Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 24/10/2012
Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) addressed a message of sincere and warm congratulations to the Islamic Ummah on the advent of the feast of Eidul Adha. The message reads as follows: “On the occasion of the blessed Eidul Adha, for the year 1433H, it gives me particular pleasure to address my warm and most sincere congratulations to the entire Islamic Ummah, East and West”. The advent of this glorious festive event fills us with spirituality and submerges us in feelings of divine mercy, as millions of Muslims congregate on the immaculate Mount Arafat, in an imposing religious scene which should remind us all Muslims of the need to promote unity, solidarity and mutuality amongst us and to banish all forms and manifestations of discord, conflict or division. The leaders of the Muslim worldwide have harked to the dangers of divergence and dispersal which besiege the Ummah, and have thus responded to the call launched by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, to convene the Fourth Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Makkah Al Mukarramah, in the last part the past holy month of Ramadan. The Summit was an expression of the leaders’ acute awareness of what the Ummah actually needs at this critical juncture, in terms of concertation and unity of rank such as to dispel the sectarian spectre which has started raising its ugly head and posing the most ominous threats. The leaders have realized the dangers of strife and infights among the Muslim fellowship, and have therefore welcomed the proposal of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to set up a Centre for Dialogue Among he Islamic Doctrines such as to evolve a common ground that would enhance solidarity between the Islamic states and peoples, reaffirm our unity of rank and boost our mutuality as Muslims, and such as to repel the spectre of sectarian conflicts, stamp out strife and consolidate security. It is through their unity of rank that Muslims may be able to stand up to the conspiracies plotted against them, and to achieve glory, inviability and dignity, so as to be able to help their fellow Muslims regain their spoiled rights, to defend their sanctities, foremost of which the holy city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the Palestinian cause which forms a central issue at the forefront of the OIC’s concerns, particularly in view of what the City is facing in terms of judaization, disfiguration of its cultural and historical character and alteration of its demographic composition. In this respect, we lend our full support to the Palestinian quest for an independent State with accession to full membership of the United Nations. To this effect, we have contributed and still continue to contribute intensive efforts to help bring this quest to a successful conclusion. We here express our great satisfaction at what has been achieved for Muslims in Southern Philippines through the recent conclusion of the Framework Agreement between the Philippines Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). We, at the OIC, are endeavouring with diligence for the unification of the ranks of Muslims in this country, and it is our hope indeed that the conclusion of this Agreement will form the starting point for a developmental process in the province of Mindanao. We hope too that the Rohingya people in Myanmar will soon also be afforded the chance of seeing a similar light at the end of the tunnel. We cannot here omit to recall the humanitarian ordeal endured in Syria where the absence of security and the continued violation of human rights have become a daily scene, with the killing and dispersal of so many. We pray to the Almighty God that the advent of this auspicious event may signal the hope for an early end to this crisis. And, in recognition of the sanctity of this venerable occasion, we at the OIC, hereby call for a ceasefire to be observed during the Eid holy days. I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its people and its leadership, for all the commendable efforts being made to better serve the pilgrims and for all the facilities provided to ensure their ease and comfort. I pray to Allah, Mighty and Sublime be He, to will it that the coming Eids will find this Islamic Ummah having fully regained its glorious position among the nations of the world and achieved its people’s aspirations towards progress, dignity and prosperity. Wassalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
