• am
  • ru
  • en
print version
15.04.2008

ISLAMIC CONFERENCE ON THE WAY OF MODERNIZATION

   

Araks Pashayan

OIC (original) On March 13-14, 2008 in the capital of Senegal, Dakka, was held the 11th summit of the supreme political body of the Islamic world – Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) – on the subject “Islam in the 21st century.” the conference was participated by the delegates of more than 57 countries – the structure members, the first figures of about 40 Islamic states. At the summit was adopted a concluding communiqué resembling different aspects of cooperation of Islamic states and Dakkan memorandum.

The summit is the supreme body of the organization and, according to the OIC regulation, is convoked once every three years in one of the member states aiming at discussing actual problems in the Islamic world in the context of international relations. On March 10-11 (as usual) the summit was preceded by the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Islamic states to prepare the issues to be discussed within the agenda.

The OIC modernization question

Although at the discussion held at the summit were put forth a number of questions, however, the attention was mainly directed at several problems of utmost importance. One of them was the issue of modernizing the organization, and, in particular, the adoption of a new regulation. OIC was founded in 1969 in Rabat, and the regulation was enacted in 1972, that’s to say at the period of the Cold war, when the Islamic world was split into two parts. Still at that time in the OIC regulation was resembled such important problems for the Islamic world, which are still remaining the problems of Palestine and Jerusalem.

The issues of OIC modernization has become actual since 2004, when the position of the OIC secretary general was occupied by the representative of Turkey, professor Ekmeluddin Ikhsanoglu, quite a distinguished authority in the Islamic world. Getting the support of OIC elite Ikhsanoglu undertook the organization reformation (at the meeting at Dakka he was reelected for the second time for 5 more years). According to the secretary general, the new regulation demonstrates moderation and tolerance of Islam and makes the activity of the organization more effective. In particular, in the document has been changed the mechanism of making decisions. If before to make any OIC decision it was necessary the consensus of all the members, which was sometimes very difficult to reach because of their different political orientation, then now only 2/3 of votes is already enough. It is noteworthy that among the OIC member states arouse discord in connection with different clauses of the regulation. For example, Uganda with small number of Muslim population argued the clause according to which only the country with the majority of Muslim population might become the OIC member. And Pakistan insisted that before claiming to become the OIC country the state should regulate the problems with the member state or states of the structure, if there are such.

The circle of the issues discussed

At the summit have been discussed issues relating to the Islamic world in cultural, social, economic, legal and political spheres. A resolution was adopted on providing aid to the economically backing member countries of OIC, in particular, the African states situated to the west of the Sahara; it was determined the format of giving them long-term credits; a decision is made to enrich the Fund if Islamic Solidarity by $10 billion. It is accepted in the Islamic circles that at present the Islamic world faces a number of serious problems such as economic and social backwardness, internal influence, isolation which may be overcome restoring the fundamental principles of Islam.

At the summit were discussed such knotty problems for Islam as Arabic-Israeli Conflict and the problem of Jerusalem, the crisis situation connected with the presidential elections in Lebanon, the situation in Iraq, Somali and Darfure, relations between Chad and Sudan.

Some discords arose in connection with Kosovo before the summit began. In particular, Turkey suggested introducing a clause on recognition of Kosovo’s independence in the concluding communiqué of the summit, which was argued by Azerbaijan, Egypt, Sudan and Indonesia. As a result, in the resolution was reminded about solidarity with the nation of Kosovo. The official independence of Kosovo was recognized by 5 Islamic countries – Turkey, Albania, Malaysia, Afghanistan and Senegal.

The factor of Armenia

At the summit in Dakka was also adopted a resolution “Aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan.” As usual, OIC strictly condemned “aggression” of Armenia against Azerbaijan; the Armenians’ treatment of Azerbaijani citizens was qualified to be “a crime against humanity,” OIC condemned the fact of destroying architecture, cultural and religious monuments “on the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” claimed for Armenia to withdraw its troops from “the occupied Azerbaijani territories, as well as Nagorni Karabakh” without any prior condition and completely, adopt the UN SC 822, 853, 874, 884 resolutions on recognizing sovereignty of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Let’s mention that since 1994 up till now the rhetoric of the Islamic conference to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict hasn’t changed much; considering the Nagorni Karabakh issue to be the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, OIC considers it extremely one-sidedly, only basing on the principle of Islamic solidarity. At the same time OIC made no steps to settle the conflict. De facto support of OIC to Azerbaijan is the voting of the Islamic states in favor of Azerbaijan, which has come to be proved by the UN General Assembly (GA) resolution on the NKR adopted on May 14. In the UN SC for the resolution voted the following Islamic and non-Islamic states: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Columbia, Camors, Djibouti, Georgia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Sudan, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirats, Uzbekistan, Yemen. Against the resolution voted Angola, Armenia, France, India, Russia, the US, Vanuatu. 100 OIC member states abstained from voting.

It is noteworthy that at the OIC parliamentary assembly held on February 2008 also adopted a resolution on Armenia with analogical accent.

The problem of Islamaphobia

At the meeting in Dakka was discussed and by the corresponding resolution was reconsolidated the ten-year program of the “United Islamic Activity” adopted at the summit in Mecca in 2006, which outlines the global Islamic and inter-Islamic cooperation.

Within a separate format was discussed the issue of Islamaphobia, which, according to OIC countries, has become quite intense. The Islamic community is concerned in deepening intolerance to Islam and the Islamic civilization after September 11, especially in Europe and America. Not only once OIC called for the west to undertake austerities against Islamaphobia, as it threatens the global world and security as well as to suppress outrage upon the Islamic symbols. Such a concern was caused by the republication of the caricature of the prophet Mohammed in the children’s press and shooting of a documentary film in Nederland’s criticizing Koran – the holly book of Muslims. The leaders of the Islamic world warned that authentication of Islam with terrorism may result radicalization of Muslims.

In spite of the fact that the Islamic world is extremely warred by the intervention of the west in the Islamic world and the increasing influence of the US in the Near East and the Central Asia, OIC doesn’t succeed in working out a line of policy in its relations with the west. Perhaps the reason is that today the Islamic world is divided between the adherents and adversaries of the US which hinders their consolidation.

The Islamic conference - the guarantor of Islamic cooperation

OIC is often criticized for incapability to carry out its own decisions. It is mentioned that the adoption of resolution, even with principal accents, are of more declarative character. Up till now OIC hasn’t been able to solve the most complicated problems of the Islamic world, including the Palestinian-Israeli one, in spite of the fact that the OIC member states (with about 1, 5 billion Muslim populations) have quite big resources in their disposal. In particular, the countries of the Parisian Gulf may use the oil factor (as many in the Islamic world think) in their relations with the US.

However, in spite of these realities in the near future as well the core of inter-Islamic relations remains the idea of Umma (Islamic nation) – a society denying ethic, racial and geographic belonging, and Islam continues to be the direction of the Islamic world development, precondition of cooperation between the Islamic countries and nations. OIC aspires to prove that the Islamic world is not isolated from the other part of the world, and calls for giving peaceful solution event to the acutest conflicts concerning to Muslims. The figures of the Islamic world desire for Islam to step in the 21st century giving incentive to modernization, somehow overcoming intolerance and religious fanaticism in the social consciousness. Moreover, OIC aspires to strengthen the principle of Islamic solidarity to the maximum.


Return
Another materials of author