Hussein Ibrahim Taha, a Chadian national, will be the new Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from November 2021. This decision was taken at the 47th meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers held in the capital of Niger, Niamey.
"OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen warmly congratulated Hussein Ibrahim Taha of the Republic of Chad, who was elected as the new Secretary-General for a five-year term starting from November 17, 2021. Al-Othaimeen wished the new Secretary-General success in his mission to continue to promote joint Islamic action in the interests of the peoples and countries of the Islamic world," the press office of the Pan-Islamic Organization said.
The main theme of the 47th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting was "Together against terrorism for peace and development". The agenda of the event also included a discussion of the Palestinian issue, the situation of Muslim communities and minorities in countries that are not members of the OIC. In addition, the ministers discussed the situation in Syria, Yemen and Mali.
About the organization
The OIC was founded as the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The decision to establish it was taken at a meeting of leaders of 25 Muslim countries on September 25, 1969, in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The summit was convened at the initiative of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and King Hassan II of Morocco. The reason for it was the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by a religious fanatic in August of the same year.
The main goals of the OIC are to ensure closer interaction between Muslim countries in the political, economic, cultural and spiritual spheres. In addition, it advocates the values of Islam, promoting dialogue among civilizations and faiths, creating a common market for Muslim countries and ensuring sustainable development and economic prosperity in member countries.
At present, the OIC includes 57 Muslim states with a population of about 1.6 billion people. Several countries have observer status with it, including Russia (since 2005). The executive body is the secretariat headed by a Secretary-General. Since November 2016, this post has been held by Yousef Al-Othaimeen (Saudi Arabia). The OIC headquarters are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: OIC official website
Based on materials from TASS