Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday expressed deep concern over the escalating crisis in the Middle East, calling for justice for Palestine and peace in the region.
Addressing Friday congregational prayers at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, the Mirwaiz said that the situation in the Middle East is very disturbing and worrying.
“The plight of the people of occupied Palestine, facing persecution at the hands of Israel, keeps getting worse. With the lack of international accountability for Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel is emboldened to escalate its actions, formalising land grabs in the West Bank, knowing that it will not be held accountable. The genocide, followed by the dispossession of Palestinians in their own homeland, reflects injustice and the breakdown of international law and the moral conscience of the international community,” he said.
The Mirwaiz added that “unless justice is delivered to the people of Palestine and the occupation ends, the region will continue to remain in a state of conflict and instability, causing grief to all who care about humanity and humanitarian values.”
He further said that Israel, in its arrogance, is destabilising the entire region, along with the heavy US military build-up in the area, in preparation for what many observers see as an imminent attack on Iran. This, he said, is very ominous not only for the region but for the world.
Referring to Kashmir’s strong cultural ties with Iran, the Mirwaiz said that a large number of students from Kashmir study in Iran, and the war-like build-up is creating panic and concern among parents and families. He prayed for the safety and well-being of the Iranian people and the Kashmiri students studying there, and for peace and stability in the region.
He also said that the news coming from the neighbourhood is disturbing.
“Two Muslim states, Pakistan and Afghanistan, are fighting each other, that too in the holy month of Ramzan. Wars only cause grief and loss of life. I hope that better sense will prevail and that both neighbours resolve their differences through dialogue and good neighbourly principles,” he said.
