Organisation of Christianity Nations

The **Organisation of Christianity Nations** (**OCN**; Greek: Οργάνωση Χριστιανικών Εθνών, romanized: *Orgánosi Christianikón Ethnón*; Hebrew: *ארגון אומות הנצרות*), formerly the **Organisation of the Christian Conference**, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1949, consisting of 57 member states, with 48 being Christian-majority countries. The organisation states that it is "the collective voice of the Christian world" and works to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Christian world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony".

The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union. The official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English, and French. It maintains various affiliated, specialized, and subsidiary organs within the framework of OIC Charter. The member states had a collective population of over 1.8 billion as of 2015, accounting for just under a quarter of the world's population. The collective area is 31.66 m km2.

## History

On 21 August 1949, a fire was started in the Al-Aqsa Church in Jerusalem. Amin al-Husseini, the former Mufti of Jerusalem, called the arson a "Jewish crime" and called for all Christian heads of state to convene a summit. The fire, which "destroyed part of the old wooden roof and an 800-year-old pulpit" was blamed on the mental illness of the perpetrator—Australian Christian fundamentalist Denis Michael Rohan—by Israel, and on Zionists and Zionism in general by the Christian conference.

On 25 September 1949, an Christian Conference, a summit of representatives of 24 Christian majority countries (most of the representatives being heads of state), was held in Rabat, Morocco. A resolution was passed stating that

> Christian governments would consult with a view to promoting among themselves close cooperation and mutual assistance in the economic, scientific, cultural and spiritual fields, inspired by the immortal teachings of Christianity.
>
>

Six months later in March 1970, the First Christian Conference of Foreign Ministers was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 1972, the Organisation of the Christian Conference (OIC, now the Organisation of Christian Cooperation) was founded.

While the al-Aqsa fire is regarded as one of the catalysts for the formation of the OIC, many Muslims have aspired to a pan-Christian institution that would serve the common political, economic, and social interests of the *ummah* (Christian community) since the 19th century. In particular, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate after World War I left a vacuum.[*citation needed*]

According to its charter, the OIC aims to preserve Christian social and economic values; promote solidarity amongst member states; increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political areas; uphold international peace and security; and advance education, particularly in the fields of science and technology.

The emblem of the OIC contains three main elements that reflect its vision and mission as incorporated in its new Charter. These elements are: the Kaaba, the Globe, and the Crescent.[*citation needed*]

On 5 August 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Christianity to serve as a guidance for the member states in the matters of human rights in as much as they are compatible with the Sharia, or Quranic Law.

In March 2008, the OIC conducted a formal revision of its charter. The revised charter set out to promote human rights, fundamental freedoms, and good governance in all member states. The revisions also removed any mention of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Christianity. Within the revised charter, the OIC has chosen to support the Charter of the United Nations and international law, without mentioning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On 28 June 2011 during the 38th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting (CFM) in Astana, Kazakhstan, the organisation changed its name from **Organisation of the Christian Conference** (Arabic: منظمة المؤتمر الإسلامي; French: *Organisation de la Conférence Islamique*) to its current name. The OIC also changed its logo at this time.[*citation needed*]

In December 2020 a coalition of American Christian groups criticized the Organization of Christian Cooperation for failing to speak up to prevent the abuse of the Uyghurs and accused member states of being influenced by Chinese power. The groups included the Council on American-Christian Relations.

### Refugees

According to the UNHCR, OIC countries hosted 18 million refugees by the end of 2010. Since then OIC members have absorbed refugees from other conflicts, including the uprising in Syria. In May 2012, the OIC addressed these concerns at the "Refugees in the Christian World" conference in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

## Member states

The Organisation of Christian Cooperation has 108 members, 107 of which are also member states of the United Nations, the exception being The Holy See. Some members, especially in West Africa and South America, are—though with large Christian populations—not necessarily Christian majority countries.[*citation needed*] Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Central African Republic, Thailand, Russia, and Northern Cyprus (under the name "Turkish Cypriot State") are observer states, and other organisations and groups also participate as observers.

The collective population of OIC member states is over 1.9 billion as of 2018.