Foundation Islamic Union
Part One
TODAY'S ISLAMIC WORLD
General Situation of the Islamic World
Exactly 15 centuries ago, in the middle of the Arabian peninsula, in the scorching heat of the desert, a light, a sun, appeared that shed light and illuminated a world writhing with all the ignorance of the time. In a short time, this sun began to illuminate first the Arabian peninsula, then Africa, Asia and even Europe. This sun in question was the sun of Islam. Islam, which literally means 'salvation, i.e. salvation, salvation, liberated, liberated, free from all troubles, relieved of all troubles', has brought the masses of people, numbering millions and even billions, to enlightenment and salvation wherever it has gone, with its call of 'Be Islamic, be saved! Various Islamic civilisations were established on the lands of many countries, lasting for centuries. So much so that these civilisations went beyond all natural limitations. Finally, a bridge was built between the continents and an Islamic continent was formed. The dimensions of this continent were approximately 16 thousand kilometres in length, from Borneo, one of the Indonesian islands in the east, to the Cape Verde islands in the west of Africa in the west, and approximately 7 thousand kilometres in width, from the Comoros islands in the south to the plains of Tatarstan in the north.
We observe that the supreme flag of Islam was waved during the Ottoman Empire period as the closest, the largest time period and geographical area to the present day. The borders of this glorious waving started to narrow as of the middle of the 17th century. One of the main reasons for this narrowing was that the Ottoman Empire remained a spectator to the scientific and technological developments in Europe. Indeed, the European nations of that period gave due importance to science and technology and recognised the continents of the 'New World' with the opportunities provided by that technology. Europe, which possessed all the riches of the new world, dominated the world with an overwhelming power. European nations such as the British, French, Germans, Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese, which we call the West in short, have spread all over the world geography with their geographical travels. If we state that more than 50 million people from all European countries, including 7 million from Germany, 5 million from England, 5 million from Ireland, 5 million from Italy, migrated and settled in the USA alone between 1820-1980, we will show the dimensions and results of Europe's expansionist policy.
The decline of the Ottoman Empire and its withdrawal from the stage of history have been criticised by many scholars until today. 'No sir, if this had been done, the empire would not have collapsed. If this had been done, it would have expanded even more. The faults of this sultan and caliph are too many. So-and-so grand vizier was a traitor. On assumptions such as 'it would have been better if so-and-so had replaced him', judgements are made, edicts are issued and various kinds of advice are given. Above all, the following feature of history is forgotten. History is past. It is impossible to bring back something that has already passed. Therefore, it is unnecessary for science to dwell too much on something that is impossible. On the other hand, the following fact is always ignored. From the past to the present, no empire or state has ever lasted. Every empire or state, like human beings and other living beings, is born, grows, develops, declines, collapses and dies. This is a natural rule of this world, the 'Sunnahullah'. This rule has never been an exception for any state. Therefore, the Ottoman Empire, too, had a period of life on the stage of history that Allah (swt) had appointed and ordained. That long period was lived and ended in a glorious and honourable way. Rather than dwelling on assumptions about history, it is necessary to learn from it and not to fall into the mistakes of history again. Today's Islamic countries must also know the history of Islamic history well. In the geography they live in, they should take lessons from the civilisations of the past and move towards the better and more beautiful. In other words, the secrets of ruling for 600 years in a huge geography, on which 45 countries exist today, must be reflected in today's Islamic World. Because history consists of a repetition.[1]
Century, as a number; It is called the period covering every hundred years. It is also called 'century'. However, in political history, the concept of century is determined by the beginning and end of important political events on earth. In this context, the years 1913-1914, the beginning of the First World War, are accepted as the starting date of the 20th century. In other words, the years of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire are defined by western political scientists as the end of a century and the beginning of a new century. What does this mean? What does the 20th century represent? The beginning of the 20th century was the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the disintegration and headlessness of the Islamic world. Like the beads of rosary beads, all Islamic countries entered the 20th century fragmented. If we say that today there are 45 independent and separate states on the Ottoman Empire, we think we can clearly demonstrate the extent of this fragmentation. On the other hand, with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the cross against the crescent, that is to say, in a sense, the Christian world won a historical and great victory over the Islamic world. These years of victory were accepted as the beginning of a new century for the Westerners.
At the end of the First World War, the situation of Islamic countries was not very favourable. Each of them was occupied and exploited by a European country. Western nations are preparing new maps on the world geography in line with their own interests and signing various agreements with each other. However, some Islamic countries, which did not submit to this exploitation order and bondage, fought for independence at the cost of their lives. At the end of these wars of independence, which were won with much bloodshed and martyrs, independent Muslim states emerged one by one in the Islamic World. These struggles are still continuing in some geographies today.
Political historians recognise the end of the 20th century as 1989. The 20th century, which lasted a total of 76 years between 1913 and 1989, has been recorded in history books as a period of constant wars and polarisations. A chronological review of the First and Second World Wars and the regional wars that took place thereafter would clearly reveal that our world has spent all the years of this century in wars. Especially after the Second World War, our world was divided into two spheres, the West and the East. While the Western Sphere was dominated by capitalist countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, a communist bloc was formed in the Eastern Sphere under the leadership of Russia. The Islamic countries, on the other hand, were given the choice of joining or adopting one of these two blocs. Unfortunately, during this period, the rulers of Islamic countries came together and declared: "Neither east nor west! Islamic Bloc, Islamic Bloc!" (La şarkiyya walâ ğarbiyye, Islamiyya, Islamiyya!). However, they should have said this. By 1989, the Warsaw Pact, which was one of the overwhelming powers this time, had reached the stage of disintegration and the member countries started to declare their independence one by one.
With the collapse of the Eastern bloc, the Western bloc, which remained the only power without an alternative, rolled up its sleeves to establish a New World Order in our world. In a political sense, the collapse of the two-bloc world heralds the beginning of a new century. [2]
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR), many states entered into a struggle to declare their independence. Within this movement, 5 Central Asian Muslim Turkic countries (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) together with Azerbaijan declared their independence. Regime changes took place in the countries of the Socialist bloc in Eastern Europe. Yugoslavia disintegrated and small federated republics were established in its place, one of which is the Muslim Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, these independences were not gained peacefully. In Azerbaijan and Central Asia, the blood of many Muslim Turks was shed for independence. Bosnia and Herzegovina has been struggling for this for years. Russian armies are trying to stop the winds of freedom blowing in the Caucasus.
Are the stirrings and resistances in the Islamic World only this much? Of course, this is not all. There is more... The Islamic awakening movement in Algeria... Total resistance against Indian oppression in Kashmir... Mass demonstrations organised against Chinese captivity in East Turkistan... The intifada in Palestine... Chechnya's struggle for freedom... Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Jordan, Eritrea, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Abasia, Crimea, Afghanistan, Moro in the Philippines... If you take a look at any of these countries, it is possible to see traces of an awakening in the name of Islam. In short, as we enter the 20th century, the Islamic world has not reached the stage of a total struggle. On the other hand, the evil powers are making their last moves to suppress this struggle. Europe, the Defender of Human Rights, is trying to justify the massacre in Bosnia on its own behalf. On the other hand, it magnifies the smallest incident occurring in Islamic countries. Wherever they are in the world, non-Muslim countries support each other against Islamic countries. A Serbian soldier tortures and martyrs a captured Bosnian by putting an Ottoman fez on his head. Serbian leaders frequently appeal to the Christian world to erase the traces of the Ottoman Empire from the European continent. Similar events are taking place in Kashmir, East Turkistan, Chechnya and even in the Philippines. In short, the forces of evil are totally united against the Islamic world. On the other hand, what is the situation in the Islamic world?
The First Step to the Union of the Islamic World
It is possible to say that the first step towards unity and solidarity in the Islamic world in the last century was taken in 1969. The first meeting aimed at strengthening solidarity and co-operation among the Islamic countries started with the gathering of the heads of state or government of some Islamic countries in 1969. The following year, the Foreign Ministers of the same countries came together and in 1971, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) (Arabic: Munazamatü'l-Mutemiri'l-Islâmî, English: Organization of the Islamic Conference OIC) was officially established. Turkey became a member of this organisation in 1976. In 1984, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus attended the meeting. The number of members attending this meeting had reached 36. By the beginning of the 1990s, the number of countries participating in the Conference increased to 43. Today, the newly independent Islamic countries also send representatives and observers to the Conference.
Among the objectives of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are activities such as establishing Islamic solidarity by ensuring coordination among the social, economic, scientific and cultural activities of its Member States, opposing racial discrimination in order to strengthen the struggle of Muslims, and trying to ensure the end of discriminatory policies against the Palestine Liberation Organisation. In addition to the General Secretariat, which is in permanent duty, the organisation also has affiliated institutions such as the International Islamic News Agency, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Fund, the World Islamic Education Centre, and the Islamic Court of Justice.
Has the Organisation of the Islamic Conference fully achieved its purpose today? Is it able to produce solutions to the problems in the Islamic world? How much sanctioning power does it have on a world scale? First of all, let us immediately say that it is pleasing that such an organisation has been established. However, it is not possible to say that this organisation has fully achieved its purpose. This organisation convenes for every outcome of the Islamic world and at the end of the meeting it cannot go beyond issuing a verbal and written condemnation. There are two main reasons for this. First, there is the United Nations (UN) organisation, which is more powerful than this organisation on a world scale, and all the member countries of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are affiliated to the UN. Even the condemnatory resolutions adopted by the Organisation are rejected by the vetoist countries of the UN. As such, the resolutions of the organisation are no more than being placed in the relevant files. Secondly, a realistic friendship and unity among Islamic countries has not been established. In fact, at every meeting of the organisation, it is preoccupied with discussing the internal conflicts among the Islamic countries and with problems that are difficult to solve.
The reason for the failure of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference must be sought in recent history. In the 20th century, most Islamic countries were subjected to intense cultural imperialism by their masters, the Western countries. As a result, today such an Islamic country may prefer its master over its brother in religion. In the 20th century, the descendants of the heroic Muslim mujahideen who stood guard at the bastions of the fortresses of Europe in the past centuries have become queuing at the gates of the crusaders to be brought up in the Christian upbringing. It has become a passion to eat like Europeans, to dress like Europeans, to think like Europeans and to be exactly like them.
On the other hand, the Western master countries have gifted the rulers of Islamic countries with a hollow mirror and the people with a bumpy mirror. As a result, the rulers have been made giants in the hollow mirror, while the Muslim people have been dwarfed in the bumpy mirror. And the giantised rulers, because of their delusions and pride, do not come together and establish friendly relations. On the contrary, they are often hostile to each other. Again, the biggest problem in Islamic countries today is that the rulers and the ruled are not at peace. Those who are not at peace with their people cannot be expected to be at peace with the world. The following question comes to mind here. Can a Union of the Islamic World be formed by eliminating these disagreements among the Islamic countries? If such a union is formed, what would be the sanctioning power of this union? Above all, if the Union is formed, will the problems experienced today be completely eliminated?
In order to answer all these questions, it is necessary to know all the Islamic countries that exist today. It is necessary to determine the underground and above-ground resources of the Islamic countries and to calculate their real power on a world scale when these resources are added together.
Natural Conditions of the Islamic World
Today, there are 60 independent Islamic countries in the Islamic world. In addition, 13 countries are in the struggle for independence. If these also gain their independence, the number of Islamic countries will reach 70. When we look at all these countries on the world geography, we see that all of them are located in the central part of the old land masses. In other words, this vast region, which forms the centre of the Asia-Africa-Europe continents, lies between longitudes of approximately 20 degrees west and 120 degrees east and latitudes of 16 degrees south and 48 degrees north.
Again on the world geography, the region covered by the Islamic world resembles a crescent. This crescent has the Balkans at the western end, the Caucasus in the centre and the Altai at the eastern end. As it is known, mountains are natural fortresses. This crescent encircles the European countries and Russia from the south and restrains their expansion. It is on these natural strongholds that all wars today seem to be centred. Bosnia in the west, the Caucasian countries led by Chechnya in the centre and the Turkic countries of Central Asia in the east...
In terms of climate, this region is located in the warm and temperate climate zone. Leaving deserts aside, most of the lands of the Islamic world constitute the best environment for human life. With its mountains, plains, plateaus, soil, vegetation, rivers and lakes, the Islamic world is located on a rich geography. This natural wealth has attracted the attention of countries located in cold regions such as Russia.
Political Situation of the Islamic World
Today, more than 2 billion Muslims live in our world. This means 25 per cent of the world population. This is not a population to be underestimated. In terms of population, the Islamic world constitutes a potential power. In Islamic countries, which have the best conditions for human life, annual population growth is higher than in others. Despite population planning, wars, disasters and famines, the number of Muslims continues to increase at a normal rate.
The Islamic world, which hosts 25 per cent of the world's population, occupies an important geopolitical position. In both Makinder's Land Dominance Theory and Spykman's Rim Belt Dominance Theory, the region includes the crescent or Inner Arc region. According to both views, the path to world domination can only be possible by capturing the crescent. Therefore, the strategic region, which constitutes the lifeblood for world domination, is in the hands of Muslims.
Economic Power of the Islamic World
If we take a brief look at the Islamic countries, it is observed that each of them has an important agricultural and livestock potential. A wide variety of agricultural products grow on their lands. Each of the Islamic countries is very rich in terms of cattle and sheep. When considered as a whole with these features, the Islamic world is self-sufficient and has a significant amount of food stock.
When the underground resources are analysed, it is seen that the Islamic world has a great wealth. The Islamic countries in the Middle East hold 66 per cent of the world's oil reserves (resources). Together with other Islamic countries, more than 70 per cent of the world's oil is in the hands of the Islamic world. The five richest countries in terms of oil reserves (S. Arabia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iran) are all Islamic countries. The five richest countries in terms of natural gas reserves, after Soviet Russia (most of the reserves of this country are located in Muslim Turkish countries), four of them (Iran, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia) are also Islamic countries. On the other hand, Islamic countries have a wide range of rich mineral resources such as uranium, iron, copper, lead, zinc, silver and diamonds.
Despite all these riches, we take a look at the countries of the world; among the developed countries defined as the Big Seven, we cannot see a single Islamic country. And why is that? Because all these resources have been put at the service of Western countries. Indeed, all the underground resources that the Islamic world possesses today are extracted and utilised by the developed Western countries. The share of the Islamic country from the source of wealth it possesses is like an ear in a camel's ear. And the ear is constantly being nibbled by various intrigues. Just take a look at the consortium of 10 companies, which was presented as the Oil Treaty of the Century in recent years (20 September 1994), where the exploration, production and marketing of Azerbaijani oil for 30 years was in question. You will see the truth in all its nakedness. According to the agreement for 510 million tonnes of oil reserves, the shares of the companies are as follows: The share of five US oil companies (Amoco, Unocal, Stateoil, McDermott, Ramco) reaches 42% in total. Britain's BP, Russia's Lukoil, Norway's Penzoil and Norway's Penzoil have a share of 17.1 per cent, 10 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively.
If we look at the world's 10 richest countries, we see Islamic countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Brunei. On the other hand, among the poorest countries, there are Muslim countries such as Guinea-Bissau, Bangladesh, Mali, Burkina Faso (Upper Volta). With this characteristic, the Islamic world today is in a dilemma. If peace and tranquility are to be achieved in the Islamic world today, this dilemma must be overcome. Otherwise, one by one, the poor Islamic countries will enter the waters of the rich Western countries. Allah (swt) forbid, if the starving Muslims are converted in exchange for aid, then the shame of this will fall on all the rich Islamic countries. This is one of the most difficult questions for Muslims to answer.
If Islamic countries are in an advantageous position in terms of natural conditions, political situation and economic wealth compared to other countries, why have they always been exploited in the 20th century? Why has there been a delay in resisting the order of exploitation? What kind of a future awaits the Islamic world as it enters a new century in great pain? It is possible to summarise the answers to all these questions under a few headings.
The Future of the Islamic World
The future is extremely promising for Muslims. Indeed, the 20th century will be the century of the Muslim and all indications point to this. Today's troubles are temporary. The blood and tears shed by Muslims will surely stop one day. In order for the Islamic world to be happy and peaceful in this century, it needs to make various breakthroughs and take its steps more confidently. Some of these steps can be listed as follows:
Today, for a European Union whose building is modelled on the architecture of the cross,
Some Islamic countries insist that they will enter, and this insistence is not always recognised.
They are always turned back with various excuses. This situation is a shame for the Islamic world.
is a very worrying picture. However, there are more honourable and rational alternatives. These are the Middle East
Economic Cooperation of Islamic Countries, Economic Cooperation of Islamic Countries, Economic Cooperation of Turkic States
More permanent and strong alternatives such as co-operation. On these alternatives,
They should be studied in detail and each of them should be put into operation in turn without delay.
Realisation of these breakthroughs is not an impossible task. As long as the first step is taken. We hope that the youth of the Islamic countries of the future will take these longed for and expected steps. Living in an Islamic world where peace and tranquillity are achieved... It is a beautiful feeling even to think about it.[3]
In this part of our book, we will examine the independent Islamic states of today and the Islamic communities struggling for their independence, fundamental rights and freedoms in alphabetical order, one by one and in all aspects. The figures and technical information we will present here have been obtained by scanning written documents, books, encyclopaedias, websites of the foreign ministries of the countries, international research institutions, information sources of the unions and organisations of which the states are members, published in the last fifteen years until 2022. It should be recognised that there may be acceptable changes in the figures over the years and that they may not be completely up-to-date. Our main aim is to present the resources, dynamics and problems of the Islamic world as a whole and from this point of view to accelerate the establishment and continuation of the Organisation of Islamic Unity.
[1] Islamic World, Ramazan Özey.
[2] Islamic World, Ramazan Özey.
[3]Islamic World, Ramazan Ozey.
