The 12th Islamic Summit Conference held by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from February 2 to 7, where Egypt will take presidency over the forum for the next three years.
Themed, ‘The Muslim World: New Challenges and Expanding Opportunities,’ it will take place after being postponed twice due to the ongoing upheavals in the West-Asian region.
The subjects of discussion include the challenges faced by the Muslim world, the Syrian crisis, the Palestinian issue, the persecution of the Rohingya community in Myanmar, countering Islamophobia, and most recently, the ongoing chaos in Mali.
The 57 heads of states attending the event will then deliberate on ways to strengthen economic cooperation and political consultation among members of the Organization.
This Summit assumes significance for India, as the OIC has reiterated its ‘support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle to achieve their legitimate rights,’ and has invited the Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to attend the summit. Additionally, despite opposition from India, the OIC continues to refer to the Indian state as occupied territory or a separate country – a claim which has been rejected and termed as ‘erroneous’ by India. In 2003, a senior Qatari official proposed that India should be invited to join the organization, given the presence of a large Muslim community in India; it was reiterated by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz during his state visit to India in 2006. However, New Delhi is yet to respond, given that India is a secular nation.
Established in 1969 at the Islamic Summit Conference in Rabat, Morocco, the OIC is the second largest inter-governmental organization – with 57 member states from four continents – after the United Nations (UN). It also has a ‘Permanent Observer Mission’ at the UN.