TAXILA: Prominent religious scholars on Saturday strongly denounced the Israeli air strikes on Gaza, resulting the martyrdom of nearly 7,000 Palestinians, and questioned the silence of the European countries and other world powers.

Talking to newsmen, a former member of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Allama Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi with other religious scholars regretted that the entire European lobby, being claimants of human rights protectors, was silent on the conflict which assured Israel a license to kill.

Besides, he said, other Islamic countries remained silent over the brutalities and barbarian strikes of the Zionist forces due to their vested interests.

Mr Naqvi stated that some 21 journalists had lost their lives during the war coverage so that real facts would be concealed from the world. He urged the Muslim world to practically render support to the Palestinians as the war crimes of Israeli forces would engulf the entire world.

He also expressed his deep concerns over the lukewarm and dual standards of the United Nations (UN), the Organisation of Islamic Countries and human rights activists before the pressure of the American-led European lobby behind Israel.

He emphasised the need for the Muslim world to suspend their diplomatic relations and withhold exports to Israel as it had disrupted the supply of water, energy, food, and even medicines to the people of Palestine.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2023