Who will implement Makkah OIC summit decisions?

Byline: Ashraf Mumtaz

LAHORE -- The decisions taken and speeches made by the top leaders at the OIC summit at Makkah are really commendable. They are the voice of the people of the countries represented there.

The situation will witness a qualitative change if the decisions are implemented in letter and spirit. And that is going to be a challenging task both for the host and the guest countries.

The Makkah Declaration says: The OIC Summit denounced US moves to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The OIC called for a 'boycott' of countries that have opened diplomatic missions in the city.

The OIC condemned the inhumane situation of Rohingya Muslims, urging a halt to violence.

It is the United States that was the first to shift its embassy to Jerusalem, despite the strong opposition repeatedly expressed by the Islamic countries before the step was practically taken.

In the light of the Makkah Declaration the OIC countries should boycott the United States. But will they?

Google says boycott means: withdraw from commercial or social relations with (a country, organization, or person) as a punishment or protest.

Wikipedia says it means a punitive ban on relations with other bodies, cooperation with a policy, or the handling of goods. It also says a boycott is an act of voluntary and intentional abstention from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons.

The question is what kind of boycott has the Makkah Declaration called for? Was there consensus among the participants?

As a matter of principle being the host and the most powerful and respected member of the 57-member OIC, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) should take the lead and do whatever the boycott means. After this, it would become difficult for other OIC members to not follow suit.

But, apparently, the KSA and the USA have the best possible relations which are expected to grow in future under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS).

It will be a miracle if KSA really goes for a boycott of USA at a time when it also needs America's support against Iran.

And if for whatever reasons Saudi Arabia doesn't implement the boycott decision, which other country can afford to go for such a move?

The fact is that the USA doesn't give much weight to the Islamic countries' aversion to the embassy shifting decision. It...