Is the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) missing India’s valuable role, a role that can achieve something that OIC definitely needs, but that had been evading it until now? The Khaleej Tmes had in one of its editorials about a decade back, opined that India must have an observer status in the OIC and that it would be beneficial if Pakistan proposed to India’s candidature. Pointing out to Russia and Thailand, the Khaleej Times noted that many non-Muslim nations have got observer status or even full membership. Now with Bangladesh and Turkey favoring an observer status for India, could the inclusion of India into the OIC hold huge prospects and hope not just for Islamic countries but for the entire world. India today has the third largest Muslim population.
Despite decades of existence, the OIC is more perceived as having failed to resolve issues of the Muslim world. The international Policy Digest in 2014 in their article “OIC: Reform or Sectarian Opposition” noted constant bickering among Islamic states, allowing domestic political and religious interests supersede collaboration. It also highlighted the fact that intra-Muslim cooperation has proven to be more difficult to obtain and suggested reforming the OIC on the lines of the EU model emphasizing on economic cooperation, trade, investment and development than historical and cultural ties.
Adding another and perhaps the most important difficulty is the fact that OIC is incapable of tackling sectarian divide as rightly pointed out by the Dhaka Tribune. The Dhaka Tribune last year quoted an interview with ambassador Mohammed Zakir, head of the political division of OIC wherein he acknowledged that OIC was not competent enough to tackle sectarian divide.
Islamic sectarian divide, particularly the centuries old shia-sunni divide is little recognized by the world for the consequence it caused. The Sunni-Shia conflict with a face-off between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a fallout of the intra-Islamic conflict that had been raging for over 1300 years. The core of the issue between the majority Sunni and the minority Shia constituting 10 to 15 percent of the Muslim population is related to the 7th century legacy of religious and political successor of the prophet. With religion and politics intertwined, the two sects, each with their own sub sects had shackled each other to history, by being unwilling to change with time. The conflict had freezed time for the Islamic world, with each sect wanting to be seen as the true representative of Islam. There is no doubt that many Muslim nations face a plethora of problems that even transcend their borders and reflect in other parts of the world. Almost all such contemporary problems may be attributed to this conflict that had overlapped religion and history.
Being still attached to a historical-political legacy row has kept the conflict simmer for centuries. A centuries old political conflict rooted to history and religion, indeed has contemporary relevance. A bearing casualty of the scenario is democracy, which is either difficult to come or none is interested. Many people in the world today see the various problems faced by Islamic countries or originating from them as being despite the sectarian divide. The truth is probably that the problems are a fallout of this divide and not despite it. The Islamic countries both Sunni and Shia face a huge challenge in raising themselves from the past and to look ahead to the future. It could be that it is not Islam that prevents them from evolving with time and thereby fulfilling the aspirations of their own people, but each other’s sect. There is no other feasible reason as to why Islamic countries stayed behind while all others were adapting themselves to evolving times. Reforms in several Islamic nations on the lines of equality and development are either difficult to happen or coming at a very slow pace. Fundamental reforms that other religions have incorporated even over a century back are still unrealized in many parts of the Islamic world.
While unifying the two sects could hold huge prospects for the rest of the world, one thing is clear. Bridging the gap between the two sects is extremely unlikely to be achieved without external intervention. The two sects must come together as one, mutually agree to bury past hostilities and work together in the interests of their people and development, with no relevance to their ethnicity. It is here that India can play a pivotal role in the OIC. India, under Prime Minister Modi is the best suited country to bridge this much needed gap. India with Prime Minister Modi has an excellent relationship with both countries that lead the divide, has a standing in the international community to undertake this role, have closer cultural identity and ties compared to western nations, and has recent hands-on experience in Muslim personal law reforms. Partnering with India holds huge prospects for the OIC, all its member nations, and the rest of the world.
When the shackles are removed and the focus is on future, their people and development; Islamic nations will begin to move away from seeing everything through religion. Nations will realize that cooperation on the grounds of economy, defense, and development transcends cooperation on religion and ethnicity. Islamic nations could begin to raise themselves as being not just capable of solving their own problems but even contributing to global wellbeing. For the time being the first hurdle that stands between OIC and the much needed unification is India’s inclusion. OIC members particularly Pakistan must realize what the goals, if achieved could mean to them and the rest of the world. This could be one step for the OIC which it must take on its own, one that could pave way to a larger hope like never before.
