World Bulletin / News Desk

OIC head urges member states to help Muslim minority issues, constituting one third of the total number of Muslims across the world.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, opened on Saturday the 12th Meeting of the Governmental Group of Experts on the Situation of Muslim Minorities in non-OIC Member States held at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.

The Secretary General told the representatives of Muslim minorities and Member States representatives, that Muslim minorities constitute one third of the total number of Muslims across the world, representing an estimated half a billion people.

Ihsanoglu pointed up" the myriad initiatives he undertook to resolve the issues besetting Muslim minorities in the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Western Thrace in Greece, and the Caucasus region as well as other regions of the world", in a statement on its official website.

He explained that he has "dispatched special envoys to a number of countries hosting Muslim minorities over the past years in order to get a first-hand appreciation of the conditions of Muslims, interact with them, and identify their needs."

The Secretary General "appealed to the OIC Member States to accord greater importance to Muslim minority issues in non-Member States through their bilateral relations with these countries to help these minorities preserve their rights and interests."

He further "urged the OIC Member States to contribute more effectively in the endeavors of the Group of Experts by showing greater dedication in attending the Group's meetings, granting Muslim minorities the attention they ought to have, and providing them with the required support and assistance."

Güncelleme Tarihi: 20 Nisan 2009, 20:06