The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will convene tomorrow in Istanbul to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's recent controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the steps that will be taken by leaders from the Muslim world.
Turkey, as the term president, called on the leaders of the body last week to convene for an emergency meeting, which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said would draw a road map for Muslim countries as they oppose the decision.
Erdoğan said yesterday, in an event organized by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on World Humanitarian Day, that through its policies, Turkey and the OIC will continue to express concerns on issues. He said that he expects the meeting to be a turning point for the Jerusalem issue and the steps Muslim world leaders will take. The OIC was founded on Sept. 25, 1969 in Morocco, in reaction to an arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in August of that year. It has 57 member countries and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
As the term president, Erdoğan has frequently criticized the leaders of the 57 member states for the lack of unity among the nearly 1.5 million Muslims worldwide on regional and global issues.
He said that the next steps for those concerned about Palestine will reflect how genuine they are on the issue. The participation of the member states is expected at the state head level, but given the regional sensitives between them, it is unlikely that all members will participate at the highest level.
