By IANS,
New Delhi : Several Muslim organisations Friday demanded an end to the trade and military relations between India and Israel as they held protest demonstration in the capital against Israel’s assault May 30 on an aid ship en route to Gaza, leading to the death of nine activists.
“We demand an end to the trade and military ties between India and Israel. We should not buy Israeli arms and ammunition neither should we trade anything with the terrorist state,” said Mujtaba Farooqi, secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
Nearly 1,000 people joined the protest march that started from India Gate and headed towards the Israeli embassy on Aurangzeb Rpad. The protesters were, however, stopped at the neighbouring Shahjahan Road by police.
The protesters demanded that India snap all ties with Israel, terming it a “terrorist state”.
“The Indian government should change its foreign policy and adopt the policy of Gandhi and Nehru which was sympathetic to the Palestine cause,” Tasleem Rahmani, president, Muslim Political Council of India said.
The protesters submitted a memorandum at the Prime Minister’s Office and the local office of the United Nations, demanding action against Israel for human rights violation and war crimes.
“We organised this march to acquaint the country’s civil society about the assault by Israeli forces on aid ships which were carrying humanitarian aid and peace workers, including 700 prominent citizens, parliamentarians and a Nobel laureate from around 50 countries,” coordinator of the march S.Q.R. Ilyas said.
The rally was jointly organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, the Jamiat Ulema-e Hind, the Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith, the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, the All India Milli Council, the Muslim Political Council of India, Popular Front of India, the Indian Islahi Movement, the Majlis-e Fikr-o Amal and the Students Islamic Organisation of India.
An official statement from the organisers said that Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Maulana Syed Ahmad Bukhari and Shahi Imam of the Fatehpuri Masjid Mufti Mukarram Ahmad have also extended their support to the protest march.