During his speech at the "Gaza: An Islamic and Humanitarian Responsibility" conference held in Istanbul, Al-Qaradaghi called on Arab and Islamic countries to protect themselves from the projects of Israeli occupation leaders such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. He added, "I am not saying today, 'Protect Gaza only,' but also 'Protect yourselves.'"
He stressed that "it is the duty of scholars and the entire nation to stand with Palestine, defend its just causes, and support its oppressed people."
On Wednesday, the International Union of Muslim Scholars, in cooperation with the Islamic Scholars Foundation of Turkey, announced the organization of the "Gaza Conference" in Istanbul, which will take place on Friday and continue until August 29, with the participation of more than 100 scholars from 50 countries.
The conference, held under the slogan "Gaza: An Islamic and Humanitarian Responsibility," will include approximately 28 workshops that will address issues related to Palestine, Jerusalem, and the Islamic Ummah. It will open with a statement after Friday prayers at the Sultan Eyup Mosque and conclude with a closing statement at the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.
According to Al-Qaradaghi, the conference is being organized "out of a belief in the duty imposed on scholars and the entire nation to stand with Gaza and Palestine, to shoulder the responsibility of defending its just causes, and to support its oppressed people with all their strength and determination."
The conference seeks to "mobilize the Islamic and humanitarian community to halt the Israeli aggression and open corridors for humanitarian aid to Gaza," as well as to establish an Islamic alliance to prevent "genocide, Nazism, and racism under any cover."
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The conference also aims to establish an "Alliance of Humanitarian Curiosity" to prevent serious violations of ethical and humanitarian principles, and to prosecute and justly punish criminals. Among the conference's goals is the Istanbul Declaration, an alliance of human rights, parliamentary, and humanitarian organizations worldwide, to prevent the aggression in Gaza and ensure its non-recurrence.
One of the conference's most important objectives, according to Al-Qaradaghi, is to establish an Islamic alliance of countries based on the vision put forward by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In parallel with the countries, the conference seeks, according to the president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, to form a "Hilf al-Fudul," a coalition of institutions, organizations, and communities sympathetic to Gaza throughout the world.
He said, "We seek to form the Istanbul Declaration based on an alliance of human rights and humanitarian institutions concerned with the violations taking place in Gaza." He added, "Our ultimate goal is to stop the (Israeli) aggression against Gaza and expose the occupation. They have been exposed and their faces have been disgraced, and to show the world that the resistance in Gaza is legitimate resistance and not terrorism."
The Gaza Strip is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing blockade and relentless Israeli bombardment. Palestinians are in desperate need of food, water, and medicine, while relief organizations confirm that airdrops of aid only meet a small portion of civilian needs.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The Israeli genocide left 62,192 Palestinians dead, 157,114 injured, most of them children and women, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that claimed the lives of 271 people, including 112 children.
