OIC Press Release

The General Secretariat of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference expressed satisfaction and pride for the decision adopted by the Twenty-ninth Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, held in Khartoum (Republic of the Sudan) dedicating the 25th September of each year as the OIC Day. This memorable day offers an opportune occasion to take stock of the various stages covered by the OIC on the way to the evolvement of the Joint Islamic Action, to deal with the Islamic Ummah’s issues and achieve its aspiration to peace, liberty, comprehensive development, solidarity, cooperation and mutual support in line with the matrix drawn up by the Islamic leaderships over the past nine Islamic Summits and twenty-nine Foreign Ministers Conferences, besides the extraordinary meetings which were convened whenever called for by the Islamic interests.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference emerged after the first Islamic Summit Conference which was held in the Kingdom of Morocco on the 18th of Rajab 1389H (25 September 1969) in the wake of the ignominous crime perpetrated by Israel in the form of its arson attack against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The commemoration of the OIC Day is an opportunity to remind Muslims across the world of the role assumed by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in the overwhelming flow of changes witnessed by the world today. The Organisation has been successful in contributing, ever since it was set up, to the spreading of awareness of the need for aligned efforts, mutual support and determined resolve in the face of challenges.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has consistently been faithful to its Charter and loyally dedicated to the Islamic Ummah’s hopes and aspirations, diligently putting in every possible effort to raise its position among nations, aided in this by the solidarity and positive response of its Member States, with their leaderships, governments and civil society institutions. The OIC is further acting diligently to ensure conditions that are conducive to a solid and ever-broader Joint Islamic Cooperation such that it may encompass all areas of political, economic, social, cultural, and scientific areas, with due consideration to the various mutations and developments witnessed in our contemporary era, for the Islamic Ummah’s fulfillment of its role hinges indeed on its forward progress and development.

The issue of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and Palestine continues to be a critical test for the Islamic Ummah. Hence the OIC’s focus on affirming the Arabs’ and Muslims’ right to those holy places and the Palestinian people’s rights to liberty and to the establishment of their independent State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif/Jerusalem as its capital, while at the same time assuming its role in foiling all the forms of conspiracy and plots which attempt to detract from the rights of the Islamic Ummah and to disparage the reputation of Islam and Muslims.

Concurrently, the OIC has been spearheading the call for dialogue among civilizations and the components of human society proceeding from the Islamic fair-balance principles and noble creed.

To the credit of its Member States, the OIC has achieved positive steps on the path of the dialogue in the forefront of whose advocates, it has always been. Indeed the United Nations adopted a proposal to this effect and dedicated hence a full year to it such that dialogue among civilizations developed into one of the world’s major issues of interest.

The events of 11 September formed a critical watershed in international policy and seriously affected the Islamic States in particular, such that the OIC has had a new concern imposed upon it which calls for action to face up to the adverse effects and negative impacts of the ensuing developments and to confront the unfair-minded trends which seek to accuse Islam of matters with which it has no association whatsoever.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, proud as it is of what its Member States have achieved in terms of cooperation and solidarity, avails itself of this opportunity to reiterate the need to pursue our efforts to reach the set targets through intensified collective action, development oriented structure for the General Secretariat, and provision of the necessary human and material resources so that it may fulfill the assignment entrusted to it, in an optimal manner.

On this occasion, the OIC General Secretariat has the honour to pay tribute to all those who partook in the Organisation’s forward progress or contributed to it since its establishment and helped it achieve the status it enjoys today in the international arena.

The commemoration of this happy event will take place at various levels:

1.At the level of the Member States.

2.At the level of the OIC General Secretariat and the Specialized and Affiliated Institutions.

3.Joint activities between the OIC General Secretariat and the Member States.

-----------------