In a first major show of support in the cityof Hyderabad for oppressed Palestinians, thousands of people attended a public meeting to condemn Israel’s atrocities in Gaza on October 23.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) organised the massive public meeting which was addressed by leaders of different political parties, socio-religious organizations and various sects.
The meeting unanimously passed a resolution declaring its support for the decades-long struggle of the Palestinians to end the occupation of their lands.
It called upon the international community to rein in Israel which is committing crimes against humanity and genocide against Palestinians.
The resolution urged the government of India to honour India’s long legacy of support to the cause of Palestine.
The public meeting, presided over by AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owasi, was addressed by Telangana’s Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Ameer-e-Halqa of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Telangana, MKM Zafar, representatives of different sects, religious scholars and leaders of various other organizations.
While Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) organised silent protests at a few places in Hyderabad on October 13 and a group of women organised ‘Qunoot-e-Nzila’ on October 19, this was the first large gathering in the city.
Darussalam, the headquarters of AIMIM, echoed with ‘Nara-e-Takbeer Allahu Akbar’, ‘Palestine Zindabad’ and ‘Masjid-e-Aqsa Zindabad’. The participants were carrying placards with writings like ‘I stand with Palestine’, ‘Israel is a genocidal cancer’ and ‘Free Palestine’.
Owaisi said in his speech that over 5,000 Palestinians including 2,000 children have been martyred in Israel’s bombardment. He later told reporters that a humanitarian corridor to Gaza is urgently needed.
The MP demanded that India as the President of G-20 should take the initiative to create a corridor like the one created for Berlin in 1948-49 during its blockade by Britain. The US and its allies had dropped humanitarian aid for the people of Berlin for 18 months. He recalled that in 1987, when the Sri Lankan Army had besieged Jaffna, India had dropped essential supplies for the people of the region.
MKM Zafar appealed to the government of India to continue the country’s traditional stand of backing the Palestinian cause, and if necessary, sever its diplomatic relations with Israel.
The president of JIH Telangana mentioned that India is emerging as a major power in the region and if it wants it along with the international community can build pressure on Israel to ensure peace in the region.
Stating that India had been a supporter of Palestinian cause for a long time, he said Jamaat-e-Islami wanted to remind the people of Gandhi’s words that Palestine belongs to the Palestinians just as England belongs to the English and France to the French.
He called for creating a strong narrative and discourse that Palestinian issue is not only an Arab issue of Muslims but purely a humanitarian issue.
“I want to tell this country’s all positive-minded Hindus, Christians, Jews and other brethren that it’s not an issue of Muslims or Arabs alone. This is an issue which has challenged global justice and human rights,” he said.
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