{"id":16721,"date":"2023-09-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/07-09-2023\/organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic-3\/"},"modified":"2023-09-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T00:00:00","slug":"organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/07-09-2023\/organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic-3","title":{"rendered":"Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n<\/p>\n

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n
Syllabus: GS2\/ India & Foreign Relations, International Organisations & Groupings<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
In Context<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
Recently, India\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson sharply criticised the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
India & OIC<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
Beginning: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>As a country with the world\u2019s second largest Muslim community, India had been invited to the<\/span><\/span><\/span> founding conference at Rabat in 1969<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, but was humiliatingly rejected at Pakistan\u2019s behest.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
Then Agriculture Minister Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was dis-invited upon arrival in Morocco.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Invite as an observer: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>In 2006, as India turned the economic corner and improved ties with the US, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Saudi Arabia invited Delhi to join as an observer<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
India\u2019s reason for not being a part of OIC: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>But India stayed away because of a<\/span><\/span><\/span> multiplicity of reasons<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, not least of which was that as a <\/span><\/span><\/span>secular country<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, it did not want to join an organisation founded on religion.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
There was the risk that improving bilateral relations with individual member states would come under pressure in a grouping, especially on issues such as Kashmir.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Guest of honour: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>At the <\/span><\/span><\/span>45th session of the Foreign Ministers\u2019 Summit in 2018<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, when <\/span><\/span><\/span>Bangladesh<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, the host, suggested that India, where more than 10 percent of the world\u2019s Muslims live, should be given observer status but Pakistan opposed the proposal.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
In 2019, India made its maiden appearance at the <\/span><\/span><\/span>OIC Foreign Ministers\u2019 meeting, as a \u201cguest of honour\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
OIC\u2019s significance for India: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>OIC\u2019s growing economic and energy interdependence with India has become important in recent times.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
Individually, India has good relations with almost all member nations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Issues & challenges<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
Shadowed by Pakistan – Kashmir Issue: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>The OIC is mainly controlled by Saudi Arabia, but Pakistan, as the only Islamic country with nuclear weapons, has had a large say since its inception.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
As a result, over the years, the organisation has issued<\/span><\/span><\/span> several statements on Kashmir<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that have been supportive of Pakistan and critical of Indian \u201catrocities\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
In 2019, Pakistan pushed the organisation<\/span><\/span><\/span> to decry the Indian government\u2019s decision to abrogate Article 370 <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>of the Constitution, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
India\u2019s recent criticism: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>OIC\u2019s secretary general, Hissein Brahim Taha recently visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and was briefed by the country\u2019s military.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
Considering this event, India\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson argued that OIC had <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201cno locus standi in matters related to Jammu and Kashmir\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and that its secretary general, Hissein Brahim Taha, has become Pakistan\u2019s mouth-piece.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Meddling in India\u2019s internal affairs: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>India has for decades criticised the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for <\/span><\/span><\/span>meddling in the country\u2019s internal affairs<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, (like the hijab row of Karnataka) particularly on the matter of Kashmir.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
Often prodded by Pakistan<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, the intergovernmental organisation comprising mostly Muslim-majority nations has also sought to <\/span><\/span><\/span>condemn the Indian government<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> on a host of issues.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Way ahead<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
India\u2019s deepening bilateral ties: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>The invitation to India for the 2019 foreign minister\u2019s meeting despite flaring tensions with Pakistan was the result o<\/span><\/span><\/span>f Delhi\u2019s strengthening cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2013 two of the most important members of the organisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
The deepening of India\u2019s bilateral ties with them, among<\/span><\/span><\/span> other oil-rich West Asian nations<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, has been on the back of mutual interests and need for economic cooperation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
Delhi\u2019s <\/span><\/span><\/span>defence cooperation<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> with <\/span><\/span><\/span>Riyadh and Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has also deepened substantially.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
India\u2019s \u2018Neighbourhood First\u2019 policy: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Two other members \u2013 Bangladesh and Maldives \u2013 retaining importance in India\u2019s \u201cNeighbourhood First\u201d foreign policy has also helped improve the organisation\u2019s ties with India.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
India & Gulf Cooperation Council: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Between the financial year 2020-\u201921 and 2021-\u201922 alone, India\u2019s bilateral trade with the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Gulf Cooperation Council<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> countries jumped from $87.4 billion to $154.7 billion.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
The Council includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman \u2013 all of whom are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
India & ASEAN: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Annual two-way trade with the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Association of South East Asian Nations<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2013 which includes Organisation of Islamic Cooperation members Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei \u2013 also crossed the $100 billion-mark for the first time in the financial year 2021-\u201922.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
India\u2019s sand on Kashmir: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>India has consistently underlined that J&K is an \u201cintegral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India\u201d, and that the OIC has no locus standi on the issue.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
Daily Mains Question<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
[Q]<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> Organisation of Islamic Cooperation\u2019s (OIC) growing economic and energy interdependence with India has become important in recent times. Analyse in context of India\u2019s bilateral relations with OIC members.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Syllabus: GS2\/ India & Foreign Relations, International Organisations & Groupings In Context Recently, India\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson sharply criticised the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). India & OIC Beginning: As a country with the world\u2019s second largest Muslim community, India had been invited to the founding conference at Rabat in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-16721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial-analysis","tag-gs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/09\/1370472images.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16721"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16971,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16721\/revisions\/16971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}