Speakers at a webinar called upon the Muslim world to shed its dependence on the West and adopt a united stance on critical issues like Kashmir and Palestine in order to emerge as a respected global force.
The international webinar was organized by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad. IPS Executive President Khalid Rahman chaired the session. Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, British House of Lords Member Lord Nazir Ahmed, British Member of Parliament Khalid Mehmood, Member of Turkish Prime Minister’s Advisory Board for Human Rights Dr Hamit Ersoy, Vice President to Egyptian National Constitutional Committee Dr Kamal Helbawi, Professor Dr Halil Tokar from Istanbul University, Turkey, and Professor Dr Farhan Mujahid Chak from Qatar University addressed the webinar.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said some very vocal statements have started coming in from the Arab countries on social media and other channels regarding the treatment of Muslims in India and the Kashmir issue. She said the Muslim countries should get united for resolution of longstanding disputes.
Lord Nazir Ahmed said India is no longer a secular country whose political system is controlled by Hindutva extremist ideology that does not provide equal opportunities to the minorities. He appreciated Arab countries for beginning to see the true extremist Indian reality, which had been hidden under the façade of secular democracy for a long time. He said India is using RAW to destabilize Pakistan.
Member of British Parliament Khalid Mehmood called upon the Kashmiris to shed their mutual differences and forge unity to put pressure on world powers. He said the Indian government has been violating the Geneva convention. He urged Muslim countries to take the issue to International Criminal Court (ICC).
Turkish Professor Dr Hamit Ersoy highlighted the fact that India, US and Israel are jointly working against the Muslim world and deliberately painting Muslim freedom struggles against foreign occupation as terrorism. They are doing this to justify their continued occupation and oppression and to caste Muslims in a negative light as extremists and terrorists, he maintained, adding that BJP’s rise in Indian politics is rooted in its philosophy of hatred, which was evident even in 1992 when the demolition of Babri Mosque brought them to power. He pointed out that 76 per cent of all hate crimes in India are committed against Muslims.
Dr Farhan Mujahid Chak endorsed Dr Ersoy’s argument by urging Muslim scholars to look for indigenous and innovative solutions for resolving their issues.
Dr Kamal Helbawi stressed peaceful, progressive and moderate spirit of Islam and stated that Muslims are being deliberately painted by India as terrorists in order to hide its atrocities against Muslims and also to justify its aggressive behavior towards neighboring Muslim countries.
Dr Halil Tokar stated that BJP’s ideological core is RSS, which has an extremist philosophy based on hatred towards other religions, identical to the one followed by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. He reminded the international audience that Prime Minister Modi is responsible for the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. “The BJP and RSS want to wipe out minorities, including Muslims and Christians, from India by the end of 2021,” he said.
In his concluding remarks, IPS Executive President Khalid Rahman reminded the audience that India did not exist in its current form before 1947 and that 60 per cent of its territory consisted of provinces while 40 per cent of princely states that were ruled by the British. He underlined the fact that British introduced the policy of divide and rule in this region, which earlier was a thriving economy, stable polity and a diverse and rich society, under centuries of Muslim rule.
He emphasized that Muslims contributed to the economy, society, culture and architecture in a profound and constructive manner through good governance before the British introduced divide-and-rule policy. He said Muslims must learn from their mistakes and dependence over other powers and raise awareness, improve education, spread information, pursue engagement and active lobbying to influence the world in pursuit of their collective interests.
