The 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference, the largest Muslim organization in the world, should have a seat on the UN Security Council, said Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, its secretary-general.
“One of the important objectives for which I have been exerting a lot of efforts was to have a seat for OIC in the Security Council to represent 1.5 billion Muslims in the world,” Ihsanoglu told reporters in Cairo.
Speaking about the challenges facing the Islamic Ummah, he said they include poverty, lack of economic integration, Jewish settlement in occupied Arab territories, and Judaization of Jerusalem (Al-Quds).
Asked about the new OIC presidency of Egypt for the next three years, Ihsanoglu said: “Egypt is a leading country in the Islamic world. It has a long history of defending Muslim causes.”
He said the OIC has set out a plan to develop Jerusalem in cooperation with the Palestine Authority and the Islamic Development Bank.
He said more diplomatic efforts were required to mobilize international support for recognition of Palestine as a state by the United Nations. “UNESCO has recognized Palestine as a full member. This is a big achievement.”
The OIC foreign ministers, meanwhile, held a meeting in Cairo to finalize the agenda for the Feb. 6-7 Islamic Summit.
Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, who attended the meeting, stressed the Kingdom’s efforts for the success of Islamic causes.
“The summit is significant as it comes at a time when Muslim countries are going through sensitive and delicate crises,” he added.
OIC demands seat on top UN body to represent Muslims
OIC demands seat on top UN body to represent Muslims
