Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011

JEDDAH (AFP)--The Organization of the Islamic Conference, based in the Saudi city of Jeddah, Tuesday changed its name to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The Islamist world's largest grouping said in a statement that the name change was approved by its 57 members at a conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, of its foreign ministers.

The change comes almost 42 years after the founding of the inter-governmental organization in reaction to the August 1969 arson attack on Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest in Islam.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has served as its secretary general since January 2005.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

28-06-11 1422GMT