Encyclopedia of Islam

women

  

713  J

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World Muslim Congress

 

(World Islamic 

Congress)

The World Muslim Congress (WMC, Mutamar 

al-Alam al-Islami), established for the purpose of 

world peace and unity among Muslims, emerged 

following its first conference in 1926 after being 

founded by a group of distinguished leaders from 

the World of Islam gathering in m

ecca

 and hosted 

by King a

bd

 

al

-a

ziz

 

ibn

  s

aUd

 of s

aUdi

  a

rabia

.

In 1931 the WMC became further institutional-

ized when rules and regulations were created 

and approved by its second International Islamic 

Conference in Jerusalem, convened by a

min

 

al

-

h

Usayni

, Grand Mufti of J

erUsalem

, to secure 

foreign Muslim support for the a

rab

 struggle 

against the British Mandate and Zionism. Follow-

ing the creation of p

akistan

, a majority Muslim 

state, on August 14, 1947, prominent members 

of the World of Islam gathered once again in 

order to revive the WMC. The partitions of both 

i

ndia

 and p

alestine

 and aims to promote solidar-

ity among Pakistanis and Arab Muslims against 

i

ndia

 and i

srael

 provided the impetus for this 

revival, which was achieved in February 1949 at 

the third WMC in the capital of Pakistan at the 

time, Karachi. The revitalization continued dur-

ing a larger, fourth conference, held in Karachi in 

February 1951 when cooperation among Muslim 

countries and citizens became a focal point of the 

organization under the leadership of its president, 

Amin al-Husayni. In 1962 a fifth conference was 

held in b

aghdad

 in which members agreed upon 

a constitution, set up committees, and established 

regional branches for the WMC.

The WMC currently represents one of the 

oldest international nongovernmental Muslim 

organizations. Since its establishment in 1926 

the organization has succeeded in founding a 

World Muslim News Agency and an International 

Muslim Development Bank as part of its drive 

for unity. Additionally, the organization has sup-

ported Muslims worldwide, such as Filipino and 

Bosnian Muslims, as well as other causes such 

as  k

ashmir

 and Palestine. In 1987 the organiza-

tion witnessed two milestone moments with the 

completion of its headquarter complex in Karachi 

and the receipt of Japan’s notable Niwano Peace 

Prize. It was also awarded the Templeton Foun-

dation Award. Currently, the WMC maintains its 

base in Karachi in addition to holding offices in 

Geneva, Jeddah, and Vienna. The organization 

possesses consultative status with the UN through 

its Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and 

the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 

and it also maintains observer status with the 

o

rganization

 

oF

 

the

  i

slamic

  c

onFerence

 (OIC) 

based in Jeddah.

See also a

rab

-i

sraeli

 

conFlicts

; a

rab

 l

eagUe

; 

pan

-i

slamism

; 

politics

 

and

 i

slam

.

Fahad A. Alhomoudi