About the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• It is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United

Nations, established in 1969 with a membership of 57 states spread over
four continents.
• The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world.
• The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical
summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco in September
1969 following the criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied
Jerusalem.
• Its administrative headquarter is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• It has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European
Union.
• Observer states of USA or Russia Thailand, Bosnia and hers ago Veena,
Central African Republic and Cyprus.
• The Observer international organisations include UN, non-aligned
movement, League of Arab states, African union.
• It endeavours to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world
in the spirit of promoting international Peace and harmony among
various people of the world.
• OIC’s key bodies include the Islamic Summit, the Council of Foreign
Ministers (CFM), the General Secretariat.
• It was known as the Organisation of Islamic Conference until 2011.

Background of India - OIC

• India was invited to attend the first summit of the OIC 50 years ago in
1969 in Morocco. But the Indian delegation had to return due to a
withdrawal of the invitation after Pakistan’s objection. It was a setback
for Indian diplomacy.
• In 2002, it was Qatar that first proposed observer status for India at the
OIC foreign ministers’ meet but Pakistan had consistently blocked the
move.
• In 2006, Saudi Arabia proposed membership status for India.
• In 2018, Bangladesh along with Turkey proposed restructuring of the
charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to pave way for the
inclusion of non-Muslim countries like India as an 'observer state'.
Bangladesh suggested that India, where more than 10 per cent of the
world’s Muslims live, should be given observer status but Pakistan
opposed the proposal.
 • In 2019, India made its maiden appearance at the OIC Foreign
Ministers’ meeting, as a “guest of honour”.

Challenges faced by India in OIC

• Presence of Pakistan: Pakistan has always objected India’s entry into

the group, stating that any country wishing to get observer status should
not be involved in any dispute with an OIC member state.
• OIC’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir: It has been generally
supportive of Pakistan’s concerns over Jammu and Kashmir. With
regards to this, the OIC has been issuing statements criticizing alleged
atrocities and human rights violations in the state.
• Membership criteria: OIC charter says only members of the United
Nations, having Muslim majority and abiding by the Charter, which
submits an application for membership may join the Organisation if
approved by consensus only by the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Pakistan prevents the concensus from emerging.
• Statements by the OIC Secretariat critical of India: Over the years,
be it the hijab row in Karnataka or the recent processions during the
Ram Navmi, OIC has regularly expressed concerns over the growing
islamophobia in India.
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Arguments in favour of India’s membership at the OIC

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• Third largest Muslim Community: Though India is neither a part of

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the Muslim world nor a Muslim majority state in statistical terms, yet it
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host the third largest community of Muslims in the world after Indonesia
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and Pakistan. It is projected to become number one by the year 2060.

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Countries like Thailand and Russia are observer members, despite

having a significant minority Muslim population.

• West Asian Diaspora: There are also some eight million Indians in
West Asia, who contribute to these economies as well as cultural
richness.
• Co-operation in Strategic and economic matters: Apart from a large
diaspora, India is the third largest economy in the world and one of the
biggest importers of hydrocarbons like gas and oil. West Asia and
India’s growing economic and energy interdependence makes it difficult
for the former to ignore the latter.
• Countering Pakistan: India’s deepening ties with Islamic world could
act as a bulwark to prevent Pakistan from using the secretariat and OIC
forum for its own propaganda.

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