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www.streitcouncil.org The Organization of the Islamic Conference: Fatwas on Freedom and Democracy

The Hudson InstituteJanuary 19th, 2011

Christopher R. Mantas

Dr. Mark Durie, a theologian and human rights activist, presented an intriguing account of the

influence of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the ³UN of Muslim states´ on matters of 

importance including freedom and democracy. Founded in 1969, the OIC is a fifty-seven member

coalition of states aimed at unifying all Muslims; as a ³political expression of a religious construct´, it

offers legal guidance on righteous behaviors as viewed by respected jurists in its subsidiary body, the

Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA), whose legal opinions or fatwas represent the most authoritative accounts

of acceptable practices by Muslims worldwide.

The prestige which members of the IFA hold in their respective countries as well as the message which

the body seeks to espouse: the strengthening of the µUmmah¶ or Muslim community, are important in

determining the influence of these fatwas. According to Dr. Durie, the declarations made by the IFA

represent a mainstream interpretation held by most Muslims, regardless of religious sect or school of 

thought. This is deliberately accomplished by the IFA through undertaking debates on issues which

garner as little controversy as possible, including financial regulations, as the unification of Muslims

remains the overarching objective of the IFA, whose goals parallel the OIC.

Dr. Durie emphasized that human rights observers have criticized many portions of the doctrine

espoused by the IFA, especially parts of its Cairo Declaration in 1990, which explicitly states that ³all

rights are subject to the sharia,´ or Islamic law. This is an important point, as ³freedom of expression

is a protected right in Islam within the context of Islamic legal restrictions,´ not considering the rights

of non-Muslims in those communities. For instance, Dr. Durie pointed out that the IFA supports anti-

blasphemous laws, as µfitna¶ or blasphemy against Islam, decreases the Ummah¶s confidence in its

religion and cannot be tolerated. Dr. Durie also underscored the lack of reciprocity in outlook, as other

religions do not receive the same considerations under IFA guidance.

Another key issue of concern when analyzing the IFA, according to Dr. Durie, is the disparity between

the public declarations by members of the IFA, which usually ascribe to a traditional, conservative

approach to sharia, and the private considerations of IFA members, who are attempting to ease the

tensions between Islam and contemporary issues. The tension between classical Islamic

interpretations and contemporary Islamic philosophies on wide-ranging issues for which 1.5 billion

Muslims seek guidance, mandate a body like the IFA to come to cohesive agreements. Dr. Durie

believes that the IFA drives policy through its fatwas and provides counsel on a vast arena of issues,

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as IFA members believe that in an era of individual liberties, a unified Ummah must follow similar

directives, as ³silence would inevitably lead to dissimilarities and chaos.´