I N D I A N S U F I
PRESS CONFERENCE
THREAT TO AL AQSA MOSQUE - URGENT NEED FOR AN INDIAN RESPONSE
VENUE: MARATHI PATRAKAR SANGH, CST, MUMBAI
DATE: 28th October (Wednesday) / TIME: 3-4pm
SPEAKERS: FEROZE MITHIBORWALA (AWAMI BHARAT & FREE GAZA INDIA), MAULANA HASAN BUNAI NOAIM, MAULANA JAFRI, FARID BATATAWALA & YAVAR ALIKAZI.
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Memorandum regarding the deteriorating situation in Palestine, especially Jerusalem
[Presented to HE Prime Minister of India; HE Minister of External Affairs; Head, United Nations Mission, Delhi and HE Ambassador, USA]
On the occasion of holding a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi today by leading Indian Muslim organizations and Indian civil society against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, continued brutal blockade of the Gaza Strip and denial of access to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, we would like to bring to your kind notice that the Indian civil society, particularly Indian Muslims, are greatly pained and agitated at the brutality of the Israeli occupation forces and the silence of the world community especially the United Nations which, along with its predecessor the League of Nations, has planted this entity in the Middle East at the expense of the Palestinian Arabs.
We are extremely perturbed at the fact that on 27 September this year, Zionist fanatics supported by Israeli security forces, stormed into the Holy Sanctuary in Jerusalem to occupy what they claim to be the site of the pre-historic Temple of Solomon. The Palestinians resisted these efforts but the Israeli extremists, protected by the occupation army and police, succeeded in their nefarious designs to reach the spot which houses the third most sacred Islamic shrine. This sparked an unprecedented crisis in Palestine early this month amid Israeli efforts to curtail entry of Muslims into their third most holy shrine.
We in India have been witness as to how Hindutva fanatics destroyed the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya and once again we are witnessing a similar and far-more volatile situation emerging in Jerusalem which, if allowed, will lead to an extremely grave threat to international peace. A religious war, provoked by Israel, is in no one's interest.
The Israeli occupation forces started demolishing two rooms in Al-Aqsa Mosque and clearing the path leading to the Moroccan Gate, a thousand-year-old historical entrance to the Mosque, in line with Jewish plans to demolish the entire holy shrine and build the alleged Solomon (or Third) Temple in its place. According to reports, they have already built a synagogue under the Aqsa mosque where they have continued to dig relentlessly under the guise of archaeological excavations, since Jerusalem's occupation in June 1967, exposing the whole edifice to dangers of sudden collapse. Israel will be held solely responsible for any such crime and peace-threatening disaster.
The Zionist plans and intentions to destroy the Holy Shrine of Jerusalem have been in the public domain for decades. After Israel captured East (or Arab) Jerusalem in 1967, it has been mounting a systematic programme to Judaise all of Jerusalem by confiscating land, expelling Palestinian Arabs, taking over their homes and properties and relentlessly encircling the holy city with large settlements like Ma'ale Adumim now housing over half a million illegal settlers in the Greater Jerusalem area. All statements emanating from Israeli quarters claim Jerusalem as "the eternal capital of Eretz Israel" which itself is illegal under international law.
The Aqsa Mosque is Islam's third holiest site, so any action done to harm or destroy it will be provocative for the feelings of 1.5 billion Muslims all over the world. The Holy Christian and Muslim historical places are all part of the International Cultural Heritage recognized by the UNESCO. It is clear that any threat against Al-Aqsa Mosque or any of the Islamic or Christian holy places is a grave threat to the regional as well as the international peace and security.
We call upon the United Nations, the Government of India, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO), ALBA (Bolivarian Alternatives to the Americas), European Union (EU), Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), African Union (AU), Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), Arab League and to all sovereign nations and freedom-loving peoples to intervene immediately and to stand against the Israeli actions and policies regarding our common religio-cultural and spiritual heritage in Holy Jerusalem which is the common heritage of all of humanity. Israel has clearly failed to protect rights of Islam and Christianity in Jerusalem.
The international community and the UN Security Council have to uphold their responsibilities towards occupied Palestine, especially occupied Jerusalem and its historical sites. All modern, democratic and free societies have a responsibility to protect the occupied nations' religio-cultural heritage against policies that target their very existence and survival in their homelands.
We earnestly urge you to take immediate action to liberate Palestine from the clutches of the most brutal and inhuman occupation in modern times and to protect its brutalized people, land and endangered heritage.
With sincere regards,
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan
President, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat
Maulana Mahmood Madni, M.P.
General Secretary, Jamiat Ulema-e Hind
Farooq Mujtaba
Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind
Dr SQR Ilyas
Member, Muslim Personal Law Board
Feroze Mithiborwala
Coordinator, Awami Bharat & Free Gaza India
Maulana Asghar Imam Mahdi Salafi
General Secretary, All India Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees
Javed Habib
President, Bharati Majlis
Maulana Zeeshan Hidayati
Chairman, Majlis Fikr-o-Amal
Mufti Arshad Farooqi
Secretarty, Markazi Jamiat Ulema-e Hind
Shahnawaz Ali Rehan
Secretary, Students Islamic Organisation of India
Maulana Ataur Rahman Qasmi
President, Shah Waliullah Institute
Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji
President, Indian Islahi Movement
Gauhar Iqbal
Coordinator, Palestine Solidarity Movement
Dr Taslim Rahmani
Muslim Political Council of India
--
Palash Biswas
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