To mark the painful 64th anniversary of displacement of the Palestinians from their own homes by the hawkish Israelis, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Delhi & Haryana Zone) organised a symposium on May 15 to express solidarity and support for the oppressed and suppressed Palestinians. Yaum-e-Nakba (day of catastrophe) has been observed ever since the creation of Israel in the very heart of the Muslim world.
Ejaz Ahmed Aslam, Media Secretary of JIH and Editor-in-Chief of Radiance Viewsweekly, termed the event of creation of Israel as the “biggest injustice of the 20th century.” Using the facts and figures, he said, “Earlier Jews were just 5-7 per cent and Palestinians around 97 per cent, however in 1948 the Jewish population substantially increased to 33 per cent, while the Palestinians were reduced to 67 per cent. And when Israel was created, 57 per cent of the land was given to the 33 per cent Jews and the Palestinians, who constituted 67 per cent of the population, got only 43 per cent of the land. Creation of Israel is like stabbing a dagger in heart of the Muslim lands.”
Mr. Aslam further expressed shock, awe and disgust over the biased attitude of the whole world regarding the nuclear enrichment plan of Iran while Israel is left unquestioned with more than 150 atomic bombs. He even mentioned Uri Anveri, an Israeli writer, who has written extensively about the golden era of the Jews which was when Muslims were ruling over Spain and about the atrocities inflicted on the Jews by the Christians who usurped power from the Muslims.
Dr. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, Editor Afkar-e-Milli and Member Markazi Majlis-e-Shura, JIH, lamented about the obliviousness of the Indians regarding the grave issue. He said, “The whole world is getting more and more aware of the problem but unfortunately the Indians are getting more and more alienated.”
Immediately after the creation of Israel more than 7 lakh Palestinians were rendered refugees and 13000 were killed within a first few months. The original inhabitants of the lands were reduced only to a small Gaza strip and West Bank, he added. The Israelis did not stop here; they then started new settlements of the Jews in the areas occupied by the Palestinians. Adding on to the miseries of the poor Palestinians, Israel even imposed strict rules and regulations restricting the free movement between Gaza and West Bank.
Dr. Ilyas also expressed disgust over the growing strategic relations between India and Israel and expressed apprehensions about the same. Mentioning all the atrocities inflicted by the Israelis on the poor Palestinians, he ended on a positive note. Citing examples of the mighty Soviet Union and its defeat in Afghanistan, he emphasised that strength and might is not the only reason for defeat or victory but it is the strong will and determination of the people which turns the scenario upside down. He further expressed shock over the lines written over the Knesset saying that the boundaries of Israel extend from Nile in Egypt to Euphrates in Iraq.
Swami Agnivesh, who was also a part of the delegation that had gone for the millennium march from India, sided with the Palestinians and abhorred the brutalities of the Israeli government and its army. He said, “Stones are being retaliated with bullets and bombs and Israel pays no regard even to the United Nations.”
Claiming Israel to be the biggest threat to peace, he mentioned a quote of Mahatma Gandhi in support of Palestine which says, “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs… Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.”
He lamented the fact that youth are not allowed to enter Jerusalem (the third holiest place for Muslims after Makkah and Madina) and only the old people can enter. He urged the Indian government to support the cause of Palestine and said unity among the whole of the Arab nations is the key to the Palestine issue.
Maulana Mohsin Taqwi, Shia Imam, Jama Masjid, Kashmiri Gate, lamented the fact that Muslims have become programmed of listening and hearing speeches and Muslims alone are the sole reason for the debacle of the Muslim Ummah. He urged that fighting Israel will not be feasible until we unite. He mentioned the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be to him) which compared the Muslim Ummah with the human body. The hadith goes as, “The Muslim Ummah is like ONE body, if one part of it hurts, the rest of the body aches and shivers in pain.”
He expressed sorrow and grief over the present state of the Muslim Ummah where many Muslims do not even give a thought as to what is happening to their brothers in Palestine and other parts of the world.
Gauhar Iqbal, who participated in the recent millennium march to Jerusalem, termed the Palestinian issue as a humanitarian issue and asserted that if the Palestine issue is resolved most of the world problems would get resolved. He focused his talk majorly on the stories of the local people who have been bearing the brunt of the brutal and inhumane Israeli regime.
He mentioned a story of the lady whose house was razed to the ground by the Israeli army. She moved the court and the court gave the judgment in her favour and ordered the government to construct her home at the same place, furnished with all that she had. The lady however refused the compensation of the court and said she just wanted to prove her point and she will never accept any kind of help from the oppressive and unjust government.
It is the courage and strength of the Palestinians which is commendable, he added. The programme ended with the vote of thanks by Mr. Abdul Waheed, Ameer JIH Delhi-Haryana Zone.