By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : The delegation of so-called Indian Muslim intellectuals led by secretary general Tanzeem Aimma-e-Masajid Maulana Umair Ilyasi, which had left for Israel August 15, signed an agreement with the Chief Rabbis in Tel Aviv to work together in unison against the forces of hatred and violence, reports Urdu daily Hindustan Express citing agencies here Friday.
The secretary general and vice-president of Tanzeem Aimma-e-Masajid, which claims to have representation of five lakh Imams, Maulana Umair Ilyasi and Hifzur Rahman Meeruti respectively, and the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar and the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger signed the agreement.
The Express report claims that this is the first time that a Muslim organisation has signed an agreement with the religious heads of Jews.
This agreement, which was signed following a series of meetings between the two parties, reportedly mentions some very delicate and controversial issues including the imbroglio of Jerusalem (Bait al-Maqdis), though in veiled terms.
One striking feature of this agreement is that it appeals to political leaders to find out some permanent solution to the issue of Jerusalem guaranteeing religious rights of every religious community.
At the time of inking of this Jew-Muslim agreement, or as the Express would love to call ‘selling out the community interests’, president Inter-Religions Harmony Foundation Dr Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmad (who had launched Vajpayee Himayat Committee soon after the Gujarat massacre of Muslims) and representative of Dargah Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia, Khwaja Afzal Nizami were also present. However they say that the agreement has been signed between Tanzeem Aimma-e-Masajid and Jewish Rabbis.
The Express report makes it clear that the main points of agreement have not been made public.
Before the signing of this agreement, the delegation met Israel president Shimon Peres and foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who appreciated these so-called Muslim intellectuals’ daring to visit Israel.