Indian Muslim Clerics to Work for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Indian Muslim clerics to work for Israeli-Palestinian peace

2007-09-12 | Author : Faraz Ahmad

News Category : India

New Delhi, Sep 12 - A group of Muslim clerics from India have called upon 'the children of Abraham (Muslims, Christians and Jews)' to shun violence against each other and have undertaken to promote peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

An eight-member delegation led by four Muslim clerics from India visited Israel Aug 15-21. The visit was marked by the Indian maulanas and the Israeli rabbis by the signing of a joint peace accord, which asked the 'Children of Abraham' to shun violence against each other.

It also stated that: 'We call for the review of all educational materials to ensure that these do not contain any expressions of hate or incitement towards others; and if such appear, to eliminate them accordingly.'

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) promoted the idea and also organised the seven-day tour, said Priya Tandon, the India representative of AJC, who accompanied the delegation.

The group included Maulana Omar Ahmed Ilyasi, general secretary All India Organisation of Imams of Mosques; Maulana Qari Hifzurr Ehnian Merathi, vice president of the Imams' organisation; Maulana Khwaja Afzal, chief imam of the Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Khwaja Ahmed, founder president of Inter-Faith Harmony Foundation.

The president of the All India Imams' Organisation Maulana Jamil Ilyasi had also set out for Tel Aviv, but returned from Mumbai after the local newspapers carried the news of his visit to Israel prominently. Eventually his son Omar Ahmed Ilyasi led the delegation.

Three Urdu-language journalists were also part of the eight-member delegation.

In their seven-day tour the delegates met Israeli president Shimon Peres, visited Ramallah and interacted with the Palestinian people, observed the proceedings of the Israeli parliament, visited the Knesset, went to Jerusalem as also to the Al Aqsa masjid - also called Haram Al Sharif - and offered prayers there and observed a Sharia court in Israel.

They also met the chief rabbis of Israel, Shlomo Moshe Amar and Yona Metzger, at an interaction with the chief rabbinate council where they held an inter-faith dialogue with the rabbis. That is where they signed this 'peace accord'.

This was the first ever all-Muslim group taken by the AJC anywhere and in particular to Israel.

Tandon told IANS: 'We have occasionally been taking delegations to the US, to Australia and to Europe. But this is the first time in the history of AJC that a Muslim-only group was escorted. That is why this is historic. It was very well received in Israel.'

She also explained why AJC made a considered decision in favour of Indian Muslims.


(c) Indo-Asian News Service