Layan Damanhouri

 

JEDDAH – The 38th Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Islamic Commission for Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs concluded its 3-day-long proceedings that lasted between March 31 and April 2, at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah.



Chaired by the Kuwaiti chief delegate, head of the Department of International Economic Cooperation in Kuwait, Isaac Abdulkarim, the meeting discussed various economic, social and education issues.



Saudi Ambassador to the OIC Mohamed Ahmed Taieb noted that last year’s session, also held in Saudi Arabia, was aimed at cementing the economic, cultural and social ties among the Muslim population.



Secretary-general of the OIC, Iyad Ameen Madani, expressed gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, and to the Kingdom for its continuous support to the organization.



The secretary-general also briefed member states on the developments of the OIC’s subsidiary organs, and praised the efforts of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and the topics it dealt with at its 22nd session held in Kuwait last March.



At the forefront of the list were pressing Islamic issues such as clarifying Shariah rulings on Jihad in its numerous forms, the rights and duties of non-Muslim citizens in Muslim countries, the issue of Takfir (excommunication), its conditions and its handling as well as the subject of visits to Al-Quds Al-Sharif and their Shariah rulings.



Madani stated that the decision of the Islamic Fiqh Academy to encourage visits to Al-Quds “should prompt us all to urge the Muslim people to pay visits to Al-Quds through organized programs under a partnership between the concerned travel agencies in Jordan and Palestine and to have such visits linked to the visiting programs of pilgrims to the Two Holy Sites in Makkah and Madinah such as to complete the circle of pilgrims’ tour of the three Holy Islamic sites as directed by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).”



Madani further added: “To those who may view visiting Al-Quds as a norm, I would say yes it is indeed, but should be with the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Eastern Al-Quds and the citizens of Al-Quds and with our brothers in the occupied territories.”



The meeting also discussed financial aspects of the organization’s ongoing projects. So far, the Islamic Solidarity Fund has extended assistance amounting to $216 million benefiting 2,535 projects worldwide.



The secretary-general noted that $2.68 billion has been raised so far toward the $10 billion target for the fund, and urged all member states to convene a special session to contribute and mobilize further resources.



The fund is dedicated to development in three sectors in the OIC strategy for the eradication of poverty. These include food security, vocational training and microfinance.



In education, the secretary-general reviewed the developments among the subsidiary organs. These include the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), the Islamic Center for the Development of Trade (ICDT), the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), and the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA).



The meeting also discussed the latest developments in economic affairs, science and technology, information technology, as well as cultural, social and family affairs.