. The Russian annexation was cemented by the controversial referendum, where a large majority of Crimeans voted in favor of leaving Ukraine for Russia in mid March, and a new treaty that absorbed the Black Sea peninsula into the Russian Federation. Following the ouster of President Yanukovych an interim government in Kiev was voted in by a large majority in parliament, and presi-

dential elections are expected to take place on May 25. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have been widely condemned by the West and prompted concern in Kiev and other former Soviet states that further incursions may follow. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund announced a $14 billion to $18 billion bailout for Ukraine to avoid bankruptcy. The U.S. Senate approved $1 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine, along with sanctions against Russia for its intervention in Ukraine. The U.N. General Assembly on 26 March adopted a resolution that branded Crimea’s secession referendum invalid; 100 countries backed the nonbinding resolution, with 11 opposed and 58 abstaining.

OIC Journal January - March 2014

OPINION Remembering Mandela Washington, DC – As we collectively mourn Nelson Mandela’s passing, it is fitting to reflect on his life, and celebrate his greatness as a leader, and a man. His passing is a loss for our planet, but his spirit will live on in the fabric of the world, and in all of us.

by ... Susan Collin Marks

At the age of 44, Mandela was imprisoned in a 6 x 9 foot cell on Robben Island by the apartheid regime. He was 71 when he was released on February 2, 1990, and I waited all day with 80,000 other people in the hot sun in Cape Town’s city square. Suddenly, there he was; a tall, strong, smiling, laughing Xhosa man with eyes dancing. We shouted and sang and danced our adulation and love. He dazzled us with his vision of a future where all South Africans, black and white, would live equally in their homeland. His warmth and spirit settled in us, seeping into our hearts and bones. The firebrand had come home to his wise elder self, and now he was going to take the rest of us home to the “new South Africa” with him. As much of North Africa and the Middle East continue to push through the growing pains of the Arab Awakening – including interethnic violence and challenges in governance – Mandela’s truly uncontainable spirit and leadership style can perhaps help light the path forward for other nations, and for all of us. He embodied the core elements of great leadership, even as he remained fully human with flaws and shadows. And he illustrated a profound truth, that we are great not despite our failings, but including them. We cannot pretend to be someone other than who we are, and much of the controlling, rigid leadership we see in the world today is armor against fear of personal failure and weakness. His authenticity taught us; he was always himself. Despite his hot temper, he was compassionate and empathetic towards those who imprisoned him, even as he lamented his inability to have a good relationship with some of his family.

Next door in Egypt, people also long for a leader able to save the country from violence and continuing division. And Syrians hope for a peaceful solution that will unite the nation.

He was a leader for all South Africans – never swerving from his vision of a rainbow nation – and a courageous problem solver, with pragmatism built on core values that translated into a deeply held personal and professional ethical framework. His inspiration came from a purpose bigger than himself and his presence, voice and discipline inspired others to be better than they ever imagined. Who he was as a leader at this time of global upheaval matters. As old certainties are uprooted, the challenge is how to create a new world for the benefit of all, not just for “my” group or faction or party. He showed us not only what to do and how to do it, but also who we need to be as leaders - and citizens. I was recently in Libya, where people hunger for a leader able to unite Libyans through their common humanity. A local leader in Sirte told me wistfully that Mandela had been South Africa’s secret ingredient, and he wished they had one too. Next door in Egypt, people also long for a leader able to save the country from violence and continuing division. And Syrians hope for a peaceful solution that will unite the nation. As we consider Mandela’s life and legacy, we might ponder his favourite poem, Invictus, by Victorian poet William Ernest Henley, and the lines that he said sustained him during 27 years in prison: I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Mandela understood that life will throw many things at us, and it is up to us how we respond. He knew the power of forgiveness and took tea with Betsie Verwoerd, widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid. He learned that love is the greatest power in the universe, and invited his prison wardens to his inauguration as the first democratic President of South Africa. He taught us how to live with ourselves, and with each other, embracing our common humanity. I am grateful to have been one of the thousands who stood in his shadow that day in 1990 when he came back to us, and showed us how to step into the new democratic future that, together, we would all create. ............................................................................................ .....................................................................................................................................................................................

* Susan Collin Marks, Senior Vice President of Search for Common Ground, is an internationally respected peacebuilder, mediator and author from South Africa. Her book, Watching the Wind, chronicles her experiences during the transition from apartheid to democracy. Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews) Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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WORLD AFFAIRS Egyptians overwhelmingly adopt new constitution 2014 announced that more than 19 million people voted “yes” to Egypt’s constitutional referendum, i.e. 98.1% of the voters including Egyptian expatriates who voted during the period from 8 to 12 January 2014.

Cairo, Egypt – The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the measures taken to implement the roadmap in Egypt after adoption of the new constitution by overwhelming majority of the Egyptian voters. The OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani emphasized, in a statement issued on this occasion, the need to complete the transitional process in order for Egypt to embark on a new phase of its history. Egypt’s Supreme Electoral Commission supervising the referendum on the new draft constitution held on 14 and 15 January

Judge Nabil Salib, head of Egypt’s Supreme Electoral Commission took it that the draft constitution got the unprecedented popular approval referring to the participation of more than 20 million voters with the turnout of 38.6% of the nearly 53.5 million eligible voters. Those who voted “yes” for the draft constitution were 19,985,389 voters while who voted “no” were 381,341 voters, i.e. 1.9% of the voters, while the invalid ballots were 246,947. Salib noted that the referendum has been held with the supervision of 15,560 judges, and the assistance of 116,918 election workers, indicating that 352 general polling stations were allocated for the referendum in addition to 30,317 sub-polling stations and 146 polling stations designated

to those who live away from where they are registered. On 30 June, 2013, large-scale demonstrations took place against the rule of the former president Muhammad Morsi on the ground of which the roadmap have been embarked on. Later on, amendments have been introduced by a 50-member committee, whose names have been announced on 1st September, 2013. This committee presented the final draft constitution to the president Adli Mansour on 3rd December, 2013 to be presented to the Egyptian people in a constitutional referendum. Egypt witnessed a number of terrorist attacks, before and after the referendum, aiming at destabilization of the country. The OIC Secretary General condemned these terrorist acts that caused huge material and human losses with the aim of obstructing the democratic path in Egypt. He also called for unity and concerted efforts so as to maintain the security and stability of Egypt.

Tunisia Steps Confidently Towards the Consolidation of its Emerging Democracy Tunis, Tunisia – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) renewed its firm position of support for democracy in Tunisia, through a statement issued by the OIC General Secretariat on 27 January in which the OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, expressed his sincere congratulations to the Tunisian people on the occasion of ratification by the Constituent Assembly of a new constitution for the country that opens promising vistas and lays solid foundations for building a pluralistic democracy there. The OIC statement was issued immediately after the ratification by the 217-member Constituent Assembly on the new Tunisian constitution with 200 votes for, 12 against and 4 abstentions, as well as the formation of a new government to take care and ensure the application of what has been agreed upon. The OIC Secretary General commended the honest will and continuous keenness on concord shown by all Tunisian parties, whether political or civil society, in light of the well-known values of tolerance and moderation of the Tunisians. Madani wished to Tunisia and its people more progress, prosperity and development. The Tunisian Constituent Assembly had recently formed an independent government headed by Engineer Mahdi Jumaa to lead the country towards the general elections with high hopes that this government would reinforce stability in the country and help it

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Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (L), Prime Minister Ali Larayedh (R) after signing the new Constitution (epa)

pass the transitional stages towards democracy consolidation and power rotation. Observers praised the pace of political action in Tunisia that has been successful in treading smoothly, with minimal moral losses, towards emerging democracy in the wake of the outbreak of what is known as the “Arab Spring”. Tunisia is notably witnessing an evident stability and clear specific vision towards political action and national dialogue. The spark of the Arab revolutions has started from Tunisia, specifically Sidi Bouzid, on 17 December 2010 after young Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire because of an altercation with a government officer. This was turned later into a revolution that toppled the former president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and formed a domino process that materialized subsequently in the revolutions in Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria.

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WORLD AFFAIRS Stresses on Activating the Issue at International Human Rights Fora

OIC Delegation Visits Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan – In the framework of continuing OIC political, diplomatic and humanitarian support of the Kashmiri people, a delegation headed by Abdullah Abdul-Rahman Alim, the Special Representative of the OIC Secretary General on Jammu and Kashmir and OIC Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, paid an official visit to Islamabad and the territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the period from 19 - 23 November 2013. The OIC delegation included representatives from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF), and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). During its visit, the delegation held a series of meetings with the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on security and foreign affairs, as well as Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan, President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Chaudhry Abdul-Majeed, the Prime Minister of the Territory. Ambassador Alim reiterated OIC

solid and supporting position to the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination. The Special Representative briefed the senior officials in both Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on the tireless efforts of the OIC towards the resumption of the comprehensive dialogue between Pakistan and India to find a peaceful solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and respond to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The delegation also met members of the Legislative Assembly of Azad Kashmir and a number of prominent political leaders there, and participated in a panel discussion organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad to brainstorm on the issue of Kashmir in the light of developments at South Asian region. The delegation took cognizance of the conditions of the Kashmiri people in the territory through a visit to a refugee camp of Kashmiris, and acquainted itself with the situation on the ground in the buffer zone

Amb. Alim during his visit to Kashmir

between the two parts of Kashmir. The visit resulted in a series of recommendations, most notably the need to strive hard towards raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a more powerful manner at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and at the United Nations through the Islamic group and the OIC contact group, and the importance of the involvement of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) in documenting human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir to defend the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination.

New Delhi Meetings: Communication with the Armed Opposition for a Peaceful Solution New Delhi, India – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) participated in two meetings on Afghanistan in New Delhi on 16 and 17 January. The first meeting was that of the International Contact Group, which discussed the political and security challenges, elections, regional cooperation, economic opportunities, and the status of women. The meeting was presided over by Michael Koch, the head of the Contact Group and German Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the presence of the Foreign Minister of India, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and Minister of Women in the Afghani government. The meeting drew the attention to the continued progress in the security, political and economic transition process in Afghanistan along with the setbacks and huge challenges, especially as regards security and humanitarian aspects. It called for the need to organize timely credible elections in early April as stipulated in the Constitution. In its deliberations, the meeting stressed the need for continued support of the international community for development, poverty alleviation efforts, development of

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Displaced Afghans live in tents on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan (epa)

education and health care in Afghanistan. It also welcomed the increased participation of women in political action in Afghanistan, and stressed the importance of their enjoyment of their full political and voting rights in the upcoming elections and the importance of protecting them against violence. The Afghani side asserted its country’s keenness on empowering women to fairly participate side-by- side with men in the country. On its part, the OIC stressed its commitment to support the achievement of political stability and economic and social development in the country. It also asserted its commitment to mobilize more resources to

the Afghanistan Fund to continue its development activities in the country and to contribute to the national reconciliation efforts through the convening of the Ulama (Religious Scholars) Conference in coordination with the Supreme Council for Peace. On the other hand, the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process – meeting, held the next day, reviewed the multilateral cooperation among countries in the region in the areas of development and the fight against terrorism. This meeting was a continuation of the previous meetings held in Istanbul and Kabul, which aim to promote regional cooperation among the countries of the region, especially after the completion of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The meeting discussed, inter alia, electricity transmission project in Central Asia, and the gas pipeline that links Turkmenistan and Afghanistan as the Islamic Development Bank has been making unremitting efforts with the World Bank to promote the project of hydroelectric power generation in Central and South Asia.

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WORLD AFFAIRS As Yemenis adopt National Dialogue Document OIC affirms its support The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, welcomed the consensual adoption in Yemen of the National Dialogue Document at the closing plenary session of the Inclusive National Dialogue Conference held on 21 January 2014.

gratulations to the Yemeni Government and People on this historic achievement and affirmed the OIC’s full support for the results of the national dialogue which pave the way for a promising future where the people of Yemen will enjoy security, stability and welfare.

The Secretary General extended his con-

The Secretary General reiterated the OIC’s

keen interest in the preservation of Yemen’s security and territorial integrity, and indicated that the Organization will keep up its support for the Yemeni people and Government in their diligent endeavors to establish such state-of-law institutions as to guarantee rights-equality for all citizens and achieve sustained development for the Yemen.

Deep grief and sorrow over the departure of Nelson Mandela

Lebanon forms new government OIC Warns against mounting violence

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) mourned with great sadness and sorrow the death of the great African Leader and Former South African president, Nelson Mandela. The OIC Secretary General said the world lost one of the most courageous people, a man of credibility and purity, asserting that history will remember Mandela as a hero for human dignity, freedom, peace, reconciliation and coexistence. The Secretary General said that the Islamic world will always appreciate and remember the moral qualities and exceptional leadership of Mandela, who will remain always in the memory of the Muslim peoples as someone who sacrificed most of his life in order to be able to bring about to his great people freedom and dignity. Moreover, the Muslim world will never forget the great role and contribution of the leader Mandela in interfaith dialogue and in bringing the different religions closer together, including the Islamic religion.

Beirut, Lebanon – The OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, congratulated the President of the Republic of Lebanon H.E. Michel Sulaiman, and Head of Government, Tammam Salam, and the Lebanese political leadership on their agreement in February to form an ‘inclusive national interest government’. However, in another statement the Secretary General warned against the mounting violence in Lebanon and the repercussions of involving the country in the events taking place in Syria. He invited all components of the Lebanese society and its political forces to dialogue and underscoring their commonalities. The Secretary General reaffirmed OIC’s readiness to put at use all its potential to this end.

UN: more than 140,000 Iraqis have fled Anbar province Largest displacement of people within the country Anbar, Iraq – Fighting in Iraq’s Anbar province has caused the “largest” displacement of people within the country since clashes in 2006-2008. Over 140,000 people have fled the region as a result, according to a new UN report.

ing for those stranded there.

Violence in Iraq’s western Anbar province displaced over 140,000 people between December 2013 and end of January 2014, after clashes erupted between security forces and anti-government fighters linked to al Qaeda, the United Nations said.

“People are reportedly without money for food and lack suitable clothing for the rainy conditions. Children are not in school and sanitary conditions, particularly for women, are inadequate.”

Fighting in the cities of Ramadi of Fallujah drove out more than 65,000 people in mid January alone, it added. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Peter Kessler described the situation as the “largest” displacement of people Iraq has seen since deadly sectarian violence between 2006 and 2008. The report added that conditions in the conflict area were worsen-

OIC welcomes interim accord on Iran’s Nuclear Program www.oic-oci.org

“Many civilians are unable to leave conflict-affected areas where food and fuel are now in short supply,” Kessler said.

Violence in Iraq has risen sharply over the past year, raising concerns that the country could experience a level of bloodshed last seen in 2006-2008, when clashes between Sunnis and Shiites claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Recently, security forces have been fighting to wrest control of Ramadi and Fallujah from anti-government militants, some of whom have ties to the al Qaeda-linked group Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed on 25 November 2013, the interim agreement reached in Geneva between the world’s six major powers (P-5 Plus One) and the Islamic Republic of Iran on Iran’s nuclear issue. While the Secretary General hailed the negotiated deal as a diplomatic breakthrough in the protracted stand-off over Iran’s nuclear program, he stressed on the need for the establishment of a nuclear weapon-free Middle East in line with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and in accordance with the OIC resolutions calling for all countries in the region, with no exception, to accede unconditionally and with no further delay, to the NPT.

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OPINION Tunisia: Consensual Constitution to End Post-Revolution Period Tunisia’s encounter with “Constitutions” is neither a fresh event nor a recent introduction. It is in fact as old as history in this land. The Greek philosopher Aristotle who lived between 334 and 322 B.C was full of praise for the “Constitution” of the Republic of Carthage, a state which lasted from 814 to 164 BC. In the contemporary era too, Tunisia has been the first Arab country to adopt a constitution. This was in 1861, in the time of the Pasha Bey Mohamed Al Sadoq. After Tunisia’s accession to full independence in March 1956, a national constitution council was set up which evolved the first constitution for the Republic of Tunisia which was signed by the late president Habib Bourguiba on June 1, 1959.

Abdel Raouf Ben Rajeb Tunisian Journalist Former Director of Information Department at the OIC (2005-2011)

“The State shall oversee religious affairs and ensure the freedom of faith, of conscience and of worship, and see to the neutrality of mosques and worshiping places and their immunization against partypolitics. The state also commits to promote the values of moderation and tolerance and to protect religious sanctities and prevent any prejudice against them.” 14 OIC Journal

The constitution of 27th January 2014, the date at which it was ratified by the current president of the Republic, the prime minister and the chairman of the constitutional council, differs from the earlier one in that it is a consensual one, developed under the pressure of the democratic forces and the components of the civil society and experts in constitutional law. The Islamic Al Nahdha Party, accounting for the majority seats in the constitutional council, accepted it, but that was only reluctantly, particularly after the two political assassinations that resulted in the departure of the Islamic deputies from the government and replaced by a government of “Independent National Technocrats” whose role is to prepare for the general elections before the end of the year. The first move by the opposition forces to Al Nahdha’s plans came against the demand for the principle of “The Islamic Sharia being the key fundament of legislation”. And after a lengthy debate process, the Islamists relinquished and accepted the first article of the constitution of 1959 stipulating that “Tunisia is an independent sovereign state, whose religion is Islam, whose language is Arabic and whose governing system is republican”, with a particular emphasis that this particular article cannot be amended, just as the second article which points to the “civil” character of the state. Under the chapter of rights and liberties there were virulent discussions between those advocating a focus on Islamic references and those propounding secular references, but in the end the constitution has been shaped in a way that consecrates the rights and freedoms enshrined in universal covenants including, in particular, an insistence on “equality between male and female citizens away from any “discrimination” and the state’s commitment to “the protection of the acquired rights of women and the consolidation and development of their achievements”. In an interesting twist, the constitution also indicates that the state shall “endeavor to achieve parity between men and women in elected councils”, which entails the enactment of laws that would ensure the presence of equal numbers of men and women in the coming chambers of deputies and in the election of regional and municipal councils down the road. The sixth article, relevant to the role of the state in religious affairs, was the subject of deep polemics, and after a lengthy tug-of-war, it was agreed that the article would be worded in such a manner as to satisfy all concerned, as follows: “The State shall oversee religious affairs and ensure the freedom of faith, of conscience and of worship, and see to the neutrality of mosques and worshiping places and their immunization against party-politics. The state also commits to promote the values of moderation and tolerance and to protect religious sanctities and prevent any prejudice against them. It also commits to “prevent and combat any calls for excommunication (takfir: charging others with apostasy) or incitement to hatred or violence”. The chapter on freedoms and rights came out in alignment with international standards, embracing all rights and freedoms, particularly the political ones. With regard to the system of government, the constitution came out with a quasi-parliamentarian system whereby the president is elected through direct popular elections. Also, the constitution had a chapter on the judicial authority to ensure its independence from the other authorities. The constitution also sets up a constitutional court specializing in monitoring the constitutional character of laws, in addition to independent constitutional amendment bodies such as the elections commission, the audiovisual media commission, the human rights commission, the commission for sustainable development and the rights of future generations and the good governance and anti-corruption commission. Many countries have come to view Tunisia as an exemplary case and a good reference for the success of the “Arab Spring” which in other countries has regrettably spawned negative fallouts. The constitution, however, is but a document whose actual impact can only be evaluated when executed. In the past, the constitution of 1959 was subjected to several amendments which derailed it from its original purpose, such as the inclusion in it of the idea of life-presidency in the time of the former late president, Habib Bouguiba, or the transition from a “presidential” to a ”semi-presidential” system where absolute power is placed in the hands of the president, as during the time of the former president Ben Ali.

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WORLD AFFAIRS At the High-level Segment of the UN HRC:

Madani expresses concern over human rights violations in Syria, CAR and Myanmar Geneva, Switzerland – The Secretary General of the OIC, Iyad Ameen Madani attended the High-level Segment of the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which was held on 3-5 March 2014 and gathered Heads of States, Ministers and senior government officials to discuss global human rights issues. The Secretary General of the OIC made a statement at the meeting in which he addressed various situations of human rights concern to the Organization and stressed that Human rights have been an integral part of the OIC vision, Charter and resolutions. He reiterated the OIC commitment to promotion and protection of all human rights while fully respecting different cultural, religious and historical backgrounds. Madani expressed OICs strong concern on the ongoing egregious violations of human rights in Syria, Central African Republic and Myanmar as well as highlighted the need to resolve the issues of Nagorno Karabakh and Kashmir in accordance with relevant UN resolutions. He reaffirmed the Palestinian right to selfdetermination and strongly condemned Is-

rael’s continuous violations of Palestinian’s human rights and urged the international community to force Israel, the occupying power, to immediately put an end to its brutal treatment and to restore the full range of the Human rights of the Palestinians. Regarding Islamophobia, Madani stressed on the need to urgently and fully implement the OIC sponsored Resolution 16/18, in order to address the ongoing discrimination and hatred in based on religion or belief. During his two-day visit to Geneva, the Secretary General conducted several bilateral meetings. Madani also took the opportunity to visit the Heads of several international organizations based in Geneva. In this regard, he met Mr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, with whom he highlighted the importance of the cooperation between the two organizations, in particular in the fields of assistance to developing countries and support for the Palestinian economy. Furthermore, Madani discussed with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Navi Pillay, the current human rights situations of common concern. Among others, they discussed the follow-

up of the resolution 16/18, the conditions of Muslim minorities, in particular in Myanmar and CAR and the strengthening of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission. During the meeting with António Guterres, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the OIC Secretary General had the opportunity to hear more about the dire situation of refugees in the OIC Member States and Observers. They particularly focused on the situation of the Syrian refugees and the need for international solidarity and burden-sharing. They also raised concern about the refugees and IDPs in CAR and the long-standing situation of Somali refugees. Finally, the OIC Secretary General had intensive talks with the WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, regarding health challenges OIC countries are facing, among which the eradication of the following communicable diseases like polio, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. They agreed on the need to have strong health policies to address non-communicable diseases and to work together on these issues through strong institutional cooperation. Madani concluded his visit with a meeting with Peter Maurer, President of the ICRC.

At the 4th Istanbul Process Meeting

OIC stresses on drawing a clear line between free speech and hate speech Doha, Qatar – The Secretary General of OIC while agreeing with the need to maintain an open, constructive and respectful debate of ideas, emphasized the importance of distinguishing between respectful and critical discussion, which is part of freedom of expression, from hateful, insulting and defamatory discourse, which goes in line with hate speech that leads to incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence. Hence, the need to clearly draw a line between free speech and hate speech by determining the threshold between incitement to hatred and freedom of expression in accordance with Articles.19 & 20 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Madani, who was delivering the inaugural

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statement at the 4th Istanbul Process Meeting for the effective implementation of the HRC Res 16/18 in Doha on 24 March 2014, briefly commented on the history of Istanbul process and stressed its importance and urged the international community to make best use of this platform for devising a specific course of action and steps for the full and effective implementation of the Action Plan contained in Resolution16/18. Madani proposed that while focusing on the interfaith dialogue as a mean to advancing freedom of religion (theme of the 4th Meeting), participants must also look at the broader picture and try addressing interrelated issues such as causes and tools available to address the problem, in particu-

lar the loopholes and grey areas. Interfaith and intercultural dialogue must also be complemented with integrated international efforts to combat incitement to religious intolerance, discrimination and hatred through effective legal means, he added. In conclusion, the OIC Secretary General reiterated the importance of utilizing Istanbul process as a vehicle to meticulously discuss and address the triple gap of interpretation, implementation and information through a soft law approach by consensus. Such an approach could take the shape of agreed principles, guidelines or declaration that could reflect the common understanding of international community on this important issue.

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WORLD AFFAIRS

No end to African exodus tragedies despite high fatalities Mogadishu, Somalia (dpa) – The clandestine emigrants who lost their lives on the cost of the Italian Lampedusa Island, may not be the last victims to pay the ultimate sacrifice in the quest of their dream to accede to a better life in Europe as, according to the estimates of experts, there are tens of thousands of people who are posed to keep up their attempts to reach the presumed European paradise. Professor Mohamed Sheikh Mahmoud, political science lecturer in Mogadishu says “These Somalis do realize they are risking their lives but they will not stop attempting to flee from the ceaseless daily combat in their country”. “I had to pay $2000 for my two kids’ travel to Libya. And now they need another $4000 to travel from there to Italy. I do realize how difficult that would be, but violence and unemployment have left me with no other option,” said Abdussalam Omar, a Somali citizen. His country

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has been in the grip of a devastating civil war for so many years, never mind the escalated phenomenon of the extremists’ terrorism with the rampant rule of the Al Qaida-linked Shabab militia. These complex situations have driven millions of citizens to flee their country or seek refuge in other villages away from the conflict zones, often ending up in a refugee camp in Kenya. In many sub-Saharan countries, citizens are driven to sell all their belongings, to meet the ransom exacted by the humantrafficking mafia, under the delusional hope of achieving all their dreams just by reaching the European paradise, regardless of the awfully inhuman conditions in which the victims are made to journey. Mrs. Barleiu Shador, 33, is also a Somali national, but she is settled in the refugee camp in Kenya, and she dreams of reaching Europe. To this end, she’s ready to un-

January - March 2014

dertake anything. Shador, a mother of six children, has already been through a bitter experience of clandestine emigration, which she relates as follows: “My two brothers lost their lives although they had paid $2500 to travel to Italy via Libya.” According to UN estimates, the number of illegal emigrants who have left from Africa and the Middle East towards Europe stands at around thirty thousand. In this connection, Ashraf Al Nour, incharge of North Africa and the Middle East at the International Immigration Organization, states that “Refugees put their lives at stake, and expose themselves to crimes of abduction, torture, rape, imprisonment and loss of life”. He further added that more than 20 thousand people had already lost their lives in the course of their attempts to immigrate to another country in search of a better life. Painfully one notes that the recurrent

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WORLD AFFAIRS tragedies and ordeals of the African emigrants on the North Mediterranean shores, particularly around the Italian island of Lampedusa, do not get much attention in the media, not to mention the fact that the African Union, which normally has its own take on many political issues, has not address this subject. People are running away from the blazes of civil war, oppressive regimes or exposure to oppression and brutal injustice on account of their being a minority as is the case for certain Christian communities. The UN Refugees and Works Agency (UNRWA) indicates in its latest report that according to official figures, Africa accounts today for thirteen million refugees and warns that the actual number is in fact much higher, as Zimbabwe alone, which is teetering under the yoke of Robert Mugabe’s thirty-year-long regime, has witnessed the flight of around two million people. Of particular note is the fact that despite the positive figures and statistics recently issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the economic growth enjoyed by the African continent over the first decade of the new millennium, the human flow of emigration has still registered a rise due to extreme poverty and destitution. And yet, according to the reports of international organizations, the continent’s growth has been improving steadily. Also financial experts in Europe like to emphasize the “flourishing economy” witnessed by Africa, although many African countries are still registered among the poorest countries of the world as reflected in the World Bank statistics according to which half of the African continent’ inhabitants live under the line of poverty with a daily income of less than one and quarter dollar.

tional corporations and a handful of elite citizens who stand behind the thriving phenomenon of money laundering and fund-smuggling to the outside world.

which would guarantee more than foodsufficiency if well exploited. But there seems to be no end to the chronic deficit as long as the same factors persist.

According to former South African president, Tabo Mbeke, the annual volume of funds smuggled from Africa stands at $50 billion, funds that are in fact so direly needed by Africa for the restoration of its infrastructure and tattered educational and health institutions.

At the same time, the phenomenon of unemployment has swollen in many parts of the continent, particularly among the youth due to the demographics explosion, which extremist factions put to their own advantage particularly in East and West Africa, where they manage to mobilize youngsters through the lure of money dispensed by certain Arab countries. The terrorist attacks carried out over recent years in Nigeria and Kenya offer a reflection of the fragile political situation in Africa, although even a return to stability would not necessarily suffice to reverse the waves of illegal emigration towards Europe.

Many indicators point to the fact that hundreds of millions of African people will remain prey to extreme poverty and misery in the future. For instance, the African continent’s exportable products are still marginal and insignificant, and the intra-trade hardly worth mentioning, while rampant corruption and mismanagement continues to gut the continent’s entrails. Farming is still primitive, devoid of any technology in most parts and there is no political desire to effect any change in the situation. At the same time, many of the governments are pursuing policies of food stuff imports and international aid despite the boundless examples of arable land in their countries and their immense ovine herds and other resources,

According to Ashraf Al-Nur “In spite of the tangible growth achieved in certain economies, the emigration flow has not weakened for, rather than this improvement becoming a stability factor, it has provided some with the necessary resources to pay the required fees for the human-traffickers and hence keep alive their dream of a European paradise”.

It is no surprise that the phenomenon of illegal emigration has been spreading, particularly in countries that are known for their oil-driven prosperity such as Nigeria and Ethiopia, where in fact the ordinary citizen gets hardly anything from the revenues of oil and exported raw materials, which are divided among interna-

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OIC Journal January - March 2014 17

WORLD AFFAIRS UN: Dozens killed in Myanmar village OIC urges Myanmar government to adhere to the agreed framework

Yangon, Myanmar – The United Nations said over 40 Muslims were killed when a Buddhist mob stormed a village in an isolated corner of western Myanmar in mid January, hunting down residents with knives and machetes. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said on January 23 she had received credible information that eight Rohingya Muslim men were attacked and killed in Du Chee Yar Tan village by local Rakhine on January 9, followed by a clash in the same village the following week that the UN believes killed at least 40 Rohingya Muslim men, women and children, bringing the total to at least 48. “I deplore the loss of life in Du Chee Yar Tan and call on the authorities to carry out a full, prompt and impartial investigation and ensure that victims and their families receive justice,”’ she said. The second clash, on January 13, followed the alleged kidnapping and killing of a police sergeant by Rohingya residents, according to witnesses and rights groups. Myanmar’s government has denied reports

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of a massacre. Presidential spokesman, Ye Htut, said that he “strongly objects” to the UN claims, calling them “totally wrong.” The incident in Du Char Yar Tan, a village in Northern Rakhine state, appears to be the deadliest in a year, and would bring the total number killed nationwide in sectarian violence to more than 280, most of them Muslims. Another 250,000 people have fled their homes. Northern Rakhine is home to 80 percent of the country’s 1 million Muslim Rohingya population, and is off-limits to foreign journalists. Access for humanitarian aid workers is severely restricted. Iyad Ameen Madani, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), expressed deep concern regarding the 14 January events in which looting, raping and killing of Rohingya Muslim civilian citizens took place. These events, stressed the Secretary General, violate the basic rights of the Rohingya Muslims to be protected as citizens and as a minority by their own government. They also represent a grave violation of Myanmar’s government international commitments to protect civilians; as well as breaches the statements

signed between the OIC’s ministerial Contact Group and Myanmar authorities during the group’s visit in mid November 2013. The Secretary General urged the government of Myanmar to adhere to the framework it agreed to, to enforce the rule of law and to keep its assurances to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Madani also called on the political leaders of Myanmar, especially those who claim the high moral ground, to exercise their influence for the sake of peace, tolerance and community reconciliation.

Myanmar census is not counting Rohingya

Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) helping Myanmar conduct its first census in decades has said it is deeply concerned that members of the Rohingya Muslim population are not being counted, accusing the government of going back on its word. The census was at risk of being derailed before it even started as renewed unrest in the country’s west threatened to send foreign aid workers fleeing, making conditions impossible for counters. Western aid workers were targeted by angry Buddhist protesters, triggering strict curfew and warnings.

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WORLD AFFAIRS OIC holds ministerial level emergency meeting on situation in Central African Republic Decides to urgently dispatch mission to explore and express solidarity with Muslims Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) decided in its emergency open-ended meeting on the situation in Central African Republic, held on 20 February 2014 at OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, to urgently dispatch a high-level mission led by the Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Foreign Minister of Guinea Lounceny Fall, to visit Bangui to explore, express solidarity and communicate with the authorities in CAR and contribute to the rapprochement dialogue. It also decided to appoint a special representative to lead the efforts towards resolving the crisis and building peace in the country. Referring to the dangerous situation on the ground, the OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani in his statement to the meeting said that the campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing targeting Muslims continues. He said that according to reports the capital Bangui has been emptied of its Muslim population with only a quarter remaining in IDPs camps. In addition, thousands of Muslims in other provinces of CAR have fled in mass to Chad, Cameron, Mali, Senegal, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan. The Meeting called on the new authorities in the CAR led by the Transitional President Mrs. Catherine Samba-Panza, the UN Security Council, the French and African-led Support Mission for Central Africa (MISCA) operating in the country to assume their full responsibility to protect life and livelihood of all civilians, stem the continuing mass flight of innocent citizens and end the tragic bloodshed. In this context, the meeting called upon the UNSC to act urgently with a view to establishing a multi-dimensional UN peace keeping operation in the CAR in order to restore security and stability

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in the country. It also welcomed the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2134 (2014) which mandates the EU to deploy 1000 troops in the CAR and launched a strong appeal to OIC Member States in Africa to contribute troops. Madani applauded the recent commitment of the AU and the Transitional President of CAR on taking all necessary measures, including the use of force to wage war against the Anti-Balaka militia. The Secretary General also urged all to move as fast as possible to alleviate the humanitarian disaster befalling the country and the region. The OIC for its part has initiated some actions in this regard where a team was in Chad extending humanitarian assistance to Chadian returnees in camps within the capital Ndjamena and in the provincial towns of Sahr, Sido and Doba. The Secretary General stressed that the OIC will exert every effort to communicate with the new authorities in CAR towards enhancing dialogue and sustainable national reconciliation. In this regard, he appreciated all efforts made by organizations working for religious rapprochement and to the present inclusive endeavor of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna to arrange dialogue among religious and community leadership in CAR. The Meeting urged the new Government to take all necessary measures to end impunity. In this context, it appealed to the relevant international and regional bodies to investigate the reports of gross violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and abuses of human rights in the Central African Republic with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice. It requested the UN Security Council to ex-

pedite the deployment of the international commission of enquiry as decided in its Resolution 2127 (2013) to look into the violations and abuses by all parties. The meeting also called on the UN Secretary General to urge member states to enforce sanctions on the export of weapons to parties in the conflict in CAR in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 2127 (2013) and 2134 (2014) adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Furthermore, the Meeting called on the OIC Independent Permanent Human rights Commission to examine the human rights situation in the CAR and present concrete recommendations to the CFM. Two weeks after the meeting, the Secretary General appointed Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, a former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal, as a Special Envoy for the CAR.

Angola clarifies to OIC its stand on reports regarding the ban of Islam Luanda, Angola – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) received a letter from the Foreign Minister of Angola Georges Rebelo Chicoti in response to the Secretary General’s letter enquiring about media reports on the banning of Islam in Angola and the destruction of mosques, which has raised the concern of Muslims worldwide. The official reply from the Angolan Government to the OIC stressed that the information and media reports are inaccurate. It also clarified that the destruction of mosques was because they were illegally constructed and that the ban was of an illegal Islamic group in the country. The OIC continues to follow up on the situation.

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SPECIAL REPORT

The 40th Session of the CFM

Dialogue of Civilizations, Factor for Peace and Sustainable Development

Conakry, Guinea – The 40th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers was held in the capital city Conakry of the Republic of Guinea, on 9-11 December 2013, under the theme “Dialogue of Civilizations, Factor for Peace and Sustainable Devel-

opment”.

Following the opening statements by H.E. Prof. Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea, and Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the outgoing Secretary General of the OIC, as well as Mahmoud Ali Yussuf, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the republic of Djibouti and Chairman of the 39th CFM, the meeting elected Francois Lonseny Fall, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guinea, as Chairman of the 40th Session of the CFM. The 40th Session witnessed the swearing in of the new Secretary General of the OIC, Iyad Ameen Madani, as the 10th Secretary General, taking over from Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu who completed two terms – a total of nine years. The new and re-elected Assistant Secretary Generals were also sworn in.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia

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Some of the most significant decisions that were made at this session is the approval of the Statute of the Islamic Organization for Food Security and the appli-

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cations of the Islamic States Broadcasting Regulatory Authorities Forum (IBRAF) and the OIC Media Forum (OMF) to become OIC Affiliate institutions. In a special session on Al-Quds, especially concerning recent Israel’s violations aiming to consolidate its illegal occupation, the CFM adopted a resolution accepting a 13-point legal and political action plan proposed by OIC to compel Israel to stop its aggressions and illegal measures in AlQuds. On the sidelines of the CFM a meeting of the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir was also convened to reiterate the OIC’s continued support to the legitimate rights of the Kashmiri people. A few weeks before the 40th Session there were some media reports about Angola denying the basic rights of Muslim there and destroying mosques, hence the Council issued a statement regarding the matter and requested an investigation.

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SPECIAL REPORT President Conde praises dialogue of civilization initiatives by Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kazakhstan Expresses deep concern about continued conflicts and new crises in the OIC family The President of the Republic of Guinea, Professor Alpha Conde, said at the opening of the 40th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Conakry on 9 December 2013 that “despite the progress recorded in various areas since the Djibouti session, there are still major concerns about continuing conflicts and new crises within our family.” These disturbances, he said, undermined our development efforts and encumbered the opportunities for coordinated and rapid progress for our states. He called for the eradication of anti-Islamic campaigns and defeat of extremism and bigotry while highlighting values of mutual understanding and multilateralism. He said that the fight against Islamophobia must be conducted by encouraging intercultural and inter-civilisational

dialogue as a deterrent against cultural confrontation, hegemony and domination. The Guinean president said that dialogue among civilizations must become a foundational principle for international relations. At the same time, he praised the initiatives taken by some prominent figures in the Muslim world, including in particular, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan for creating a climate of trust for beneficial mutual cooperation. On the situation in Syria, he said: How can we be indifferent to the Syrian tragedy, our Organization carries a huge responsibility, therefore we must assist the Syrian people to restore tranquility and

dignity. The Guinean president went on: The valiant Palestine continues to endure the pains of occupation and despotism and its courageous people deserve to regain their dignity. Therefore, diplomatic, political, financial and moral support must be strengthened until a sovereign Palestinian state is established within a secure pre1967 border, with Al-Quds as its capital. We are hopeful that the ongoing negotiations would bring about a final and lasting settlement of this issue. He called for special attention to be given to promoting cooperation between the OIC and regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States, especially because the integration that characterizes countries is a sure qualification to benefit further from the huge potentials of our countries.”

Ihsanoglu honored with Guinea’s National Order of Merit

OIC Foreign Ministers praise him on successful implementation of TYPOA President of Guinea, H.E. Alpha Conde, awarded the (former) Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu with the highest state honors, Officer of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Guinea, for his services to the Muslim Ummah, at the opening of the 40th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on 9 December 2013 in Conakry. Earlier in the day, the Secretary General met with the President at the Presidential Palace where they discussed Guinea’s role as the new Chair of the CFM during 2014 and ways of better serving the Muslim Ummah. Meanwhile, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of OIC Member States expressed their gratitude and appreciation to Secretary General Ihsanoglu for his huge efforts and success in the design and implementation of the Ten-Year Program of Action (TYPOA) since its adoption during the Makkah Extraordinary Islamic Summit in 2005. The 40th Session of CFM expressed its satisfaction on the progress achieved in the implementation of the TYPOA. The Ministers extolled Ihsanoglu’s efforts, wise leadership, and total commitment to the implementation of the program.

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The Council of Foreign Ministers requested for a comprehensive review of the TYPOA with a view to making necessary proposals for another program.

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SPECIAL REPORT In his last speech as OIC Secretary General

Ihsanoglu: Your organization has developed and matured into a reputable organization moting economic cooperation, advancing science and technology and developing education and health in the Member States. “I can say with full confidence that your organization has developed and matured into a reputable organization and has so far passed successfully through myriad challenges. During this period of 9 years, the OIC has waded its way into the twentyfirst century in a much better standing. It is now playing a much more important role in the political, economic, cultural and social fields to forge Islamic solidarity,” said Ihsanoglu. After thanking the people and leadership of Guinea for hosting the 40th CFM in Conakry and thanking Djibouti, the Chair of the previous session of the CFM, Ihsanoglu highlighted the outstanding progress made in implementing the Ten-Year Program of Action adopted in Makkah in 2005 while acknowledging with profound gratitude the support and interest he was awarded by the Member States towards reaching these goals.

In his last speech as secretary general of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu gave at the opening of the 40th session of the CFM in Guinea on 9 December 2013, an account of the major achievements and initiatives undertaken during his tenure. From the consensual passage of UN Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 on combating religious intolerance and the adoption of the OIC Water Vision to the establishment of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, the Women Development Organization, and a specialised department on humanitarian activities. The Secretary General also presented the progress made in addressing Islamophobia, pro-

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“We have witnessed a clear demonstration of greater political will by the Member States to engage more actively and concretely in the activities and programs of the OIC, which has witnessed a remarkable growth and expansion during this period. We are here to build on the important achievements of the previous CFM,” he said. He urged the Member States to continue their support to the activities and programs of the OIC. Pointing to the main achievements, at the international level, OIC’s process of reform and global political engagement led powers of the international community to establish or upgrade their relations with the OIC as a sign of their interest in engaging and cooperating with the Organization on a number of fronts, he said. The convening by the UN Security Council on 28 October 2013 of an unprecedented Special High-level Session on the Cooperation between the OIC and UN is a clear testimony of the unique standing the OIC has embraced.

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As for the cause of Palestine, the raison d’être of the OIC, it has witnessed important developments in recent times. International unanimity on recognizing the State of Palestine as a member of the UN General Assembly on 29 November 2012, was a major achievement that needs to be built on in order to secure more support to the Palestinian people and their legitimate national rights, stressed Ihsanoglu. As a matter of urgency, he reiterated his call on all Member States, institutions and funds to take the initiative and provide the financing required to implement the strategic plan for the development of vital sectors in AlQuds as a means to unite efforts and focus interventions in a way commensurate with challenges the Holy City is facing. He spoke about his recent visit to Palestine in August 2013 and his personal observation of the impending Judaization risk at Al-Quds and the stifling conditions on the ground suffered by the people under Israeli occupation. Another important trip he undertook during the months before the CFM is to Myanmar, heading an OIC ministerial Contact Group delegation in November. At the conclusion of the visit a Joint Communiqué was issued with the Government of Myanmar, which outlined the framework of their joint cooperation. “Through constructive diplomacy, consistent pressure and international engagement, a historic breakthrough was achieved in OIC relations with Myanmar.” Following the visit, Ihsanoglu wrote a letter to the President thanking him for his hospitality and proposing three projects: a technical training college and a medical facility in Rakhine State by the Islamic Development Bank and an international symposium on the relations of Buddhism and Islam through a historical perspective by IRCICA. He urged the Member States to provide urgent humanitarian aid and contribute to socio-economic projects while maintaining the political pressure on the government to fulfill the rights of the Rohingya Muslim Minority.

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SPECIAL REPORT In a special session on Al-Quds

OIC Member States adopt resolution on action plan for protecting Al-Quds In a special session on 10 December 2013, the 40th CFM in Conakry, Guinea discussed developments in Al-Quds especially recent Israel’s violations aiming to consolidate its illegal occupation. The CFM adopted a resolution accepting a 13-point legal and political action plan proposed by OIC to compel Israel to stop its aggressions and illegal measures in Al-Quds.

rhetorical denunciations of Israeli practices and a raft of resolutions that never saw the light of concrete implementation,” he stated.

In his statement before the Session, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu implored the attendants to engage in some serious self-examination when it comes to the question of Al-Quds.

Ihsanoglu beseeched them, “As the pace of judaization in the City is escalating unabated, our conventional ways of ‘doing business as usual’ is no longer tenable, not to say that is actually futile and unproductive. The developments in the holy city entail that we embrace a new approach that would chart the way forward towards some tangible action susceptible of compelling Israel change its course and policies.”

“For several decades Al-Quds has borne the brunt of all sorts of aggressions that have touched its very soul, besides its people. Despite the lofty status of Al-Quds as enshrined in the OIC’s foundational documents and all subsequent resolutions and reports, we have done little beyond issuing

According to the adopted plan, an OIC ministerial committee shall be established to act urgently and to visit influential capitals in the world and relevant international organizations to convey the OIC message that any prejudice to Al-Aqsa mosque is a red line that will neither be allowed nor toler-

ated by the Islamic Ummah, whatever the consequences. The plan further mandates the Islamic Group in New York to seek holding a special session for the UN Security Council to discuss Israel’s violations. At the legal level, the action plan did not rule out the possibility of resorting to the International Criminal Court and other international legal platforms to hold Israel responsible for its crimes and violations.

The CFM condemns Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian’s human rights The 40th CFM condemned Israel’s systematic violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people, including violations resulting from use of excessive force and military operations, which led to the death and injury of Palestinian citizens, including children and women and non-violent peaceful protesters, the use of collective punishment, confiscation of Palestinian land, construction of settlements and the wall, and the destruction of properties and infrastructure and all other acts aimed at changing the legal status, geographical character and demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. It also condemned attempts by Israel, the occupying power, to undermine the validity of Section VII of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s agenda ‘Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories’, including Al-Quds Alshareef. It reiterated that the presence of this section is in line with the nature of the Commission’s work and with the unique nature of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory which re-

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quire the keeping of this section. The CFM requested the Islamic Group in Geneva to work within the Council to thwart these unjust attempts and prejudice against human rights, in general, and the Palestinian human rights under Israeli occupation, in particular. Meanwhile, the CFM expressed grave concern over the consequent deterioration of social and economic conditions and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem and particularly in the Gaza Strip due to continued Israeli aggression and blockade and other illegal measures and collective punishment against the Palestinian people, and commits to work with the international community to pressure Israel, the occupying Power, to end all illegal practices and to abide by its obligations under international law. The Council reaffirmed its strong support for the efforts of the State of Palestine to mobilize international support for the real-

ization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, notably their rights to selfdetermination and the independence of their State with East Jerusalem as its capital. It also reiterated its call on the Security Council to favorably consider the application submitted on 23 September 2011 by the State of Palestine for admission to full membership in the United Nations. On the other hand, the Foreign Ministers called on the international community to compel Israel to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and ensure free movement of goods and persons to and from the Gaza Strip; and hoped that the UN’s investigation team would be permitted access to perform its mission in accordance with the norms set by the Presidential Statement of the UN Security Council of 1 June 2010.

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SPECIAL REPORT OIC Ministers Sign Statute of the Islamic Organization for Food Security The Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC during its 40th Session approved the Statute of Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS). Nineteen Member States of the OIC have acceded to the Statute of the IOFS in Conakry. The OIC member states, which are now the founding members of the new OIC executive institution for coordinating and implementing OIC policies on agriculture, rural development and food security are: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Palestine, Sierra Leon, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Turkey, Uganda, and Union of Comoros. The IOFS, which is the new specialized institution of the OIC, will be headquartered in Astana, Kazakhstan. The IOFS will go a long way in bridging the gap existing between the adoption of the various resolutions by OIC policy makers and their effective translation into concrete actions. Specifically, it will aim: to provide expertise and technical know-how to member states on the various aspects of sustainable agriculture, rural development, food security and biotechnology, including addressing the problems posed by desertification, deforestation, erosion and salinity as well as providing social

safety nets. It will also assess and monitor the food security situation in member states in order to determine and make necessary emergency and humanitarian assistance, including the creation of food security reserves; mobilize and manage financial and agricultural resources for developing agriculture and enhancing the food security in member states; and coordinate, formulate and implement common agricultural policies, including the exchange and transfer of appropriate technology and public food management system, among others.

live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The OIC Member States collectively possess 28.7% of the world agricultural land area. In addition, a significant number of the OIC Member States are among the top 20 producers of major agricultural commodities worldwide. Notwithstanding, agricultural development and food security in the Member States continue to face a number of persisting problems and challenges which are yet to be overcome.

The Status of IOFS provides that it shall be applied provisionally upon signing by at least ten OIC member states and definitively enter into force when ten member states submit their instrument of ratification. Accordingly, the OIC General Secretariat is presently working with relevant authorities in Kazakhstan on the operationalisation of IOFS as earlier as possible. Agricultural activities play an important role in the economies of OIC Member States, like those of many developing countries, in terms of not only employment and production, but also socio-economic development. More than 50% of the OIC total population

Director of International Organizations Department in Foreign Ministry of Kuwait: We aim to make the work of OIC more organized and institutionalized Kuwait submitted a new draft resolution regarding the establishment of the post “Assistant Secretary General for Administration and Finance” for the first time. The OIC Journal asked the Director of International Organizations in the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Kuwait, Ambassador Jasim Al-Mubaraki, on the reason for submitting this draft resolution. “In order to develop the work of the organization,” said Al-Mubaraki. He explained that the organization in general needs to be developed. Its activities have expanded and branched into many new areas in a reliable manner, which is what the member states aspire for, and Kuwait as well as Saudi Arabia and other countries who are the bigger contributors, deem it unreasonable that the OIC has the same budget it had 20 years ago. So, he added, it seemed entirely appropriate for Kuwait to have an Assistant Secretary

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General for Administration and Finance in order to organize and institutionalize, in a professional way according to the rules and regulations, the OIC’s work in the administrative and financial sector. This is on the one hand, and on the other, to follow the example of some other regional organizations that have reserves of their own in order not to be surprised, if any event occurs or demand arises, that they are not able to meet this demand due to lack of financial resources. Al-Mubaraki affirmed that Kuwait got a very strong positive response from the member states. Some African countries asked for this position to be filled on a rotating basis and Kuwait clarified that it would be definitely so.

On the other hand, he stressed that ther is a need to activate the role of the bodies and funds in the OIC. He said that Kuwait believes in the need to make the present bodies more effective, however, if we find them not sufficient, we can reconsider what to be done.

Al-Mubaraki said Kuwait does not recommend the creation of more bodies or funds. “The establishment of this new post is meant for rational spending,” he said.

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SPECIAL REPORT Accession of 12 Humanitarian NGOs to OIC consultative status 15 Ramadan Day of Orphans in the Muslim world The 40th CFM endorsed the proposal of the Board of Trustees of the Orphans Kafala Program to designate the 15th of Ramadan annually, as a Day of Orphans in the Muslim World to raise awareness of the orphans, to inspire Member States and institutions to develop social policies and projects for the orphans, and mobilize funding towards the welfare of orphans. Meanwhile, the CFM reiterated its deep concern over the major disasters in the Muslim world resulting in human and material losses. It urged all Member States to contribute voluntarily to the efforts being made by the OIC in cases of large-scale disasters.

On the other hand, the CFM agreed to the accession of Non-Governmental Humanitarian Organizations to OIC consultative status. The applications of the following humanitarian NGOs were accepted: 1. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation – Turkey 2. Qatar Charity – Qatar 3. Sheikh Eid Bin Muhammad Al Thani Charitable Association – Qatar 4. International Islamic Charitable Society – Kuwait 5. Islamic Relief Agency – Sudan 6. Munazamat Dawa Islamiyah – Sudan 7. Zamzam Charitable Foundation – Somalia 8. Al-Amn Charitable Work Foundation – Morocco 9. Peace and Development Humanitarian Foundation – Mali 10. Hashemite Jordanian Charitable Organisation – Jordan 11. Imam Khomeini Charitable Foundation – Iran 12. Zubair Charitable Foundation – Sudan

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Promoting the status of women On social and family issues, the 40th CFM urged the OIC Member States, yet to do so, to provide women with better opportunities through enacting and consolidating laws that empower women and provide them with greater role in the development of Muslim society in various fields. The Foreign Ministers considered that poverty among women has to be alleviated to promote their status in the Muslim world, and urged for formulating a roadmap to rectify misperceptions concerning women. It also called upon the parliaments of the OIC Member States to pass necessary laws to combat trafficking, abuse of women, and other forms of violence against them. The CFM also urged the governments of the OIC Member States, yet to do so, to adopt the necessary policies and programs for promoting the level of education of women and girls through providing uncomplicated and free access to literary programs and also providing easy, inexpensive and equal access to higher education and removal of any possible draw backs in this field and ensure, through legislation, women’s access to advanced technologies including ICT in order to promote their role in the decision making and development process. The Council encouraged the OIC Member States to hold regional expert meetings to prepare guidelines aimed at supporting women and the family in cases of armed conflicts, and recommended that the results of these meetings be submitted to specialized international organizations. Meanwhile, it reiterated the urgent need to adopt the “Covenant on the Rights of Women in Islam” within the framework of the Ten-Year Program of Action. On childcare and protection, the CFM urged Member States to act, with the assistance of the international community, to improve the conditions of children, particularly those living under difficult conditions in conflict-ridden regions and those suffering from the effects of economic blockades and sanctions imposed on their countries, as well as displaced children refugees, by providing for their physical and moral needs and by taking interest in their education and helping them to return to normal lives, and commended the efforts expended by a number of Islamic countries in this area. On promoting the position of the youth, the CFM underscored the importance of the youth and their role in the society and called for their further promotion and empowerment.

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SPECIAL REPORT Foreign Minister of Egypt, Nabil Fahmi: We will push for higher focus on urgent issues and providing OIC with the resources you can say something that is challenging, but you should not provoke language that creates hate between people. We need to find a balance. The issue here is not between Islam and freedom of speech, it’s between more conservative and very liberal societies. • One of the points that the Secretary General brings up is the competitive advantage of OIC in dealing with crises in the region. How do you see Egypt’s role in supporting OIC in this aspect being the Chair?

On the sidelines of the 40th CFM the OIC Journal interviewed the Foreign Minister of Egypt on the recent developments in his country and Egypt’s role as Chair of the Islamic Summit in addressing some of the issues on the agenda of OIC. • Egypt is Chair of the Islamic Summit and it has gone through major changes. What is your future vision for OIC and Egypt’s role in it? The changes in Egypt are purely political, related to our domestic affairs. Our commitment to OIC is long standing, it started way before the recent developments and it will continue for many years to come. We have felt for over two decades now that we need to work on parallel lines – as Muslims and as OIC. One, to combat misrepresentation about Islam abroad, discrimination against Islamic communities abroad, defamation of Islamic symbols, Islamic culture, all of these things. At the same time, we need to do our own effort as Muslims to highlight the true concept of Islam, the true meaning of Islam as a compassionate, moderate, and tolerant religion. These are the two parallel tracks we are trying to work on. As an OIC, over and above these two elements, we need to work on the political

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issues that are part of the international community because we are an organization of member states and we would be dealing with these issues at the United Nations, at the Arab League, at the Africa Union. Having a strong voice of the Islamic Cooperation gives all additional support. So my long answer to you is, one, we need to defend against aggressors against Islam, and secondly, build a future for us all that is more compassionate and consistent with our faith. • You brought up the issue of correcting the image of Islam, but as you know we have the issue of freedom of expression and freedom of religion in the West, which is very important for them. How do you see combining these two, protecting Islam and at the same time protecting freedom of expression? I don’t see a contradiction. Many countries in the world, in the West, many non Muslim countries, have what you call laws against hate speech, other countries have laws that prohibit discrimination against certain communities, even perceived discrimination against certain communities when it is not proven. So, being able to speak freely does not come without responsibility, without respect for others. You can say something that is offensive,

I think, and this is our point of departure as Egypt, generally speaking problems should be addressed at regional level as far as they can. In case of Islamic Cooperation, the region is a region committed to Islam and not a geographic region. We understand the context in which the problem is created, we understand also what’s on the mindset of the different participants, so we very much support the role of OIC in the resolution of regional conflicts. It does, however, require providing OIC with more serious assets, resources, and tools. You cannot respond to conflicts, manage crises, if you do not have the ability and resources. • So this is what you will be pushing for? Yes. Higher focus on urgent issues like the Palestinian issue, the issue of Al Quds, the defamation against Muslims, but we also want to push towards creating the mechanisms that will allow us to be a more effective organization. • Egypt is in a transitional period and you were in New York for the UNGA presenting Egypt in its new role. How do you see OIC supporting Egypt in this transitional period? The overwhelming majority of the member states have been very supportive of Egypt. As an organization it has been very respectful of what is happening in Egypt. Like any country in the world that goes through a transition, there are periods when you have to give the country space to make their own decisions, and that is what we expect from our brother and sister countries in the OIC.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Conakry Declaration

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Head of Delegations of the OIC Member States welcomed the holding, for the second time, their conference in Guinea. They adopted the “Conakry Declaration” in which they reaffirmed their commitment to the ideals of their faith, which upholds the values of peace, compassion, tolerance, equality, justice and human dignity for the Islamic Ummah and humanity as a whole. They further reaffirmed their determination to promote global peace, cooperation and development. Furthermore, they expressed their firm determination to invigorate the OIC and to consolidate its role as a means of promoting cooperation among the member countries in order to meet the aspirations of our peoples and prepare the Islamic Ummah to face the challenges of the 21st century. The Ministers reaffirmed that the cause of Palestine and al Quds al Sharif are core issues for the Islamic Ummah as a whole and reiterated the OIC’s full support for the just cause of Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people.

Syria: On Syria, the Foreign Ministers acknowledged the need to safeguard the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. They condemned the continuing bloodshed and violence in Syria and underscored the primary responsibility of the Syrian government in the pursuit of violence and the destruction of goods and properties. They also condemned the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people and demand the total elimination of the weapons of mass destruction. On the other hand, they appealed for the immediate initiation of the process of establishing a peaceful transition mechanism that would bring about the building of a new Syrian State based on a pluralistic, democratic and civilian system that guarantees equality for all, on the basis of law, citizenship and respect for fundamental freedoms.

Somalia: On Somalia, the Foreign Ministers took note of the important efforts of consolidation of peace by the new Somali authorities, ever

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since the successful transition achievement in the country and underscore the need for consolidating political progress, in order to guarantee the stability of the country. They welcomed in this regard, the commitment of the Somali federal government to finalize the constitution through dialogue, power and resources sharing among the regions and the holding of democratic elections in 2016.

Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote d’Ivoire: Meanwhile, they commended the peaceful and transparent conduct of the presidential, legislative and local elections in Mali, which confirm the return of constitutional order in this country. The Foreign Ministers called upon the international community to provide its support in order to eradicate the armed terrorist groups and drug traffickers. The Foreign Ministers were also delighted at the positive development of the situation in Guinea Bissau and encouraged the government and all stakeholders to pursue their efforts in order to restore the rule of law, state authority and democracy in the country. On the other hand, they reaffirmed their solidarity with Cote d’Ivoire in its efforts to restore peace and revitalize its war-ravaged economy. In this context, they urged the OIC Secretary General to continue his efforts in order to convene a donors’ conference.

Afghanistan: On Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministers reiterated the determination of all OIC Member States to keep up their long-term commitment in Afghanistan, to help bring peace, stability and socio-economic development in the country. They stressed the importance of genuine regional cooperation aimed at re-

storing peace and stability, and stimulating development in Afghanistan and the region.

Sahel: On another note, the participants expressed their concern towards the disastrous humanitarian situation in the African Sahel region and called upon OIC Member States and the rest of the international community to contribute to the existing funds and mechanisms, in order to help the governments respond to the needs of their populations in terms of food security. They reaffirmed the importance for OIC Member States to fully achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by the year 2015. They launched an urgent appeal to donor countries and international institutions to honor their commitments. They also stressed the necessity for the rapid adoption of the post-2015 agenda.

Economy: The CFM reaffirmed the necessity to develop intra-OIC trade in order to diversify our respective economies and promote growth, taking into account the considerable resources available to the Member States. They urged economic decision-makers to promote public-private partnership and encourage direct investments in the OIC region in order to increase production, create jobs and stimulate growth.

Science and Technology: In science and technology, they expressed their support for greater cooperation at all stages in the fields of science, technology and innovation (STI) including joint efforts towards the establishment of STI policy structures, promoting research and development (R&D), and technological and scientific exhibitions and seminars among OIC Member States and relevant institutions.

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SPECIAL REPORT

ASG for Palestine, Amb. Samir Bakr

ASG for Economy, Amb. Hamid Opeloyeru

ASG for Culture, Amb. Hisham Yusuf

ASG for Political, Amb. Abdullah Alim

At the conclusion of the 40th CFM

Ministers decide to cut all ties with any country that relocates its embassy to Jerusalem The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation concluded their 40th session in Conakry, Guinea on 11 December 2013 by electing new Assistant Secretaries General for Cultural Affairs and Science and Technology. The candidate of Egypt, who competed with three other nominees, won the Arab Group vote for the position of Assistant Secretary general for Cultural Affairs and election of Assistant Secretary General for Science and Technology was postponed, while the Saudi, Palestinian and Nigerian candidates were re-elected for Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Palestine and Al-Quds Affairs and Economic Affairs respectively. In addition, a new position of Assistant Secretary General for Administration and Financial Affairs was proposed by Kuwait and approved. At the end of the Session, the new OIC Secretary

General, Mr. Iyad Madani, and the Assistant Secretary Generals took the oath. The 40th Session of the CFM adopted a number of resolutions addressing the situation in Palestine, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Mali, and Afghanistan as well as developments in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Azerbaijan, Turkish Cypriot State, Jammu and Kashmir, Niger, Comoros, Djibouti, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo and the Muslim community in Myanmar. On Palestine, the Ministers adopted the resolutions on an action plan at the political and legal levels to counter Israel’s illegal practices in Al-Quds. The Ministers decided to cut all ties, including political and diplomatic, with any country that relocates its embassy to Jerusalem. The Council expressed support to the efforts of the Governments in Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Mali and Afghanistan in

tackling the challenges they face and called on the Member States to support these efforts. On the issue of Muslims in Myanmar, the Council expressed OIC’s readiness to engage with Myanmar Government and cooperate on developmental projects. The Islamic Development Bank agreed to implement the proposals made by the Secretary General to the President of Myanmar, namely, establishing a technical training college and a medical facility in Rakhine State, while IRCICA agreed to hold an international symposium on the relations of Buddhism and Islam through a historical perspective. The Council supported the offer by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 41st Session of the CFM in 2014 and the offer by the State of Kuwait to host the 42nd Session in 2015.

The new Secretary General vows to work for the benefit of the Ummah

“I have had the honor at the 12th session of the Islamic Summit in Cairo of expressing my gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Their Majesties and Excellencies, leaders of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for their kind confidence in appointing me to the position of Secretary General of OIC starting from 1 January 2014, by the Grace of Allah. At this meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Conakry, Guinea, this generous and hospitable country, I stand before you today, to reaffirm how proud and grateful I am for this confidence. I pray to Allah for success and guidance to discharge this huge responsibility in the service of the religion. This is another opportunity to congratulate the Assistant Secretaries General who also earned your kind confidence. I look forward to working with them as one team that would do its utmost to translate your leadership and vision into concrete reality”.

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SPECIAL REPORT Sixth OIC Annual Report on Islamophobia

Anti-Muslim rhetoric has become increasingly widespread The OIC Islamophobia Observatory released its Sixth Annual Report covering the period from October 2012 to September 2013 at the commencement of the 40th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Conakry, Republic of Guinea on 9 December 2013. The Report dwells extensively on the worrying trend of Islamophobia as a clear and continuing danger to global peace and security and ends with a set of recommendations, outlining a strategy to combat Islamophobia and growing intolerance and prejudice against Muslims through concerted international action, which merits particular attention. The Report includes five chapters that amply reveal the ongoing and unabated Islamophobic practices in different parts of the world, particularly in some Western countries. A number of independent reports by credible institutions in the West on Anti Muslim Action confirmed the Observatory’s position that anti-Muslim rhetoric has become increasingly widespread, which, in turn, has contributed to the increase in the actual number of hate crimes committed against Muslims. These crimes range from the usual verbal abuse and discrimination, particularly in the fields of education and employment, to other acts of violence and vandalism, including physical assaults, attacks on Islamic centers and the desecration of mosques and cemeteries. It is also shown that Muslim women and girls are amongst the most affected by discrimination and hatred, notably due to their religious attire. Such xenophobic environment also affects the sociological and psychological state of affected Muslims thus exposing them to greater stress and other forms of moral prejudice in their daily lives. The Report emphasized that Islamophobia, which has become a contemporary manifestation of racism, is a clear violation of the well acknowledged norm of respecting cultural diversity and a threat

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to the multicultural fabric of the affected societies. Its impact on the regional and global peace and security is also a factor of grave concern. As stated in the past, the OIC reiterates that such discriminatory practices are contrary to all established norms of international human rights law and exacerbate tensions among peoples at all levels.

The Report concluded with a number of recommendations including:

• A reminder that the stability and cohesion of societies is based not only on the rule of law but also on the necessity of maintaining bonds of fraternity, understanding and respect between people of different faiths and cultures. • The clear and present and dangers posed by widespread intolerance and racist rhetoric make it incumbent on governments in the West to strictly enforce applicable hate crime and discrimination laws. • Maintaining an open and constructive international dialogue is crucial to furthering understanding of new forms and manifestations of intolerance in order to better address their wider adverse effects in a globalized world. • Underscoring the importance to act

through concerted international action, based on internationally recognized human rights principles and standards. • Implementation of provisions of UNHRC Resolution 16/18 through the Istanbul Process mechanism as it offers a positive platform for debate, exchange of best practices and maintaining of a common and unified stance. • Ensuring that Muslims are properly integrated in society and are not subjected to racial profiling and other forms of institutionalized discrimination. • Incorporation of comprehensive educational strategies and with a view to raising awareness and exchange best practices. • Relevant stakeholders should continue to collect and maintain reliable data and information about hate crimes inspired by anti Muslim sentiments. • The Media exercise responsibility and refrain from serving as a platform for the dissemination of hate speech and ought to present the true positive nature of Islam. • Take into account the recommendations laid out in the European Network against Racism (ENAR) Shadow Report on racism in Europe that include a special focus on Muslim communities.

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OIC NEWS OIC participates in UNRCCA-CTITF Counter Terrorism dialogue Almaty, Kazakhstan – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation took part in the dialogue with Religious Leaders and Institutions in support of their role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in countering extremism in Central Asia held on 20-23 November 2013. The event was organized by the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force towards a comprehensive implementation of the joint plan of action for Central Asia under the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Inviting OIC to the event came as recognition to the Counter-Terrorism initiatives of the Organization initiated by its Secretary General as well as its principled position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purpose. The OIC however, maintained during the event its position that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or race and a distinction has to be made between terrorism and people’s legitimate struggle against foreign occupation which does not permit harming the innocent.

Muslim-Christian dialogue discussed with His Holiness Pope Francis Vatican City – In an audience at the Vatican City on December 13, 2013, the then Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, discussed issues of mutual concern with His Holiness Pope Francis. This was the first ever meeting between an OIC Secretary General and Pope. During the meeting the OIC Secretary General expressed his appreciation for the audience with Pope Francis and commended his vision to revitalize the dialogue between Christians and Muslims at a time when this dialogue has taken on ever-greater importance, as today the presence of Muslims in historically Christian countries has expanded, while some OIC countries either have native Christian communities or have witnessed in recent years arrival of Christians as guest workers. In this context, the discussions expressed the need for greater efforts to foster respect for religious pluralism and cultural diversity, and to counter the spread of bigotry and prejudices. It was stressed that interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and as such it is a duty for adherents of all faith traditions. Secretary General Ihsanoglu shared with His Holiness Pope Francis his vision regarding the need for a “historic reconciliation” between Islam and Christianity based on the common Abrahamic roots and in order to support multiculturalism and harmonious societies. His Holiness commended the proposal of the Secretary General and stressed the need to follow it up. Concern was also expressed re-

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garding the increase of inter-communal tension between Muslim and Christian communities and over the transformation of communal conflicts in some parts of the world into religiously motivated conflicts, even though the root causes are not religious in nature. Concern was also expressed about the exploitation of religion in conflict situations as a means to mobilize supporters. Establishing a secondary, cultural tract to support interfaith dialogue initiatives was highlighted. Views were exchanged on regional and international developments, especially the situation in Palestine, and the hope was expressed that the Holy City of Jerusalem be a City where Jews, Christians and Muslims may live and worship in peace and harmony. Concern and dismay were also expressed about the continuation of violence in Syria which requires a solution based on dialogue and negotiation. The Secretary General concurred with the vision of Pope’s Francis on the need for a just world where poverty and hunger are eradicated and commended him for being recognized as the person of the year by the Time magazine. Before the audience with Pope Francis, the OIC Delegation met with Mgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States to discuss ways and means for forging ties of institutional cooperation between the Holy See and OIC to contribute to global peace and security.

Sheikh Al Azhar welcomes OIC initiative

In Cairo, Ihsanoglu and the Grand Imam, His Eminence Sheikh Ahmad Attayeb, discussed the need to start an internal dialogue within the Islamic world on a cultural rather than a political track. During Ihsanoglu’s meeting with Sheikh Al Azhar Attayeb at the latter’s office in Cairo on 19 December 2013, they discussed reaching an agreement whereby serious dialogue could be initiated among religions with a view to attaining specific and practical results through which the commonalities among the followers of other religions could be highlighted. The former OIC Secretary General, whose term of office ended last December, briefed His Eminence Sheikh Tayyib, on his initiative proposed to the Pope during his visit to the Vatican on the launching of a historic reconciliation between Islam and Christianity. His Eminence Sheikh Tayyib welcomed the initiative. The two parties reaffirmed the need to unite the ranks of Muslims and to pursue the same mission by re-organizing the Islamic world’s internal affairs. They also agreed to launch a message calling for the emulation of the outstanding coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Egypt and to follow that example in Iraq and the countries of the Levant.

Madani discusses crisis in Mali with OIC Special Envoy Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, received on 2nd February 2014, in his office, Djibrill Yipènè Bassole, the Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso who is also the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Mali and the Sahel Region. The Secretary General and his guest held extensive discussions and exchanges of views on the crisis in Mali. In particular, they examined ways and means to further stabilize the country, advance the dialogue process among the stakeholders and promote national comprehensive reconciliation. The Special Envoy briefed the Secretary General on the latest developments in Mali in particular and the Sahel in general.

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OIC NEWS On his part, Madani reiterated the OIC’s firm position to contribute to durable peace, reconciliation and sustainable development in Mali. He also requested the Special Envoy to actively assist in the implementation of all OIC Resolutions on the situation in Mali and the Sahel and devise an appropriate strategy aimed at finding a lasting settlement to the conflict.

OIC Secretary General visits Iran, Egypt, Azerbaijan and Bangladesh Upon an official invitation from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, undertook a visit to Tehran on 5 February 2014. As part of his visit’s program, the Secretary General met with Iranian President H.E. Hassan Rouhani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and the Minister of Education, Ali Asghar Fani. The discussions during the meetings focused mainly on the major challenges plaguing the Muslim world, notably terrorism, extremism, religious sectarianism, poverty, and human rights and touched on the effective ways and means likely to help the Muslim world come to grips with these daunting challenges. They also discussed ways to enhance the OIC-Iranian bilateral relations. Iranian officials expressed their commitment to support the Secretary General in his mission at the helm of the OIC. The Secretary General then conducted an official visit to Egypt on March 1, where he was received by H.E. the Interim President of the Republic of Egypt, Adli Mansour, in Cairo. President Adli Mansour stressed the importance for Muslims to play a role in the new world order and to be influential and for the OIC to realize the objectives for which it was established. For his part, Secretary General Madani stressed the importance of the pivotal role of Egypt as the Chair of the Islamic Summit in promoting joint Islamic action and providing it with new dynamism. The Secretary General held a working session with Nabil Fahmi, the Foreign Minister of Egypt. The two parties examined the issues and concerns of the Muslim Ummah, including in particular the Palestinian cause, support for the efforts to preserve Al Quds and the ways and means to support the population of Al Quds. The two parties addressed the tragic conditions of the Syrian people stressing the need for the international community to act in order to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. The two parties also stressed the need to put an end to the killing and displacement of Muslims in the Central African Republic. The OIC Secretary General also visited Azerbaijan. Upon an official invitation from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Secretary General conducted a visit to Baku on 5 to 7 March 2014. He was received by H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He also met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Economy and Industry, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, the Minister of Youth and Sport, Chairman of State Committee for Work with Religious Associations and Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Board. During the audience with H.E. President Aliyev, the President underscored the importance of the OIC in the regional and international arena and pledged Azerbaijan’s full support to the Secretary General›s vision and mission to protect and safeguard the interest of the Muslim world. In his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, both sides exchanged views on ways and means to strengthen the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and OIC as well as various important international and regional issues. The Secretary General reiterated to the Azerbaijani top officials the prin-

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cipled and unwavering support of the OIC to Azerbaijan, in line with the OIC Summit and Ministerial Conferences on the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan that led to the occupation by Armenia of the Azerbaijani territories. From Azerbaijan the Secretary General headed to Bangladesh where upon an official invitation from the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Madani paid a visit to Dhaka from 9 -11 March 2014. The Secretary General met with the President of Bangladesh H. E. Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid Advocate, Prime Minister H. E. Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister, Finance Minister and Minister of Education. During the audience with the President and the Prime Minister, the Secretary General presented comprehensive briefing on OIC’s current and future initiatives and plans. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s commitment to the principles of the OIC and offered her government’s full support to the Secretary General’s vision and mission to strengthen Islamic solidarity and Joint Islamic Action. In his meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance and Minister of Education, both sides agreed to further enhancing the existing cooperation between Bangladesh and OIC in various domains and through coordination with other subsidiary and specialized institutions including the IDB and the ISESCO. Other important issues discussed during the meetings include economic support to LDCs in the OIC, promoting quality of education, training, and capacity building as well as supporting the Islamic University of Technology (IUT). Madani visited the IUT Campus at Gazipur near Dhaka and the University of Dhaka and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), a ‘not-forprofit’ company established in 1990 by the Government of Bangladesh to provide funds to various organizations for their microcredit program with a view to help the poor.

Establishment of the Islamic Federation of Arbitration Centers Makkah, Saudi Arabia – At the Islamic Arbitration Forum, the OIC Secretary General in his speech, which was delivered on his behalf, highlighted the importance of arbitration as an acceptable alternative and safe mechanism in conflict resolution and settlement and in the OIC system, given its adoption as basis for conflict resolution in many of the OIC’s conventions. The speech also expressed the OIC’s welcome and appreciation of efforts to establish the Islamic Federation of Arbitration Centers in the OIC and recommended a merger with the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration (ICRA) as the sole Islamic Centre for Sharia complaint financing in the Muslim world. ICRA was established by the Islamic Development Bank, the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions and the State of the United Arab Emirates. The first Arbitration Forum, which opened in Makkah on 9 March 2014, was organized by the Umm Al Qura University in collaboration with the Saudi Arbitration Group chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Muhammad Al-Saud, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, under the patronage of Dr. Khaled Muhammad Al-Anqari, Minister of Higher Education. The Forum discussed the situation of arbitration systems and centers in the Muslim world and announced the establishment of the Islamic Federation of International Arbitration Centers.

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OIC NEWS

OIC General Secretariat welcomes the new Secretary General and honors the outgoing

Incoming OIC Secretary General Madani

Sheikh Saleh ibn Humayd

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a farewell ceremony on 29 December 2013 in honor of Secretary General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu whose tenure ended on 31 December 2013. The ceremony, which was held at the Park Hayat Hotel in Jeddah and attended by diplomats, dignitaries and intellectuals, also welcomed incoming Secretary General Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani, who assumed office on 1 January 2014. During the ceremony, Ihsanoglu thanked all those who assisted him in his task in the service of the Islamic Ummah, noting that his work focused on the trust he carried from the day he was elected as the OIC Secretary General. He also said that his watch was always on Jeddah time throughout the 62 times he traveled around the world, because his thought and mind were always fixed on the work going on in the General Secretariat. Ihsanoglu added that he and his colleagues did their best to improve the organization and upgrade its status to the league of influential international organizations. He then remarked that his successor, Madani, would carry the General Secretariat the way he had done and even better. He ended his remarks by saying that his concerns for the Ummah will never cease, and therefore placed his capabilities and experiences at

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Consul General of Guinea, Mohamed Lamin Conde

Amb. Dhia Bamakhrama of Djibouti

the disposal of the OIC at all times. For his part, Madani stated that the nine years during which Ihsanoglu served as Secretary General witnessed tangible improvements for the Organization, in addition to visibility at international fora and a better handling of its administration and logistics. Like all other organizations, the OIC, he said, has seen close to five decades in existence, full of events and volatilities. The Secretary General-elect added that the OIC is living in a multi-polar world and needs to adjust to that reality. He noted that all the past secretaries general, each during his tenure, contributed to the OIC in accordance with the dynamics of his time and that the OIC would continue to remember their contributions and tireless efforts. The Imam of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah and Advisor in the Royal Court, Sheikh Saleh Ibn Humayd, for his part, commended the endeavors of the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for enthroning the notions of moderation and tolerance and combating violence and extremism. He also addressed the Secretary General-elect, Iyad Ameen Madani, that given his competence, experience, capability and ability to solve problems in the Muslim world, so much hope is pinned on him. In his welcome address to the audience, the

January - March 2014

Naci Koru, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey

Outgoing OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu

Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ambassador Abdullah Alim, said that Ihsanoglu proved that the concerns and difficulties of the Muslim world were at the top of his priorities, adding that during his tenure the OIC witnessed qualitative shift in all areas. He equally welcomed the Secretary General-elect, Iyad Madani. Ambassador Samir Bakr Diab, Assistant Secretary General for Al-Quds and Palestine Affairs, in his address on behalf of the General Secretariat staff, said that the ceremony was a well-deserved honor for the outgoing Secretary General and a befitting welcome for his successor, in the truest sense of hope and trust in these two great pillars, with the OIC thus affirming its lofty status with a distinguished successor to an outstanding predecessor. Two days later, the OIC staff held another farewell ceremony at the OIC Headquarters for Secretary General Ihsanoglu where several staff members spoke words from the heart about their years of service under his leadership. During the last two months of his stay in Jeddah as Secretary General, Ihsanoglu was honored at several occasions where guests expressed their appreciation of him and his work at the OIC and as an intellectual and scholar.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

OIC helps Niger overcome its food shortage crisis Niamey, Niger – On his last trip as Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu traveled to Niger on Dec. 23, 2013 to inaugurate crucial humanitarian and developmental projects there. Located in West Africa, the landlocked country has suffered from severe drought in 2005 that resulted in food shortage and famine. At the request of Niger to explore ways of mobilizing the Muslim world to help the people of Niger, the OIC organized its first donors’ conference in Doha, Qatar, in 2007 to promote food self-sufficiency in Niger. The conference had outstanding results where OIC member states and other participants pledged $370 million. Since 2007, the OIC implemented a number of developmental projects in Niger to provide drinking water, irrigation for 240 hectares and sources of food and income for many villages. It opened a humanitarian office in the capital Niamey to follow up on the projects. Arriving in Niamey, Ihsanoglu and his delegation toured on foot some of the villages where the OIC projects were implemented

and officially inaugurated several of them. The villagers, young and old, women, men and children greeted him with joy, clapping and singing and eager to shake hands with him. The OIC completed the third stage of projects consisting of 21 wells, 11 agricultural farms and 10 boreholes, which benefited tens of thousands of people. It also completed five fish farming projects in five villages. These simple projects completely transformed the lives of the people in these villages and neighboring villages who also come for the water and buy food and animal stock. During his meeting with President Issoufou Mahamadou, the former Secretary General urged him to follow up on the outcome of the OIC donors’ conference. Ihsanoglu briefed President Mahamadou about the OIC projects already launched and planned to be launched in the future. The former Secretary General was decorated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bazoum Mohamed with the Officer of Palm Academic of Niger.

Humanitarian mission to Philippines calls for providing drinking water to those affected by Typhoon Haiyan Manila, Philippines – The mission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) along with representatives from ten humanitarian organizations visited the Philippines during the period from 18 till 28 November, 2013 in order to ascertain the humanitarian situation on the ground in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

population such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. The OIC delegation arrived in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines then left to Cebu, the capital of the province hard hit by the typhoon. On the next day, the delegation paid a visit to Tacloban, the capital of Leyte Island, one of the five islands devastated by the typhoon. Members of the delegation toured the typhoon-stricken town and witnessed the tremendous destruction and sever damage inflicted on it and its residents.

The mission provided aid to five different regions and looked at developing means for the Muslim humanitarian organizations to contribute to helping and assisting those affected by the Haiyan disaster. The former OIC secretary general whose term of office ended last December, Ekmeleddin Ihsanuglo called upon member states to provide financial and in kind aid and assistance to the typhoon-stricken population. He also contacted the president of the Philippines and conveyed the condolences of the OIC and the Muslim countries on the loss of lives in the wake of this devastating

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typhoon that hit the country. The former Secretary General promised the president of the Philippines that the OIC will urge its member states and the humanitarian organizations to provide relief and assistance, and some Islamic countries have responded by offering urgent support to the affected

The delegation defined the most basic needs of the devastated areas such as drinking water, wells, water desalination equipment, basic food stuff, hygiene bags, baby milk and medicines. Five Muslim organizations are still working on the ground in the areas devastated by the typhoon.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS A Session Devoted to Gaza

HUMANITARIAN CONDITION OF SYRIAN REFUGEES WORSENED

OIC HUMANITARIAN ORGANISATIONS CONFERENCE CALLS FOR DONORS’ CONFERENCE FOR YEMEN

Yemeni men prepare food for people who fled Abyan province during fierce fighting between Yemeni forces and al-Qaeda elements (epa)

Istanbul, Turkey – The 5th conference of civil society organizations in OIC member states, held in Istanbul on 14 and 15 December 2013, called for the holding of a donors’ conference for Yemen under the supervision of the OIC and in coordination with the Islamic Development Bank and development funds, and for the commencement of a humanitarian campaign to that end. The conference ended its proceeding with a final communiqué in which it expressed its concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation inside Syria and the refugee camps. It called on all humanitarian organizations in OIC member states to send urgent humanitarian assistance to helpthrough the serious bout of cold affecting the Middle East during the winter season. On the other hand, the final communiqué recommended that the fallouts of the humanitarian condition in the Gaza Strip should be speedily addressed, and appealed for a large scale campaign to intervene urgently to meet emergency needs. It praised the organizations which pledged to help Gaza and whose pledges for the first phase have reached US$7 million to contain the consequences of the harsh winter in Gaza. The conference recommended that a campaign be launched to support Al-Quds and its inhabitants given the sufferings the Pal-

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A Syrian refugee woman and her child at the Zaatari camp in Mafraq, Jordan (epa)

estinians experience as a result of occupation. Meanwhile, the organizations at the conference stressed that urgent humanitarian assistance should be sent to the Central African Republic to help the victims of the ongoing trouble in the country. They also called for continued provision of urgent help for the return of refugees and displaced persons in Mali and all the African Sahel countries. The conference thanked and welcomed the 40th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers for adopting a resolution granting 12 non-governmental organizations consultative status at the OIC. It requested these organizations to constitute a council of organizations and finalize its statutes. The conference also urged all humanitarian organizations in member states to hold dialogue with relevant departments of their home governments to facilitate the procedures of humanitarian action. The final communiqué called for the development of an indicator for the preparedness of Islamic humanitarian organizations for emergency situations. In the same vein, it called on the OIC General Secretariat, represented by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, to liaise with Islamic and humanitarian organizations as well as specialized research centers to prepare this

An African child sits at a temporary shelter beside a road in Sana’a, Yemen (epa)

indicator. The conference called for the establishment of an alliance of humanitarian organizations in the Muslim world to support South Kordofan in the Republic of The Sudan and set up mechanism that will structure the work of that alliance under the auspices of the OIC.

Strengthening cooperation between state and civil society The Minister of Development of the Republic of Turkey in his address at the opening session of the conference called for strengthening of the concepts of cooperation between states and civil society organizations in order to achieve social security, development and peace. The conference’s opening session was also addressed by the (former) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, whose message was read by the Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Atta ElManan Bakhiet. In the message, Ihsanoglu called on the 12 non-governmental organizations granted consultative status at the OIC to form their own council and put in place rules and foundations on which the future of the relationship between the OIC and the OIC humanitarian NGOs would be built. He informed that every year, the OIC would present a new list of humanitarian organizations to the meetings of the Coun-

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS cil of Foreign Ministers so as to obtain consultative status in the OIC. At the end of the opening session, the participating delegations honored the Secretary General for his role in adding humanitarian activity to the work of the OIC. For his part, Atta El-Manan Bakhiet explained that the Istanbul conference was the biggest compared with the previous sessions. The OIC started its first meeting in Dakar with 30 organizations, 50 in Libya, 83 in Qatar, 150 in Khartoum, jumping to 230 organizations at the 5th conference in Istanbul. Bakhiet remarked that this steady growth in the number of participating organizations in the OIC humanitarian conference confirmed the trust of the civil society in the Organization, and the possibility of doing more for the benefit of humanitarian action in the Muslim world. The conference discussed at length in its various sessions many themes and issues contained in its agenda, themes relating to civil society organizations issues and affairs in the Muslim world covering the following aspects: key political, economic and social

issues facing civil society organizations and the impact of the September 11 attacks on the relations between humanitarian organizations and governments in the Muslim world. The conference discussed the role of humanitarian organizations in cases of complex emergencies. The conferees also reviewed some successful experiences in urgent and emergency relief.

Workshop on humanitarian situation in Syria Meanwhile, the workshop on the humanitarian situation in Syria requested humanitarian organizations in member states to act quickly to confront the severe cold weather Syrian refugees in Syria’s neighboring countries are facing. Lutfi Sayed of the Islamic Relief Organization in Britain and the chairman of the session held in Istanbul on 13 December 2014 on the margins of the conference said ‘participating organizations are requested to respond quickly to contain the bad weather conditions Syrian refugees are living in due to the wave of cold weather that have hit

Syria’s neighboring states – Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon – as well as inside Syria.’ It should be mentioned that the special session on Gaza was held on the sideline of the humanitarian organizations conference in order to raise the ceiling of humanitarian assistance channeled to Syrian refugees in view of their deteriorating conditions. The Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs stated that the Syrian crisis is growing in complexity, pointing out that the number of Syrian refugees has continued to rise since the outbreak of internal crisis in the country. He added that efforts by the international community to contain the humanitarian crisis in and outside of Syria have begun to shrink compared with earlier period under the growing number of refugees. He explained that this clear difference pushes Islamic relief organizations to action in order to mitigate the crisis. Meanwhile he called for collective efforts among these organizations and movement beyond individual action. Ambassador Bakhiet stressed that humanitarian organizations engaged in Syria should prepare for the worse and make long term plans in the absence of political solution to the crises.

OIC to build model village in Turkey and residential compound in Jordan Ihsanoglu opens medical center on the border with Syria Kilis, Turkey – The (former) Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, opened an OIC center for treatment of psychological and social trauma in Kilis, south-central Turkey, on 24 November 2013, to cater to the social needs of Syrians in refugee camps on northern border of Syria. Ihsanoglu said that “the most devastating effects of the war raging in Syria are those repercussions on the Syrian people, their bitter feeling of being away from the homeland and losing hope”. He added that “the humanitarian dimension is the largest portion of the Syrian crisis” In his statement at the opening ceremony of the center, Ihsanoglu said that the OIC’s coalition of organizations helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, composed of six organizations, will work to provide as many projects at the lowest cost possible, taking into account the sustainability of humanitarian supply for Syrian refugees. Ihsanoglu pointed out that the coalition began its projects

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by working on a model village on the Turkish-Syrian border, a village that would consist of a thousand housing units, a school, a health center, a mosque, and centers for potable water distribution. The total cost of this project is estimated at five million dollars, and a study of the project has already been completed, with the understanding that the organizations concerned will sign an agreement to commence work on the project in the presence of the OIC Secretary General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in Istanbul on 14 December, on the occasion of the annual conference of humanitarian organizations of the OIC Member States.

Ihsanoglu said that the OIC has provided a project to house two hundred Syrian families in the camp of Zaatari in Jordan, funded by the government of Kazakhstan. The OIC, he added, is currently preparing for an education project aimed at Syrian children in Lebanon - a school accommodating six hundred male and female students, in Tripoli, north of Lebanon. The OIC will provide all educational needs including books, teachers, desks, in addition to two buses to transport students from the outskirts of the city to the school and vice versa. Meanwhile, the Trauma Treatment Center in Kilis is currently providing many services for Syrian refugees as 344 people are receiving treatment on a daily basis. The staff of the center is also helping people in hospitals, schools, and homes of refugees, including families living in public parks. It is estimated that in Kilis alone, there are around thirty thousand refugees.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OIC and ISF provide humanitarian assistance to refugees in Chad Appeals to all stakeholders to assist Chad

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Solidarity fund (ISF), respectively, have provided humanitarian assistance to the Republic of Chad, which includes 250 tents, 6 boreholes, and a power generator of 101-KVA capacity, to the returnees and refugees at the Zafala Camp, located at the Gaoui site in Ndjamena. Six thousand returnees from the Central African Republic have been transferred to the Camp by the Chadian authorities following their efforts to evacuate the over-crowded social centers in the capital city. Medical supplies have also been distributed to returnees and refugees, including food and non-food items, to centers in Sahr, Sido, Doba and Mbitoye, where thousands of affected people have sought refuge after fleeing from the Central African Republic. The joint OIC-ISF (Islamic Solidarity Fund) humanitarian delegation which visited Chad on 23rd January to 1st February, 2014, led by Ambassador Atta El-Manan Bakhit, OIC Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, held official talks with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Social Affairs, and the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chad. During the meetings, the joint OIC-ISF delegation received a comprehensive picture of the humanitarian situation prevailing in the country, resulting from the massive influx of returnees and refugees from the Central African Republic. The Head of the OIC-ISF joint delegation assured the Chadian authorities to brief the OIC Secretary General and to develop an awareness campaign and a strategic humanitarian plan for the benefit of returnees

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and refugees of the Central African Republic, victims of the socio-political crisis in the country. The OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, urged all humanitarian stakeholders within the Islamic Ummah to extend urgent assistance to Chad. The OIC Secretary General noted that the humanitarian needs were huge and on the increase both in Ndjamena and within border towns such as Sido, Sarh, Doba, Doyoba, Mbitoye and Gore where, according to official figures, close to 50,000 people have been encountering serious humanitarian problems due to lack of shelters, latrines, boreholes, Nonfood and food items. Madani hence requested governments, civil society organizations as well as philanthropists to generously donate so as to alleviate the suffering of the growing number of returnees and refugees in Chad which has been swelling since the beginning of the crisis in the CAR.

Completion of the first batch of artesian wells in Somalia

Mogadishu, Somalia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; On 19 November, 2013, Mogadishu, the Somali capital, witnessed a ceremony for the completion of the first batch of 50 wells by the Saudi National Campaign Project for the Relief of Somali People to dig and rehabilitate 150 artesian wells spread over eleven provinces affected by drought and famine in Somalia. The ceremony was attended by Abdul Razak Omar Mohammed, Minister of National Wealth, on behalf of the Somali Prime Minister, a number of ambassadors, diplomats

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and representatives of international organizations, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, a number of elders and dignitaries of Somalia, in addition to Dr. Rami Mohammed Anshasi, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The OIC statement commended the efforts of Saudi government and people in supporting the Somali people in their distress through humanitarian relief and development assistance. It pointed to the importance of providing potable water to the affected areas through humanitarian partnership between the Saudi National Campaign Project for the Relief of Somali People and the OIC, which represented a model in promoting Islamic solidarity and joint teamwork. In his speech, the Minister expressed the thanks and appreciation of the Somali Government and people for the efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Saudi people for their sincere stand with their brothers in Somalia, pointing to the importance of the project in providing drinking water for humans and animals alike. The Minister also praised the efforts of the Saudi National Campaign for the Relief of Somali People in the areas of relief and development through their outstanding projects. It should be noted that the second phase of artesian well drilling and rehabilitation project, estimated at 100 wells, had begun its operational steps so that this vital project for the Somali people would be completed as soon as possible.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS 470,000 Mauritanians need food assistance. 30,000 children suffer severe malnutrition

High-level humanitarian mission in partnership to help Mauritania Nouakchott, Mauritania – A high-level humanitarian mission with strong participation from Arab countries and Turkey on a visit early February found fertile ground for building new partnerships with local agencies in Mauritania. “We will make sure Mauritania remains on the humanitarian agenda. The doors for new partnerships with the Government and its humanitarian partners are wide open,” said Ambassador Atta AlManan Bakhit, Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). “In very concrete way, our visit has already served to connect NGOs from the Islamic world with national actors in Mauritania.” The five-day mission was jointly led by the OIC, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Participants included representatives from Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the African Union, ECHO, and several NGOs from the Gulf region. The delegation met with Government representatives, UN agencies and humanitarian partners, and undertook a field trip to the southern regions of Aleg and Kaedi. Local authorities and communities repeatedly highlighted that, for the first time, such a diversity of partners united to discuss the best ways to assist those in need. “Speaking with communities affected by food insecurity, malnutrition and the impact of floods we understood how many challenges remain,” said Ambassador Faeqa Saeed Al-Saleh, Assistant Secretary General and Head of Social Affairs at the LAS. “The cooperation between the Government and humanitarian partners in strengthening the resilience of these people is critical.” Mauritania is severely affected by the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel region. Communities struggle to recover from recurrent shocks and continue to need humanitarian assistance. Mauritania also generously hosts more than 60,000 Malian refugees, mostly in communities who themselves are struggling with scarce resources. “This year, 470,000 Mauritanians will need food assistance, and more than 30,000 children are expected to suffer from severe malnutrition,” said Rashid Khalikov, Director of OCHA Geneva. “Our task is two-fold: bring relief to the most vulnerable and build the resilience of communities who risk falling back into crisis.” The United Nations and humanitarian partners launched a threeyear Regional Strategic Response Plan for the Sahel. For Mauritania, the plan seeks to mobilize US$107 million to assist 530,000 people. “Donors last year have been generous and funded the 2013 humanitarian appeal by 83 per cent,” said Coumba Mar Gadio, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Mauritania. “The new response plan further emphasizes the necessary linking of humanitarian interventions with longer-term development. To make headway, we need to build diverse and innovative partnerships.” The mission to Mauritania was the third partnership mission organized by OCHA and the OIC, with the League of Arab States joining for the first time.

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UN appeals for $2 billion for Sahel region: Meanwhile, the United Nations and its global humanitarian partners launched on 3 February an appeal for $2 billion on behalf of some 20 million people desperate for food in Africa’s Sahel region, where violence and insecurity has created protracted internal displacement and where population growth is outstripping food production. “More people than ever are at risk in the Sahel and the scale of their needs is so great that no agency or organization can tackle it alone,” said Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos at the launch in Rome. “The strategic plan for the region will help us reach millions of people with vital assistance, build resilience and save lives,” she underscored. The Sahel stretches from Mauritania in the west to Eritrea in the east, a vast belt dividing the Sahara desert and the savannahs to the south, which has undergone three major droughts in less than a decade and where more than 20 million people are at risk of hunger and an estimated 5 million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition. The three-year strategy comprises country plans for Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. It emphasizes strong partnerships with Governments and development partners, a regional perspective and multi-year time frame to better address the chronic causes of the crises.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS «Zawraq»- a magazine for Syrian refugee children

An endeavor to maximize children’s potential and bring joy to their hearts

Istanbul, Turkey (dpa) – They not only need to eat fish but also know how to catch it. This is the most important goal of the Zawraq (Boat) magazine which has recently been launched to educate Syrian refugee children. This is the vision of Muhammad Salloum, the developer of the content of the magazine and its director, who told Deutsche Press Agency (dpa) that the magazine is self-funded through savings and contribution by some friends involved in this modest funding. It is also one of the few magazines previously published independently, like Tayarra Waraq (Kite) and Zayton-waZaytona. Now, Zawraq has its 5th edition published on a monthly basis. «Alternative media», a characterization of media alternative to that of the Syrian regime, comprises dozens of publications distributed within Syria, and radio stations that broadcast on the Web or FM. It also includes a limited number of satellite channels of religious overtones as well as websites. However, it is well known that most of this media has not been able to disseminate a common discourse for Syrians. Zawraq defines itself as a newborn baby, «a monthly print for Syrian children at home, in the camps and in diaspora. It is also aimed at Arab children at home or in any country of the world via its website or on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Mohammed, who works and lives in a village in rural northern Syria, and runs a number of prints from there, says, «we want Zawraq to be a lifeboat for the children of Syria to save them from these massive waves that set them apart and almost drown them. We are not claiming that our influence is huge but we are contributing as much as possible to providing a scientific and intellectual meal with pleasure and value together. We openly strive to meet their spiritual and mental needs «. Regarding the name, Zawraq, editor Khairuddin Obaid, a children›s writer who won numerous awards, told dpa: «we preferred to avoid revolutionary names, as revolutionary action must be reflected

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to benefit a generation he cares for, a generation that aspires to sketch their future just like other generations and children of the world «.

in the content and not just the title; we endeavor to stimulate children›s imagination and avoid platitude». As to the difference between offering food, clothing and medicine, and offering fun and value by Zawraq, Obaid says, «there›s an urgent need for both, as each of them has a function; two oiland-thyme sandwiches satisfy a child›s hunger, a pair of trousers and sweaters clothe him, a blanket gives him warmth, but also an issue of a creative magazine everyday is invaluable for indulging his passion. Zawraq is not an intellectual luxury. Nations starved and suffered from displacement and cold after World War II, but science and culture saved them. The magazine is created by an innovative author and a creative artist who writes for children, and anyone with a rich life-experience would want

On its pages, Zawraq features a variety of materials as well as a historical figure in each issue to educate children about influential personalities, especially scientists, to instill, in an interesting dramatized style, the value of science in children and make them understand that the Ummah has given birth to penholders, not just sword holders. There is also a serial story, published on more than one issue, which creates its own characters, so that they become a hallmark of the magazine. An example is the character of «Jaddou» in the early issues. In addition, there is a page that promotes arts, such as theater, cinema, etc, with the aim of informing children about art in general. Zawraq does not fail to attend to monuments and relics through the «Little Globe trotter» and his travels to archaeological and cultural sites, which are dramatized. The magazine distributes around four thousand copies in Syria and in refugee camps in the neighboring countries. Zawraq, through a chapter entitled World-ofKnowledge, allows children to contribute and participate, and focuses on raising children›s awareness of environment and public health. Keen to have their children read Zawraq, some parents believe that the magazine meets the spiritual and intellectual needs of their children, especially in light of the lack of any similar food-for-thought for their children under the difficult living conditions in the refugee camps and the inability of many of them to pursue their education or have access to Internet. Mustafa al-Halabi, a children›s social worker, says that the variety provided by the magazine should be subject to a competent study, assessment of children›s needs in the current environment, and implanting moral, human and intellectual values in children as well as the development of their mental abilities, intelligence and activity.

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HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OIC participates in the 11th Dubai International Humanitarian Aid Conference

Focus on Syrian humanitarian crises

Dubai, UAE – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) participated as a cosponsor in the 11th annual Dubai International Humanitarian Aid Development Conference and Exhibition (DIHAD). Held on 25-27 March 2014 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the 11th DIHAD was inaugurated by HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of International Humanitarian City, wife of Sheikh Mohamed. The opening session of the threeday Conference was also addressed by HE Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, the UAE’s Minister of International Cooperation and Development. The theme of this year’s Conference was ‘Women and Aid’. Speakers from various UN organizations working on humanitarian and development issues talked about the hardships and challenges, particularly for women and children being the first and most to suffer, in such areas as Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, and Central African Republic. A special session was held about the Syrian humanitarian crises and the in-country assistance and assistance required from neighboring countries for the sake of Syrian refugees as well as Palestinian refugees in Al Yarmouk camp, which has been severely affected. The OIC Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Amb. Atta El-Manan Bakhiet, said there are four impediments to delivering humanitarian aid inside Syria. These four impediments are: the growing number of internally displaced people and the expanding area; ac-

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A side of the DIHAD Exhibition

cess; weakness of Syrian civil society and lack of coordination between the different organizations working in Syria. The panelists in the special session on Syria, which in addition to the OIC Assistant Secretary General included the President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society, Dr. Abdul Rahman Attar, the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Nigel Fisher, and the Regional Emergency Coordinator of the World Food Program, Muhannad Hadi, emphasized the need to provide safe access to humanitarian aid inside Syria for the 9 million internally displaced people, including 3 million who live in hard to reach areas and have received little to nothing aid. Amb. Bakhiet stressed on calling for safe corridors and cross-border solutions. He also stressed on capacity building of NGOs inside Syria and to have better coordination between the different international organizations and NGOs working in Syria. The OIC has created a coalition of NGOs working under its umbrella in Syria since 2012. Commenting on the Syrian humanitarian crisis, Muhannad Hadi, WFP Regional Emergency Coordinator for Syria and Neighboring Countries said: “WFP moves around 40,000 metric tons of food each month to feed close to 4 million people across Syria. This is one of WFP’s largest and most complex operations worldwide… WFP requires US$40 million each week to assist affected people in Syria and refugees in neighboring countries,” continued Hadi During the Conference regional and international experts, officials and aid workers took part in workshops and panel debates that focused on the impact of humanitar-

Princess Haya

Amb. Bakhiet

ian crises on women – from food security and shelter, to gender-based violence, education and health. The role of women as humanitarian actors, either at community or institutional level, was discussed as well as media portrayal of women in conflict situations. Ertharin Cousin, the WFP Executive Director, delivered an important speech on the first day of DIHAD. She explained that women and children make for more than three-quarters of those affected by disasters and crises. It is women whom most often bear the crippling consequences; be they physical, psychological, social or economic. “Dealing with the issue of gender is not limited only to the issue of gender equality; it is about increasing opportunities for women and girls to survive during a crisis. Failure to do so is a serious threat to the lives and safety of women, and their families and communities,” she added. Along with the conference there was a week-long humanitarian-focused exhibition with stands from aid agencies, NGOs and government organizations as well as private sector companies offering services to the humanitarian sector. The OIC Humanitarian Fund was among the exhibitors. DIHAD is organized by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions, the UN, the UAE Red Crescent Authority, the OIC, International Humanitarian City, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai and Dubai Cares.

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OPINION Role of Women in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security Fourteen years ago, the UN Security Council adopted the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, which recognized the central role of women in the maintenance of international peace and security. The resolution recognized that women’s engagement in conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building is more likely to lead to sustainable peace and security.

By: Ambassador Tariq Bakhiet and Maha Akeel Amb. Bakhiet is Director in OIC Political Affairs Dept. Ms. Akeel Director of Information Department

The most recent resolution on women and peace was in October 2013. It puts in place a roadmap for “a more systematic approach to the implementation of commitments on women, peace and security”.

Subsequent resolutions adopted by the Council focused on the state of affairs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations, which the Council underscored as priorities in achieving lasting peace: the promotion and protection of women’s human rights, their equal participation in transitional justice and reconciliation processes, as well as a human rights perspective and a female perspective in all the efforts and programs for development, peace, security and the building and strengthening of the rule of law. The most recent resolution on women and peace was in October 2013. It puts in place a roadmap for “a more systematic approach to the implementation of commitments on women, peace and security”. It highlights the critical importance of women’s empowerment to international peace and security. The resolution includes concrete measures on the development and deployment of technical expertise for peacekeeping missions and UN mediation teams supporting peace talks; improved access to information and analysis on the impact of conflict on women and women’s participation in conflict resolution in reports and briefings to the security council; and strengthens commitments to consult, as well as include, women in peace talks. It also calls on member states to fund the work of women’s leadership, and of local civil society groups involved in conflict prevention and resolution. National Governments have the primary responsibility to protect women’s safety and their rights and interests. The international community should support the countries concerned in their efforts to that end by providing constructive assistance. External support should fully respect national sovereignty and, in keeping with specific national conditions and needs, focus on capacity-building and stepping up assistance, with a view to helping the countries concerned overcome financial and technical difficulties. The UN Security Council should play its unique role fully, while strengthening its coordination and cooperation with related organizations and agencies. As the primary institution for maintaining international peace and security, the Council should focus on conflict prevention, dispute mediation and post-conflict reconstruction so as to foster an enabling political, security and rule-of-law environment for safeguarding women’s security, rights and interests. The General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council, UN Women and other United Nations agencies should discharge their respective responsibilities while working closely with one another with a view to generating synergies. As for the Muslim world, women need to play their role in resolving conflicts and building peace. It is unfortunate that most of the conflicts and post-conflict situations today – from Afghanistan and Syria to Somalia and Sudan – are in Muslim countries, and, as in all conflicts, the most and first to suffer are women and children, as refugees, internally displaced and targets of attacks, torture and rape, and they are also involved in the battle fields as combatants and caretakers. Yet, women are rarely heard from or represented in negotiating peace, but evidence from around the world has shown that when women are included it is more likely that conflicts are prevented and peace is maintained. OIC should take steps, like other international organizations, that support implementing UNSC Resolution 1325. NATO and its partners, for example, adopted an overarching policy in 2007, which is reviewed every two years, and appointed a Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security at its Headquarters in Brussels. Guided by Resolution 1325 and the subsequent resolutions, the OIC can encourage the participation of women in peace negotiations, facilitate and monitor their participation, and provide training and assistance to civil society groups involved in conflict prevention and resolution as well as humanitarian societies. It is not completely unusual for Muslim women to be involved at the forefront of battlefields when their community is threatened and offer advice during peace negotiations, as Islamic history is replete with examples since the time of the Prophet. It is high time to make use again of women’s insight and experience in preventing conflicts and maintaining peace, and perhaps the first step is to identify the obstacles to their participation and address them.

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HUMAN RIGHTS The OIC Human Rights Commission calls for combating extremism in Member States

IPHRC Commissioners at the meeting

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) held its 4th Session in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2 to 6 February 2014. During the five day session, the Commission and its four working groups deliberated in detail on all items on its agenda including human rights violations in Occupied Palestinian Territories; civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in OIC Member States; as well as specific mandates given to it by the CFM such as Islamophobia, impact of unilateral economic sanctions on member states; situation of Rohingya Muslim minority and other Muslim communities particularly in the Central African Republic. At the end of the Session, the IPHRC sent a letter to the Foreign Minister of Myanmar expressing Commission’s desire to undertake a visit to discuss the issue of Rohingya Muslims. The Commission also deliberated on the issue of its relationship with the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and civil society, including NGOs, and decided to finalize the framework for its interaction, on priority. The Commission reiterated its call on all OIC Member States to provide IPHRC with their human rights legislative, institutional and policy frameworks on women and children rights enabling it to compile a list of best practices to be shared with the Member States. IPHRC also called upon Member States to expedite ratification of the statute of the OIC Women Development Organization enabling its early establishment in Cairo.

Four challenges

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani opened the IPHRC meeting on February 2, 2014. In his opening remarks, Madani stressed that the concern and care for human rights have been an integral part of the vision, charter and resolutions of the OIC since its inception. He enumerated a number of challenges that the Commission must confront head-on, in particular the question of finding an Islamic discourse that enriches the debate on human rights, as well as providing the right yardstick to Member-States for effectively discharging their universal human rights obligations.

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Another challenge described was the responsible use of freedom of expression. “Despite repeated incidents of hatred and violence resulting from discrimination based on stereotyping and stigmatization of individuals, communities and religions, some countries continue to refuse any limitations or responsible use of this right,” said Madani. On the other hand “muslim countries enacting laws to ensure respect for the sanctity and reputation of religious values, scriptures and personalities for promotion of peace in society are criticized on account of limiting this freedom through blasphemy laws,” he added. Issue of gender equality in particular the very definition of term gender was referred as the next challenge in the gender equality debate that goes beyond the scope of agreed understanding. And finally, Madani stressed that yet another important challenge was how to deprive the extreme voices in the Member States, who hold the banner of Islam in spreading their extreme views, from their Islamic claim.

Measures to prohibit Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), February 6, the IPHRC joint international community in condemning the practice and issued a statement expressing its deep concern that “the harmful practice of FGM continues to exist in various regions of the world, constituting a serious threat to the physical and psychological health of women and girls”. The Commission called upon OIC Member States to take all necessary measures to prohibit FGM and to protect women and girls from this form of violence. It also urged Member States to pursue systematic and culturally sensitive comprehensive policies to educate and raise awareness among all factions of societies on the negative implications of this harmful practice as well as to promote the empowerment of women in all walks of life.

Combating extremism and violence in OIC Countries

Reflecting on the escalation of extremism and violence within the OIC region and the massive killings and atrocities committed against innocent civilians, the IPHRC deemed it crucial to underline that Islam was a religion of compassion, peace, coexistence, moderation and respect to all fundamental human rights, including the right to life. IPHRC reiterated that no religion should be equated to violence, extremism or terrorism. At the same time, IPHRC recalled that sabotage, indiscriminate killings, torture, mutilation, arson etc., were contrary to Islamic teachings, values and principles. Extremists, in whatever name, who perpetrate crimes against innocent people in any situation, should be brought to justice, so as to ensure the rule of law and avoid impunity. IPHRC further urged the governments, institutions and civil society including NGOs, to strengthen their efforts to educate and raise awareness for combating extremism and violence at all levels.

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HUMAN RIGHTS Khojaly genocide: Waiting for justice At the night from 25th to 26th February of 1992, the crime committed in Khojaly city by Armenian armed forces together with the 366th Moto artillery regiment of the former Soviet army in Khankandi was one of the unprecedented events not only in the history of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict but also of the world warfare due to its horrible results. A lot of heavy military equipment of this regiment also consisting of Armenian officers entered the city; totally destroyed and burned down the houses and social infrastructure. The perpetrators annihilated people who were forced to leave the city in horror. During the Khojaly genocide, 613 people whose names were known, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 old people were killed. 487 peaceful civilians were injured and became disabled, 1275 civilians were taken captive and hostages. The fate of 150 missing persons remains still unknown. During this massacre eight families were totally exterminated, 25 children lost of both, 130 children of one parent, civilians were killed with savagery, captives and hostages were subjected to merciless torture. Thus, fundamental human rights of our people, especially the fundamental right to life were grossly and severely violated. This massacre, committed by Armenian invaders, who are not yet subjected to any sanction, is an act of genocide due to its unimaginable cruelty and inhuman punishment methods. Under the international law, genocide is defined as a crime against peace and mankind and is considered to be the gravest international crime. The UN General Assembly Resolution 96 (I) of 11 December 1946 states that genocide, violating the right of people to life, damages human dignity, and deprives the mankind of the material and spiritual values created by human beings. Such acts are completely contrary to the purpose and ideal of the United Nations and to universal values. The legal definition of the crime of genocide was determined in the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

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adopted by the Resolution 260(III) of the UN General Assembly of 9 December 1948. The State Parties to this Convention confirmed that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and punish. Thus, committing criminal acts, planned in advance and aimed at mass annihilation of people on the ground of their national background during the Khojaly genocide, confirms that such acts constitute the crime of genocide under international and domestic laws. Such brutality and vandalism shall be recognized as a grave crime against humanity. During the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan all elements of the crime of genocide stated in the abovementioned Convention were applied. The occupied territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding seven rayons are integral part of the Azerbaijani territory. This is evidenced by the UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884 from 1993, UNGA Resolution titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Situation on the occupied territories of Azerbaijanâ&#x20AC;? dated on March 14, 2008, Resolution 1416 from 2005 and Recommendation 1669 from 2009 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) confirming the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by the Armenian military forces, and governing of Nagorno-Karabakh by separatists prove the abovementioned facts once again. The Resolution of the European Parliament on the Nagorno-Karabakh, dated 23 October 2013 proves the support by the international community the just position of our country and confirms the fact of occupation. For the first time, this document denotes the importance of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict according to the UN Security Council resolutions and immediate, unconditional and total withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories. Regretfully, no action was taken concerned, so, this conflict has not yet been settled due to unconstructive position of Armenia that does not fulfill the international resolutions.

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The National Leader Heydar Aliyev unveiled the essence of the Khojaly massacre, and in February 1994 the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Azerbaijan gave legal and political assessment to this tragedy. President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev underlined resolutely the necessity of this conflict resolution in the frame of integrity of Azerbaijani territories as well as emphases the necessity of withdrawal of occupant forces from the Azerbaijani territories. It makes indignant and regretful that it has not yet given legal assessment to this crime at the international level and effective measures against terror acts are not undertaken. The international organizations shall strengthen the efforts towards solution of this conflict and recognize this crime as an act of genocide, shall impose sanctions on perpetrators of this crime in compliance with the norms and principles of international law without double standards. We do once again declare that Khojaly tragedy is an act of genocide according to the international legal norms. Armenia shall fulfill international provisions of documents on this conflict, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored, the Azerbaijani captives and hostages shall be liberated, violated rights of refugees and IDPs shall be restored and they must be returned to their homes. ...............................................................................

From the statement by Elmira Suleymanova Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide

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CHILDHOOD AFFAIRS On the occasion of Universal Children’s Day

OIC calls on international community to stand by children victims of conflicts children and to initiate action to benefit and promote the welfare of the world’s children.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – On the occasion of the Universal Children’s Day, 20 November, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on the international community to come forward to the cause of children, especially those living in dire conditions and suffering as victims of civil strives, conflicts and natural disasters. In his message on the occasion, he extended his greetings and good wishes to the children of the world, and recalled that the entire international community comes together, on this day, to renew its commitment to the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Taking into account that children are the world’s greatest asset, the international community decided to declare this day to celebrate childhood, as well as to encourage countries to promote mutual exchange and understanding among

The OIC has prioritized the concerns of the children in its agenda and has taken up various programs and projects to address issues facing children. The 4th Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers In-charge of Childhood, held earlier in this month in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, took up the issues facing children and decided on an action plan to address challenges, including children’s right to education, proper health care, and protection from abuse, forced labor, recruitment of child soldiers and their trafficking.

Early Childhood Care and Education in OIC Member Countries

30% of world population age 0 to 6 lives in OIC Member States . 3.9 million children in OIC member states die before reaching their fifth birthday, most due to infectious diseases and birth related complications The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) released its report on ‘Early Childhood Care and Education in OIC Member Countries’ in December 2013. The term Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), has been used by UNESCO to refer to all organized developmental services for children during the period from birth until a child enters primary education, which is age 6 or 7 in most countries. The World Bank estimates that around 13% of the world total population is between the ages of 0-6 and 30% of this population live in OIC member countries. ECCE programs address different age groups ranging from infancy, preschool, kindergarten to early primary grades. Early Childhood Care Programs are generally for children under age 3 and supervised by ministries of health and/or social affairs. Early Childhood Education Programs are mostly for children over age 3 and governed by ministries of education. The former is found in around half of the countries in the world, while the latter is existent in all (UNESCO, 2008). Duration of each program

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varies by country. Overall, ECCE services are holistic in approach and include various programs in basically three areas: 1) health, nutrition, hygiene 2) cognitive, social, emotional and physical development; and 3) social protection. The report presents the state of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in OIC member countries with the recent available data, highlights the obstacles and challenges facing these countries in this important area, and makes some policy recommendations in order to improve ECCE services in OIC Member States. The report finds that although OIC member countries have on average recorded a

significant improvement in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in the recent years, the average level of ECCE services are still below the world average in different respects. In OIC Member States, 3.9 million children die before reaching their fifth birth day, corresponding to 45% of total under-5 deaths in the world. According to the WHO estimates, three quarters of total deaths were caused by infectious diseases and birth related complications which can easily be prevented by vaccination, antenatal health care and skilled attendance of birth. Simply this figure can tell the importance of ECCE services. Therefore, there is still a large room for more efforts and actions to be taken in order to improve the quality and quantity of ECCE services in OIC member countries. Not all these efforts require vast amount of financial sources but effective planning and professional implementation. In the light of the current state of ECCE services in OIC member countries, the report summarizes the challenges that OIC member countries are facing and makes some policy recommendations to improve the situation.

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WOMEN AFFAIRS International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women OIC stresses on raising global awareness and implementing international and national laws

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation stressed on the need to work together to eradicate this phenomenon through all available means by raising global awareness of the iniquitous aspect of committing violence against women and to take a renewed pledge to ensure the implementation of relevant International laws and Conventions as well as national laws and legislations. In his message on the occasion, he said that this day is particularly significant as it provides the governments, international organizations and relevant civil society institutions to take stock of the progress made in efforts to eliminate violence against women and to decide on what is needed in moving forward to address this issue with greater commitment and determination.

Violence against women as a vulnerable segment of our society not only goes contrary to the basic human rights of women and their discrimination in society but also violates Islamic teachings and values that call for full respect of women and upholding all their human rights.

Women are integral part of our society and must be provided with all the opportunities to play their important role in securing peace, progress, socio-economic developments and full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is most unfortunate that a great majority of the world’s women population faces discrimination in society and unequal access to opportunities, and suffers from violence all over the world. To increase women’s contribution towards the advancement of human societies, we need to ensure that they are well protected from all forms of violence.

The issue of violence against women is of particular concern to the OIC. In this context, the OIC Plan of Action for Advancement of Women (OPAAW), OIC Ten Year Program of Action, and relevant decisions of OIC Summit and Ministerial Conferences have provided guidelines on the ways and means to address the challenges faced by women including elimination of all forms of violence against them. The newly established OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission has also taken up the issue of violence against women with all seriousness and commitment and is working on ways towards its elimination in the OIC Member States.

The State of Gender in OIC Member States

The need for an action plan defining the policy priorities and the means of implementation The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) released its report on the State of Gender in OIC Member States where it found that there are significant regional differences and all the issues cannot accurately reflect the detailed current circumstances of the individual member countries, therefore there is an urgent need to undertake country and regional level assessments in order to understand the regional dimension of the gender differences and provide background information for future policy development. Furthermore, the currently available genderdisaggregated data is not sufficient to carry out an in-depth socio-economic analysis to understand the actual dimension of the gender differences in the OIC group, thus, the availability of and access to gender-disaggregated data need to be improved for OIC Member States. Based on the preliminary findings of the report, it can be concluded that the empowerment of women in order to ensure gender

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equality necessitates the development of an action plan defining the policy priorities and the means of implementation taking into account the social and cultural realities of these countries. Furthermore, as a followup of the achievements realized regular reporting focusing on the most problematic areas of concern regarding women and child health, education and employment with a wider gender perspective has to be established. In this context, improvement of relevant statistics and indicators as well as establishment of necessary infrastructure for data collection can be handled as priority issue by considering unavailability of basic data to be a basis for regular reporting. It is generally accepted that gender issues are complex, multi-dimensional and politically controversial subjects, which necessitates the adoption of a wider perspective to the related concepts and definitions. Hence, execution of data collection at OIC level, may contribute to further methodological developments and the establishment of common operational definitions regarding gender statistics with reflecting

cultural and traditional sensitivities of the OIC member countries. Gender differences in OIC member countries: • Lowest legal age for marriage and average age entering into marriage for women in the world. • Averages for men and women as well as female-male lifespan differences are still below the rest of the world’s averages. • Maternal mortality, infant mortality and under-five mortality rates are significantly higher. • One third of the world total adult illiterates are in the OIC member countries but the gender gap among youth illiterates is becoming narrower. • Participation in secondary and tertiary education is improving with a narrowing gender gap. • Lowest female labor force participation rate with a slightly increasing trend. • Highest share of female employment in agriculture and lowest share in non-agricultural sector.

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WOMEN AFFAIRS Under the patronage of Princess

Adela bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

OIC Celebrates International Women’s Day

Highlights its programs and activities for empowering women Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – On the occasion of International Women’s Day, recognized annually around the world on March 8, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a celebration marking the day for the first time. It held two events; the first was at its headquarters in Jeddah on 9 March 2014, and the second was on 19 March at the OIC Residence. Both events featured an art exhibition as well as a short film on the obstacles facing girls and women in enjoying their full rights and the achievements and success stories of women in the Member States. In the first event on March 9, Amb. Abdullah Alim, Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, welcomed the invitees from the diplomatic corps, intellectuals and media on behalf of the Secretary General Iyad Madani. He said that the theme chosen for the year 2014’s celebration, ‘Equality for women is progress for all’ reflects the approach that has become a prerequisite for the empowerment of women and making them enjoy full rights. Ambassador Alim emphasized that the OIC conviction is that helping women achieve their goals and improve their conditions, and strengthening legislation and laws that guarantee their protection from various types of discrimination and violence is the way towards ensuring their participation in the development and decision-making process. The Assistant Secretary General for Science and Technology, Ambassador Abdel Moez Bukhari, briefed the attendees on the OIC programs and activities for women in the field of education and health in the Member States, while the Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Atta El-Mannan Bakhit, provided an illustrated presentation on humanitarian services and development aimed at women. The Directors General of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Family and Department of Economic Affairs provided an overview on the activities of their departments in favor of women. The OIC Member States had adopted an ambitious action plan for women’s advancement in 2008. In addition to establishing a Family Affairs Department at the OIC General Secretariat, the Member States decided to create an organization concerned with the development of women to be based in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

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The event of 19 March was held under the patronage of HRH Princess Adela bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with the keynote speech delivered by Dr. Thoraya Obaid, former Assistant Secretary General to the UN Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Population Fund and current member of the Saudi Shoura Council. Mrs. Rawiya Madani, spouse of the Secretary General, said in her welcoming statement, “This is the first time that the OIC is commemorating this occasion, but we hope that it will serve as a starting point for the wellbeing of Muslim women, and the preservation of their rights as safeguarded by Islam.” Princess Adela in an insightful speech as chief guest said, “Despite the fact that the importance of women’s role in the development of their societies has been demonstrated, the women of the world still continue to be in need of the attention of governments and civil society institutions to expand their involvement in decision-making, as a foundational stone in the development and prosperity process at all levels. “Also, certain societies – mainly Muslim ones – are faced with a major challenge to effect a shift in some of their deeply anchored erroneous conceptions and inherited beliefs which do not accord women their fair rights as recognized for them by the Islamic faith, thus perpetrating discrimination against them and constraining their social, political and economic participation,” she said. She stressed that the role of Islamic organizations such as the OIC lies in raising awareness of the importance of empowering women and highlighting the Islamic precepts. Keynote speaker Dr. Obaid cited four examples in her inspiring speech that reflect on the images of women in Muslim societies and their empowerment. She began with her own story as Muslim woman in an international scene supported by her family to pursue higher education and a distinguished career. The next example she cited was that of the Palestinian women, whom she called the backbone of the Palestinian family and the society, especially in Diaspora and in Palestine itself. Dr. Obaid then quoted Afghanistan as a place where it needed to empower women to survive. “With UN help women empowerment came. And it is with pride female doctors and the community participates in the progress of the country.” Lastly, she named Bangladesh, where the mixing of customs and religion, created issues, but it is a country that had two women prime ministers.

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EDUCATION FUIW adopts Draft Action Plan and Budget for 2013-2015

Islamic Virtual University to be headquartered in Sharjah Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The sixth session of the General Conference of ISESCO-affiliated Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 26-27 November 2013 at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, under the high patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, adopted the Federation’s Draft Action Plan and Budget for 2013-2015.

ties, and to pursue efforts to set this project into motion, in cooperation and coordination with all stakeholders.

The Conference adopted the Report on the Project of the Islamic Virtual University (IVU), containing the outcome and recommendations of the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the IVU, endorsed the proposed composition of the Board for a six-year term, and thanked the Federation’s General Secretariat and His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, for headquartering the IVU in Sharjah and providing necessary technical equipment and office furniture. In this connection, the Secretary General of the Federation was mandated to take necessary legal, technical, administrative and financial measures to establish the IVU in Sharjah, in coordination with the relevant and competent par-

In addition, the Conference adopted the Project for the Establishment of the Network for the Development of Academic Cooperation and Labor Market, and agreed that Al-Azhar University, Al-Mansura University and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia play host to the Network for the Development of Academic Cooperation and Labor Market, in coordination with and under the umbrella of the FUIW.

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The General Conference also adopted the Report of the Bureau of the Islamic Body for Quality and Accreditation and invited the Member Universities as well as Arab and Islamic institutions to provide support for this project.

Furthermore, it commissioned the FUIW General Secretariat to develop procedures for the establishment of the Network for the Development of Academic Cooperation and Labor Market, in coordination with the host universities and parties concerned. The Conference also adopted the Project

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for the Establishment of Leagues of Parallel Faculties, taking into consideration the observations and proposals of the members of the Executive Council and the General Conference, and commissioned the FUIW General Secretariat to develop procedures for the establishment of the Leagues of Parallel Universities, in coordination with Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. The Conference then adopted the Project for the Establishment of the Network of Strategic Planning Experts in Member Universities, the Project for the Establishment of the Authority of Program, Student and Faculty Exchange as well as Qualification Recognition and University Legislation, and the Project for the Establishment of the Centre for University Education and Scientific Ethics and commissioned the FUIW General Secretariat to develop procedures relative to their establishment, in coordination with Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University for the two first projects, and with Naif Arab University for Security Sciences concerning the third one.

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HEALTH Islamic scholars call for access to vaccinate children Islamic Advisory Group adopts urgent plan of action against polio

Sheikh Dr. Shuman Sheikh bin Humaid

Dr. Ali

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The world’s leading Islamic scholars, led by the Grand Imam of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, stated that protection against diseases is obligatory and admissible under Islamic Shariah, and that any actions which do not support these preventive measures and cause harm to humanity are un-Islamic. The scholars adopted a strong “Jeddah Declaration” and a focused six-month Plan of Action to address critical challenges facing polio eradication efforts in the few remaining polio-endemic parts of the Islamic world: a ban on vaccinations and lack of access to children in some areas, deadly attacks on health workers, and misconceptions by the community about mass vaccination campaigns. During the first meeting of the Global Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) for polio eradication at OIC Headquarters on 2627 February 2014, religious leaders denounced violence against health workers involved in polio vaccination campaigns. In a keynote statement, President of the Council of International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Sheikh Dr. Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid, argued that as long as the purpose of vaccination is the welfare of people and the substance used to make vaccines was uncontaminated and not forbidden, it should be “acceptable to Sharia” – or Islamic law. Undersecretary of Egypt’s Al Azhar Al

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Mr. Madani

Sharif Sheikh Dr. Abbas Shuman emphatically denounced what he termed “fallacious and distorted fatwas (edicts) and claims” against polio vaccines and strongly condemned violent attacks waged against polio vaccinators. He announced that Al Azhar will task its preachers and clergymen around the world to demystify polio-related misconceptions and advocate for polio vaccination in their sermons. In his address to the opening meeting, Secretary General of OIC, Iyad Madani, pointed out that polio eradication poses a considerable challenge to the OIC, “since 95 per cent of polio cases reported in 2013 were recorded in OIC member states.” President of IDB, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ali, noted that his bank allocated US Dollars 227 million to support the Pakistani Government’s polio eradication efforts, emphasizing that such contribution was “a religious duty.” Addressing the parley, the Regional Director of the World Health Organization for Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ala Alwan reminded conferees that polio was paralyzing about a thousand children daily worldwide, but with the development of a very safe vaccine and global efforts to ensure that the vaccine reaches every child, a 99.9 per cent decline was achieved. “Through this effort, more than 10 million people are walking today who would otherwise have been para-

lyzed,” he said. The scholars reiterated the safety and acceptability in Islam of vaccination against polio, saying it was a sin to claim the contrary and expose children to unnecessary risk. While most of the world – including the Muslim community of nations – is polio-free, the three countries that remain endemic for polio are largely Muslim: Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. At the end of the meeting the IAG adopted a six-month action plan with a focus on support to Pakistan and Somalia, which have the highest number of children paralyzed by polio. IAG members will advocate with national and local religious leaders on the religious duty of parents and communities to protect children and to allow health workers to carry out their duties in safety. The group also resolved to ensure that information on the safety of vaccination is easily available to relevant religious and community leaders and to advocate for financial and technical support for polio eradication with the Islamic donor community. The IAG is co-chaired by the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and Al Azhar Al Sharif. The Jeddah-based Fiqh Academy and the Cairo-based Al Azhar Al Sharif, together with the IDB and OIC are the major founding members of IAG.

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YOUTH

Prince Nawaf bin Faisal (C), with OIC Secretary General Madani to his right and ISESCO Director General Dr. Al Tuwaijri to his left at the opening of the Conference

2nd Islamic Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports

Calls for investing in youth and distancing them from extremism Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The 2nd Islamic Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports in Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held on 16-18 March, 2014 in Jeddah. It was inaugurated on 17 March by Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, General President of Youth Welfare in Saudi Arabia and President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF), on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and in the presence of the OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, and the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Al-Tuwaijri. The speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, delivered on his behalf by Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, asserted that youth are an invaluable asset of every nation. He stressed that the growing numbers of youth in the Muslim world is a blessing and a gift that should be utilized to the benefit of the youth adding that investment in youth is the shortest way to achieve the goals and objectives of comprehensive and sustainable development. Moreover, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques indicated that youth-related problems and issues faced by Muslim societies as fueled by the various components of globalization, makes it imperative for all those responsible for youth in the Muslim world to take the initiative to distance the youth from engaging in those conflicts and disputes and sensitize them against being misled by the calls for violence, extremism and takfir.

OIC General Secretariat to deal with youth-related issues in close coordination with other OIC organs active in the field of youth, such as the ISSF, World Union of Muslim Scouts, and the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation. As for the Director General of ISESCO, Dr. Al-Tuwaijri, he asserted that the responsibility borne by the Ministers of Youth and Sports in the OIC Member States is equal in terms of weight and integrate in terms of content with the great responsibility of their colleagues the Ministers of Education, who will meet early next year at the first ISESCO Conference of the Ministers of Education to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Over the course of two days, the Ministers of Youth and Sports reviewed the Strategy for the Advancement of Youth Issues in the Muslim World and adopted the ‘Jeddah Declaration’. The Declaration recommended that appropriate conditions be provided to empower youth, channel their energies and capitalize on their capacities in the service of the causes of the Ummah and for the achievement of wellbeing for humanity at large. It also recommended that appropriate youth-targeted policies be elaborated and that proper mechanisms and modalities be adopted to implement, follow up and evaluate these policies.

In his statement, the OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, reviewed the challenges faced by the youth in the Muslim world, first and foremost living in environments of split communal and sectarian conflict and the rejection of the other, and extremism. He explained that the youth in the Muslim world is frustrated due to the large challenges, referring to the persecution of the Palestinian youth, exclusion in the Central African Republic, and attempts at identity obliteration in Myanmar.

The declaration laid stress on the importance of sports in the physical, psychological and educational nurturance of youth, and its effective role in the rapprochement of peoples and cultures, the spreading of cooperation and solidarity, the anchorage of teamspirit and positive interaction with others. It made particular note of certain points relevant to youth empowerment, foremost of which supporting national youth development policies based on an approach that embraces all scientific, artistic, cultural, health and sports fields, aimed at evolving integrated youth and sports policy programs.

The Secretary General pointed out that the OIC is committed to the moral and intellectual development of the youth through several initiatives and programs that help them serve their communities, contribute to building and maintaining peace and stability, and promote a culture of tolerance and respect. He added that following this vision, the Department of Family Affairs was established at the

The Conference also discussed the Executive Plan of the Initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, Document on Youth and Human Rights and Citizenship in the Muslim Countries, Orientation Guide on Protecting Youth against Negative Uses of Social Networks, and Protecting Youth against Sports Fanaticism.

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RELIGION 21st Session of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy

Prohibition of Crossing Red Traffic Light, Speeding, Drag Racing, and Illegal Chases Encouraging Pre-Marriage Genetic Testing Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - The Islamic University of Imam Muhammad bin Saud in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, hosted the twenty-first session of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) during the period from 18 to 23 November 2013 under the auspices of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. Prof. Ahmad Khalid Ba-Bakr, IIFA Secretary General, delivered a speech in which he asserted that the IIFA is the Fiqh reference for all Muslims. He announced the completion of printing Sheikh Zayed Encyclopedia of Jurisprudential Rules. Amb. Habib Kaabachi delivered the statement of the OIC Secretary General in which he valued the IIFA efforts in laying the foundations of collective Fiqh and provision of solutions to the latest developments. He also called the jurisprudents to sensitize the Islamic public opinion of the related developments. On his part, Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Humaid, Advisor at the Royal Court and IIFA President, drew attention to the serious challenges faced by the Ummah where extremism, their ignorance and poor interpretation help the enemies of the Ummah to undermine its unity. Dr. Humaid asserted that IIFA was established on the foundations of reasonable and principled Ijtihad that looks into the latest developments and works according to the spirit of required modernization of Islamic Fiqh that accommodates both Ijtihad and renewal. At the end of its proceedings, the 21st Session of the IIFA Conference adopted criminal liability on vehicle drivers in case of over speeding and recklessness. It asserted the need to abide by the traffic regulations intended for the best public interest. The IIFA 21st Session also prohibited any conduct by the driver that may

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harm oneself or others and obligated the driver to assume the liability for any damages that may result of that, including: crossing red light, excessive speed, drag racing (tafheet), illegal chases, carelessness of vehicle maintenance or driving in such a manner that causes harm. Moreover, if such conducts harm the self or any other object, the driver shall bear the criminal liability whether intentionally, semi-intentionally, or by mistake according to each case. Regarding the issue of Istihalah (alteration) and additives in food and medicine, the IIFA recommended the need to benefit from the hides and bones of animals slaughtered according to Shariah to extract gelatin used on foods and medi-

cines to maintain the national wealth and to avoid any suspicions of using materials from such sources that are not Shariahcompliant. The Session requested the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences in Kuwait to follow up the latest developments in the field of food and medicine and hold a forum â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in cooperation with the IIFA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to review these developments and indicate the Shariah rule. As for the issue of legal provisions and controls for cooperative insurance basics, the IIFA issued 21 Articles in this regard

and a number of recommendations that included the establishment of an international Shariah Council under the supervision of IIFA with the contribution of the infrastructure institutions of Islamic financial industry. One of the main tasks of this council would be to issue Shariahcompliant criteria that regulate cooperative insurance and Islamic banking to be adopted by the IIFA and then the supervisory and regulatory entities. On the issue of slaughtering animals after stunning, the IIFA decided to entrust its Secretariat to form a committee of some IIFA scientists and experts to pay field visits to the countries that import meat. One of the tasks of this committee would be to develop procedural criteria that ensure slaughtering according to Shariah controls and that slaughtering at the meat production complies with the relevant Shariah provisions as per the abovementioned resolution. The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) was also requested to ensure the credibility of the certificates issued by the relevant entities in this regard. As for dialogue among the followers of the various Islamic schools of thought, the IIFA issued a number of resolutions. It recommended the need to assert the due respect of the Mothers of the Believers, the Companions of the Prophet (SAWS), and Al-ul-Bayt by all followers of the various Islamic schools of thoughts and not to abuse or debase them in anyway. The IIFA prohibited takfir (excommunication) of any section of Muslim that believes in Allah and His Prophet (SAWS) as well as pillars of Islam As for heredity, genetics, and genome, the IIFA recommended the need to raise awareness of hereditary diseases, work towards reducing their spread, and encourage conducting pre-marriage genetic tests through various media, fora, and worship places.

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OPINION Anonymous Group “Hacktivism” During the revolution of Information Technology in the early1990s and the tremendous growth of its services and quality in the 2000s, many virtual communities materialized on Cyberspace. “Anonymous group” is one of them and it has attracted huge attention recently by the quantity of operations made by the group. Who are they? Why do they do what they do? And what kind of operations they adopt? Anonymous or “Hacktivist” is a collective hacker group, with no formal leader. According to Wikipedia, Anonymous emerged in 2003, but it became popular in 2008, when the group organized controversial actions such as hacking a forum run by the Epilepsy Foundation of America to display flashing animations with the intention of triggering headaches and seizures in epileptics.

Wajdi Al-Quliti Director of IT Dept in OIC

Recently, Anonymous group became more organized virtually. When they declare an attack operation, it attracts attention, and that requires many preparations to avoid this cyber attack.

First thing to consider is whether Anonymous is an organized group or not. There are many people claiming to be part of Anonymous but don’t know each other. Individuals would suggest a campaign and the others collaborate or don’t according to their inclination. Recently, Anonymous group became more organized virtually. When they declare an attack operation, it attracts attention, and that requires many preparations to avoid this cyber attack. Anonymous Group announce their operations on the Social Media - YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and forums - and it spreads quickly among associated groups. Anonymous share the announced operation from everywhere in the world, they speak different languages and different thinking but they have the same objective. The Group has a flag symbolizing it. The picture of the “suit without a head” represents a leaderless organization and anonymity. It also uses this motto as their signature “We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us”. Anonymous did several operations that annoyed the international community, especially after supporting WikiLeaks and attempting to change information to reflect what they feel is true or right regardless if it is ethical or not. For example: Mar. 29, 2011 - OperationBritain: Anonymous released a manifesto against the British government and the British media (BBC’s site was offline for a few days after the group disclosed its manifesto), claiming the media, and in particular the BBC, has been distorting the news, exaggerating the role of a violent few, and failing to adequately address the underlying reasons for the march and protest in London. Mar. 2011 - # OpNewZealand (aka # OpNZBlackOut): Anonymous protested against New Zealand’s bill on anti-piracy and copyright protection, which includes a three-strikes rule where local Internet Service Providers (ISP) must disconnect and fine online users who receive three complaints about sharing copyright protected material. April 06, 2011 - # OpACTA (Mexico): Series of online and real life protests in the streets of Mexico city to protest Mexican congress discussing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) pact. June 15, 2011 - Operation Malaysia (# opMalaysia): DDoS attack against Malaysian government website to protest against the Malaysian government’s Communication and Multimedia Commission ban. August 13, 2011, Kuwait: Anonymous hacktivists who identify themselves as AnonKuwait defaced the Fast Telecommunications (FastTelco) website, a major Internet service provider in Kuwait, who Anonymous claim has been dishonest about pricing, Internet speed, and has been following a draconian government download policy. May 29, 2011 - # OpGreece: Hackers group “Anonymous” declared Operation Greece, an online attack against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ‘s website over the strict conditions imposed by its bailout for Greece. June 03, 2011 – OperationSyria: Series of attacks targeting Syrian embassies after Syrian government had shut down the Internet within Syria to censor local protesters. In addition to being cyber crimes, the attacks by Anonymous group are unacceptable and unethical because of the severe damage they cause for governments and businesses as well as individuals. When Anonymous group attacked SONY Play Station the company stopped their portal for 2 months to clean it and that cost 170 million dollars. If this is taken as damages measurement it becomes clear how the group’s actions are disrupting and costly and might end with job losses. Apart from their reasons to start their Operations, Anonymous group might be exploited by terrorist groups who might use the same technique to gain the sympathy of the public. In my point of a view, Anonymous should be considered a misdemeanor group even if it launched such worthy attacks to stop child-porn-sites or try to help oppressed people. We in the Information Technology community should confront this issue and find a solution, because they will not stop as long as there is open cyberspace with different beliefs and perspectives.

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information technology

Islam and modernity in Singapore: A harmonious coexistence

Singapore – (dpa) – Everyone loves travel and vacationing. But for Muslims who are observant of the rituals of their faith, the matter does carry quite a few stumbling blocks which could somewhat detract from enjoying the experience or cause a sentiment of guilt or unease, on account of a host of factors relevant to Halal food, attire, the issue of alcohol consumption or gambling.

or alcohol. Last August, Bahruddin’s company bearing the same name as the application above, issued a new program to define the Qibla for travelers, even when on a plane.

He therefore decided, at the end of a stint with a telecommunications company, to do something about the matter. He launched in 2009 an internet application, “Crescent Rating”, an electronic “Halal” guidebook for every Muslim traveler.

Fadhel is one of the many Muslim Singaporeans who have managed to lock onto technology and modern marketing techniques to provide assistance for Muslims in the performance of their worshipping rites and to facilitate their life in all spheres, and not just in the areas of travel and trips outside their national borders. As an entrepreneur, he says “The internet helps Muslims rediscover and reenergize their faith”, indicating that this is not taking place in Singapore alone but also in the United States, in Britain and in many other countries. He further added “These Muslim communities are better connected, and are therefore more aware about their faith, and try therefore to rediscover it through technology.”

The application offers lists with ratings of hotels, travel agencies, restaurants and other services, along with an assessment of their compatibility with the Muslims’ rituals. For instance, whether they have a prayer room and whether they provide “Halal” food, and also whether they may feature any specifics that could be irritating for an observant Muslim, such as gambling arenas

The Muslim community in Singapore, a small multi-ethnic state, represents about 15% of the 5 million and 400-thousand strong population, with 74% of the same population being of Chinese or Indian descent. Historically, on account of the country’s neighboring borders with Malaysia and Indonesia, Islam is known to have reached it through Arab and Indian traders in the 13th

For a businessman, traveling outside his country’s borders is inevitable. This applies to Singaporean Fadhel Bahruddine who sometimes experienced desperation at not finding hotels or restaurants that meet all the needs of a Muslim according to his faith’s precepts.

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and 14th centuries. The Islamic Singapore Religious Council, which endeavors to promote the interests of the Muslim community, also taps into modern technology to provide increased awareness of religious duties. In 2009, it launched several applications for smart phones that allow users to read the latest religious injunctions or fatwas (rulings) in addition to information on prayer times, the proximity of a mosque, or that of a Halal restaurant in the area. Developments in terms of all that add to the Muslim’s comfort in his faith are not limited to the issue of technology and applications, foodstuff and alcohol, but involve garments as well. The existence of a little store near Sultan’s Mosque selling modern sportswear appropriate for Muslim women is an example. The store, named ‘For the Ummah’ offers its lady customers imported head-covers (Hijabs), or burkinis (an Australia-made swimwear that is compatible with Islamic Sharia, covering the full body, the name a composite of “burka” and “bikini”.) In Singapore there is also headquarter of “Akila Style” fashion magazine addressed to Muslim women worldwide offering fashion trends and shopping advice.

OIC Journal January - March 2014 51

CULTURE Old Cairo market:

Trade of mother-of-pearl inlay handicrafts on the verge of extinction

med, 35, said “people seek desk jobs and want an easy life”. Adel began his career when he was six in a workshop manufacturing Egyptian traditional mother-of-pearl inlay boxes, then saved money to buy his own workshop. Adel explains that this kind of work is very intricate and is likely doomed to extinct. He added that people who work in this field are the only ones who bring their children to learn the craft. Even these youngsters are not keen on training and say that this craft is very difficult. I‬n Adel’s workshop, employing 65 workers and manufacturing furniture, mother-ofpearl is cut into small pieces, smoothed and resurfaced to become part of integrated designs. It is then inlaid on the surface of mahogany or oak wooden boxes by a type of gum extracted from animal bones.

‬ airo, Egypt (dpa) – Khan el-Khalili, a cenC turies-old market, is still one of a few places that retain the atmosphere of old times in modernity-driven Cairo, but craftsmen who work in this market caution that their handmade products are fading away. Craftsmen attribute this situation to stagnation of tourism and lack of interest among the youth to learn traditional handicrafts. I‬f we went back in time to the year 1382, we would see that this market, located in the suburb of Old Cairo, was a maze of cafes and small shops, selling anything from aromatic oils, spices, jewelry and colorful scarves to pyramid-shaped souvenirs. T‬ he cobblestone alleys were teeming with noise and life, and dealers and customers were scrambling and arguing about prices. Now, the market has a lot of China-made products reflecting Egyptian themes and places, such as medallions adorned with hieroglyphics. But if you double-check the place, you will still find shops exhibiting original products made by the hands of local craftsmen, unfortunately decreasing in

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number. The skills required for the manufacture of these small treasures need many years to master, and in light of the unstable economic situation in Egypt, artisans complain that young people are more interested in securing a life and a career with a regular pay rather than spending several years learning handicrafts as boys earning low wages. The decline in tourism also had its toll on traders who spend much of the day sipping tea or reading newspapers. According to estimates by Hisham Zaazou, Egyptian Minister of Tourism, the revenues of Egypt›s tourism sector have fallen by one billion dollars a month since the intervention of the Egyptian Armed Forces on the third of July. Insiders within the field of tourism say that a full recovery of tourism may take several years. Egyptian youth do not seek to work in handicrafts because of the low-income they generate. ‬ Heaving a sigh, Adel Moawwad Moham-

Inlaying hand-made pieces with mother-ofpearl is a kind of art that, in Adel›s words, dates back to the sixteenth century when the Ottoman Empire was ruling Egypt. The 28-year-old Salah Karim sits at the tentmaking market, within a ten-minute walking distance from Khan el-Khalili, passes his time watching TV shows in one of the stalls which sell embroidered pillows, cloth-tapestries and linen adorned with small colorful patches, known as appliqué work. Appliqué – the art of attaching smaller pieces of fabric to a larger piece of contrasting color – dates back to the era of Ottoman rule in Egypt. ‬ Salah admits that the first and last thing he sold during the whole day is two pillow bags to a customer after Maghreb (sunset) prayers. Salah, a craftsman who started this career at the age of six and works now as a salesman because of a hand injury, explains that apprentices of this craftsmanship earn a daily wage of LE50 (5.30Euros), while a more skilled worker receives up to 150 pounds, but said that no one wants to work in this profession now. ‬He adds, «The store where I work had three

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CULTURE in a few generations.» He adds: «however, we have authentic and pure Egyptian products, and we can compete in world markets, but the government does not care at all. We export our products to Germany and Japan. Imagine if the government supported us, we could then achieve an important place in this field.» There is only one boy in the workshop now, a brother of one of the workers, receiving training in the furniture-making workshop, which was founded six decades ago and now employs 25 workers, earning an average of three thousand pounds a month. ‬The boy comes to the workshop after his

workers in the past, but they no longer come, and before the revolution we were earning hundreds of pounds a day. Today, there is hardly enough tourists, so we come to work at 11 am instead of 8». S‬ alah also explained that some workers quit the profession completely and became taxi drivers or turned to other careers, while others held on to their craft despite the low wages. «I am one of those attached to this craft and I love my job,» he added. S‬ alah expresses his concern that handicrafts may eventually die out because no one wants to learn them anymore. I‬n Abdul-Zahir bookshop, founded in 1936, books and pamphlets are bound manually and carefully, and then clothed with multicolor leather in a process that requires a production line of ten workers and takes two hours to complete. Although the fashion magazine, Vogue, ‬

published a story on this product recently, this type of activity is also declining. The founder of the bookshop, Mohamed Abdul-Zaher, 70, describes the situation of the handicrafts market saying, «The decline in the number of tourists has led to a drop in our sales. Also, the volume of products coming from China has increased, at a time when there are no schools to teach our children these crafts. On the other hand, in the age of internet, the number of people who are interested in writing or reading is declining these days.” Many artisans attribute the regression of handicrafts to the lack of attention paid by the government, and wonder why the Ministry of Tourism and Culture do not promote Egyptian traditional handicraft products, or why not enough effort is made to encourage young people to train in these crafts. Salem, 43, director and designer of ‘Salem for Islamic Art Furniture’ workshop, explains that «we tried to establish a school to train workers and asked the government to give us a piece of land for this purpose». Salem continues, «We asked the government for that during the reign of former Presidents Mubarak and Morsi, but we did not get anything, and no one wants to learn the art of handicrafts, which makes me believe that these crafts will disappear

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school day to help the workers, and Salem affirms that his work in the workshop does not undermine his education at school. There used to be at least six boys learning the craft which, as Salem insists, must be learned at a young age so that it can be mastered.

OIC Journal January - March 2014 53

CULTURE

Prince Faisal bin Salman (C) and ISESCO DG Dr. Al Tuwaijri (L) present the logo of Madinah as Culture Capital

Saudi Minister of Culture Dr. Khoja cutting the ribbon to the exhibition.

Ministers of Culture Adopt Implementation Plan for King Abdullah’s Initiative for Inter-Faith and Inter-Cultural Dialogue Madinah, Saudi Arabia – On 21-23 January 2014, the City of Madinah played host to the proceedings of the Eighth Islamic Conference of Cultural Ministers under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and with the attendance of Prince Faisal Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah Province, and Dr. Abdulaziz bin Muheiddine Khoja, Saudi Minister of Cultural Affairs. The Conference was held under the theme “Towards Consolidated Cultural Rights in the Islamic World in the Service of Dialogue and Peace”.

Israeli occupation of Palestine, noting that the continuation of excavation and demolition of cultural and historical sites in AlQuds, the Holy City, venerated not only by Muslims, forms an affront and humiliation to humanity at large and a disgraceful attempt to judaize the city. He also called on the OIC Representation Office to the UNESCO to work with the OIC Group for the adoption of a strong and binding resolution to put an immediate end to these exactions and to ensure the protection and preservation of the Islamic cultural and historical landmarks in Al-Quds/Jerusalem.

In his address to the Conference, Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed the Organization’s concern over the increasing intensity of Islamophobia which has reached serious levels that result in Muslims being subjected to stereotyping and racial discrimination in many Western societies. In his address, which was delivered on his behalf by the OIC Director General for Cultural and Family Affairs, Dr. Abubaker Baqader, the Secretary General called on the Ministers of Cultural to take appropriate measures to organize workshops and cultural events both domestically and internationally to “defeat those who seek to propagate an erroneous image of Islam”.

On his part, Prince Faisal Bin Salman underlined, in his address that since its election as the capital of Islamic culture, the city of Madina has witnessed a wide spectrum of cultural activities, intellectual seminars and accompanying exhibitions. All of which had been preceded by ideas and suggestions mooted in various workshops that came out with many initiatives including cultural and scientific projects. “I am gratified indeed to inform you that these initiatives will form a new launching pad for sustained cultural action, in as-much-as their implementation will not be confined to a single year’s duration, but will rather be of an ongoing nature, with a view to boosting the cultural aspects and make them accessible to all the visitors of Madina at all times,” said the Prince.

On another front, the Secretary General evoked the painful and grievous wound which threatens the Islamic heritage, landmarks and institutions due to the continued

The Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Khoja, on his part said: “we are gathered today in this auspicious vicinity to draw on the history of Madina to evolve a

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portal of cooperation, mutuality, and fraternity, and to lay the foundations of cordiality and peace among our Islamic peoples.” Dr. Khoja submitted two proposals which embody a vision of joint cultural action and project the spirituality of Madina and its historical role in the service of Islamic culture and in nurturing Muslim innovators. The first proposal consists of setting up “Al Madina Electronic Portal of Culture in the Islamic World” on which every Islamic state would be free to showcase its cultural landmarks and prominent models and to educate people about its achievements in all types of art, literature and science; while the second proposal has to do with a bibliography of innovators in the Islamic world in the area of arts and literature. Such a bibliography can be released both in paper and in electronic form, and would promote the visibility of innovators, scientists and experts in the Islamic world in these cultural fields so as to strengthen ties between them and consecrate their cooperation and exchange of experience. On his part, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Al-Tuwaijri, said: “while Joint Islamic Action pursues many tracks through multiple channels, it still remains that the cultural track’s pivotal objective is to reconstruct the civilizational Islamic edifice of the Ummah through practical mechanisms driven by executive tools, which, if put to good advantage, are susceptible to bring about the kind of cultural prosperity needed for a

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CULTURE

OIC Director General of Culture Dr. Abubaker Baqader

Bahrain’s Minister of Culture Shaikha Mai Al-Khalifa

comprehensive renaissance at the political, economic, social, educational technical and media levels.” At the close of the Conference, the OIC Ministers of Culture adopted the draft executive plan for The Initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Albdullah bin Abdulaziz, for “Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue: Achievements and Prospects”. In this respect the Conference decided to invite King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s International Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue to cooperate with the OIC, ISESCO, and the Muslim World League, in the implementation of the intercultural dialogue programs and the intercivilizational alliance within the framework of a joint comprehensive plan of action under the provisions of the initiative’s instruments and the executive plan.

Moroccan Deputy Minister of Culture Almarini Muhammad Lutfi

Madinah Governor announces 13 initiatives for sustainable cultural and scientific projects

Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah Al Munawarah Province, announced 13 initiatives for sustainable cultural and scientific projects, which constitute the highlight of the Conference’s outcome and events organized in celebration of Al Madinah Al Munawarah Capital of the Muslim World for 2013. These initiatives, which aim at consolidating the position of Madinah as a perennial capital of Islamic culture, have been carried out over a full year with King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives as co-sponsor and supervisor through the Madinah Centre for Research and Studies and with the participation of many public institutions and private individuals. The first initiative was: “The Quran Oasis”: comprising many components, key among which are the halls for downloading, recitation, and sciences of Holy Quran, with exhibits following the historical timeline from the early days of the advent of Islam to the present era.

The Conference also approved the draft Islamic Declaration on Human Rights and took cognizance of the broad lines of the document on cultural rights in the Islamic world: current reality and developmental prospects. It also invited the members to submit their comments and observations “Quba Cultural Centre”: a religious, cultural on the said documents to ISESCO for their and social centre in the area of Quba, to be presentation in future meetings. comprised of multiple cultural components including museums, scientific centers, librarThe Conference further decided to elect ies and parks. Saudi Arabia as a de-facto member in the Consultative Council in charge of the “The Greeting Centre in Madinah”: a centre execution of the Islamic World’s Cultural for all visitors including Haj and Umrah perStrategy, in its capacity as Chairman of the formers, tourist groups, and delegations, to Eighth Session and as the host of the OIC show them around the city. headquarters. The Conference also elected members to the Islamic World Heritage “Developing the King Abdulaziz Library in Committee, and chose the Sultanate of Madinah and the Library of the Prophet’s Oman to host the Ninth Islamic Confer- Mosque”. ence of Cultural Affairs Ministers, due to be held in November 2015. “Mohamed, Messenger of Allah” Exhibition:

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Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Culture Sultan Raef

transferring the exhibition on “Mohamed, Messenger of Allah” to a permanent site in Madinah with the addition of certain new elements along with accompanying presentations, and arranging for the exhibition to tour many world capitals. “Exhibitions on the Liberation Conquests”: designing and executing many specialized and permanent exhibitions on the liberation conquests led by Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) such as the conquest of Uhud, Badr and the “Trench”, to be staged in the vicinity of their respective actual historical sites. “Centre for written heritage in Madinah”. “Madinah District in King Fahd Park”: establishing a Madinah district that would echo the features of the Old City of Madinah Al Munawarah, document its heritage and instill it in the minds of future generations. “Studies and Research Centre”: a specialized and up-to-date centre focusing on studies and research related to Islamic architecture and its various aspects. “A building next to the Al Hijaz railway”: to complement the existing railway museum, and to be comprised of multiple halls reflecting the history of Madinah and the Arab Peninsula region. “Promoting the Al Madinah Studies and Research Centre”. “Enrichment Translation Program”. “Contemporary Islamic Art Centre”.

OIC Journal January - March 2014 55

Kano

Location: Kano State, located in the north of Nigeria, is one of the 36 states that constitute the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Being the economic engine of Nigeria and one of the major cultural centres in West Africa, Kano is the third largest city in Nigeria after Lagos and Ibadan. The population in Kano State speak English as an official language. Hausa transcribed in the Arabic and Latin script is also spoken across the state.

Overview on the Islamic history of Kano: Some historical sources state that the first settlement in the area of Kano in northern Nigeria dates back to 500 BC. Hausa, Kanuri and Fulani were among the tribes that first settled in this area. Most historical sources agree that Islam was introduced into Kano state after the death of the Prophet Mohammed (peace and prayer be upon him), in the era of the companions, and specifically during the reign of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan (23-35 H/643-655) (may Allah be pleased with him), who sent forces under the command of Abdullah ibn Sa‘ad ibn Abi as-Sarh, as part of the Muslim conquests in Africa. It is historically established that the Hausa kings embraced Islam in 1800, proclaiming it as their official religion. They became the largest ethnic group in Nigeria as the Hausa people accounted for about a quarter of the country’s population. The proportion of Muslims in this tribe was about 98%, and the majority of them settled in the city of Kano in northern Nigeria. The region of Kano had come under the domination of the Kanem Empire since the end of the 11thcentury and until the

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2013 Islamic Culture Capital for the African Region mid-fourth century. The Fulani Empire also reigned over this region from the beginning of the 19thcentury until the British occupation of Lagos in 1851. During World War I, the Allies, fearing a German invasion from Cameroon, sent marine forces to be stationed in Kano. In 1885, the Royal Niger Company under the governorship of Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie managed to obtain territorial rights for exploiting the riches of Nigeria, which came under the British protectorate in 1900. Then, Nigeria together with its states gained independence in 1 October 1960.

Civilizational and cultural landmarks in Kano State: The city of Kano has experienced a remarkable urban expansion since the 15thcentury. Arab scientists and traders, coming from the Maghreb, the Sudan and Egypt during the Middle Ages, have largely contributed to bringing in ArabIslamic influence in the life of the local population, in addition to architecture and arts. This has been highly instrumental in promoting the Arab-Islamic identity in that region. The city abounds in diverse cultural buildings, featuring many historical monu-

January - March 2014

ments, archaeological sites, and ancient fortified walls, which were built according to the Moroccan style in Islamic architecture. Kano is characterized by its ancient walls surrounding it from all sides in the form of a circle with a radius of 14 km. Some historians maintain that Prince Gijimasu (1095–1134) was the first to build such walls. Then, the walls and gates were expanded along with the additions and renovations during the 15thand 16thcenturies. The ancient part of the city houses the Great Mosque, the Emir’s Palace, traditional houses, the vast Kurmi Market and other facilities. The ancient part of the city is also known for the ancient dye pits which make use of conventional techniques and simple means. This craft is considered as one of the main features that characterize the historic city of Kano.

Gidan Makama Museum Kano or Kano Museum: Kano contains some cultural and civilizational landmarks such as Kano Museum, which houses a variety of collections featuring historical, archaeological and artistic pieces. The museum which depicts the history of Kano since the Stone Age up to the modern era is located in a notable landmark and a historical masterpiece called “Gidan” which is renowned for its traditional architectural excellence.

Celebrations: Kano holds many festivals and folkloric processions reflecting folk and traditional arts in the region. One of these major festivals is the Durbar which culminates in a procession of highly elaborately dressed horsemen accompanied by music players.

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CULTURE

Kuwaiti families escape to “the desert outdoor” away from city crowds Kuwait (dpa)

– Kuwait desert has adorned itself with the lights of the camps announcing thus the start of the “outdoor camping” season which Kuwaitis prepare for each winter season, a season that starts in November and ends in March. During this season, Kuwaitis head for the desert and set up camp there to escape the city’s crowdedness and pollution. Families and friends get together and enjoy entertainment activities such as playing cards and other games in addition to football, volleyball, horse-riding, motorcycling, and so many other such sports which Kuwaitis are keen to practice during the “Outdoor” season. Mohamed Al Mutawa, one of the campers, told the Deutsche Press Agency (dpa): “This is a tradition for the Kuwaiti society, this rush to the outdoors, a legacy inherited from past generations who used to refer to it as the “Kishta” where a Kuwaiti would go out with his family to “the Outdoors” (Al-barr) taking with them tents and supplies.” He noted that in the past it was rare for people to stay overnight in the outdoors in view of the risks involved due to predator animals and cold weather, so instead they would go from daybreak till sundown and return home. He also noted that the “Outdoors” has gained popularity and started attracting more crowds. In Kuwait, he said, the outdoors extends in two directions, northward, in the direction of Iraq, and southward, in the direction of Saudi Arabia. Al Mutawa relates that “Al-barr” is the only refuge for Kuwaitis, other than the sea, which they seek the summer season, because there are no other forms of entertainment as in neighboring countries. “The Outdoors”, according to Al Mutawa, is of particular importance for the youth as it offers an open space to gather and practice various activities, freely engaging in discussions and polemics. However, Al Mutawa expressed his resentment of certain negative aspects witnessed

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in recent times such as the disappearance of one of the key features and attractions of the “Outdoors”, namely the calm and serenity. Today, private, rowdy celebrations are staged here late into the night, not to mention the annoyance of the noise pumped into the air by loudspeakers, in addition to the tumult of the car-races organized by youngsters who don’t seem to mind putting their lives at risk.

mindful enough to bring their own garbage bins and they end up throwing their rubbish in the desert. Mosalem points out that the camp’s rent is fixed at 40 dinars per day for weekdays and 100 dinars for the weekends (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).

ganizational process in the “Outdoor” season, where he notices the spread of garbage some irresponsible campers discard.

He calls for the whole process to be better managed because there are certain problems that often mar the pleasure of the calm-seeking campers, such as the misuse of motorbikes by some youth who are often seen riding at breakneck speed risking their own as well as other people’s lives. Also, there is need to have strict regulations for the camp’s access and exit so as to guard against robberies and security violations. He denied the alleged existence of any landmines in the camping areas, given the regular mine-detection and removal exercises carried out by the relevant authorities in and around the camps to ensure their safety.

Mosalem called for more stringent rules to be established for the whole camping process, to regulate certain negative aspects such as the fireworks which certain youth engage in with all the risks involved, including setting tents on fire and even causing serious injuries to people. Also, some camps lack the most rudimentary requirements like water, electricity, and garbage bins. The campers, he said, often do bring along such necessities, but in fact they should be provided by the State, since not all people are

Mossalem suggests some kind of fees levied for the camps by way of insurance, like 500 dinars for each tent, out of which fixed amounts could be deducted for those who discard their garbage in the desert or cause nuisance to others. All that the state currently does is to require that it be informed by the campers of their chosen camping site, and in case a camp is set up without proper authorization, the state issues the offender with a commensurate warning and a fine.

Hani Mosalem, vice-chairman of the Kuwaiti Automobile Association told dpa that the camping season is an annual tradition observed eagerly by Kuwaitis since ancient time. He too expressed his discontent at the or-

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ECONOMY

Eighth Session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers Approves mechanism for selecting OIC City of Tourism and the award of OIC Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts Banjul, Gambia – The Eighth Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers (ICTM) took place in Banjul, the Republic of The Gambia on 4-6 December 2013, on the theme ‘Fostering Wealth Creation through Tourism Development’. The Conference was attended by 28 member states, comprising Ministers in charge of Tourism and heads of delegation as well as representatives of relevant OIC institutions and relevant regional and international organizations. In his Address to the Conference, H.E. the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Sheikh Professor Dr. Alhaji Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, urged the Conference to come up with practical and actionable programmes and projects that will help member states in improving their respective social and economic conditions. In her welcome speech as chairperson of the Session, Mrs. Fatou Mass Jobe Njie, Minister of Tourism and Culture of Republic of The Gambia emphasized the vital role of tourism as a major contributor to employment generation and wealth creation, including improving the livelihood of the populations of OIC member states. The (former) Secretary General of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, pointed out in his opening address that OIC activities in the domain of tourism had considerably increased since the adoption of the OIC TenYear Program of Action, due to a number of strategies that the General Secretariat had adopted chief among them the promotion of triangular partnership. In this regard, the Secretary General hailed the joint efforts between the OIC and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and concerned member states in developing the tourism infrastructure through the implementation of the project on Sustainable Tourism Development in a Network of

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Cross-Border Parks and Protected Areas in West Africa. Ihsanoglu underlined in his Statement that in spite of foregoing positive developments with regard to the implementation of OIC Framework on Tourism, there is a need to shift our emphasis to policy harmonization and effective interaction between our tourism providers. This is in addition to increasing our joint action in the domain of tourism infrastructure development. He also mentioned that the theme of the Conference underscores the significance of these activities, considering their relevance to investment promotion and wealth creation. He also stated that the deliberations of the Conference on the establishment of the mechanism and criteria for the ‘OIC City of Tourism’ award will usher in a new cooperation regime that is favorable to supporting the vulnerable segment of the OIC community, including the development of small and medium enterprise. The Ministers reviewed and approved, among other issues, the Mechanism and Criteria for the selection of OIC City of Tourism and the Mechanism and Criteria for the award of OIC Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts. The introduction of the OIC City of Tourism Award is aimed at galvanizing intra-OIC activities in an identified city,

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thereby developing the socio-economic potentials of the city in question, while scaling up intra-OIC trade in goods and services. This mechanism is also aimed at enhancing intra-OIC solidarity through rendering considerable assistance to OIC member states in the crucial areas of tourism infrastructure development, human capital development and harmonization of standards. The establishing of the award of OIC Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts will also assist in preserving and developing traditional and contemporary crafts in the OIC member states. During the General Debate the delegations deliberated on a number of issues concerning the promotion of tourism among OIC member states, emphasizing the need for tourism infrastructure development; policy and standard harmonization; promotion of Shariah-compliant tourism products; increasing competitiveness among SMEs in OIC member states; and facilitation of movement of tourists among the OIC member states as major steps towards realization of the objectives set in the OIC Framework for Development of Tourism. The Conference has also adopted various resolutions on how to accelerate the implementation of the OIC Framework for Development of Tourism, including the activities of the various OIC institutions working in the domain of tourism promotion. The Conference elected new member states to the re-constituted Coordination Committee for the implementation of the said Framework. At the end, the Conference welcomed the offer of the Government of the Republic of Niger to host the 9th Session of ICTM in 2015.

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ECONOMY International Tourism in the OIC Countries:

Prospects and Challenges

International tourism activity is characterized by a continued increase in geographical spread and diversification of tourism destinations and products. Defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism comprises the activities of individuals travelling to and staying at places outside their usual permanent places of residence for a period not exceeding 12 months for leisure, business and other purposes. Based on this broad definition, the tourism industry includes all socio-economic activities that are directly and /or indirectly related to the provision of goods and services to tourists. In this regard, the UNWTO indentifies 185 supply-side activities that have significant connections to the tourism sector. These activities include the services of various sectors, such as transportation and communication, hotels and lodging, food and beverages, cultural and entertainment services, banking and finance, and promotion and publicity services. Defined by this impressive network of socio-economic activities and the infrastructure needed to support it, tourism is one of the largest sectors in the world as well as most important categories of international trade. Over the past few decades, international tourism activity has shown substantial and sustained growth in terms of both tourism revenues and number of tourists, and has left broad economic, social, cultural and environment footprints reaching almost every part of globe. According to the UNWTO, the number of international tourist arrivals increased from 845.7 million in 2006 to slightly over 1 billion in 2012, corresponding to an average annual growth rate of 3.4 per cent. The revenues generated by those tourists, in terms of current US dollar prices, increased from US$742 billion to US$1076 billion in the same period, corresponding to an average annual growth rate of 6.4 per cent. The OIC countries, as a group, with their rich and diverse set of natural, geographic, historical and cultural attractions, possess a significant potential for the development of a sustainable international tourism sector. The number of international tourist arrivals in the OIC countries increased by about 15% between 2007 and 2011 with receipts

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generated by these international tourists increasing from US$ 107 billion in 2007 to over 135 billion in 2011. Accordingly, intraOIC tourist arrivals increased from 47.1 million in 2007 - to 54 million in 2011 registering an increase in tourism receipts from US$ 38 billion in 2007 to US$ 48 billion in 2011. The report of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) on â&#x20AC;&#x153;International Tourism in the OIC Countries: Prospects and Challengesâ&#x20AC;?, which was published in 2013, finds that, as a group, the OIC member countries have a high potential for the development of a sustainable international tourism sector. This is true given their rich and diverse natural, geographical, historical, and cultural heritage assets. The challenges facing tourism and the development of a sustainable international tourism sector in the OIC countries are diverse as each country has its own tourism features, level of development, and national development priorities and policies. In the case of many OIC countries, these challenges still include the lack of technical know-how and the weak promotional activity. Many OIC countries also lack the

sufficient infrastructures, primary amongst these are hotels and lodging services, transportation and communication, and tourism information services. Nevertheless, there still is a wide scope for the development of a sustainable international tourism industry in OIC countries. Overall, this necessitates the adoption of articulate long-term strategies as well as medium to short-term plans and programmes at the national level that would be accompanied by a process of creating supportive OIC cooperation environment at the regional level. Moreover, efforts should be made to create an environment conducive to the safety travel of tourists by establishing and promoting health and safety border security measures, particularly at airports. Special programmes should, therefore, be developed for the national capacity building in tourism sector, particularly tourism administration and regulations. On the other hand, efforts should be made to promote synergies between transport and tourism policies to secure greater facilitation of border movements for visitors and to increase national capacities to use the relevant elements of the multilateral trade framework.

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ECONOMY 29th General Assembly of COMCEC

Increasing capital mobility among member countries Istanbul, Turkey – The 29th General Assembly of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the OIC (COMCEC), which was attended by ministerial delegations from OIC member states, was opened on 20 November 2013 by H.E. Abdullah Gul, the President of the Republic of Turkey in his capacity as the Chairman of COMCEC. It was held under the theme: ‘Increasing foreign direct investment flows to the OIC member countries’. President Gul emphasized the necessity of increasing capital mobility among member countries as well as taking steps to accelerate capital flows from other global players. In his opening speech before the meeting, the (former) Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu traced the OIC achievements in the economic domain to the priorities given to policy harmonization, resource mobilization and south-south and triangular cooperation. He emphasized the unique role of COMCEC

Forum in 2011, among others. On his part, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), stressed that the Working Group mechanism coupled with the Project Finance mechanism under the COMCEC Strategy were the practical and effective way of identifying and overcoming the barriers to a greater economic cooperation among our member countries. in facilitating the successful take-off of the OIC flagship trade facilitation mechanism: the Framework Agreement on Trade Preferential System of the OIC (TPS-OIC); its Protocol (PRETAS); and the Agreement on Rules of Origin, respectively. This is in addition to its unique contribution through the creation of necessary specialized forums for coordination and cooperation on the various thematic issues as illustrated by the establishment of OIC Member States Stock Exchanges Forum in 2005, the COMCEC Capital Market Regulatory Forum in 2011, and OIC/COMCEC Private Sector Tourism

The meeting reviewed recent developments on economic and commercial cooperation among OIC member states, with particular reference to expansion of intra-OIC trade, modalities for scaling-up agriculture, rural development and food security, and the deepening of financial cooperation in the various fields. Other items on the agenda included the exchange views on increasing FDI flows to OIC member states, enhancing the role of the Private Sector in economic cooperation as well as implementation of the OIC poverty alleviation strategies.

OIC calls for increased global partnerships for the development of halal food standards

Sharjah, UAE – The Halal Congress Middle East 2013 was held in the city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates from 16 to 18 December 2013 under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Ruler of the Emirate of Sarjah. It was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. The (former) Secretary General of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in his address at the congress called for promoting the OIC methodology of increasing global partnerships for the development of globally recognized Halal food standards. He said that the organization’s efforts to develop standards for Halal food were not limited to engagement with Member States, as the current process was designed to meet the needs of Muslim communities in non-member countries, including the

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Muslim immigrants in the Diaspora. The global Halal products market had grown quickly over the past decade, and was now estimated at US$ 2.3 trillion. 67 percent of this market amounting to US$1.4 trillion was comprised of food and beverage, while pharmaceuticals made up 22 percent or US$506 billion, with cosmetics and personal care totaling US$230 billion. Growth of population in Muslim countries as well as the perceptions that Halal products were safer and more ethical have caused increased demand for these products in global scale.

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The Secretary General added that in response to the need for the development of unified standards for Halal products, the OIC, in its capacity as the largest union of Islamic counties, has embarked on harmonization of Halal standards, accreditation and certification. The establishment of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) in 2010 represented a major boost to the OIC efforts to develop universally recognized Halal standards. Aiming to tap into this high potential global Halal market, the Halal Congress Middle East 2013 was held alongside Halal Middle East Expo at the Expo Centre Sharjah from December 17–20, 2013. The Halal Congress Middle East was jointly organised by Expo Centre Sharjah and Halal Development Council of Pakistan for the second consecutive time.

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ECONOMY

Islamic Microfinance Challenge aims to reach unbanked Muslims Washington DC, USA – The Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), the Al Baraka Banking Group, and the Triple Jump, an investment management company in Amsterdam, have announced in Washington on 25 November 2013 the launch of the 2nd Islamic Microfinance Challenge, a global contest that aims to promote the reach of Shari’ah-compliant Islamic microfinance providers among the people. The first Islamic Microfinance Challenge, held in 2010, was won by Yemen’s Al Amal Bank. The 2013 contest, for which the promoters of the Challenge have invited application from institutions and companies working in this field, is entitled, “Islamic Microfinance Challenge 2013: Beyond Murabaha.” The winner of the award will be announced in May 2014. Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Hinai, IDB Vice President (Finance) stated on the occasion that development of the Islamic microfinance sector is a high priority for the IDB. He reiterated that “the noble vision

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of Islamic finance would not be complete without simultaneously developing Islamic microfinance, ensuring financial inclusion of the deserving segments, generating jobs and alleviating poverty”. Through a US$ 100,000 grant award and a video documentation sponsored by the German development agency GIZ, the Islamic Microfinance Challenge hopes not only to spur innovation, but also to help scale up application of Shari’ah-compliant products by financial institutions already serving large numbers of the poor. According to reports, the number of Shari’ah-compliant microfinance providers has nearly doubled in recent years, and their outreach quadrupled. However, this outreach of just over one million is relatively small compared to the estimated 650 million Muslims living on less than US$ 2 a day. This, in part, explains why The 2013 Islamic Microfinance Challenge is inviting applications exclusively from Islamic financial services providers with a track record of reaching clients and existing Shari’ah-compliant products that they hope to take to scale.

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ECONOMY IDB Group’s 40th anniversary: Regional High Level Forums to assess past performance and define future strategy Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – As part of the celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group organized four high level regional forums in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 16-17 December 2013; in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 14-16 January 2014; in Dakar, Senegal on 27-28 January 2014; and in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 11-12 February 2014, respectively. The main objective of these regional events, which were attended by high officials from member states of the Bank and other special invitees from the public and private sectors, development partners, think tanks and civil society, was to undertake an assessment of the IDB Group’s performance during the past four decades, as well as to revise IDB Group Vision 1440H and formulate strategies for the next 10 years. Since its establishment in 1975, IDB Group was successful in developing Islamic finance, infrastructure, human resource development, poverty alleviation as well as capacity building and development of private sector in its member countries. This is evident from the fact that IDB Group’s net approvals stood at US$97.6 billion for over 7,571 operations in its member countries by the end of 2013. These regional forums enabled IDB member countries to deliberate on performance of IDB Group over the last 40 years as well

as formulating the strategy for the next 10 years. The improving human and institutional capacity building, intensifying youth employment programs, expanding social security networks, enhancing the role of Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs), designing a new framework for Islamic finance industry, encouraging innovation and scientific research, promoting economic integration programs and exchange of expertise amongst member countries, supporting women issues and creating suitable tools for that purpose, as well as, better linking of the Islamic financial products with the productive economy, enhancing liquidity management, contributing to betterment of capitalization in Islamic banks and raising awareness on IDB interventions in member countries were amongst the main issues discussed. The outcomes of these regional forums will be submitted to the 39th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of IDB, which will be held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 25-26 June 2014. These outcomes will facilitate the IDB Group to carry out a candid assessment of its 40 years of performance and the effectiveness of its operations. They will also assist the IDB Group with addressing future challenges as well as identifying regional/global priorities with a view to preparing the strategy for the next 10 years and revising the IDB Group Vision 1440H.

SESRIC Presents OIC Economic Outlook 2013:

OIC member countries produced only 11.3% of the world total GDP Istanbul, Turkey– The OIC Economic Outlook Report 2013 prepared by SESRIC was presented during the Senior Officials Meeting of the 29th Session of COMCEC on 18-21 November 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. The OIC Economic Outlook analyses the trends in major economic indicators for the OIC member countries, as a group, during the latest five-year period (2008-2012). It investigates these trends in a comparative manner with their counterparts in the groups of the developed and other developing countries as well as with the world economy as a whole and highlights a number of constraints and challenges confronting the OIC member countries in their efforts to enhance their economic development and progress. Specifically, the OIC Economic Outlook Report 2013 highlights that with 22.6% of the world total population in 2012, the 57 OIC member countries produced only 11.3% of the world total GDP in terms of current USD and based on the purchasing power parity (PPP). Moreover, the share of the OIC countries in the total GDP of the group of other developing countries has declined steadily

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during the period covered by the report to reach 22.6% in 2012 compared to 23.6% in 2007. The report also states that unemployment remained one of the most serious problems facing the OIC countries. According to the latest available data during the period 2007-2011, the average unemployment rates in the OIC countries were significantly higher than the world average and the averages of the developed and other developing countries. During this period, total unemployment rate in OIC countries increased from a level of 9.4% in 2007 to 9.9% in 2011. According to the Report, total merchandise exports of the OIC countries in 2012 reached to its historically highest level of $2.2 trillion and surpassed the pre-crisis peak of $1.9 trillion in 2008. This has been resulted in a slight increase in their share in total world exports, which has been recorded at 12.5% in 2012 compared to the pre-crisis level of 11.9% in 2008 and the level of 12.1% in 2011. Unlike the trade in goods, the volume of trade in services remained significantly lower in the OIC countries and even demonstrated a falling

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trend since 2008. The report also indicates that the share of intra-OIC trade in the total trade of OIC countries showed an increasing trend during the period 2007-2012. Intra-OIC trade accounted for 18% of total OIC trade in 2012; the highest level it reached so far. As a major observation in the report, it has been noted that the overall performance of the group of the OIC countries is still highly influenced by the performance of a few member countries. For example, in 2012, only 10 member countries produced or generated 72.9% of the total OIC countries output (GDP). Almost the same 10 countries accounted for 76.6% of the total merchandise exports, and, similarly, only 10 member countries accounted for more than 72% of the total FDI flows to all OIC countries in the same year. The OIC Economic Outlook Report 2013also includes a special section, which highlights an important issue of concern to the member countries, namely private sector participation in infrastructure investment in OIC countries.

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COUNTRY PROFILE

OMAN

Location The Sultanate of Oman is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the west, and the Republic of Yemen to the southwest and also shares a marine boarder with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Geography

A vast gravel desert plain covers most of

central Oman, with mountain ranges along the north (Al Hajar Mountains) and southeast coast, where the country’s main cities are also located: the capital city Muscat, Sohar and Sur in the north, and Salalah in the south. Oman’s climate is hot and dry in the interior and humid along the coast. Flora and fauna Desert shrub and desert grass, common to southern Arabia, are found, but vegetation is sparse in the interior plateau, which is largely gravel desert.

Full Name: Sultanate of Oman Capital: Muscat Population: 3,869,873 (2013 estimate) Area: 309,501 square km. Official Languages: Arabic Monetary Unit: Rial (OMR)

with wildlife including the Arabian Tahr. Indigenous mammals include the leopard, hyena, fox, wolf, hare, Oryx, and ibex. Birds include the vulture, eagle, stork, bustard, Arabian partridge, bee eater, falcon, and sunbird. The Oman Arabian Oryx sanctuary is the first site ever to be deleted from UNESCO’s World Heritage List due to the government’s decision to reduce the site to 10% of its former size so that the remainder could be opened to oil prospectors. Eco Tourism Oman is blessed with stunning natural resources worth visiting, and the Omani people want to share them with visitors to their country. Oman is proud of its extensive seas, clean and attractive beaches, Aflajes (traditional Omani water conduits for irrigation purposes) and Wadis (dried valleys), and flowing water springs. There are towering mountains, full of lush green trees, flowers and plants, and a rich variety of animal life. You can visit vast stretches of sand and mountain caves and grottos, and last but not least the Salalah autumn.

The greater monsoon rainfall in Dhofar and the mountains makes the growth there more luxuriant during summer; coconut palms grow plentifully in the coastal plains of Dhofar and frankincense is produced in the hills, with abundant oleander and varieties of acacia.

Autumn in Salalah This is considered the major tourist area in the Sultanate of Oman. Every summer, between June and September, the area turns into an extremely beautiful summer resort, with a cool weather and only the occasional drizzle.

The Al Hajar Mountains are a distinct ecoregion, the highest points in eastern Arabia

Al Jabal Al Akhdar (The Green Mountain)

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Al Jabal Al Akhdar is famous for the diversity of its agricultural produce, including fruit, such as pomegranates, peaches, almonds, and walnuts, and flowers, such as roses. These flowers cannot be grown anywhere in the Gulf area apart from Al Jabal Al Akhdar, due to the special weather in the area created by the fact that this is Oman’s highest point. The Sands of Al Sharqiyah This beautiful sand desert area attracts visitors by providing them with an atmosphere of entertainment and joy. It consists of colorful sand dunes, ranging from red to brown sand, and serves as the homeland of Oman’s Bedouin population. The sands of Al Sharqiyah stretch from the north to the south for about 180 kilometers, and from the east to the west for eighty kilometers. Heritage Tourism Heritage sites represent Oman’s veritable treasures, and serve as proof of Omani excellence and the people’s contributions to human civilization through the ages. Heritage and archaeological destinations are found in all parts of the Sultanate, and are maintained very well by the government so that access by all visitors is very easy. These sites include: over 500 forts, towers, historic mosques and walls, as well as a number of religious shrines, such the tomb of the Prophet Dawood (King David) and the Prophet Imran (Amram), and other shrines.

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VIEWPOINT Women in the spotlight Whether it is by coincidence or design, this issue of the OIC Journal features several reports and articles on women’s issues in the Muslim world. Certainly women are not the only or main topic in this issue of the OIC Journal. This is the first issue during the term of the new OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, thus featuring his vision going forward and the whirl of activities during his first three months in office, as well as a few reports of the final activities of the former Secretary General wrapping up his term. The special report on the 40th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Conakry, Guinea in December 2013 joins them both as one enters center stage and one leaves.

Maha M. Akeel Chief Editor

Of significance in this issue is the focus on Al Quds and the Palestinian cause, the deteriorating crises in Syria as well as the unfolding crisis in the Central African Republic, in addition to the daily developments in Myanmar concerning the Rohingya Muslim community there, the Crimea scenario in the Ukraine, and the consequences of the so-called “Arab Spring”. Also, if it had not drawn your attention already, the issue comes out in a new look and style reflecting a change in approach and reporting.

The OIC called to raise global awareness of the iniquitous aspect of committing violence against women and to take a renewed pledge to ensure the implementation of relevant international laws and conventions as well as national laws and legislations.

Going back to women, it started with reporting on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the call by the OIC to raise global awareness of the iniquitous aspect of committing violence against women and to take a renewed pledge to ensure the implementation of relevant international laws and conventions as well as national laws and legislations. Meanwhile, the OIC Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) released a report on the State of Gender in OIC Member Countries, which recommended undertaking country and regional level assessments in order to understand the regional dimension of the gender differences and provide background information for future policy development. The report concluded that the empowerment of women, in order to ensure gender equality, necessitates the development of an action plan defining the policy priorities and the means of implementation taking into account the social and cultural realities of the countries. March 8 was International Women’s Day, and a simple suggestion was made for the OIC to celebrate the occasion with an event, which would make it the first time for the OIC. Indeed, the idea received favorable backing, and consequently not one, but two, events were held on the occasion with success and positive feedback. On the other hand, there are also two opinion articles in this issue of the OIC Journal that address women’s issues either in full or partially. The article by Raouf Ben Rajab, which is about the recently adopted constitution in Tunis, points to the salient articles on women’s rights. The other article by Ambassador Tariq Bakhiet focuses on the role of women in conflict resolution and peace building, which is a very important aspect in the Muslim world considering the unfortunately many conflicts the region is enduring. The humanitarian conference and exhibition held in Dubai on women and aid, also featured in this issue, clearly demonstrated this point about women who tend to be the most to suffer in conflicts but also play a critical role in resolving conflicts. As if it is not enough that women are targeted during conflicts and discriminated against economically in terms of job opportunities, salaries and benefits as well as in healthcare and education, Muslim women and girls are amongst the most affected by discrimination and hatred in the West, notably due to their religious attire, as the latest OIC Islamophobia Observatory Report indicates. The Islamophobia Report was released at the last Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Guinea in December, and there is a special report on the resolutions of the Conference in this OIC Journal issue; amongst them are resolutions concerning women empowerment, where the member states are urged to provide women with better opportunities through enacting and consolidating laws that empower women and provide them with greater role in the development of Muslim society in various fields. On the lighter, entertaining side and also the informative, insightful side, the issue is full of features on arts and culture as well as tourism, education and health. Indeed, a full meal for the mind, body and soul. Enjoy, and we welcome your comments and suggestions.

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About OIC 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 Islamic Conference of Foreign Minister (ICFM) was held in Jeddah which decided to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization’s secretary general. Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani is the 10th Secretary General who assumed the office in January 2014. 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 30 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 OIC - OCI