The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is to consider changing its name, charter and structure in a major overhaul aimed at projecting a more moderate image, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

Syed Hamid Albar said after returning from the OIC Commission of Eminent Persons meeting in Pakistan last week that the group had come up with a plan to give the OIC a completely new look.

"The agreement was that first of all we must improve our image. We must project Muslim nations to be seen as moderate countries and be mainstream players in international politics," he told reporters.

"To achieve this we must undertake some programs, we must have better media interaction and more interaction with people of different religions and cultures."

"We propose a change to the OIC name as well as the contents of its charter. Now we want to take a global context," he said.

Syed Hamid said the two-day meeting focused on the challenges facing Muslims in the 21st century and how to make the world's biggest grouping of Muslim nations more relevant. He led the meeting as the representative of Malaysia, the group's current chair.

The OIC's original charter was based on the struggle against injustice against the Palestinians and needed an update, he said.

Further discussions

He did not however indicate how the organisation would be restructured, saying the group's foreign ministers would discuss that as well as the new name when they meet in Sana'a, Yemen, in June.

If they endorse the recommendations, the proposed overhaul would be put before the heads of state when they meet in Mecca in November.

"It is important for us to use approaches that will be acceptable based on faith, mastery of knowledge, upholding of justice and good governance," he said.

"Definitely we agreed to undertake all of these things and we cannot do it without reorganising the OIC structure."

The 57-member OIC was established in 1969 and is based in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah.