The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433 corresponding to 30-31 January, 2012,

Recalling the IPU Resolution adopted at the 116th IPU Assembly on Ensuring Respect for and Peaceful Co-Existence Between All Religious Communities and Beliefs in a Globalized World;

Further recalling the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations and the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as the principles contained therein;

Welcoming the 2011 UN Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/16/18 on Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence, and violence against persons based on religion or belief;

Acknowledging that Islam encourages peaceful co-existence with all man kinds regardless of their religion, race, and ethnicity;

Being Conscious that today, sustainable dialogues at the intersection of the West and the Muslim world, at the international, national, and local level, are vital to reach mutual understanding between religious communities and to eliminate all forms of defamation of religions;

Highlighting the clear responsibility of PUIC Member Parliaments to address the global challenge in bridging cultural and religious differences between the West and the Muslim World in such ways that represent the true and peaceful Islamic way, through international cooperation among Parliamentarians;

1.    Calls upon PUIC Member Parliaments to take appropriate measures in preventing the incidents of intolerance, discrimination and violent practices against persons based on their religions or beliefs in many regions in the world as well as to the occurrences of vilification of religions particularly towards Islam;
 
2.    Calls upon PUIC Member Parliaments to promote meaningful dialogue and foster peaceful interaction with Western Parliaments in such a way that creates appropriate social and political environment for tolerance and coexistence to flourish;

3.    Calls upon PUIC Member Parliaments to build institution of trust within their borders, particularly with Western Parliaments in order to prevent any misperception of security threats and violence which can escalate into international dispute and conflict;

4.    Requests PUIC Member Parliaments to encourage their respective government as well as other political stakeholders such as intellectuals and civil society to establish sustainable  dialogue with Western countries;

5.    Encourages PUIC Member States and Parliaments through establishing dialogues with Western Parliaments to continue promoting peaceful values of Islam along with the spirit of respect to other cultural and religious differences.

6.    Stresses the necessity of projecting the real image of Islam which is based on the propagation of justice, peace, rejection of violence and interacting with others to serve humanity and achieve advancement of nations and peoples, as well as focusing on facing western campaigns against Islamic values through the establishment of dialogue between Islamic and Western Parliaments ;

7.    Calls on all national parliaments to play an active role in the implementation of the Global Agenda on Dialogue among Civilizations as stated in UN resolution No.56/6 for the year 2001 in cooperation with other parliamentary organs;

8.    Stresses the necessity of establishing of Focal group on dialogue between participating civilizations aimed at taking appropriate initiatives in coordination with their respective governments and the other bodies in order to develop the culture and spirit of dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect for consolidation of the basis of peaceful co-existence

9.    Calls for PUIC Member Parliaments to take advantage of their membership in other international and regional parliamentary organizations to promote PUIC goals in establishing sustainable dialogue between Islamic and Western Parliaments.

10.    Commends the Parliaments which have established Focal units on dialogue among civilizations, and requests the PUIC General Secretariat to circulate the experiences of these focal units to all the Member Parliaments.

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433 corresponding to 30-31 January, 2012,

    Recalling the resolutions adopted by the OIC Islamic Summit Conferences, especially 11th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, the 35th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the 5th Session of the Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers and the 2nd Session of the Standing Committee on Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC); as well as the principles included in the Tehran Declaration adopted by the 8th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in December 1997;

    Referring to the Ten-Year Program of Action of the OIC, and reiterating that the principle of dialogue among civilizations based on mutual respect, understanding and equality between nations is a sine-qua-non for international peace and security as well as for tolerance and peaceful coexistence;

    Stressing commitment to the International Declaration on Human Rights which prohibits incitement of hatred against religion.
   
    Commending the initiative of the Member States to support and strengthen dialogue among civilizations and cultures;
   
1.    Invites Muslims of different doctrines to unify and respect the other opinion.

2.    Calls for coordination among Muslim States to establish centers and institutions for dialogue among cultures and civilizations.

3.    Calls also for constituting a PUIC Focal group as well as similar groups in Parliaments of Islamic States aimed at taking appropriate initiatives.

4.    Calls for continuing to engage in interactive dialogues in order to promote dialogue among cultures and civilizations through concrete and sustainable initiatives and symposia. Appeals to the governments of Member States, the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund to extend every financial and moral support for the success of these dialogues.

5.    Calls on the Member Parliaments to urge their respective governments to have the United Nations adopt a resolution calling for ensuring total respect for all divine religions and the inadmissibility of utilizing freedom of expression to insult any religion, calls also for curbing the phenomenon of religious hatred between people

6.    Strongly condemns republication of caricature insulting to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) deplores the backing of some European States for this heinous action, and demands cessation of these provocations

7.    Expresses its concern about the marginalization and loss of the Arabic language vis-à-vis foreign languages in Arab and Islamic States; calls for facilitating the teaching of Arabic language to non-Arabic speaking students, youth and the young in Islamic States, as Arabic is considered the language of the Holy Quran and one of the basic factors for the unity of the Muslim Ummah.

8.    Calls on the Arabic speaking Islamic States, particularly those which have financial potentials to support the youth in non- Arabic speaking Islamic countries, and to provide them with scholarships and appropriate educational programs that help the youth of poor Islamic Countries to learn the Arabic language as a means of understanding Islam and to finance these programs and scholarships through the legitimate resources, including Zakat funds.

9.    Calls for facilitating giving entry visas to students and young men (non-Arabic speaking Islamic countries) who are financially capable and wish to learn Arabic, in order to let them enter the Arabic speaking Islamic countries where they can find suitable Islamic education.

10.    Praises the efforts of ISESCO in the field of propagating and teaching the Arabic language and its sciences to non-Arabic-Speaking people and invites the Member States to support the organization in this respect.

11.    Calls for preparation of a project through consultation with cultural organs of the OIC, scholars and elites from the different parts of the world to contribute to realization of an effective and constructive dialogue between the Islamic and Western civilizations, and projection of a realistic and positive image of the Islamic civilization. Calls on the member Parliaments to enact the necessary legislation in this respect. Calls also on the Islamic development bank and Islamic solidarity fund to support this project.

12.    Stresses the importance of establishing national Islamic television channels, broadcasting in foreign languages, to be directed to the West, in order to project the real image of Islam, and urges ISESCO to establish specialized channels in this respect.

13.    Calls on Non-Muslim states in which Muslims live to ensure and provide civil rights to these Muslims, including their right to just humane treatments and have access to halal food and drink in all places and on all occasions.

14.    Strongly condemns the growing tide of hatred of religions on the part of extremist elements in all religions, and in this respect strongly condemns the bombings which target mosques, churches, and places of worship. Calls on governments to be vigilant and cautious in securing religious facilities and not to expose them to danger.

15.    Expresses the need for adopting a common policy of first priority aimed at preventing the distortion of the image of Islam on the pretext of freedom of expression, particularly through the mass media and the internet.

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433 corresponding to 30-31 January, 2012,

Acknowledging that the core principle of democracy is to the aspirations of the people regardless of their ethnicity, gender, and social background;

Being aware that women have the right to gain greater opportunity in the development process, including political, cultural, and economic affairs and their enhanced role in all development aspects would benefit as an indispensable part to strengthen democracy;

Acknowledging that enhancing the involvement of women in decision making process is fundamental particularly in the election process, to the advancement of Islamic World;

Recognizing the potential roles of women as the foundation to resolve some of developing countries’ urgent matters including famine, socio-political conflict, and the importance to enhance the welfare of children;

Being mindful that in some areas, the stereotype degrading the status of women still occurs and may burden the sustainability of women empowerment;

Commending the recommendations adopted by the World Islamic Forum of Muslim Women Parliamentarians, to discuss issues of Muslim Women, which was held in Damascus, Syria, on 5 – 6 April, 2011)

Welcoming the First Conference of the Muslim Women Parliamentarians held in Palembang on 27th January 2012 as part of PUIC member states’ concern in gender balance in parliamentary delegations with a view to further increasing the participation of women parliamentarians;

Therefore recognizing that discouragement to the empowerment of women is a violation of human rights and a violation of the tenets of Islam;

1.    Calls for strengthening the role of women in all aspects of development in PUIC states aimed at enhancing democracy.
2.    Calls upon PUIC Member Parliaments to promote the enhancement of women in economic, cultural, social, and political fields, in accordance with Islamic values of justice and equality; and aimed also at protecting women from all forms of violence and discrimination and adhering to the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women;
 
3.    Calls on the PUIC Member Parliaments to actively contribute towards projecting Islam as a religion that guarantees the full protection of women’s rights and encourages their participation in all aspects of development;

4.    Calls also on the PUIC Member Parliaments to adopt and implement programs for effective empowerment of women and creation of the appropriate environment for women development.

5.    Urges all PUIC Member Parliaments to carryout affirmative action to ensure implementation of gender equality in all aspects of development.

6.    Supports the total implementation of the OIC plan for the advancement of women.

7.    Calls on the PUIC member States to involve Muslim Women Parliamentarians regularly in all PUIC conferences as well as in the process of decision-making in the Union.

8.    Requests the PUIC Member Parliaments to pay special attention to the education of women and removing the illiteracy of the females as well as seeking to provide good basic education free of charge to all children together with raising legal and political awareness of women.

9.    Invites PUIC Member Parliaments to urge their Executives to strengthen laws that protect rights of women, enjoying the highest possible health levels, and protecting them from all forms of violence and exploitation, including preventing violence against women migrant workers, as well as providing protection to the victims and to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of violence against women.

10.    Urges the PUIC Member States and the PUIC General Secretariat, consider as an international distinguished Parliamentary organization to stress its commitment towards the efforts aimed at ensuring protection for women rights, especially in all aspects of development.

11.    Requests the PUIC Member Parliaments to urge their respective governments to adopt laws that combat harmful customs and traditions which degrade the dignity and position of women.

12.    Requests again Islamic organizations and civil society institutions in Member States to project the rights which Islam has granted to women in order to draw up a document for Muslim women and a document for Muslim Children, and submitting them to specialized UN committees for discussion among world documents so that they may be a reference to the rules that enable Muslim States to implement them.

13.    Demands giving top priority to the development of women capabilities and their qualifications through training, capacity-building and enactment of permanent legislations supportive of women’s rights with the aim of enabling women to effectively participate in building society.
CONF/7-2012/WSC-RES.3

14.    Urges Member Parliaments to adopt an Islamic vision on the issue of discrimination against women through convening a scientific conference to be organized by Muslim Parliaments to address this matter.

15.    Requests the Member Parliaments to urge their governments and specialized organs to exchange their experiences as regards the role which women play in developing their countries.

16.    Commends the hosting by the Indonesian Parliament to organize a Conference on Muslim Women Parliamentarians held in Indonesia in 2012

17.    Welcomes the agreement of the National Assembly of the Republic of Sudan to host the Second Conference for Muslim Women Parliamentarians to be held along with the 8th PUIC Conference to be held Khartoum in year 2013.

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433H corresponding to 30-31 January, 2012,

Proceeding from the principles and objectives enshrined in the PUIC Statute and OIC Charter;

Pursuant to the resolutions adopted by the various relevant Islamic Conferences and meetings;

Referring to the resolutions of the U.N General Assembly and Security Council concerning the city of AL-Quds and the religious sacred sites therein;

In view of the continuous Israeli threats to demolish the blessed AL-Aqsa mosque and build the so-called Solomon Temple in its place;

1.    Stresses that AL-Aqsa Mosque is exposed, now more than ever before, to real danger that threatens its very existence as a result of continuous excavations and demolition works carried out by the occupation authorities beneath the Mosque and in its ramparts.
2.    Strongly condemns all the measures and arrangements taken by the Israeli occupation authorities, specially the Jewishness of the Zionist entity, aimed at impinging on the safety of AL Aqsa Mosque and its environs.
3.    Stresses that the blessed AL-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims and that Jews have no right to enter into its precincts to perform their rituals.
4.    Affirms the necessity of consolidating Islamic efforts at the political and diplomatic levels for the protection of AL-Aqsa Mosque.
5.    Urges the Member Parliaments to request their respective governments to take speedy and effective action in order to prompt the United Nations and its specialized organs to shoulder their full responsibility for developments taking place in Eastern AL-Quds.
6.    Urges also the Member Parliaments to request their governments to mobilize and direct their embassies and diplomatic missions abroad to create a world public opinion supportive of the cause of AL-Quds and to throw light on the danger facing AL-Aqsa Mosque as well as Muslim and Christian holy sites in the City.
7.    Urges the governments of the Member Parliaments to take the necessary measures to consider Al-Quds as a spiritual capital and symbol of the Islamic Ummah.
8.    Urges Muslims and Christians in all parts of the World to work together to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque, as Israel’s attempts to demolish the Mosque constitutes a threat to places of worship for all religions.

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi Awwal, 1433 corresponding to 30 - 31 January, 2012,

Recalling the resolutions adopted by the Islamic Summit Conferences and other OIC conferences in particular the 11th ordinary and the 3rd Extraordinary Sessions of the Islamic Summit conference, the 35th Session of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) the 5th session of the Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers (ICCM) and the 8th Session of COMIAC;
Recalling the objectives of PUIC and OIC which stress the need for coordinated efforts to safeguard the Islamic Holy Places and strengthen the struggle of Islamic peoples for the preservation of their dignity, independence and national rights;
Affirming those objectives and principles enshrined in the PUIC Statute and Charter of the OIC aimed at coordinating efforts to guard and preserve the Islamic heritage;
Also recalling the resolutions of the PUIC and OIC, on the unified stand against the desecration of Islamic Holy Places especially Resolution No.3/6-C(IS) of the Sixth Session of the Islamic Summit Conference;
Recalling the Resolutions of the OIC on a unified stand on condemning of the violations of the sanctity of the sacred Muslim Places;

a-    Destruction of the Babri Masjid in India and protection of the Islamic Holy places;
b-    Destruction of the Charar-E-Sharif Islamic Complex in Kashmir and other Islamic shrines therein;
c-    Destruction and desecration of Islamic historical and cultural relics and shrines in the occupied Azerbaijan territories resulting from the aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan;
d-    Destruction of mosques, churches, holy tombs and houses of worship in Iraq.

Denouncing strongly the subversive activities against the sanctities and the places of worship in Muslim States,
Deploring strongly the criminal action which targeted the Two-Saints Church in Alexandria, Arab Republic of Egypt;

1-    Stresses the necessity of coordinating efforts to protect holy places, mosques and Islamic and Christian places of worship;
2-    Appeals to the international community, and civil society organizations and governments of the OIC, to exert their utmost efforts to take practical measures to protect religious places especially as they are edifices of Islamic civilization.

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433 corresponding to 30-31 January, 2012,

Recalling the resolutions of the Islamic Summit Conferences and the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, the 35th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the 5th Session of the Islamic conference of the Ministers of Culture and the 8th Session of the Islamic Standing Committee for information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC) on youth qualification and care in the Islamic World;

Referring to the danger posed by some programmes which are beamed by some audio-visual media, electronic websites and some satellite channels, considered as an easy access for changing Islamic behaviour and identity of youth;

Emphasizing the role of youth in the Islamic World in promoting dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions, including highlighting the true image of Islam and in the dissemination of its eternal values and principles which call for moderation, dialogue, tolerance and the respect of the others;

1.    Urges States in the PUIC Member Parliaments to pay attention to raise the awareness of youth through objective information which advocates enlightened Islamic values and principles by enacting laws to protect children and youth from dangers engendered by  negative programs.

2.    Urges also the States of the PUIC Member Parliaments to pay attention to education and establish research centers devoted to the issues of Muslim youth in order to prepare them to confront the negative impacts of globalization, and in such a way as to preserve their Islamic identity.

3.    Calls on the Member Parliaments and their governments to ensure participation of youth in their political agenda and to boost the efforts aimed at realizing appropriate representation and participation of youth in decision making.

4.    Urges the Member Parliaments and their governments to expeditiously and conclusively confront the phenomenon of the spread of narcotics among some youth which negatively and dangerously affect their mental and physical abilities, as well as address the moral and economic destruction caused by this despicable phenomenon.

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433H corresponding to 30 - 31 January, 2012,

Recalling the provisions of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam which stress the importance of the rights of the child in Islam;

Welcoming the Rabat Declaration on the issue of children in the Islamic World, adopted by the 1st Islamic Conference of Ministers in charge of Children's affairs, which was held in Rabat on 7-9 November, 2005;

1.    Requests Member Parliaments to urge their governments to disseminate Islamic values relevant to family, women and children, through the media, and to project the radiant image of Islam in improving child condition in the Islamic World, and reiterates the Islamic States solidarity on all child related issues.

2.    Commends the role of UNICEF in improving child conditions in the Islamic Worlds and hails the distinctive, fruitful and continuous cooperation between the specialized organization in the Islamic Worlds and UNICEF for the benefit of the child's survival, protection and development in the Member States.

3.    Calls on Member Parliaments to urge their governments to act, with the assistance of the international community and civil society organizations to improve the conditions of children, particularly those living under difficult conditions and those who live in areas under occupation and violent conflicts as well as natural disasters and regions stricken by famine in East Africa and the Sahel regions and those who suffer from the effects of economic blockades and sanctions imposed on their countries, as well as displaced child refugees, by providing for their physical and moral needs and by taking interest in their education and helping them to return to normal life.

4.    Calls anew on Member Parliaments to enact the necessary legislations which criminalize trafficking in children to use them as human spare parts, ensure that they are not sexually abused nor allow marriage of underage children.

5.    Calls for creating appropriate mechanisms to protect children, and observe their special position as regards the stages of investigation, interrogation and trial in cases relating to physical or sexual violence;

6.    Calls again on the Member Parliaments to sign international agreements on banning trafficking in children or pushing them to work at an early age.
 
7.    Urges the Member State to sign and ratify the OIC Convention on the Rights of the Child in Islam, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Children and the attached optional protocols as well as the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and optional protocol concerning young girls.

8.    Urges the PUIC Member Parliaments to urge their governments to act for the implementation of the Rabat Declaration adopted by the 1st Islamic Conference of Ministers In charge of Children Affairs.

9.    Welcomes the outcomes of the 2nd Islamic Conference of Ministers in Charge of Children Affairs held in Khartoum, Sudan, on 2-4 February, 2009; and calls on the PUIC Member Parliaments to urge their government to follow up and implement them 

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The Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, in its 7th   Session, held in Palembang, Republic of Indonesia on 7 – 8 Rabi ul Awwal, 1433 corresponding to 30-31 January, 2012,

    Following with utmost concern the spread of Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), malaria and other fatal diseases which may cause a global pandemic;

    Expressing its strong concern about the spread of epidemics in some OIC Member States;

    Stressing the necessity of effective solidarity for paying attention to health affairs among all Islamic peoples according to the directions of Islam as well as the basic documents of the PUIC;

1.    Appeals to Muslim Parliaments to enact laws and legislations which help in combating epidemics and contribute to the building of a healthy and disease-free society.

2.    Requests Muslim Parliaments to cooperate among themselves and with regional and international organizations to check the spread of epidemics, especially Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Malaria and Tuberculosis other fatal diseases which ravage many souls such as Swine Flu (H1N1).

3.    Commends the Member parliaments which have prepared studies on identifying Islamic countries where epidemics are spreading; and urges Member States to help in the elimination of such diseases.