Palestine issue belongs to entire ummah: Visiting scholars

ATLANTA (Pajhwok): An 11-member delegation of scholars from various Islamic countries that arrived in Kabul yesterday called on acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The visiting delegation said the issue of Palestine belonged to the entire Muslim ummah, said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It said the high-ranking delegation of the International Union of Muslim Scholars met Muttaqi.

The statement quoted Muttaqi as saying: “We are deeply saddened by the current situation in Palestine, by painful martyrdoms, emigration and sacrifices, but success always demands sacrifices. You campaigned very effectively for the right of the oppressed people of Palestine and we commend that.”

Muttaqi also praised Qatar’s positive and reasonable role in the case of Palestine.

“In Afghanistan, there is complete peace. We are witnessing political and economic developments day by day … for the first time Afghanistan is rising in various fields and has also joined the list of oil producing countries.”

According to the statement, Ali al-Qaradaghi, the secretary-general of the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), an organization previously led by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, conveyed special greetings to Muttaqi from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

He said the issue of Palestine was the issue of the entire Ummah and the responsibility in this regard belonged to all the Muslims of the world.

On the occasion, Deputy Education Minister Sibghatullah Wasil talked about the achievements of the Islamic Emirate in the field of education.

Mohammad Al-Hassan Al-Dedew, the head of the Center for the Improvement of Scholars, Dr. Muhammad Al-Saghir and historian Dr. Muhammad Ali Salabi and the head of the Palestinian Scholars Association Dr. Nawaf Takrouri spoke at the meeting.

They said the Islamic world’s scholars stood by the Afghans and it was their responsibility to do so. They said the world needed the experiences of the Afghans and the Ummah must support them.

They also called recent earthquakes in Afghanistan and the forced deportation of refugees from Pakistan ‘a test’ and said they believed that the Afghans would succeed in the test.

Muttaqi thanked the visiting scholars and Qatar for assistance to the earthquake victims and returning refugees and asked them to portray the real picture of Afghanistan to the global fraternity.

ma