Why OIC Under its Saudi Leadership Does Not Raise The Kashmir Issue?

Originally authored on reddit.com 8/13/20: 
https://www.reddit.com/r/ZaytunHub/comments/ib6fr6/why_oic_under_its_saudi_leadership_does_not_raise/

​The self-imposed Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman, son of current King Salman, is one of the least interested Saudi leader of all times when it comes to most pressing issues faced by Muslims, in particular the occupation of Palestine and Kashmir. The OIC (Organization of Islamic conference) was a platform created in 1972 as a result of Israeli occupation and oppression against the Palestinians and other challenges faced by Muslims. Unfortunately, in recent years OIC has become a platform where some Muslim countries wield complete influence and only allow those issues to be raised that are of concern to their own interests. After the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran that toppled the Shah’s regime, a monarchy, Saudi Arabia and other gulf Arab monarchies saw it as a threat to their existence and the relationship between them and Iran began to deteriorate which harmed the cause of OIC. Threat from Iran resulted in the formation of a council by Gulf Monarchies called the GCC or Gulf Cooperation Council. With OIC headquarters based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has used the platform to wield its political influence on the member states and only push forward those matters that are in line with its own regional agenda. Additionally, with time the latest Saudi leadership under a very old and ailing King Salman, has his crown prince Muhammad bin Salman, also called MBS, handling matters for him, who is very impressed as well as advised by the Emirati leader Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed, called MBZ. MBS and MBZ have restricted use of this platform more than ever. Recently the Muslim summit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia organized by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad to discuss the issues facing the Muslims was rejected and condemned by Saudi Arabia and in particular UAE to the point where they successfully pressured and prevented the attendance of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Indonesian President, leaders of 2 very important Muslim countries. That summit was attended by leaders from Iran, Malaysia, Qatar and Turkey - that have openly come out in support of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, and have raised objection against India's unilateral actions on the occupied region. On Aug 5, 2019 India, under its extremist Hindu BJP government, scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gave autonomy to the occupied Kashmir territory. This would pave the way for a demographic change in Muslim majority Kashmir which would impact the vote of its residents for an independent state. Since then Pakistan has been pressing OIC to raise this matter through their platform but all requests have fallen on deaf ears. 

Muhammad bin Zayed (MBZ) and the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), are known to have mentor and mentee relationship, as the latter dreams to modernize Saudi Arabia on the same pattern of Dubai, UAE. To strengthen their own countries and economies, the Saudi-Emirati partnership is playing an active role of a destabilizer in the Muslim region from Libya to Yemen. Emirati-Saudi-Egyptian support for the warlord Khalifa Hafter in Libya and Emirati-Saudi support for the separatist stooges in Yemen, their efforts to curb Iranian influence, their not very hidden alliance with Israel, blockade of Qatar, are very clear objectives. With all this political activity and involvement of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world together with its UAE partnership makes OIC even more unreliable to be approached for resolving Muslim issues.

The question is why is Saudi Arabia with UAE as its main partner are playing such a divisive part in Muslim world despite being in leadership of OIC forum. Does Islam answer this question? 

In 1920s Indo-Pak Subcontinent Muslims, then under British rule, led a Khilafat Movement to prevent the abolishment of Ottoman Caliphate by the European Colonizers. The Bedouins of Arabian Peninsula, in particular the House of Saud from Najd region, backed by their British partners, raised a final rebellion in early 19th century to eliminate the remaining Ottoman control of Makkah and Madinah and formed their new state called Saudi Arabia. This rebellion was a series of rebellions that initiated in the early 18th century (early 1700s) by Muhammad ibn Saud and his religious scholar supporter Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab. At that time a hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came to light in which he prophesied a fitnah (trial, tribulation, difficult period) that would emerge from Najd:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "O Allah bless us in our Sham! O Allah bless us in our Yemen." They said: "And in our Najd" He said: "O Allah bless us in our Sham! O Allah bless us in our Yemen." They said: "And in our Najd" He said: "Earthquakes are there, and tribulations are there." Or he said: "The qarn (age or horn) of Shaitan comes from there." (Jami Tirmidhi - Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3953)

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ refused to send his blessings and prayers upon Najd because he knew that some people from this land will gain power in the end of times (akhir uz zamaan) and become a trial for the Muslims. Since the abolishment of Ottoman Caliphate, several prominent Islamic scholars have interpreted this hadith in reference to the rebellion of House of Saud that emerged from Najd. The Prophet ﷺ predicted a “qarn of shaitan” where qarn in Arabic commonly translated as “horn” is also referred to an “age” or “epoch” thus teaching us that a new age of rulership appearing from Najd which would be the cause of much trouble, division and instability for the Muslims and in particular the Arabs. This instability is quite clearly noticeable in the fact that since the establishment of Saudi Arabia Muslims have seen the abolishment of Caliphate, an institute that existed among them from the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a major uniting factor of Islam.

After the failure of the Khilafat Movement of IndoPak subcontinent the Muslims in India decided to struggle for their own homeland independent of British rule and to avoid living under Hindu majority. This resulted in the creation of Pakistan but through deceit and trickery of the extremist Hindu government of India, Kashmir was not allowed freedom and still remains under their occupation. Hence where Pakistan was created as a result of Muslim unity and to save the Islamic identity, Saudi Arabia was formed as a result of breaking up of a major factor that kept Muslims united, the Caliphate. Since the European backers and allies of Saudi Arabia are those that struggled to break up the Caliphate, it is not possible that Muslims should carry any hopes that they would unconditionally support Palestinian or Kashmir issue or even if some of the royals of the ruling family did, the majority in power will always oppose.

One of the signs of the end times that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said was “…. what I fear most for my nation is misguiding leaders. Some tribes among my nation will worship idols and some tribes among my nation will join the idolaters.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 3952) - "join the idolators" is a clear fulfillment of a prophecy of economic alliance with the Hindu (idolater) Govt of India due to which Saudi Arabia and UAE are not uttering a word for the sake of Kashmir. Saudi Arabia, in particular with its foolish and ambitious crown prince is fast track to accomplish its 2030 vision in which his main concern is to diversify economy so their reliance on oil and conventional resources of revenue becomes less. To accomplish their economic ambitions the Saudis have even decided to heavily invest in India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, a quasi-sovereign wealth fund, to help accelerate the building of ports, highways and other projects in India, overlooking plight of Kashmiri Muslims and other Muslims of India that continuously face hostility and hate crimes from the extremist BJP govt in power. India's bilateral trade with Saudi Arabia was USD 27.48 billion in 2017-18, making Saudi Arabia its fourth largest trading partner. Right after India abolished the autonomous status of Kashmir on Aug 5th, 2019, UAE awarded fascist Prime Minister Modi with highest award of honor called ‘Order of Zayed’ because of annual bilateral trade of about USD 60 billion, which makes them India's third-largest trade partner. UAE also the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil to India.

This Saudi and Emirati blind eye turning towards the major problems of the Muslim world is because they give high importance to wealth. Their mindset considers material success over more important issues and this materialistic attitude was also prophesied by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recorded in the famous hadith of Jibreel (alaihi salaam) when he was asked about a sign of the hour (end times) to which the Prophet ﷺ  replied “…when a slave woman gives birth to her mistress, when you see the barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in making tall buildings.” (Sunan an-Nasa'i 4990) - The fulfillment of this prophecy came to be when GCC states, in particular UAE and Saudi Arabia after discovery of oil began modernizing their cities with construction projects worth billions USD with their mark of tallest buildings in the world such as Burj Khalifa and Makkah tower. It is also a fact that rulers of these Sheikhdoms have historically inhabited the deserts Arabian lands from the time of Prophet ﷺ and are known for their camel herding and shepherding. It was only after the 20th century discovery of oil in the region that their manner of living completely changed their Bedouin desert lifestyle. Rather than using their oil wealth and influence to help those who are under oppression, they would employ it to dominate and exploit the Muslims, if and when necessary to sustain their influence and power in the region.

Before ending this short writing I would like to mention an important ayah of the Quran. The ayah was revealed when some Bedouins came to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to accept Islam and proudly declared that they now have faith, to which the following verse of the Quran was revealed:

(Al Quran 49:14) قَالَتِ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ ءَامَنَّاۖ قُل لَّمۡ تُؤۡمِنُواْ وَلَٰكِن قُولُوٓاْ أَسۡلَمۡنَا وَلَمَّا يَدۡخُلِ ٱلۡإِيمَٰنُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمۡۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ لَا يَلِتۡكُم مِّنۡ أَعۡمَٰلِكُمۡ شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٌ

“THE BEDOUIN say, ‘We have attained to faith.’ Say [to them, O Muhammad]: ‘You have not [yet] attained to faith; you should [rather] say, 'We have [outwardly] surrendered' - for [true] faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you [truly] pay heed to God and His Messenger, He will not let the least of your deeds go to waste: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.” - Asad Translation.

References:

Kuala Lumpur Summit: Five major issues facing Muslim world
Emirate of Diriyah
Another setback for Pakistan’s faltering Kashmir stance
US promotes meeting between MBS and Netanyahu
Gulf Cooperation Council
Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
Saudi Vision 2030
Saudi crown prince in India as 'trade, investment' top agenda
Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
UAE honours PM Narendra Modi with highest civilian award
Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
http://imranhosein.org/inhmedia/books/caliphate.pdf
Israel, UAE announce normalisation of relations with US help