JEDDAH: Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), has said the Haj pilgrimage is a time for worship with “no place for politics”. Speaking from the OIC's headquarters in Jeddah, Ihsanoglu said the organization “rejects any attempt to politicize the Haj and divert it from its spiritual contents”. “The Islamic Ummah is highly appreciative of the role of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in the service of pilgrims and to enable them to perform their rites with ease and tranquility,” he said. “He is constantly working to quell the differences that arise between the brothers from time to time, help the just causes of the Islamic Ummah both privately and publicly, and secure peace and stability in the Islamic and Arab worlds.” Ihsanoglu said the Islamic World was going through one of its most testing times for centuries, which would require “all its forces to unite”. “All the governments and leading men of the Islamic World need to unite their efforts, to meet the varying political, economic, cultural, social, scientific, and religious challenges,” he said. The OIC, he said, was playing an important role in tackling those “exceedingly difficult circumstances”, and described the last six years as having seen reforms in the OIC, including the rewriting of its charter to “match the requirements of the modern age”. “It now has a wide and comprehensive vision taking it beyond the limited role it had at the time of its creation in 1970,” he said. “Through 10-year work plan approved in Makkah in 2005 numerous programs were put in place for reform from all aspects in the Islamic World, programs marked by their realism and daring in addressing the backwardness that has been prevalent in recent decades. We are optimistic about their success.” Citing the words of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Ihsanoglu said the OIC had become “an important strategic partner for the United Nations”.OIC collective voting “It has been able to create a large voting bloc at the UN with 57 votes, and play, as an Islamic entity, an important part in protective diplomacy and dispute-settling,” he said. “This is a power enjoyed by no other group at the UN. We have succeeded in uniting members of the OIC to vote collectively, making it a force to be reckoned with by others, including the Western powers. Agreement from the Islamic group has become essential for any important decision, particularly if it has any connection to Islam and Muslims. Without that agreement it is difficult for any decision to be passed.” Ihsanoglu cited among successes decisions addressing the distorting of religions, “with Islam at the forefront despite all the opposing forces against us”, as well as investigations into Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla. The OIC gives “special attention” to Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries, he said. “We follow very closely what affects the lives of Muslims in non-OIC-member countries, and we have made great headway in resolving conflict between Muslims in the south Philippines and the Philippines government, and the same in Thailand. The department for minorities at the OIC is one of our most active, and we have recruited highly-qualified and professional staff for it.” Ihsanoglu described the Mideast peace process as for decades hostage to Israeli internal interests played out between parties. “It is used to hold processes and grab more Palestinian land by continuing to build settlements,” he said. “How can progress be made with an Israeli government formed of the most extreme parties? I don't think it's possible to reach an understanding with the extremist and racist Likud government. The situation in the Middle East cannot be allowed to continue like this. There needs to be a change of direction and an attempt to return to the Security Council to take a decision to create the Palestinian state and have it recognized internationally and supported by the international community to make it workable. We can only conclude that all traditional peaceful initiatives for an understanding with the leadership of Israel have proven a failure. The time for a change in that traditional model has come and to open a new page to handle the issues with a new logic.” The Israeli embargo on Gaza is one of the most important articles on the OIC agenda, the secretary general said, with numerous executive committee meetings held on the issue deciding to break the embargo and send in aid to the population, he said. Numerous aid caravans have since entered the area. Hub of the tension “The Arab-Israeli conflict is the hub of the tension and the gateway to international peace and stability,” he said. “That's why a just and complete solution is needed for the Palestinian issue in accordance with the rulings of international law which form the strong basis for a lasting workable solution.” The issue is, he said, a top priority for the OIC. “We offer support to strengthen the persistence of the Palestinian people and help them achieve their goals in building their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.” On possible moves for the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, Ihsanoglu said that the subject would at the current time bear “unacceptable” and “dangerous signs”. “Between the lines is a racist and hostile movement towards targeting the Palestinians inside the UN Green Line,” he said. “It's designed to ease the way for their expulsion from their land, knowing that they are the original owners of the land and have been there for thousands of years and from before the creation of Israel. It's also a threat to the rights of the Palestinian refugees, including their right to return.” He said that the OIC's position on the issue was one of “absolute rejection”. On Iran, the secretary general said that OIC members had repeatedly expressed the view that all countries have the right to possess nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and that the OIC hoped to see differences over the issue resolved through diplomatic means and constructive dialogue. The OIC has been heavily involved in Afghanistan since 2005 in rebuilding, support and human aid, Ihsanoglu said, and has also recently appointed a special representative of the OIC secretary general to the Afghanistan issue. “The OIC's consistent position on this is that the military solution in Afghanistan is neither beneficial nor sustainable,” he said. “We support the efforts of President Karzai to achieve national reconciliation and hope to play a central role in that process.” He said the OIC welcomed King Abdullah's invitation for Iraqi parties to discuss in Riyadh differences over the formation of a government. “It shows his resolve to maintain the unity of Iraq and support all its people, and we would call on all Iraqi political sides to respond to this historic opportunity for Iraqis to sit at the table of dialogue and solve all their problems.”The Organization of the Islamic Conference has been holding consultative meetings with the Egyptian government ahead of the Sharm El-Sheikh Islamic Summit, scheduled for March next year.
