– Anwarulhaq Baig
New Delhi, October 18, 2023: Prominent Indian Muslim leaders and heads of almost all major organizations have released a joint statement, urging global leaders to take immediate action to stop the ongoing bloodshed by the Israeli army in Gaza and other parts of occupied Palestine, restore the human rights of Palestinians, and ensure the implementation of international laws for long-term peace in the region.
Expressing deep concerns over the situation in Palestine, especially in Gaza, Muslim leaders have strongly condemned the continuous killing of innocent people, including children and women, interruption of food, water, medicine, and electricity supply, as well as the continuous bombing of populated areas and attempts to evacuate Gaza.
Muslim leaders and heads of almost all major organizations and schools of thought, including Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, President of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board; Maulana Syed Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (Arshad Faction); Syed Sadatullah Husaini, President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani, chief of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (Mahmood Faction); Maulana Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi, head of All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board; Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband; Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Salafi, President of Jamiat Ahle Hadees; Maulana Syed Ahmed Wali Faisal Rahmani, President of Imarat Sharia Bihar; Maulana Syed Tanveer Hashmi, President of Jamiat Ahle Sunnat Karnataka; Dr. Zafar-ul Islam Khan, former President of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat; Dr. Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid, Delhi; Dr. Manzoor Alam, General Secretary of All India Milli Council; and Maulana Mohsin Taqwi, Imam of Shia Jama Masjid, Delhi, have signed the joint statement.
The statement read, “We must always remember that the Zionist government has been continuously evicting Palestinians from their homes and lands for the past 70 years and brutally oppressing the native inhabitants of this land, the Palestinians.”
The Muslim leaders emphasized that the continuous construction of new settlements in Palestinian territories, repeated desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and other aggressive policies, while brazenly violating all international laws, are major obstacles to peace and security in the region.
Demanding that the government maintain India’s long-standing anti-colonial and pro-Palestinian foreign policy, which has been advocated from Gandhi to Vajpayee, Muslim leaders have asked it to utilize its diplomatic influence to realize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
