OIC and the Plight of Muslim Women

By: Engineer Danish The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was established on September 25, 1969, in response to an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It was founded to unite the Muslim world and safeguard Islamic heritage and support Palestine. Initially known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, it was renamed the […]

By: Engineer Danish

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was established on September 25, 1969, in response to an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It was founded to unite the Muslim world and safeguard Islamic heritage and support Palestine. Initially known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, it was renamed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 2011.

Despite its laudable objectives, the OIC has faced significant criticism for its shortcomings in achieving them. Internal divisions among member states with differing political ideologies and priorities have consistently hampered effective collective action. The organization’s often-stated commitment to promoting Islamic unity and solidarity is frequently undermined by geopolitical rivalries and competing national interests.

Furthermore, the OIC’s effectiveness has been limited by a lack of robust enforcement mechanisms and a perceived inability to meaningfully address pressing issues such as human rights abuses, intra-Muslim conflicts, and socio-economic disparities within member states.

The OIC’s consistent failure to effectively address the Palestinian issue, particularly in light of Israel’s ongoing attacks over the past year, highlights a critical weakness within the organization. While the OIC has repeatedly condemned Israeli actions and voiced support for a two-state solution, its pronouncements have lacked tangible impact.

The organization’s inability to translate rhetoric into concrete actions, such as coordinated international pressure or effective sanctions, underscores a lack of political will and cohesive strategy among its member states. This inaction, coupled with the perceived prioritization of national interests over collective Palestinian advocacy, fuels criticism that the OIC is ultimately ineffective in protecting the rights and interests of Palestinians, leaving them vulnerable to continued Israeli aggression.

The ongoing violence and displacement serve as a stark reminder of the OIC’s limitations in confronting powerful geopolitical actors.

Consequently, the OIC’s influence on the global stage has often fallen short of its potential, leaving many to question its overall efficacy in representing and advancing the interests of the Muslim world.

The OIC’s response to the 20-year invasion of Afghanistan is a significant point of criticism, revealing a troubling lack of principled action and a prioritization of perceived strategic interests over human rights. While ostensibly condemning terrorism, the organization’s failure to adequately investigate and condemn the war crimes and human rights abuses committed by invading forces, coupled with its tacit support for the occupation under the pretext of counter-terrorism, severely undermines its credibility.

This perceived complicity, rather than impartial condemnation of all forms of violence, has led to accusations of hypocrisy and a disregard for the suffering of the Afghan people. The OIC’s ineffective role in this conflict demonstrates a failure to uphold its stated commitment to the protection and well-being of Muslim populations, instead prioritizing geopolitical considerations over fundamental human rights principles.

The OIC’s focus on women’s education in Afghanistan, while simultaneously ignoring the dire humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in Palestine, reveals a troubling selectivity and a potential lack of genuine commitment to women’s rights across the Muslim world. The prioritization of Afghanistan, seemingly driven by geopolitical maneuvering and Pakistan’s instrumentalization of the issue, exposes a cynical disregard for the consistent suffering of Palestinian women and the broader Palestinian population.

This selective outrage, ignoring the systematic oppression faced by Palestinian women under occupation, casts doubt on the OIC’s sincerity in advocating for women’s rights and suggests a prioritization of political expediency over genuine concern for human rights. The blatant double standard undermines the OIC’s credibility and exposes its vulnerability to manipulation by member states with their own agendas.

The OIC’s convening of a conference on women’s education in Muslim societies rings hollow when considering the organization’s conspicuous silence on the rampant sexual harassment and abuse faced by women in Pakistani educational institutions.

The recent widespread dissemination of videos depicting such abuse in universities and schools across Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, Dera Ismail Khan, and Balochistan, starkly contradicts the OIC’s purported commitment to women’s rights and education.

The organization’s failure to address these egregious violations, occurring within a member state under the guise of religious or cultural norms, exposes a hypocrisy at the heart of its pronouncements.

A truly serious commitment to women’s education and rights necessitates confronting such abuses head-on, regardless of the political sensitivities involved, rather than focusing solely on issues that serve convenient geopolitical narratives. The OIC’s selective outrage demonstrates a failure to prioritize the actual well-being of Muslim women over political expediency.