OIC needs to act as one force

OIC needs to act as one force

Abdul Razak Ahmad, New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur

In between frantic bouts of interviews, the smokers among the
hundreds of journalists covering the 10th OIC summit sought
refuge at an open-air smoking area situated in the Putrajaya
Convention Center.

Those who had run out of supplies took the opportunity to
pinch a fag or two from friends who smoked the same brand, but
several coughing fits later a general consensus was "adopted".

Burgers may taste the same everywhere but cigarettes from the
same brand and manufactured in different countries have very
little in common.

The irony holds true for the meeting of the Organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC) unfolding inside. Common may be the
faith, but outlooks and aspirations of the 57 members can differ
fundamentally.

Many of the criticisms about the "lethargy" of the OIC and its
failure to act on pressing concerns facing the ummah (Islamic
community) stem from these differences. The problems are many and
are becoming more urgent.

Following Sept 11, 2001, Islam has been labeled as a religion
that promotes terrorism. Iran is being threatened by the U.S. for
allegedly developing nuclear weapons. Palestine remains under
brutal occupation. Israel's aggression has now stretched into
targets in Syria.

And Iraq, which fell to U.S.-led occupation forces following
an invasion built on unproven premises, is in a quagmire.

Can the OIC's 57 members come together to do something
effective to address these problems? The outlook is pessimistic.

Take Palestine. The liberation of the occupied territories
was, and continues to be, a primary aim for the grouping.

The first summit in Rabat, Morocco on Sept. 25 1969, was in
the wake of the arson perpetrated by Zionist elements against the
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine of Islam situated in
occupied Jerusalem.

Summit after summit saw declarations condemning the
occupation, all to no effect.

In the 1991's sixth OIC Summit in Dakar, Senegal, a furious
Yasser Arafat stormed out of the hall accusing the organization
members of "betraying" the Arab cause. Yet the Dakar declaration
issued at the end of the summit affirmed the resolve of members
to prepare for jihad (holy war) to liberate the occupied lands.

But 12 years on and three OIC summits later and there is still
no jihad (in any sense of the word).

Adding insult to injury, Arafat is unable to attend the OIC
summit this time around. He is trapped in his headquarters, and
no one apart from Israel and the U.S. can do anything about it.

It could have been desperation that prompted an irate
Palestinian delegate to declare that the armed struggle in the
occupied lands would continue as it was the only solution to
ending the occupation.

On Iraq, the U.S.-led invasion proved that no grouping,
including the OIC or even the United Nations, was able to stop
the U.S.' determination to invade the country.

OIC secretary-general Abdelouahed Belkeziz may have set the
tone for the upcoming stand of the Putrajaya Summit by calling
for a clear Islamic commitment to evict foreign troops from Iraq,
but where would that place the three OIC members who allowed the
U.S. to use their military bases for attacks on Iraq?

It may be unrealistic to wish for perfect unity among OIC
members, when none of the other national groupings, such as the
United Nations, can achieve it.

Many OIC members have national interests that at times
override their allegiance to the OIC. Others are members of other
groupings whose interests may not be in line with the OIC.

Trying to find solutions in the face of all these differences
is a Herculean undertaking which many say is next to impossible.

There is some optimism that perhaps the OIC, under the
chairmanship of Malaysia, will be able to bring about some much
needed change and make the grouping more effective and action-
based.

But as some among the smoking fraternity of journalists at the
Putrajaya Convention Center have painfully found out, overt
similarities can sometimes conceal many fundamental differences.

Bridging them will be the real challenge for Malaysia as it
assumes the chairmanship of the grouping and hosts the OIC summit
this time around.