Organisation of Islamic Cooperation           منظمة التعاون الاسلامي (Arabic) Organisation de la Coopération Islamique (French)
Coat of arms of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Flag
Member States   Observer States   Blocked States
Administrative center		Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Official languages		Arabic, English, French
Membership		57 member states
Leaders
-	Secretary-General	Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu
Establishment
-	OIC Charter signed	September 25, 1969
Population
-	estimate	1.6 billion (2011)
Website http://www.oic-oci.org/

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; Arabic: منظمة التعاون الاسلامي‎; French: Organisation de la Coopération Islamique (OCI))^{[a 1]} is an international organisation consisting of 57 member states. The organisation attempts to be the collective voice of the Muslim world (Ummah) and attempts to safeguard the interests and ensure the progress and well-being of Muslims.

The OIC has a permanent delegation to the United Nations, and is the largest international organisation outside of the United Nations.^[1] The official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English, and French. It changed its name on 28 June 2011 from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (Arabic: منظمة المؤتمر الإسلامي‎; French: Organisation de la Conférence Islamique) to its current name.^[2]

History and goals[link]

Since the 19th century, some Muslims had aspired to ummah to serve their common political, economic, and social interests. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate after World War I left a vacuum for a pan-Islamic institution. Losing the Arab-Israeli War provided the incentive needed in 1967. Leaders of Muslim nations met in Rabat to establish the OIC on September 25, 1969.^[3]

According to its charter, the OIC aims to preserve Islamic social and economic values; promote solidarity amongst member states; increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political areas; uphold international peace and security; and advance education, particularly in the fields of science and technology.^[3]

The flag of the OIC (shown above) has an overall green background (symbolic of Islam). In the centre, there is an upward-facing red crescent enveloped in a white disc. On the disc the words "Allahu Akbar" (Arabic for "God is Great") are written in Arabic calligraphy.

On August 5, 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam to serve as a guidance for the member states in the matters of human rights in as much as they are compatible with the Sharia, or Quranic Law.^[4]

On 24 February 2009, the International Zakat Organization in cooperation with the Organisation of the Islamic Conferences announced the selection of the BMB Group to head up the management of the Global Zakat and Charity Fund, with its CEO Rayo Withanage becoming the co-chairman of the zakat fund. The fund is expected to contain 2 billion ringgits in 2010, about US$650 million.^[5]

Members[link]

The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation has 57 members, 56 of which are classed by the United Nations as member states. Some, especially in West Africa, are - though with large Muslim populations - not necessarily Muslim majority countries. A few countries with significant Muslim populations, such as Russia and Thailand, sit as Observer States, while others, such as India and Ethiopia, are not members.

Member State	Joined	Notes
Afghanistan	1969	Suspended 1980 - March 1989
Algeria	1969
Chad	1969
Egypt	1969	Suspended May 1979 - March 1984
Guinea	1969
Indonesia	1969
Iran	1969
Jordan	1969
Kuwait	1969
Lebanon	1969
Libya	1969
Malaysia	1969
Mali	1969
Mauritania	1969
Morocco	1969
Niger	1969
Pakistan	1969	Blocking India from membership
State of Palestine[6]	1969[7]
Saudi Arabia	1969
Senegal	1969
Sudan	1969
Somalia	1969
Tunisia	1969
Turkey	1969
Yemen	1969	From 1990 as Republic of Yemen united with People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Bahrain	1970
Oman	1970
Qatar	1970
Syria	1970
United Arab Emirates	1970
Sierra Leone	1972
Bangladesh	1974
Gabon	1974
Gambia	1974
Guinea-Bissau	1974
Uganda	1974
Burkina Faso	1975
Cameroon	1975
Comoros	1976
Iraq	1976
Maldives	1976
Djibouti	1978
Benin	1982
Brunei	1984
Nigeria	1986
Azerbaijan	1991
Albania	1992
Kyrgyzstan	1992
Tajikistan	1992
Turkmenistan	1992
Mozambique	1994
Kazakhstan	1995
Uzbekistan	1995
Suriname	1996
Togo	1997
Guyana	1998
Côte d'Ivoire	2001
Suspended or Withdrawn
Zanzibar	1993	Withdrew August 1993
Observer States
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1994
Central African Republic	1997
North Cyprus as 'Turkish Cypriot State'	1979[8]	Designation changed in 2004[9]
Thailand	1998
Russia	2005
Observer Muslim Organisations and Communities
Moro National Liberation Front	1977	Blocking membership of the Philippines
Observer Islamic institutions
Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States	2000
Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation	2005
Observer International Organisations
League of Arab States	1975
United Nations	1976
Non-Aligned Movement	1977
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Organisation of African Unity	1977
Economic Cooperation Organisation	1995

A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational organisations within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.v • d • e

The collective population of OIC member states is over 1.4 billion as 2008.

Democracy[link]

In the 2010 Democracy Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, no OIC countries were rated as a "Full Democracy" under its guidelines, and only 3 of the 57 members were rated as a "Flawed Democracy." The rest were rated either an "Authoritarian Regime" or a "Hybrid Regime."^[10]

Freedom[link]

The 2010 Freedom in the World, rated 3 OIC member states as Free based on Political Rights and Civil Liberties in the member countries.^[11]

Reporters Without Borders in its 2010 Press Freedom Index rated Mali and Suriname among the OIC members as having a Satisfactory Situation. Other members had ratings ranging from Noticeable Problems to Very Serious Situation.^[12][13]

The US Department of State 2010 International Religious Freedom Report cited OIC members Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan as being Countries of Particular Concern, where religious freedom is severely violated. It also cited OIC members Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan as "countries that face challenges in protecting religious freedom".^[14]

The Open Doors USA organisation, in its 2012 survey of countries around the world that persecute Christians, listed 37 members of the OIC amongst the top 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. 9 of the top 10 countries are OIC, Islamic-majority states.^[15]

Literacy and scholarship[link]

OIC members on average are countries with lower literacy rates. Though some members such as the former CIS states, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have over 99% literacy, literacy rates are as low as 54% in Pakistan and Bangladesh and under 30% in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, etc. The bottom 5 countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world are all OIC members.

Also, while some Islamic countries like the Islamic Republic of Iran exhibited a high scientific publication growth rate in 2009-10,^[16] this is still only a fraction of scientific papers published by any OECD nation. Some OIC countries have tried to kick-start scientific research. Saudi Arabia has established KAUST and UAE has invested in Zayed University, United Arab Emirates University, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, etc.^[17]

In 2007, Dubai's Prime Minister and UAE Vice-President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, endowed a foundation with US$100 million for invigorating Arab scientific research.^[18]

Economy[link]

Indonesia has the highest GDP in 2011 among OIC members at US$834 billion at nominal exchange rates The total GDP of 57 members of OIC is US$6.2 trillions in nominal exchange rates as of 2011 IMF outlook.^[19] The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita is Qatar at USD 103,204 per capita.

Military[link]

Pakistan has the largest armed forces among OIC members,^{[citation needed]} and is the only Muslim nuclear power. Bangladesh and Pakistan are the largest contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping effort.^{[citation needed]}

Refugees[link]

According to the UNHCR, OIC countries hosted 18 million refugees by the end of 2010. Since then OIC members have absorbed refugees from other conflicts, including the uprising in Syria. In May 2012, the OIC is expected to address these concerns at the "Refugees in the Muslim World" conference in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.^[20]

Positions[link]

The Parliamentary Union of the OIC member states (PUOICM) was established in Iran in 1999, and its head office is situated in Tehran. Only OIC members are entitled to membership in the union.^[21]

President George W. Bush announced on June 27, 2007, that the United States would establish an envoy to the OIC. Bush said of the envoy, "Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states, and will share with them America's views and values."^[22] Rashad Hussain is the current special envoy, after being appointed on 13 February 2010.^[23] Individual organisation members vote against the United States on over 86 percent of United Nations resolutions.^[24]

The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation on March 28, 2008, added its voice to the growing criticism of the film 'Fitna' by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, which features disturbing images of violent acts juxtaposed with verses from the Quran.^[25]

Stance on cartoons of Mohammed[link]

Cartoons of Mohammed, published in a Danish newspaper in September 2005, were found offensive to a number of Muslims. The December 2005 meeting of the then Organisation of the Islamic Conference urged member states to opposition. Violent demonstrations were then held throughout the Islamic world, resulting in the deaths of hundreds.

Human rights[link]

OIC created the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam.^[4] While proponents claim it is not an alternative to the UDHR, but rather complementary, Article 24 states, "All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari'ah." and Article 25 follows that with "The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration." Attempts to have it adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council have met increasing criticism, because of its contradiction of the UDHR, including from liberal Muslim groups.^[26] Critics of the CDHR state bluntly that it is “manipulation and hypocrisy,” “designed to dilute, if not altogether eliminate, civil and political rights protected by international law” and attempts to “circumvent these principles [of freedom and equality].”^[27][28][29]

Human Rights Watch says that OIC has “fought doggedly” and successfully within the United Nations Human Rights Council to shield states from criticism, except when it comes to criticism of Israel. For example, when independent experts reported violations of human rights in the 2006 Lebanon War, “state after state from the OIC took the floor to denounce the experts for daring to look beyond Israeli violations to discuss Hezbollah’s as well.” OIC demands that the council “should work cooperatively with abusive governments rather than condemn them.” HRW responds that this works only with those who are willing to cooperate; others exploit the passivity.^[30][31]

The OIC has been criticised for diverting its activities solely on Muslim minorities within majority non-Muslim countries but putting a taboo on the plight, the treatment of ethnic minorities within Muslim-majority countries, such as the oppression of the Kurds in Syria, the Ahwaz in Iran, the Hazars in Afghanistan, the Baluchis in Pakistan, the 'Al-Akhdam' in Yemen, or the Berbers in Algeria.^[32]

Terrorism[link]

In 1999 OIC adopted the OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism.^[33] Human Rights Watch has noted that the definition of terrorism in article 1 describes “any act or threat of violence carried out with the aim of, among other things, imperiling people’s honour, occupying or seizing public or private property, or threatening the stability, territorial integrity, political unity or sovereignty of a state.” HRW views this as vague and ill defined, and includes much that is outside the generally accepted understandings of the concept of terrorism. In HRW's view, it labels, or could easily be used to label, as terrorist actions, acts of peaceful expression, association, and assembly.^[34]

Legal scholar Ben Saul of University of Sydney argues that the definition is subjective and ambiguous and concludes that there is “serious danger of the abusive use of terrorist prosecutions against political opponents” and others.^[35]

Furthermore, HRW is concerned by OIC’s apparent unwillingness to recognise as terrorism acts that serve causes endorsed by their member states. Article 2 reads: “Peoples’ struggle including armed struggle against foreign occupation, aggression, colonialism, and hegemony, aimed at liberation and self-determination.” HRW has suggested to OIC that they embrace “longstanding and universally recognised international human rights standards”^[34]—a request that has as yet not led to any results.^{[citation needed]}

Contradictions between OIC's and other U.N. member’s understanding of terrorism has stymied efforts at the U.N. to produce a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.^[36]

On a meeting in Malaysia in April 2002, delegates discussed terrorism but failed to reach a definition of it. They rejected, however, any description of the Palestinian fight with Israel as terrorism. Their declaration was explicit: "We reject any attempt to link terrorism to the struggle of the Palestinian people in the exercise of their inalienable right to establish their independent state with Al-Quds Al-Shrif (Jerusalem) as its capital." In fact, at the outset of the meeting, the OIC countries signed a statement praising the Palestinians and their "blessed intifada." The word terrorism was restricted to describe Israel, whom they condemned for "state terrorism" in their war with the Palestinian people.^[37]

At the 34th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM), an OIC section, in May 2007, the foreign ministers termed Islamophobia the worst form of terrorism.^[38]

Dispute with Thailand[link]

Thailand has responded to OIC criticism of human rights abuses in the Muslim majority provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat in the south of the country. In a statement issued on 18 October 2005 secretary-general Ihsanoglu vocalised concern over the continuing conflict in the south that "claimed the lives of innocent people and forced the migration of local people out of their places".^[39] He also stressed that the Thai government's security approach to the crisis would aggravate the situation and lead to continued violence.

On 18–19 April 2009, The exile Patani leader Abu Yasir Fikri (see PULO) was invited to the OIC to speak out about the conflict and present a solution to end the violence between the Thai government and the ethnically Malay Muslims living in the socioeconomically neglected south, that has been struggling against Thai assimilation policy and for self governance since it became annexed by Thailand in 1902. Abu Yasir Fikri presented a six-point solution at the conference in Jiddah that included getting the same basic rights as other groups when it came to right of language, religion, and culture. In the solution Abu Yasir Fikri also suggested that Thailand give up its discriminatory policies against the Patani people and allow Patani to at least be allowed the same self-governing rights as other regions in Thailand already have, citing that this does not go against the Thai constitution since it has been done in other parts of Thailand and that it is only a matter of political will.^[40] He also criticised the Thai government’s escalation of violence by arming and creating Buddhist militia groups and questioned their intentions. He added Thai policies of not investigating corruption, murder, and human rights violations perpetrated by Bangkok-led administration and military personnel against the Malay Muslim population was an obstacle for achieving peace and healing the deep wounds of being treated as third-class citizens.^[40][41]

Thailand responded to this criticism over its policies. The Thai foreign minister, Kantathi Suphamongkhon, said: “We have made it clear to the OIC several times that the violence in the deep South is not caused by religious conflict and the government grants protection to all of our citizens no matter what religion they embrace.” The Foreign Ministry issued a statement dismissing the OIC’s criticism and accusing it of disseminating misperceptions and misinformation about the situation in the southern provinces. “If the OIC secretariat really wants to promote the cause of peace and harmony in the three southern provinces of Thailand, the responsibility falls on the OIC secretariat to strongly condemn the militants, who are perpetrating these acts of violence against both Thai Muslims and Thai Buddhists.”^[39][42][43]

HRW"^[44] and Amnesty International^[41] have echoed the same concerns as OIC, rebuffing Thailand's attempts to dismiss the issue.

Dispute with India[link]

India has also hit out at the OIC for supporting UN demands for a plebiscite in Kashmir.The UN stated that it was “concerned” about the “violent protests” in Kashmir and the reaction from the Indian state and called for restraint from both sides.^[45]

Although it contains the third largest number of Muslims in the world, India has been blocked by Pakistan from joining the OIC.^[46][47][48]

Notable meetings[link]

A number of OIC meetings have attracted global attention.

Tenth OIC Summit[link]

The 10th OIC summit attracted attention at the opening session of the meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 16 October 2003, where Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia in his speech argued that the Jews control the world: "They invented socialism, communism, human rights, and democracy, so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so that they can enjoy equal rights with others. With these they have gained control of the most powerful countries and they, this tiny community, have become a world power.” He also said that “the Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them.”^[49][50]

The speech was very well received by the delegates, including many high ranking politicians, who responded with standing ovations".^[51][52][53] Western, non-Muslim reactions, however, were appalled. "We view [the remarks] with contempt and derision," said a U.S. State Department spokesman. The foreign minister of Italy, who held the rotating presidency of the European Union, called the incident "gravely offensive." Malaysian officials later clarified that Mahathir had been trying to say that despite having been a marginal and persecuted community the Jews have survived—by use of brains, not brawn. The former prime minister said this in relation to the decline of Muslim knowledge in the 20th Century.^[52]

Ninth meeting of PUOICM[link]

The ninth meeting of the Council of PUOICM was held on 15 and 16 February 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.^[54] The speaker of Malaysia's House of Representatives, Ramli bin Ngah Talib, delivered a speech at the beginning of the inaugural ceremony. OIC secretary-general Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said prior to the meeting that one main agenda item was stopping Israel from continuing its excavation at the Western Wall near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.^[55] The OIC also discussed how it might send peacekeeping troops to Muslim states, as well as the possibility of a change in the name of the body and its charter.^[56] Additionally, return of the sovereignty right to the Iraqi people along with withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq was another one of the main issues on the agenda.^[57]

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri told reporters on 14 February 2007 that the secretary general of OIC and foreign ministers of seven "like-minded Muslim countries" would meet in Islamabad on 25 February 2007 following meetings of President Musharraf with heads of key Muslim countries to discuss "a new initiative" for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kasuri said this would be a meeting of foreign ministers of key Muslim countries to discuss and prepare for a summit in Makkah Al Mukarramah to seek the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.^[58]

Structure and organisation[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The OIC system consists of:

Islamic summit[link]

The largest meeting, attended by the kings and the heads of state and government of the member states, convenes every three years.^{[clarification needed]}

Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers[link]

It meets once a year to examine a progress report on the implementation of its decisions taken within the framework of the policy defined by the Islamic Summit.

Permanent Secretariat[link]

It is the executive organ of the Organisation, entrusted with the implementation of the decisions of the two preceding bodies, and is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The current secretary general of this international organisation is Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, from Turkey, since January 1, 2005.

Standing committees[link]

• Standing Committee on Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC).
• Standing Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC).
• Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH).
• Islamic Committee for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs.
• Permanent Finance Committee.
• Financial Control Organ.

Subsidiary organisations[link]

• The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), located in Ankara, Turkey.
• The Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), located in Istanbul, Turkey.
• The Islamic University of Technology, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• The Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade, located in Casablanca, Morocco.
• The Islamic Fiqh Academy, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• The Executive Bureau of the Islamic Solidarity Fund and its Waqf, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• The Islamic University in Niger, located in Say, Niger.
• The Islamic University in Uganda, located in Mbale, Uganda.

Specialised institutions[link]

• The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), located in Rabat, Morocco.
• The Islamic States Broadcasting Organisation (ISBO) and the International Islamic News Agency (IINA), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Affiliated institutions[link]

• Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), located in Karachi, Pakistan.
• World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Organisation of Islamic Capitals and Cities (OICC), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Sports Federation of Islamic Solidarity Games, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC), located in Benghazi, Libya.
• Islamic Shipowners Association (ISA), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• World Federation of International Arab-Islamic Schools, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• International Association of Islamic Banks (IAIB), located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation,(ICYF-DC)located in Istanbul, Turkey.
• General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions,(CIBAFI)located in Manama, Bahrain.

Secretary General of the OIC[link]

Secretaries-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation^[59]

No.	Name	Country of origin	Took office	Left office
1	Tunku Abdul Rahman	Malaysia	1971	1973
2	Hassan Al-Touhami	Egypt	1974	1975
3	Amadou Karim Gaye	Senegal	1975	1979
4	Habib Chatty	Tunisia	1979	1984
5	Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada	Pakistan	1985	1988
6	Hamid Algabid	Niger	1989	1996
7	Azeddine Laraki	Morocco	1997	2000
8	Abdelouahed Belkeziz	Morocco	2001	2004
9	Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu	Turkey	2005	Incumbent

Member states[link]

The OIC has 57 member states.

Past Islamic Summit Conferences[link]

Number	Date	Country	Place
1st	September 22–25, 1969	Morocco	Rabat
2nd	February 22–24, 1974	Pakistan	Lahore
3rd	January 25–29, 1981	Saudi Arabia	Makkah Al Mukarramah and Taif
4th	January 16–19, 1984	Morocco	Casablanca
5th	January 26–29, 1987	Kuwait	Kuwait City
6th	December 9–11, 1991	Senegal	Dakar
7th	December 13–15, 1994	Morocco	Casablanca
1st Extraordinary	March 23, 1997	Pakistan	Islamabad
8th	December 9–11, 1997	Iran	Tehran
9th	November 12–13, 2000	Qatar	Doha
2nd Extraordinary	March 5, 2003	Qatar	Doha
10th	October 16–17, 2003	Malaysia	Putrajaya
3rd Extraordinary	December 7–8, 2005	Saudi Arabia	Makkah Al Mukarramah
11th	March 13–14, 2008	Senegal	Dakar

See also[link]

• Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
• Rashad Hussain
• Islamic University of Technology
• List of largest cities in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries
• List of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member states by population
• Pakistan-OIC relations

Notes[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Ankerl, Guy Coexisting Contemporary Civilisations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. Geneva, INUPress, 2000, ISBN 2-88155-004-5
• Al-Huda, Qamar. "Organisation of the Islamic Conference." Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. Edited by Martin, Richard C. Macmillan Reference, 2004. vol. 1 p. 394. 20 April 2008

External links[link]

• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Twitter
• Official website

Michele Bachmann
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Mark Kennedy
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 52nd district
In office January 7, 2003 – January 2, 2007
Preceded by	Satveer Chaudhary
Succeeded by	Ray Vandeveer
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 56th district
In office January 3, 2001 – January 7, 2003
Preceded by	Gary W. Laidig
Succeeded by	Brian LeClair
Personal details
Born	Michele Marie Amble (1956-04-06) April 6, 1956 (age 56) Waterloo, Iowa, United States
Citizenship	United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Marcus Bachmann
Residence	Stillwater, Minnesota
Alma mater	Winona State University (B.A.)[1] Oral Roberts University (J.D.)[1] William & Mary Law School (LL.M.)[1]
Occupation	Attorney[2]
Religion	Evangelical Christian (formerly Lutheran)
Website	Official webpage at U.S. Congress Campaign website
This article is part of a series about Michele Bachmann 2012 presidential campaign Electoral history

Michele Marie Bachmann (pronounced /ˈbɑːkmən/;^[3] née Amble; born April 6, 1956)^[4] is an American Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Minnesota's 6th congressional district, a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.

She was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election,^[5] winning the Ames Straw Poll in August 2011 but dropping out in January 2012 after finishing in sixth place in the Iowa caucuses. Bachmann previously served in the Minnesota State Senate and is the first Republican woman to represent the state in Congress.^[6] She is a supporter of the Tea Party movement^[7] and a founder of the House Tea Party Caucus.^[8]

Early life, education, and early career[link]

Bachmann was born Michele Marie Amble in Waterloo, Iowa "into a family of Norwegian Lutheran Democrats";^[9] her family moved from Iowa to Minnesota when she was 13 years old.^[10] After her parents divorced, Bachmann's father, David John Amble, moved to California, and Bachmann was raised by her mother, Arlene Jean (née Johnson), who worked at the First National Bank in Anoka, Minnesota.^[10][11][12] Her mother remarried when Bachmann was a teenager; the new marriage resulted in a family with nine children.^[13]

She graduated from Anoka High School in 1974 and, after graduation, spent one summer working on kibbutz Be'eri in Israel.^[14] In 1978, she graduated from Winona State University with a B.A.^[1]

In 1979, Bachmann was a member of the first class of the O. W. Coburn School of Law, then a part of Oral Roberts University (ORU).^[13] While there, Bachmann studied with John Eidsmoe, whom she described in 2011 as "one of the professors who had a great influence on me".^[15][16] Bachmann worked as a research assistant on Eidsmoe's 1987 book Christianity and the Constitution, which argues that the United States was founded as a Christian theocracy, and should become one again.^[13][15][16] In 1986 Bachmann received a J.D. degree from Oral Roberts University.^[1] She was a member of the final graduating class of the law school at ORU, and was part of a group of faculty, staff, and students who moved the ORU law school library to what is now Regent University.^[17]

In 1988, Bachmann received an LL.M. degree in tax law from the William & Mary School of Law.^[2][18] From 1988 to 1993, she was an attorney working for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).^[19] She left her position with the IRS to become a full-time mother^[20] when her fourth child was born.^[21]

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Husband Marcus Bachmann and Michele at the 2011 Time 100 gala, where Michele was an honoree

In 1978, she married Marcus Bachmann, now a clinical therapist with a master's degree from Regent University and a Ph.D. from Union Graduate School,^[22] whom she had met while they were undergraduates.^[13][23] After she received an LL.M. in taxation from William & Mary School of Law in 1988, the couple moved to Stillwater, Minnesota, a town of 18,000 near St. Paul, where they run a Christian counseling center.^[13] Bachmann and her husband have five children (Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline, and Sophia). Bachmann said in a 2011 town hall meeting that she suffered a miscarriage after the birth of their second child, Harrison, an event which she said shaped her pro-life views.^[24]

Bachmann and her husband have also provided foster care for 23 other children,^[25][26] all teenage girls. The Bachmanns were licensed from 1992 to 2000 to handle up to three foster children at a time; the last child arrived in 1998. The Bachmanns began by providing short-term care for girls with eating disorders who were patients in a program at the University of Minnesota. The Bachmann home was legally defined as a treatment home, with a daily reimbursement rate per child from the state. Some girls stayed a few months, others more than a year.^[21]

In May 2012, it was reported that in addition to their U.S. citizenship, Bachmann and her husband had applied for Swiss citizenship^[27] for themselves and their three youngest children, and been granted it on March 19, 2012. They had been eligible for this under Swiss nationality law because Marcus Bachmann's parents were Swiss.^[27] Bachmann denied that she or her husband had recently applied for Swiss citizenship, saying that her husband had already been a dual citizen as the son of Swiss immigrants, and that she had automatically acquired Swiss citizenship under then-current Swiss law when she married him in 1978; however, when asked by a Swiss Television reporter on May 8, 2012, "I understand you just got Swiss Citizenship," Bachmann's reply was, "Yes, we did."^[28] Marcus Bachmann did not register the marriage with the Swiss authorities until 2012.^[27][29] Within two days of the first reports of Bachmann's dual citizenship,^[30] she announced that she had written to the Swiss consulate to have her Swiss citizenship withdrawn.^[31]

Religion[link]

Bachmann was a longtime member of Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater. She and her husband withdrew their membership on June 21, 2011, just before she officially began her presidential campaign. They had not attended the congregation for over two years.^[32][33] Salem Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. When challenged about that denomination's belief that the Pope is the Antichrist,^[34][35][36] Bachmann responded by stating, "I love Catholics, I'm a Christian, and my church does not believe that the Pope is the Anti-Christ, that's absolutely false."^[37] A spokesman for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights said they see "no evidence of any bigotry" in Mrs Bachmann.^[38] More recently, according to friends, the Bachmanns began attending Eagle Brook Church, an Evangelical church closer to their home.^[39]

Bachmann has cited theologian Francis Schaeffer as a "profound influence" on her life and her husband's, specifically referring to his film series How Should We Then Live?.^[15][16] She has also described Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey as a "wonderful" book.^[15] Journalist Ryan Lizza has argued that Bachmann's worldview is deeply influenced by the Christian movement known as Dominionism, citing the influence of Schaeffer and Pearcey as evidence.^[15] Others have criticized Lizza's article, especially its connection of Schaeffer with Dominionism.^[40][41][42] However, religion writer Sarah Posner broadly concurs with Lizza, pointing to the influence of Christian Reconstructionists Herb Titus and R. J. Rushdoony on Bachmann via the curriculum at O. W. Coburn School of Law.^[43][44]

Businesses[link]

Bachmann and her husband own a Christian counseling practice named Bachmann & Associates.^[45][46] The clinic is run by her husband, who has a PhD with “a concentration in clinical psychology”^[47] from Union Graduate School. Marcus Bachmann is not a licensed clinical psychologist in Minnesota.^[48] The clinic received nearly $30,000 from Minnesota government agencies between 2006 and 2010 in addition to at least $137,000 in federal payments and $24,000 in government grants for counselor training.^[49] When asked about the subject in an interview, Bachmann indicated that she and her husband had not benefited at taxpayers' expense, saying that "the money that went to the clinic was actually training money for employees".^[50] Marcus Bachmann has denied allegations that Bachmann & Associates provides conversion therapy, a controversial psychological treatment repudiated by the American Psychological Association, which attempts to transform homosexuals into heterosexuals.^[51][52] A former client of Bachmann's clinic and a hidden camera investigator with the activist group Truth Wins Out have said that therapists at the clinic do engage in such practices,^[53][54] although columnist Mariah Blake of The Nation has suggested the hidden camera investigator may have been intentionally baiting the therapist to say something controversial.^[51] In a subsequent interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Marcus Bachmann did not deny that he or other counselors at his clinic used the technique but said they did so only at the request of a client.^[32]

In personal financial disclosure reports for 2006 through 2009, Bachmann reported earning $32,500 to $105,000^[50] from a farm that was owned at the time by her ailing father-in-law, Paul Bachmann. The farm received $260,000 in federal crop and disaster subsidies between 1995 and 2008.^[55] Bachmann said that in 2006–2009, her husband acted as a trustee of the farm for his dying father and so, out of "an abundance of caution", she claimed the farm as income in financial disclosures, though it was her in-laws who profited from the farm during that period.^[56]

Early political activism[link]

Bachmann grew up in a Democratic family, but she says she became a Republican during her senior year at Winona State. She told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she was reading Gore Vidal's 1973 novel, Burr: "He was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers and I just thought, I just remember reading the book, putting it in my lap, looking out the window and thinking, 'You know what? I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a Republican.'"^[10][57]

While still a Democrat, she and her then-fiancé Marcus were inspired to join the pro-life movement by Francis Schaeffer's 1976 Christian documentary film, How Should We Then Live?^[58] They prayed outside of clinics and engaged in sidewalk counseling,^[18] a pro-life protest activity in which activists approach people entering abortion clinics in an attempt to dissuade women from obtaining abortions.^[59] Since then, Bachmann has made statements supportive of sidewalk counseling.^[60] Bachmann was a supporter of Jimmy Carter in 1976, and she and her husband worked on his campaign.^[61] During Carter's presidency, Bachmann became disappointed with his liberal approach to public policy, support for legalized abortion and economic decisions she held responsible for increased gas prices. In the 1980 presidential election, she voted for Ronald Reagan and worked for his campaign.^[18][62]

Her political activism gained media attention at a pro-life protest in 1991. She and approximately 30 other pro-life citizens went to a Ramsey County Board meeting where a $3 million appropriation was to go to build a morgue for the county at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center (now Regions Hospital). The Medical Center performed abortions and employed pro-choice activist Jane Hodgson. Bachmann attended the meeting to protest public tax dollars going to the hospital; speaking to the Star Tribune, she said that "in effect, since 1973, I have been a landlord of an abortion clinic, and I don't like that distinction".^[19][63]

In 1993, she and other parents started the K-12 New Heights Charter School in Stillwater. The publicly funded school's charter mandated that it be non-sectarian in all programs and practices, but the school soon developed a strong Christian orientation. Parents of students at the school complained and the superintendent of schools warned Bachmann that the school was in violation of state law. Six months after the school's founding Bachmann resigned and the Christian orientation was removed from the curriculum, allowing the school to keep its charter.^[16][64][65] Bachmann began speaking against a state-mandated set of educational standards, which propelled her into the world of politics.^[66]

Bachmann became a critic and opponent of Minnesota's School-to-Work policies. In a 1999 column, she wrote: "School-to-Work alters the basic mission and purpose of K-12 academic education away from traditional broad-based academic studies geared toward maximizing intellectual achievement of the individual. Instead, School-to-Work utilizes the school day to promote children's acquisition of workplace skills, viewing children as trainees for increased economic productivity."^[67]

In November 1999, she and four other Republicans were candidates, as the "Slate of Five", in an election for the school board of Stillwater. All five lost.^[13]

Minnesota Senate[link]

In 2000, Bachmann defeated 18-year incumbent Gary Laidig for the Republican nomination for State Senator for Minnesota District 56. In the November 2000 general election, she defeated Ted Thompson of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and Lyno Sullivan of the Minnesota Independence Party, to win the seat. Two years later, in November 2002, after redistricting due to the 2000 Census, Bachmann defeated another incumbent, State Senator Jane Krentz of the DFL, in the newly drawn State Senate District 52. In office, Bachmann's agenda focused on the cultural conservative issues of opposition to abortion and gay marriage.^[21]

Same-sex marriage constitutional amendment[link]

On November 20, 2003, Bachmann and Representative Mary Liz Holberg proposed a constitutional amendment that would bar the state from legally recognizing same-sex marriage.^[68] In 2004, Bachmann and a coalition of religious leaders announced plans for a "Minnesota for Marriage" rally.^[69] Bachmann's effort to place a marriage amendment on a referendum ballot in 2004 ultimately failed. She resurrected her proposal in March 2005^[70] but it stalled indefinitely in a senate committee that April.^[71]

Assistant Minority Leader[link]

In November 2004, Republican Senate Minority Leader Dick Day appointed Bachmann as Assistant Minority Leader in charge of Policy for the Senate Republican Caucus.^[72] In July 2005, the Republican Caucus removed her from her leadership position. Bachmann said that disagreements with Day over her anti-tax stance were the reason for her ouster.^[73]

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Since being elected in November 2006, Bachmann has served Minnesota's 6th congressional district, which includes the northernmost and eastern suburbs of the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. She is the first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House from Minnesota.^[45]

110th Congress[link]

Iraq War troop surge[link]

In January 2007, a resolution was approved in the House of Representatives opposing President George W. Bush's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq. Bachmann voted "No". However, before supporting the proposed surge, Bachmann called for a full hearing, saying, "The American people deserve to hear and understand the merits of increasing U.S. troop presence in Iraq. Increased troop presence is justifiable if that measure would bring a swift conclusion to a difficult conflict."^[74] She hesitated to give a firm endorsement, calling the hearings "a good first step in explaining to the American people the course toward victory in Iraq".^[75] When pressed, she said she had not come to any conclusion on the matter,^[75] saying, "I don't believe we have all of the information in front of us. As a member of Congress that's why I want to go to Iraq as quickly as I can. I want to get the best information in front of me."^[76]

Member of Congressional delegation[link]

In July 2007, Bachmann joined a Congressional delegation visiting Ireland, Germany, Pakistan, Kuwait and Iraq. Bachmann met briefly (due to security concerns) with U.S. personnel in the Green Zone and upon her return she said she "was encouraged by reports of progress from Crocker, Gen. David Petraeus and other personnel in Iraq linked to the surge."^[77] She said the surge "hasn't had a chance to be in place long enough to offer a critique of how it's working. (Gen. Petraeus) said al-Qaida in Iraq is off its plan and we want to keep it that way. The surge has only been fully in place for a week or so."^[77]

Bachmann also spoke of the delegation's visit to Islamabad to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Aziz at the same time as the siege of Islamic fundamentalists at the Lal Masjid mosque elsewhere in the city.^[77] She reported that "The group [of U.S. Legislators] had to travel in armored vehicles and was constantly accompanied by Pakistani military....We were all able to see extremely up close and personal what it's like to be in a region where fighting is occurring. We constantly felt like we were in need of security."^[77] Bachmann told reporters upon her return that "the dangers posed by Islamic terrorism in Iraq, Britain and Pakistan justified the continued American military presence in Iraq."^[77] She said "We don't want to see al-Qaida get a presence in the United States. Al-Qaida doesn't seem to show any signs of letting up. We have to keep that in mind."^[77]

Opposition to higher education finance bill[link]

On July 11, 2007, Bachmann voted against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act that would raise the maximum Pell grant from $4,310 to $5,200, lower interest rates on subsidized student loans to 3.4 percent from 6.8 percent, raise loan limits to $30,500 from $7,500, disfavor married students who file joint tax returns, provide more favorable repayment terms to students who do not use their education to prosper financially^[78] and favor public sector over private sector workers with much more favorable loan forgiveness benefits.^[79] Supporters of the bill said "it would allow more students to attend college".^[80] Bachmann said her opposition was because "it fails students and taxpayers with gimmicks, hidden costs and poorly targeted aid. It contains no serious reform of existing programs, and it favors the costly, government-run direct lending program over nonprofit and commercial lenders."^[80] The bill passed the House^[80] and was signed by President Bush.^[81]

Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act[link]

In March, 2008 Bachmann introduced H.R. 849, the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act. If passed, it would repeal two sections of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed into law by George W. Bush. The 2007 Energy Act mandates energy efficiency and labeling standards for incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. Bachmann's bill would require the Government Accountability Office to show that a change to fluorescent bulbs would have "clear economic, health and environmental benefits" prior to enforcement of lighting efficiency regulations. The bill does, however, allow these standards to remain in place if the comptroller general were to find that they will lead to consumer savings, reduced carbon-dioxide emissions and pose no health risks to consumers (such as risks posed by the presence of mercury in fluorescent bulbs). The bill languished in the House and became inactive at the end of the 110th Congress. Bachmann reintroduced the bill in March 2011.^[82][83][84]

Class action lawsuits[link]

On June 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act (H.R. 4008) into law. The bipartisan bill, which Bachmann cosponsored with Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.), removes statutory damages for violations of a 2003 federal law prohibiting merchants from printing consumers' credit card numbers and expiration dates on sales receipts, in order to end class-action lawsuits aimed at businesses that violated the law.^[85]

Domestic oil and gas production[link]

During the summer of 2008, as national gasoline prices rose to over $4 a gallon, Bachmann became a leading Congressional advocate for increased domestic oil and natural gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the Outer Continental Shelf.^[86] She joined 10 other House Republicans and members of the media on a Congressional Energy Tour to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, and to Alaska. The trip was set up by Arctic Power, an Alaskan lobbying group that advocates for ANWR development. The purpose of the trip was to receive a first hand account of emerging renewable energy technologies and the prospects of increased domestic oil and natural gas production in Alaska, including ANWR.^[87]

Global warming skepticism[link]

Bachmann has charged that global warming is a hoax^[88] and has been a vocal skeptic of global warming.^[89] She has asserted that since carbon dioxide is "a natural byproduct of nature", it is a beneficial gas required by plant life. She stated that because life requires carbon dioxide and it is part of the planet's life cycle, it cannot be harmful. In a statement she made on the House floor on Earth Day, April 22, 2009, Bachmann stated she was against the cap and trade climate legislation, stating: "Carbon dioxide is not a harmful gas, it is a harmless gas. Carbon dioxide is natural; it is not harmful.... We're being told we have to reduce this natural substance to create an arbitrary reduction in something that is naturally occurring in the earth."^[90]

Opposition to financial sector bailout[link]