New Delhi: The Israel-Palestine issue will be turned into an “excuse” to ask Muslims to leave India, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani said Thursday evening, addressing a meeting organised to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
“We are Indians, even if some might not believe so. Some look for excuses to ask us to go. Even this Palestinian issue will be turned into an excuse. But this is not just a Muslim issue. I would congratulate the Jews who are not Zionist, who gathered in different corners of the world to protest in solidarity with Palestine,” said Madani.
He added that it wasn’t solely the responsibility of Muslims to ask for justice in the Israel-Palestine matter, and that India ought to play the role of ‘Vishwaguru’ in the current situation.
Held at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, the meeting was organised jointly by the Muslim organisations Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadis. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali, senior Janata Dal (United) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP K.C. Tyagi, activist and writer John Dayal and Professor Vithal Rao of the Arya Samaj were among those in attendance.
The meeting saw a resolution passed in solidarity with Palestine, calling for the restoration of peace: “There is a need for the international community to act immediately and stop the bloodshed. Restoring the rights of the Palestinian people and ensuring the implementation of international laws in this regard is indispensable for sustained peace in the region.
“We also demand (that) the government continue India’s long-standing anti-colonial and pro-Palestinian foreign policy advocated by Gandhi to Vajpayee, and use its sphere of influence in realising the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” it said.
‘India’s policy remains rooted in historical stance’
BSP MP Danish Ali asserted that a one-sided narrative was being created in India to give the impression that only a few were supporting the Palestinian cause.
“It appears that to accommodate a significant portion of the population, the current leadership is expressing a different view. Nevertheless, India’s foreign policy remains rooted in its historical stance, from Nehru’s time to the present.
“The message seems to suggest that only a few voices in the country are advocating for the Palestinian cause, but this mirrors the overarching perspective of India’s foreign policy, which has supported the cause of Palestine’s statehood”, said Ali.
Syed Sadatullah Husaini, president of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said India had always stood for the Palestinian cause and that Indians should express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“This is a test for all of humanity, to determine whether we truly uphold our values or embrace hypocrisy. Do we aspire to see a world functioning on the foundation of justice? Our nation has consistently opposed imperialism. It is crucial that we remind our fellow countrymen about the dedicated efforts made by Gandhi and Nehru in their fight against imperialism and for independence, and how the people of Palestine continue this struggle. They are exercising the same rights that Nelson Mandela championed. Our country has always lent its support to the Palestinian cause. Gandhi once remarked that Palestine is to Palestinians as England is to the British,” he said.
JD(U) leader Tyagi said that in 1948, at the time of Israel’s establishment, it initially held just 6 percent of the territory, with the majority of the land being in Palestinian hands. Today, the Palestinians only have control over a mere 7 percent of the land, he added.
Tyagi was also a part of the delegation of 16 opposition leaders who met the Palestinian ambassador in New Delhi Monday and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians. He said that some had criticised this meeting, saying the leaders had not condemned Hamas.
“We firmly stand against all forms of violence. While it has been suggested that we did not explicitly condemn Hamas, we specifically went to express our solidarity with the Palestinian cause and our opposition to Zionism,” Tyagi said.
Academic and activist Aditya Nigam said the full historical context should be taken into account. “We are being presented with a selective portrayal and asked to issue condemnations. We urge you to first condemn previous actions, and then we will follow suit. We won’t accept dictates on the terms of discussion; let’s consider the full historical context. This issue is also being unnecessarily framed as a Hindu-Muslim matter, much like various other issues. It’s imperative that we put an end to such polarisations. Palestinian citizens are a diverse group, representing various religions and backgrounds, not solely Muslims,” he said.
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