Jerusalem has a unique significance as this holy city is revered by all the three divine religions of the world, namely, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. For the Muslims, it is not only the first Qibla for them but also the third holiest shrine. The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), the Muslims believe, started his famous journey to the seven heavens, called Mairaj, from there. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are the cherished holy places for the World of Islam. Since the conquest of the holy city of Jerusalem by the Muslim forces during the rule of Caliph Omar, back in the early 7th Century of the Common Era, save for the brief interregnum between 1099 and 1186 A.D., it has remained in the hands of the Muslims till Britain got over its mandate in the aftermath of Turkey’s defeat in World War I, and the consequent disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, in the first quarter of the 20th Century.

The events following the Balfour Declaration and the creation of the self-proclaimed Zionist State in 1948 and then the aggression of 1967 which resulted in the illegal usurpation of many Arabo-Islamic lands including the Arab East Jerusalem are too well-known to warrant any repetition here.

Given the emotional attachment of the Muslims at large to the cause of Jerusalem, it is but natural that the failure to retake the holy city has been usually attributed to the apathy of the ‘Muslim leadership’, a euphemism for the present ruling elites in the Muslim states. Without getting into the debate of what could or should have been done by those who matter or delving into the conundrum of the commitment or the will of the Muslim leadership to the cause of Jerusalem, this article seeks to survey the efforts that have been done, and have remained largely unnoticed by the public, due to the ‘CNNization’ of the news channels, in pursuit of the cause of Jerusalem. In the opinion of this scribe it is worthwhile to place on record the leaps that have been taken by the Muslim world, at the governmental level, on the road to holy Jerusalem, through this article.

It is well-known that several Muslim States had sent their forces, thereby joining the armed struggle in the cause of Jerusalem and Palestine, in the 1948 war. Though the war aims were not achieved from the Muslim side but the very fact of their participation speaks volumes about their commitment. And when the Zionist leadership proclaimed the establishment of Israel, most of the Muslim member-states of the United Nations of the time, voted against Israel’s admission to the world body. The 1967 war— a preemptive strike by Israel on the Arabs— was also the net result of persistent Arabo-Muslim hostility to Israel and the consequent security paranoia of the latter. The Arab East Jerusalem was lost to the enemy in the war, but this usurpation was never recognized by the Muslim world, and in fact, this started a new phase in the struggle for the Muslim unity, as the holy city had the potential of becoming a rallying point for the Muslims, just as the same holy city had remained a unifying catalyst for the otherwise divided European Christendom, during the centuries of the Crusades.
The final spark was provided on 21 Aug. 1969 when, as a direct result of the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque was set to fire by an arsonist. This was considered as the biggest assault on Islam since the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. Though the Tel Aviv government denied any hand in the incident but her subsequent behavior, including a mere symbolic punishment to the culprit, left no doubt as to who was behind this rash and highly provocative act. This incident demonstrated how much vulnerable the Muslims were, and how emboldened had Israel become after her 1967 victory.

This incident plunged the Muslim world into “shock, anguish and indignation.” The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the President of Motamar al-Alam al_Islami (World Muslim Congress), Amin al Hussaini, cabled to all Muslim heads of state the same day and requested them to hold an emergency Islamic summit conference since, according to him, “the real danger posed by Zionism and their malafide intentions have been exposed”. The then King Hussein of Jordan also wrote to the Arab leaders on the same day to have a summit on the issue. Accordingly, the conference of Arab League foreign ministers met in Cairo on Aug. 25. There was a sharp disagreement on the proposal of holding an Islamic summit, as Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) were in favour of an Arab summit, while Morocco and Saudi Arabia were insistent on calling an Islamic summit. The latter view prevailed as it was felt that Arab summits had achieved nothing tangible in the preceding quarter of a century. And that Jerusalem was a problem for the whole Muslim world, not of the Arab countries alone. Saudi King Faisal and Moroccan King Hassan became the sponsors of the proposed summit and it was decided that the latter would host the summit in Rabat, Morocco.

Hectic preparations for the Rabat summit got underway and emissaries of King Hassan conveyed his invitations to 35 Muslim heads of state. Moroccan foreign minister Ahmad Laraki became the chairman of seven member preparatory committee. Though the conference deliberations largely remained focused on the Jerusalem tragedy and the problem of Palestine, a proposal to create a permanent mechanism for the Islamic Conference was also taken up at this first ever Islamic Summit. The summit ended after making an earnest call for greater cooperation among the Muslim states and decided to convene a foreign ministers’ conference shortly, to consider the establishment of a permanent organization and, if a decision is reached to the affect, take measures for the establishment of its Secretariat.

This laid the foundations of the largest Islamic inter-governmental body and also the principal spokesman of the cause of Jerusalem——the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) that today has an impressive membership of 57 member-states, with three more States and two Muslim communities as Observers. It may be of interest that the Charter of the OIC stipulates Jerusalem to be its headquarter city— and designates Jeddah as a temporary location of the Secretariat ‘pending the liberation of Jerusalem’. (Art.VI of the OIC Charter) And its Secretariat has a separate full-fledged ‘Section of Jerusalem’. One of the four Assistant Secretary Generals of the OIC, who also heads this Section, has the designation of Assistant Secretary General (Jerusalem). As the name of the Section indicates, the primary task of this section is to coordinate the activities of the OIC towards the liberation of Palestine. It also looks after the Islamic Bureau for Boycott of Israel and the Islamic Bureau for Military Coordination with the Frontline States against Israel.
(to be continued...)