Amidst controversy around the former chief of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Khaled Mashal, virtually addressing a ‘solidarity event’ in Kerala’s Mallapuram, the organiser of the event has justified his virtual attendance saying that “there is nothing unusual or illegal about it.”
Suhaib CT, the state chief of Student Youth Movement (SYM), the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind outfit, said that Hamas is not a terrorist organisation but a ‘resistance movement’ and that Indian authorities have not banned the outfit. He added that Hamas is not operational in India, however, its leaders have addressed programmes in India even in the past.
“Hamas is not a banned organisation in India nor has it been declared as a terrorist outfit here. It does not operate in India as well. Their leaders have spoken several times to the people in Kerala at programmes in the past. Hamas is a resistance movement. It is a party that has won several seats in the last elections there. Therefore, there is nothing unusual about a leader of such a party taking part in a Palestine solidarity event in Kerala. Such a leader speaking here is not a crime under any law,” Suhaib said adding that the SYM event in Mallapuram was only about condemning Israeli action against Palestine.
He further claimed that many more such ‘solidarity events’ will be organised in India that will prove the support of the Indians for the Palestinian people.
As reported earlier, it was seen in the viral video from the event that several posters were put up with the tagline “Uproot bulldozer Hindutva and apartheid Zionism”. In his address, Hamas terrorist Khaled Mashal urged Muslims to unconditionally support Hamas.
In response to BJP leader K Surendran slamming SYM and questioning police inaction, Suhaib CT alleged that BJP and RSS are trying to label everyone expressing solidarity with Palestine as ‘terrorists’. He claimed that the BJP is doing so to curb the protests against India extending support to Israel.
Ironically, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’s youth wing leader is calling Hamas a ‘resistance movement’ even when the Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on Israeli civilians and killed over 1400 people including children, and raped women. While the SYM leader Suhaib CT justifies Hamas terrorist’s virtual presence in the event in question saying that Hamas is a political party which won 74 out of 132 seats in the 2006 Palestine Legislative Council (PLC) elections, he forgot that just a year later, the same ‘political party’ waged a bloody war against its own rival “Fatah” and seized control of Gaza Strip in 2007.
Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to India Naor Gilon has expressed shock over the pro-Hamas event in Mallapuram and said that it’s time to add Hamas to India’s terror list.
Unbelievable😮! #HamasTerrorist Khaled Mashal speaks from Qatar in a #Kerala event under the slogan ‘Uproot bulldozer Hindutva & Apartheid Zionism’.
— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) October 29, 2023
Mashal calls participants to:
1. Take the streets and show anger.
2. Prepare for jihad (on Israel).
3. Support Hamas… pic.twitter.com/RH7nyAkEbN
“Unbelievable! #HamasTerrorist Khaled Mashal speaks from Qatar in a #Kerala event under the slogan ‘Uproot bulldozer Hindutva & Apartheid Zionism’. Mashal calls participants to: 1. Take the streets and show anger. 2. Prepare for jihad (on Israel). 3. Support Hamas financially. 4. Promote Palestinian narrative on social media. It’s time to add #HamasISIS also to #India’s terror list,” the Israeli ambassador posted on X.
