The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) was founded by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in May 1979.[1] With 54 member states, ISESCO is one of the largest international Islamic organizations and specializes in the fields of education, science and culture. Its headquarters are in Rabat, Morocco. The Director General is Dr Salim M. AlMalik, also Secretary General of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW).
The working languages of ISESCO are Arabic, English and French.
According to the OIC, ISESCO's objectives are "to strengthen and promote cooperation among the Member States in the fields of education, science culture and communication; consolidate understanding among peoples inside and outside Member State; contribute to world peace and security through various means; publicize the true image of Islam and Islamic culture; promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions; encourage cultural interaction and foster cultural diversity in the Member States, while preserving cultural identity and intellectual integrity."[2]
ISESCO appoints an Islamic cultural capital of Asia, the Arab region and Africa, for each year. During the appointments for 2017, Deputy Director General Dr. Amina Al-Hajri explained that an Islamic cultural capital "must primarily be of documented historical authenticity, have an outstanding contribution to knowledge and learning that singles it out in the country and the region, a significant input in Islamic culture and human culture in general." The three cities that are bearing the capital for 2017 are Mashhad, Iran for Asia, Amman, Jordan for the Arab region and Kampala, Uganda for Africa.[3][4]
In 1983, ISESCO and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation agreed on the development of a strategy for strengthening Muslim communities in the West. The document is entitled "Strategy of Islamic Cultural Action Outside the Islamic World" (French: Stratégie d'action islamique culturelle à l'extérieur du monde islamique). The document was adopted at the Doha summit in Qatar in 2000 by the ISESCO member countries.[5] In 2018, Jean-Frédéric Poisson publishes a book to comment on this text which is, according to him, "a true document of conquest" (French: un document de véritable conquête).[6] · [7] · [8]
ISESCO includes 3 organizations:
The Charter of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization stipulates that every full Member State of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation -OIC- shall become a member of ISESCO upon officially signing the Charter, and having completed the membership legal and legislative formalities and informed, in writing, the General Directorate of ISESCO. A State which is not a full member, or is an observer member of OIC, cannot become member of ISESCO.ISESCO numbers fifty-four(54) Member States, along with three(3) Observer States, out of the fifty-seven (57) Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – OIC. ISESCO Member States are listed below according to their Arabic alphabetical order.
Flag | Name | Date of Accession |
---|---|---|
Azerbaijan | Republic of Azerbaijan | 1991 |
Jordan | Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | 1982 |
Afghanistan | Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | 2003 |
United Arab Emirates | State of the United Arab Emirates | 1983 |
Indonesia | Republic of Indonesia | 1986 |
Uzbekistan | Republic of Uzbekistan | 2017 |
Uganda | Republic of Uganda | 2012 |
Iran | Islamic Republic of Iran | 1992 |
Pakistan | Islamic Republic of Pakistan | 1982 |
Bahrain | Kingdom of Bahrein | 1982 |
Brunei | Brunei Darussalam | 1985 |
Bangladesh | People’s Republic of Bangladesh | 1982 |
Benin | Republic of Benin | 1988 |
Burkina Faso | Burkina Faso | 1982 |
Tajikistan | Republic of Tajikistan | 1993 |
Turkey | Republic of Turkey | 2017 |
Chad | Republic of Chad | 1982 |
Togo | Republic of Togo | 2002 |
Tunisia | Republic of Tunisia | 1982 |
Algeria | People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | 2000 |
Djibouti | Republic of Djibouti | 1982 |
Saudi Arabia | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | 1982 |
Sudan | Republic of the Sudan | 1982 |
Suriname | Republic of Suriname | 1996 |
Syria | Syrian Arab Republic | 1982 |
Sierra Leone | Republic of Sierra Leone | 1984 |
Senegal | Republic of Senegal | 1982 |
Somalia | Federal Republic of Somalia | 1982 |
Iraq | Republic of Iraq | 1982 |
Oman | Sultanate of Oman | 1982 |
Gabon | Republic of Gabon | 1982 |
Gambia | Republic of the Gambia | 1982 |
Guyana | Republic of Guyana | 2014 |
Guinea | Republic of Guinea | 1982 |
Guinea-Bissau | Republic of Guinea Bissau | 1984 |
Palestine | State of Palestine | 1982 |
Kazakhstan | Republic of Kazakhstan | 1996 |
Qatar | State of Qatar | 1982 |
Comoros | Union of Comoros | 1982 |
Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyz Republic | 1996 |
Cameroon | Republic of Cameroon | 2001 |
Ivory Coast | Republic of Cote d’Ivoire | 2001 |
Kuwait | State of Kuwait | 1982 |
Lebanon | Republic of Lebanon | 2002 |
Libya | State of Libya | 1984 |
Maldives | Republic of Maldives | 1982 |
Mali | Republic of Mali | 1982 |
Malaysia | Malaysia | 1982 |
Egypt | Arab Republic of Egypt | 1984 |
Morocco | Kingdom of Morocco | 1982 |
Mauritania | Islamic Republic of Mauritania | 1982 |
Niger | Republic of Niger | 1982 |
Nigeria | Federal Republic of Nigeria | 2001 |
Yemen | Republic of Yemen | 1983 |