LETTERS: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), formerly known as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, has started an "extraordinary meeting" for Afghanistan in Islamabad, Pakistan, yesterday, at the request of its current chair, Saudi Arabia.
Founded in 1969, the OIC has 57 member states, making it one of the largest international organisations that aims to support all Muslims in maintaining their dignity, independence and national rights.
However, when we look at the plight of Muslims in Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan, etc., we wonder if OIC has achieved its goals.
One of the reasons for the failure of the OIC to deal effectively with pressing issues such as terrorism in some Muslim countries is the lack of unity among its members. Given this hurdle, will the OIC play a role in improving the situation in Afghanistan, and if so, what will it be?
In brief, the OIC, as the "collective voice of the Islamic world", can play an important role in coordinating the relief work of Muslim countries to address the dire humanitarian situation of the Afghan people, which has been exacerbated by drought and severe winters.
It can also call on the Taliban government to facilitate the work of international aid agencies without undue interference and to distribute humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter, and medical equipment.
Most importantly, the OIC can use its influence and leverage to call upon the Taliban government to agree on establishing an inclusive government which includes honouring the will of the people, restoring, respecting, and upholding the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls.
It should let the Taliban authorities know that depriving women of their basic rights, including the right to education and the right to work, is unjust, in fact, un-Islamic and contrary to Afghanistan's international human rights obligations.
The OIC should pressure the Taliban government to find a political solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, as the military solution is not sustainable. Violence generates violence and the vicious circle may continue.
The Taliban government must make a self-assessment and find out why professionally educated young people are fleeing the country and why no country in the wider world has yet recognised their rule.
The OIC, like the United Nations, must deal with the Taliban in providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, while at the same time pressuring them to take their responsibilities seriously and gain national and international legitimacy.
National legitimacy takes precedence over international legitimacy, and both are earned, not given, so the OIC should pressure the Taliban government to prove itself worthy of recognition.
PROF DR MOHAMMAD NAQIB EISHAN JAN
Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times