Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

Why in news?

• India has ‘strongly’ criticised comments on its Kashmir policy by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

About Organisation of Islamic Cooperation:

• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an international organization founded in 1969 and states that it is the collective voice of the Muslim world.
• It has 57 member states, with a collective population of over 1.8 billion as of 2015 with 40 countries being Muslim majority countries.
• The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.
• The official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English, and French.

Formation:

• The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 25 September 1969 following the arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israel.
• It is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Mandate:

• OIC works to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.
• It has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other inter-governmental organizations to protect the vital interests of the Muslims and to work for the settlement of conflicts and disputes involving member states.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following countries:
1.Nigeria
2.Indonesia
3.Malaysia
4.Kazakhstan
Which of the countries given above is/are members of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation?
(a)1,2 and 3 only
(b)2,3 and 4 only
(c)1,3 and 4 only
(d)1,2,3 and 4 only

Answer to prelims question