Islamic countries meet in Istanbul to discuss US policy on Jerusalem

Istanbul: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will meet here on Wednesday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the steps that will be taken by leaders from the Muslim world.Turkey, as the term president, last week convened the emergency meeting, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said would draw a road map for Muslim countries which oppose the decision, reports the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.

On Monday, Erdogan said he expected the meeting to be a turning point for the Jerusalem issue and the steps Muslim world leaders will take. He said the next steps for those concerned about Palestine will reflect how genuine they are on the issue. Erdogan has frequently criticized leaders of the OIC member states for the lack of unity among the nearly 1.5 million Muslims worldwide on regional and global issues.

The OIC, formerly Organisation of the Islamic Conference, was founded 1969, following an attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem that year. It has 57 member countries and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.On Dec 6, Trump reversed decades of US foreign policy to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and said the embassy would be shifted from Tel Aviv, sparking protests across the Muslim world.(UNI)