Extraordinary Open-ended Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee ​On “Combating Terrorism and Violent Extremism” FINAL COMMUNIQUE

Date: 15/02/2015

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ministerial level Executive Committee, OIC/EC, held an emergency meeting at the OIC General Secretariat on February 15, 2015 to discuss the threat posed by violent extremism in the Muslim world; and the unabated spread of terrorism affecting many OIC Member States. After exhaustive discussions and deliberations, the participants unanimously agreed on the following:

• 1. The Meeting recalled the relevant provisions of the OIC Charter relating to terrorism, extremism, and the promotion of moderation; it further recalled relevant OIC legal instruments, specifically the OIC Code of Conduct on Combating Terrorism (1994) and the OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism (1999), the relevant provisions of the Ten-Year Program of Action (TYPOA) 2005, the resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers, as well as the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, particularly resolution 2199 (2015).
• 2. The Meeting reiterated its principled position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomsoever and wherever; and reaffirmed its unequivocal rejection of all attempts to associate any country, race, religion, culture or nationality with terrorism.
• 3. Rejection of terrorist acts which targeted Member States was reaffirmed, including:
• a. The Meeting reiterated its condemnation of continuous violations of the basic rights of the Palestinian people and practice of state terrorism by Israel in the occupied territories, especially aggressions against people, land and sacred sites in Al-Quds As-Shareef, and the blockade it imposes on the Gaza Strip in total disregard to international law and international humanitarian law.
• b. The Meeting condemned the heinous crimes perpetrated by "Daesh" on Iraq's land and against its people. It condemned, specifically and in the strongest terms, the barbaric crime committed by that organization by burning alive the Jordanian prisoner pilot Mo'az Al-Kasasbah; reaffirmed Member States' solidarity with the King, Government and people of Jordan in their efforts to counter terrorism and extremism; expressed appreciation of the sacrifices of the Jordanian Armed Forces; and urged the international community to work closely with Jordanian authorities to bring the perpetrators of these terrorist acts to justice.
• c. The Meetings also condemned the terrorist acts in Afghanistan, especially the attack on a volleyball stadium in Yahyakhail district in Paktika on 24 November 2014; the attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, on 16 December 2014; the terror attack on Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya on January 28, 2015; and the current escalation in terrorist activities in Egyptian cities in January, including the terrorist attack in the Sinai Peninsula on 29 January 2015; the repeated attacks and mass killings perpetrated by "Boko Haram" in Baga in January 2015, and the abduction of hundreds of school girls in Chibok, as well as the recurrent acts of murder committed by 'Daesh", "Boko Haram", "Al-Shabab", "Al-Qaeda", and other comparable terrorist groups.
• d. The Meeting stressed that such crimes blatantly run against both Islamic and universal human values, as all terrorist groups which committed those crimes adopt a radical extremist ideology and are involved in the ongoing flow of arms, fighters and field experience. In this connection, the Meeting commended all measures adopted and efforts exerted by the Member States in confronting international terrorism, consistent with the OIC Charter, relevant Convention and other relevant international agreements and mechanisms.
• 4. The Meeting expressed serious concern at the exacerbation of the political and security situation in the Republic of Yemen, which threatens the security, stability and territorial integrity of Yemen. It calls, in this regard, on all parties to endeavour, through peaceful means and without the use of violence, to resume the political process consistent with the terms of reference of the GCC Initiative and its implementation mechanisms and the outputs of national dialogue, and to implement UNSC resolution 2140 (2014). The Meeting rejects all unilateral measures taken by Houthi militias to impose the fait accompli by force, and the attempt to alter the structure and nature of the Yemeni society; supports the legitimate authority and its existing institutions; rejects the detention of Yemen's President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and Ministers and officials, calling for their immediate release, and rejects the so-called constitutional declaration by Houthi militias.
• 5. The Meeting expressed its full solidarity with Nigeria and countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the face of the escalating attacks by the terror group "Boko Haram". It welcomes the efforts of the region to establish the Multi-national Joint Task Force as a platform to coordinate their actions to combat the group which continues to pose a threat to the peace and stability of the region.
• 6. The Meeting expressed serious concern over the increase of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims resulting into the upsurge of Islamophobia, a phenomenon which is an affront to the human rights and dignity of Muslims. In this connection, the Meeting recalled the UNHRC resolution 16/18 titled “Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion or belief” (A/HRC/RES/16/18) as an important tool to counter radicalization, marginalization and alienation, and called for its effective implementation by the international community as a means to deprive terrorist groups of any justification for violent extremism on the grounds of ethno-religious stigmatization and discrimination.
• 7. The Meeting recognized that terrorism cannot not be tackled by security or military means alone, and that due attention and concrete plans of action must address the following aspects and dimensions of the phenomenon of terrorism:
• a) The political and socio-economic contexts that bring forth conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and violent extremism, such as continued economic deprivation, exclusion, alienation, separation and marginalization of people, and the forced dismantling of political, legal, security and socio-cultural institutions.
• b) The deep impact and legacy of historical injustices done to colonized peoples or those under occupation, their sufferings and the forced destruction of their national institutions, culture and identity, and the denial of their rights to self-determination.
• c) The need to counter all types of radical extremist discourse in order to delegitimize the violent and manipulative acts committed in the name of religion, ideology or claims of cultural superiority.
• d) The need to revisit the OIC relevant documents in regard to terrorism, including the Code of Conduct on Combating Terrorism, the OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism and the numerous resolutions issued by the different organs of the OIC in order to effectively address the new trends of terrorism and extremism.
• e) Take action at the international level with a view to holding an international conference on combating terrorism which would come up with a consensual international definition of terrorism.
• f) The underlying causes of sectarian violence, the attempts to politicize the sectarian differences, the emphasis on sects as the essence of identity, and the waging of campaigns to convert Muslims from one sect to the other.
• g) The potential of external actors penetrating terrorist and extremist groups for the purpose of serving their own political agenda, and the threat of non-Arab and non-Muslim foreign fighters.
• h) The role of the media and the advent of cyber terrorism through the utilization of new information and communication technologies by terrorist groups for the purpose of recruitment and incitement to terrorism.
• 8. In light of the above, the Meeting called for the following urgent actions:
• a) It requested the Secretary General to convene a meeting of legal and terrorism experts to revisit the OIC Convention of 1999 in a bid to lay down the proper mechanisms to counter the new trends of terrorism in the OIC Member States. It also requested the Secretary General to maintain the momentum of the debate on international terrorism, cross border crime, and security developments by convening conferences, symposia and workshops involving political, religious and traditional leaders, scholars etc. in collaboration with OIC partners, including Member and non-member State; and to hold specialized conferences to review educational curricula.
• b) The Meeting requested the Secretary General to strengthen partnerships with international and regional organizations on counter terrorism; called for the activation of the ‘International Counter Terrorism Center of the UN’ to coordinate global counter-terrorism efforts and commended Saudi Arabia for its contribution of US$ 110 million to support the activities of the Center, as well as the ongoing cooperation between the OIC and the UN Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED).
• c) The Meeting called on the Secretary General to work with Member States in order to demonstrate further solidarity with affected countries by undertaking investments that would create jobs with a view to eradicating unemployment and poverty.
• d) The Meeting called upon the Secretary General to work with the Member States to crystalize a new paradigm to confront and remedy the causes of sectarian violence.
• e) The Meeting requested the Secretary General to work with the Member States to seek ways to empower the youth and other communities at risk of exploitation by terrorist groups in order to make them less susceptible to recruitment and radicalization.
• f) The Meeting requested the Secretary General to hold a meeting of experts from the Member States to seek ways to confront threats to cyber security as a matter of urgency with due respect to human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
• g) The Meeting called upon the Secretary General to work with the Member States to encourage them, consistent with their commitments to the OIC Convention and other relevant international agreements, to take the necessary and appropriate measures prohibiting incitement to terrorism, refrain from providing any direct or indirect form of support to entities or persons involved in terrorism, dry up the sources of terrorism by refraining from paying ransoms in order to free hostages and prohibit such practice, step away from the causes of abominable dissension and discord among Muslims and incitement to violence and extremism against other nations, respect the wishes of peoples in choosing their representatives; and abstain from hosting and providing safe shelter to insurgent groups, and from financing them and providing them with any form of assistance whatsoever to wage political campaigns.
• h) The Meeting requested the Secretary General to hold a series of meetings, workshops, symposia and conferences of Ulamas, intelligentsia and social scientists to study and dismantle the discourse of extremism and sectarianism; and called upon him to build bridges with Muslim communities outside OIC Member States in order to stress the discourse of Islam’s values of moderation, justice, equality and tolerance, and monitor violence committed against these communities.

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