The head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation announced that ministers from OIC states will meet on April 14 in Saudi Arabia to discuss violence against Muslims in Myanmar. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the organisation was “ready to take all necessary measures and actions” in dealing with the impending crisis. Ihsanoglu also urged the government of Myanmar to “put an end to Buddhist extremism and hate campaigns, as well as ethnic cleansing.” State media in Myanmar reported that the death toll from communal violence in the centre of the country over the past 10 days has risen to 43, with more than 1,300 homes and buildings destroyed.
“The OIC intends to raise the issue in the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to find a solution that contributes to putting an end to religious persecution against Muslims in Myanmar. The OIC had previously tried to contact government officials in Myanmar to no avail. There has also been an Egyptian proposition to send a special delegation headed by the Secretary General of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and includes a number of foreign ministers of member countries to Myanmar, but this visit has been postponed. The OIC attempted to open an office in Myanmar over the past year to supply aid to Muslims in Myanmar but extremist Buddhists demonstrated against this attempt,” an OIC official was reported as saying.