OIC Chief visiting China 

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu will travel to China on a one-week official visit upon an invitation from the Chinese government. Ihsanoglu will have talks with the Foreign Minister of China and other officials. He will also be visiting regions where Muslim minorities live.

The Secretary General is leading a high-level delegation to develop relations between OIC and China, and to observe the situation of Muslim minorities in accordance with the 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) Res. 1/37-MM.

The visit would begin on June 16 and the first stop would be Beijing. Ihsanoglu will later visit Urumchi and Kashgar regions.

Ihsanoglu is the first OIC secretary general to visit China. 

OIC Secretary General discusses bilateral cooperation with the Prime Minister of Malaysia 

OIC Secretary General Tan Sri Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu was received on 15 June 2010 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. The Prime Minister congratulated the Secretary General on his conferment of an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at a special ceremony held on the same day.

The Secretary General briefed the Prime Minister on the outcome of the 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) which was held from 18 to 20 May in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. He highlighted the brainstorming session on cooperation between central Asian countries and the rest of the Muslim world. In this connection, the Secretary General briefed the Prime Minister on the actions taken by the OIC related to the current situation in Kyrgyzstan and requested the Prime Minister to extend all possible assistance to the country to save it from plunging into a humanitarian disaster.

The two leaders discussed several other important issues, including the issue of lifting the blockade on Gaza and Israel’s attack against the peaceful humanitarian ‘Freedom Flotilla’. The Prime Minister requested the OIC’s assistance in organizing a special session by the United Nations General Assembly at the initiative of Malaysia to discuss Israel’s aggression on the Flotilla. The Secretary General assured him of OIC’s all out support in this regard.

The issue of Islamophobia was also discussed at the meeting. The Secretary General underlined that the phenomenon is getting more dangerous day by day and is being utilized politically by vested quarters in Europe in particular. To counter this issue, he emphasized that having more political support from the OIC member states at bilateral as well as multilateral level is imperative. For his part, the Prime Minister agreed with the Secretary General and assured him of Malaysia’s support in this regard. The discussion between the two leaders also touched, among others, on the peace process in southern Philippines and on economic and development issues.

Ihsanoglu underscores OIC’s cooperation for the advancement of knowledge and human development

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Tan Sri Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu assured the leadership of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) of the readiness of the OIC to work with the University in strengthening its efforts for the advancement of knowledge and human development through education and harnessing of modern technologies. “It is through pooling of our resources, and exchange of knowledge and expertise between the fortunate and the less fortunate OIC member states that we can promote our common well-being, and the establishment of the International Institute for Islamic Unity by the IIUM is a step in the right direction,” he noted.

Ihsanoglu said this in his acceptance speech at the special convocation ceremony held by IIUM on 15 June 2010 at its Kuala Lumpur campus where he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science by the University. The conferment of this degree is in recognition of the Secretary General’s leadership and outstanding contribution to the Muslim Ummah and Islamic civilization, commitment to the promotion of the cause of Islam and the Muslim world, and also for his contributions towards the progress and development of the IIUM.

In his speech, the Secretary General extended his thanks and gratitude to the President of IIUM Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Haji Hassan for gracing the occasion and honoring him with this special award on behalf of the University’s constitutional head Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah. He also thanked the Rector of the University and the top management for recognizing his past endeavors and achievements in the service of the Umman.

Ihsanoglu said that he was profoundly touched to be honored by the IIUM, ‘an initiative that came from a great Alma Mater of the Muslim world, which has served the Ummah with diligence for the last four decades since its establishment in 1983. The IIUM’s commitment to knowledge and wisdom has remained firm and unequivocal, and over the years it has produced scholars of high eminence who are currently engaged in promoting excellence in their respective disciplines. They are undoubtedly the true representatives of the OIC’s larger vision of moderation and modernization’, he emphasized.

The Secretary General noted that ‘Vision 1441 H for Science and Technology’, which was adopted in this great city of Kuala Lumpur in October 2003, resolves to make a community that values knowledge and is competent in utilizing and advancing science and technology to enhance the socio-economic well-being of the Ummah. It provides a detailed road-map to promote research and development, innovation and creativity and applying science and technology for community goals which envisages a special role by educational institutions like IIUM. He commended the University for its role in commercialization of research and development achievements and for its promotion of science and technology as a way of life for the people.

After concluding his acceptance speech, the Secretary General delivered a talk on the ‘Challenges and Future Directions of the OIC’. The Secretary General emphasized on the relevance of OIC as a major international organization to the Muslim Ummah whose amalgamation is due to historical and sociological facts. He thanked Malaysia and its current and past leadership for its contribution to the OIC and its Chairmanship of the 10th OIC Islamic Summit. He also touched on intra-OIC trade, power in the world, restructuring of the OIC which resulted in a new OIC Charter and Ten-Year Program of Action document and the progress achieved so far with regard to the boycott on Gaza especially the aftermath of the attack on the Freedom Flotilla. He also talked about youth, human rights and cultural issues, including the efforts to establish an Independent Human Rights Commission and a centre dedicated to women and family affairs to be based in Cairo, Egypt.

The special convocation ceremony was followed by a press conference.