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The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC; Arabic: منظمة المؤتمر الإسلامي Munaẓẓamat al-Muʼtamar al-Islamiyy; Turkish: İslam Konferansı Örgütü or İslam Konferansı Teşkilatı; French: Organ de la Conférence Islamique; Indonesian: Organisasi Konferensi Islam; Malay: Pertubuhan Persidangan Islam; Persian: سازمان کنفرانس اسلامی; Urdu: سازمان کنفرانس اسلام) located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is an inter-governmental organization with a Permanent Delegation to the United Nations. It groups 57 nations, most of which are Islamic, in the Middle East, North, West and Southern Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia and South America. It is the second largest international organization after the United Nations.^{[citation needed]} The official languages of the organization are Arabic, English and French.

Contents 1 History and goals 2 Recent Issues 2.1 Ninth meeting of PUOICM 3 Structure and Organization 3.1 The Islamic Summit 3.2 The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers 3.3 The Permanent Secretariat 3.4 Standing Committees 3.5 Subsidiary Organs 3.6 Specialized Institutions 3.7 Affiliated institutions 4 The Secretary General of the OIC 5 Members 5.1 Membership attempts 6 Past Islamic Summit Conferences 7 Economy 8 Notes 9 See also 10 External links

The primary goals of the OIC are, according to its Status, "to promote solidarity among all Islamic member states."

The OIC was set up in Rabat, Morocco, on September 25, 1969 in reaction to an arson attack against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 21, 1969.

The flag of the OIC (shown above) has an overall green background (symbolic of Islam). In the center, there is an upward-facing red crescent enveloped in a white disc. On the disc the words "Allahu Akbar" are written in modern Arabic calligraphy.

On August 5, 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the controversial Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam to serve as a guidance for the member states in the matters of human rights.

The Parliamentary Union of the OIC member states (PUOICM) was established in Iran in 1999 and its head office is situated in Tehran. Only OIC members are entitled to membership in the union.[1]

President Bush announced on June 27 2007 that the United States will establish an envoy to the OIC. Bush said of the envoy ``Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states, and will share with them America's views and values. [2]

The ninth meeting of the Council of PUOICM was held on 15 and 16 Feb 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[3]. Speaker of Malaysia's House of Representatives, Ramli bin Ngah Talib, delivered a speech at the beginning of the inaugural ceremony. OIC secretary-general Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said prior to the meeting that one main agenda item is stopping Israel from continuing its excavation at the Western Wall near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.[4] OIC is also discussing how it might send peacekeeping troops to Muslim nations,[5] and the possibility of a change in the name of the body as well as its charter.[6] Additionally, return of the sovereignty right to the Iraqi people along with withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq is another main issues on the agenda.[7]

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told reporters on 14 February 2007 that the Secretary General of OIC and foreign ministers of seven “like-minded Muslim countries” will meet in Islamabad on 25 February 2007 following meetings of President Musharraf with heads of key Muslim countries to discuss “a new initiative” for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kasuri said this will be a meeting of foreign ministers of key Muslim countries to discuss and prepare for a summit in Mecca to seek the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.[8]

The OIC system consists of:

The largest organ, attended by the Kings and the Heads of State and Government of the member states, convened every three years.

It meets once a year to examine a progress report on the implementation of its decisions taken within the framework of the policy defined by the Islamic Summit.

It is the executive organ of the Organization, entrusted with the implementation of the decisions of the two preceding bodies, and is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Current secretary general of this international organization is Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, from Turkey, since January 1, 2005.

• Standing Committee on Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC).
• Standing Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation (COMCEC).
• Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH).
• Islamic Committee for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs.
• Permanent Finance Committee.
• Financial Control Organ.

• The Statistical, Economic, Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC), located in Ankara, Turkey.
• The Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), located in Istanbul, Turkey.
• The Islamic University of Technology, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• The Islamic Center for the Development of Trade, located in Casablanca, Morocco.
• The Islamic Fiqh Academy, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• The Executive Bureau of the Islamic Solidarity Fund and its Waqf, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• The Islamic University of Niger, located in Say, Niger.
• The Islamic University of Uganda, located in Mbale, Uganda.

• The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), located in Rabat, Morocco.
• The Islamic States Broadcasting Organization (ISBO) and the International Islamic News Agency (IINA), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

• Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), located in Karachi, Pakistan.
• World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities (OICC), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Sports Federation of Islamic Solidarity Games, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC), located in Benghazi, Libya.
• Islamic Shipowners Association (ISA), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• World Federation of International Arab-Islamic Schools, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• International Association of Islamic Banks (IAIB), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation,(ICYF-DC)located in Istanbul, Turkey.

1. H.R.H. Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia): (1971-1973)
2. H.E. Hassan Al-Touhami (Egypt): (1974-1975)
3. H.E. Dr. Amadou Karim Gaye (Senegal): (1975-1979)
4. H.E. Mr. Habib Chatty (Tunisia): (1979-1984)
5. H.E. Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada (Pakistan): (1985-1988)
6. H.E. Dr. Hamid Algabid (Niger): (1989-1996)
7. H.E. Dr. Azeddine Laraki (Morocco): (1997-2000)
8. H.E. Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz (Morocco): (2001-2004)
9. H.E. Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (Turkey): (2005 to present)

Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the "><" icon.

Country	Joined	Notes
Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of	1969	Suspended 1980 - March 1989
Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of	1969
Chad, Republic of	1969
Egypt, Arab Republic of	1969	Suspended May 1979 - March 1984
Guinea, Republic of	1969
Indonesia, Republic of	1969
Iran, Islamic Republic of	1969
Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of	1969
Kuwait, State of	1969
Lebanon, Republic of	1969
Libya, Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	1969
Malaysia	1969
Mali, Republic of	1969
Mauritania, Islamic Republic of	1969
Morocco, Kingdom of	1969
Niger, Republic of	1969
Pakistan, Islamic Republic of	1969
Palestine, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization	1969
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of	1969
Senegal, Republic of	1969
Sudan, Republic of the	1969
Somalia	1969
Tunisia, Republic of	1969
Turkey, Republic of	1969
Yemen Arab Republic	1969	From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Bahrain, State of	1970
Oman, Sultanate of	1970
Qatar, State of	1970
Syrian Arab Republic	1970
United Arab Emirates, State of	1970
Sierra Leone, Republic of	1972
Bangladesh, People's Republic of	1974
Gabon, Republic of	1974
Gambia, Republic of the	1974
Guinea-Bissau, Republic of	1974
Uganda, Republic of	1974
Burkina Faso	1975
Cameroon, Republic of	1975
Comoros, Federal Islamic Republic of the	1976
Iraq, Republic of	1976
Maldives, Republic of	1976
Djibouti, Republic of	1978
Benin, Republic of	1982
Brunei Darussalam, Sultanate of	1984
Nigeria, Federal Republic of	1986
Azerbaijan, Republic of	1991
Albania, Republic of	1992
Kyrgyzstan, Republic of	1992
Tajikistan, Republic of	1992
Turkmenistan, Republic of	1992
Zanzibar	January 1993	Withdrew August 1993
Mozambique, Republic of	1994
Kazakhstan, Republic of	1995
Uzbekistan, Republic of	1995
Suriname, Republic of	1996
Togo, Republic of	1997
Guyana, Republic of	1998
Côte d'Ivoire, Republic of	2001
Observer States
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1994
Central African Republic	1997
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Turkish Cypriot State)	1979
Thailand, Kingdom of	1998
Russian Federation	2005
Observer Muslim Organizations and Communities
Moro National Liberation Front	1977
Observer Islamic Institutions
Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States	2000
Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation	2005
Observer International Organizations
League of Arab States	1975
United Nations	1976
Non-Aligned Movement	1977
Organization of African Unity	1977
Economic Cooperation Organization	1995

•  India - has the third largest Muslim population in the world and had shown its interest in joining the OIC, as an observer nation. While India's candidature is supported by several OIC members including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iran and Egypt,^[1] some influential OIC members like Pakistan have blocked India's inclusion into the OIC. They argue that though India is home to more than 135 million Muslims, they form just over 13% of India's total population. Another major factor affecting India's induction into the OIC is the Kashmir dispute. Some prominent members of the OIC support the Pakistani claim over the entire region of Kashmir.^[2] Also, India established full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992 and reduced its support for the Palestinian cause. Relations between India and OIC severed in 2001 when the latter criticised India for not doing enough to stop the alleged human rights violations against Muslims in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, and again in 2002 over the lack of intervention in the Gujarat riots, which left approximately 2000 Muslims dead. India rejected the charge saying the OIC did not have "locus standi" on matters relating to India's internal affairs.^[3]

•  Philippines - The Philippine government has made attempts to join the OIC, but was opposed by its Muslim minority of the state. Muslims make up only 5% (4.5 million) of the 90 million population in this predominately Catholic country.^[4]

Number	Date	Country	Place
1st	1969 September 22-September 25	Morocco	Rabat
2nd	1974 February 22-February 24	Pakistan	Lahore
3rd	1981 January 25-January 29	Saudi Arabia	Mecca and Taif
4th	1984 January 16-January 19	Morocco	Casablanca
5th	1987 January 26-January 29	Kuwait	Kuwait City
6th	1991 December 9-December 11	Senegal	Dakar
7th	1994 December 13-December 15	Morocco	Casablanca
1st Extraordinary	1997 March 23	Pakistan	Islamabad
8th	1997 December 9-December 11	Iran	Tehran
9th	2000 November 12-November 13	Qatar	Doha
2nd Extraordinary	2003 March 5	Qatar	Doha
10th	2003 October 16-October 17	Malaysia	Putrajaya
3rd Extraordinary	2005 December 7-December 8	Saudi Arabia	Makkah Al Mukarramah

Main article: Economy of the OIC

The OIC members have a combined GDP (at PPP) of $7,840 billion. The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita is State of Qatar at $62,181 per capita. The Gulf Cooperation Council has a combined GDP of over $750 billion and will touch $1,000 billion by 2010. It is economically comparable to anywhere in the developed world.

1. ^ An Indo-Arab blunder?
2. ^ OIC supports Pakistan on Kashmir, The Hindu, Saturday, 18 October 2003. (accessed on 10 December 2006)
3. ^ India Rejects OIC Resolution on Kashmir
4. ^ Metro Broadcast Corp, Filipino Muslims oppose Manila's bid to join OIC, 24 May 2006

Organization of the Islamic Conference
Economy GDP, GDP/capita, Exports, Imports Education

• Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
• Islamic University of Technology
• International Islamic Relief Organization
• List of OIC countries by population
• Abdullah O. Nasseef

• Official The Organization of the Islamic Conference
• Official Islamic Conference with documents and information from the latest Summit (Arabic, English, French)
• UN Organization of the Islamic Conference

• April 14, 2006: Intifada Conference In Tehran Has Multiple Objectives Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty
• December 12, 2005: Guardian Unlimited - An extraordinary meeting Brian Whitaker
• April 15, 2005: Dinar Standard - Is Intra-OIC Trade finally taking off?
• October 18, 2003: speech from Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad speech at the 10th OIC Summit
• September 5, 2003: Fredrick Töben Speaks at Iran's Intifada Conference National Vanguard
• September 14, 2001: statements from the Organization of Islamic Conference
• May 26, 2001: OIC Calls for Suspension of Ties with Israel CNN Archives
• The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC)

v • d • e Member states and observers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Members	Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Benin · Burkina Faso · Brunei · Cameroon · Chad · Comoros · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt · Gabon · Gambia · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Jordan · Kuwait · Kazakhstan · Kyrgyzstan · Lebanon · Libya · Maldives · Malaysia · Mali · Mauritania · Morocco · Mozambique · Niger · Nigeria · Oman · Pakistan · Palestine · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Somalia · Sudan · Suriname · Syria · Tajikistan · Turkey · Tunisia · Togo · Turkmenistan · Uganda · Uzbekistan · United Arab Emirates · Yemen
Observers	Countries and territories Bosnia and Herzegovina · Central African Republic · Russia · Thailand · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (only recognised by Turkey) Muslim communities Moro National Liberation Front International organizations Economic Cooperation Organization · African Union · Arab League · Non-Aligned Movement · United Nations