Established: By agreement of participants of the summit meeting of Muslim Heads of State at Rabat, Morocco, September 22-25, 1969; first conference convened at Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, March 23-26, 1970.
Purpose: To promote Islamic solidarity and further cooperation among member states in the economic, social, cultural, scientific, and political fields.
Headquarters: Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.
Principal Organs: Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (all members), Islamic Countries' Conference for Economic Cooperation (all members), Secretariat.
Secretary-General: Dr. Azzedine Laraki (Morocco).
Membership (53): Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine Liberation Organization, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. Afghanistan's membership was suspended in January 1980 but the seat was given in March 1989 to the government-in-exile announced by Afghan guerrillas and subsequently to the Afghan government formed after the guerrilla victory. The advent of the Taliban regime at Kabul in September 1996 yielded competition for OIC recognition between it and the overthrown government, with both being refused formal admittance to the OIC foreign ministers' conference at Jakarta in December, although Afghanistan as such continued to be regarded as a member. Egypt's membership, suspended in May 1979, was restored in April 1984. Nigeria's government reportedly approved that nation's admission into the OIC in 1986 but the membership was formally repudiated in 1991 in the wake of intense Christian opposition. There has also been uncertainty about the status of Zanzibar, whose membership request had been approved in December 1992; eight months later it was announced that Zanzibar's application, which had precipitated contentious legislative debate in Tanzania, had been withdrawn pending the possible forwarding of a Tanzanian membership request. However, in late 1994 it was reported that the OIC had not "recognized" the "withdrawal" of Nigeria and Zanzibar, both apparently continuing to be regarded as members by the Organization despite their nonparticipation.
Observers (3): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Togo, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Official Languages: Arabic, English, French.
Origin and development. Although the idea of an organization for coordinating and consolidating the interests of Islamic states originated in 1969 and meetings of the Conference were held throughout the 1970s, the Islamic Conference only began to achieve worldwide attention in the early 1980s. Throughout its history, economics has played a prominent role in the Organization's activities. Thus it was the Conference which was responsible for establishing the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Islamic Solidarity Fund.
Structure. A relatively unstructured organization, the body's main institution is the Conference of Foreign Ministers, although a conference of members' heads of state is held every three years. There is also a Committee for Economic and Trade Cooperation (COMEC), as well as a Secretariat with Political, Cultural, Administrative, and Financial divisions, each headed by a deputy secretary general. Various other bodies have been established within the Organization, including the International Islamic Press Agency (1972), the IDB (1974), the Islamic States Broadcasting Organization (1975), and the Islamic Solidarity Fund (1977). The OIC has also set up various ad hoc bodies to deal with specific issues, including a "contact group" on the Kashmir question and an "assistance mobilization group" charged with generating aid for Bosnia and Herzegovina (a predominantly Muslim state but not a full OIC member).
(excerpt from 'Political Handbook Of The World: 1998' [as of January
1, 1998]
Copyright © 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990,
1989, 1988, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1983 by The Research Foundation of the State
University of New York.)