At Anti-Israel Protests In Pakistan, Islamic Religious Scholars Call For Jihad Against Israel, Urge Rulers Of Islamic Nations To Use Their Armies To Help Palestinians
In April and May 2025, Pakistan's Islamic religious organizations, especially Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JeIP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), held a series of conferences and mass rallies in several Pakistani towns and cities where Islamic scholars and community leaders expressed support for Hamas and called for jihad against Israel.
A national Palestine conference was held on April 10 in Islamabad, while protests and events were also held at Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir as well as in the cities of Karachi, Hyderabad, and Quetta, among others. At these events, the religious scholars called for supporting Palestinians and Kashmiris.
Islamic scholars address the National Palestine Conference in Islamabad on April 10, 2025
On April 10, a national Palestine conference was held in Islamabad to express solidarity with the Palestinians, where Hamas representative Dr. Naji Zaheer, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, President of the Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabiya Mufti Taqi Usmani, prominent Islamic scholar Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, and other eminent personalities delivered speeches.[1]
According to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Express: "In the declaration adopted by the national conference, Muslims were called upon to boycott Israel and its supporting countries… According to shari'a, under the principle of 'Al-Aqrab Fal-Aqrab [i.e., jihad becoming obligatory on those on and near the crisis site and its scope expanding gradually to cover wider regions],' jihad has become obligatory on all Muslims."[2]
The declaration stated: "Regarding Palestine, no pact prevents participation in this jihad [against Israel]. In the name of Palestine, no armed-struggle against our own governments will be legitimate. The entire region, including Israel, belongs to Palestinians."[3]
At the conference, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, the head of Tanzeem Al-Madaris, read out the declaration adopted on the occasion. Dr. Naji Zaheer, the Hamas representative, who was a star speaker at the conference, said: "Palestinians have great hopes from Pakistan. Israel is afraid of Pakistan, otherwise it wants to complete the project of Greater Israel."[4]
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose organization Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) has led many anti-Israel pretests in Pakistani towns over the past few years, told the gathering: "If Pakistan does not fight for the Palestinians, it is denying its ideology. The [so-called] philosophers of our country ask how the economy will function if relations with Israel are not improved. What is there to fear? Pakistan's position on Israel should be clear. We also want to know the position of the state of Pakistan."[5]
Hamas representative Dr. Zuhair Naji, who lives in Pakistan, addresses the conference
Calling the gathering "historic" and urging practical jihad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman promoted a hardline approach, inciting violence rather than fostering a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue. "Today's gathering is not a traditional gathering; history will not be able to ignore this gathering. The entire nation is united on the issue of Palestine. Practical jihad has become obligatory on the Ummah. Muslims should participate in jihad in any way possible," he added.[6]
The JUI-F leader said: "In 1917, when the State of Israel was proposed, only two percent of Jews lived in Palestine. Correct history and do not spread the lie that Palestinian Muslims sold their lands themselves. There is a Jewish conspiracy behind any problem in Pakistan. In these circumstances, the purpose of the establishment of Pakistan should be understood."[7] The state of Pakistan was established as a homeland for Muslims; Maulana Fazlur Rehman's message was that the nuclear-armed Pakistan must support Palestinians practically.
One of the leading speakers at the conference was Grand Mufti of Pakistan Taqi Usmani. The religious scholar questioned Muslim governments for not using their armies for jihad, saying: "Peaceful protests are allowed, throwing stones and harming someone's life and property is forbidden. Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israeli bombing continues. The Zionists do not have any faith, any religion, any international agreement or promise. What is the use of the armies of Muslim countries if they do not wage jihad?"[8]
"The requirement was that instead of gathering here [in Islamabad], we would have gathered in Gaza. A ceasefire agreement was reached in Palestine; despite the ceasefire agreement, the bombing continues. Israel has no moral values nor the value of international laws. [U.S. President Donald] Trump has now started considering the entire world his property. Despite seeing death, the Palestinians have not backed down from their position," Mufti Usmani said.[9]
Mufti Taqi Usmani (left) and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman address the National Conference on Palestine on April 10, 2025.
The Grand Mufti accused Israel of implementing a plan for Greater Israel, saying: "Today, preparations are being made to implement the Greater Israel plan. According to the United Nations, no one has human rights except those with fair skin. The [Hamas] brave-hearts in Gaza have created a new history. Will jihad not be obligatory even after seeing more than 55,000 Muslims being slaughtered?"[10]
Mufti Taqi Usmani added: "The founder of Pakistan [M.A. Jinnah] had called [Israel] an illegitimate child. Our position will not change under any circumstances, no matter how much power Israel gets. When we do not have any pact with Israel, there is no excuse [for Jihad]. Muslim countries should know that when it has broken agreements, then by what agreement are you bound?"[11]
The Islamic religious scholar also said: "The U.S. Secretary of State has said that no matter how many Muslims Israel kills, we will not stop supporting it. After Israel, America has also broken its agreements. We do not say to launch a nuclear attack on anyone. Governments have a thousand ways; they should realize that jihad is our duty."[12]
Earlier, on February 5, to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day, several events were held in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir by militant groups and the Pakistani military and government. These events were also attended and addressed by jihadi commanders and Hamas leaders.
One of the biggest events was held in the town of Rawalakot in Pakistani Kashmir. Hamas spokespersons Dr. Khalid Qaddoumi and Dr. Naji Zaheer, along with Hamas leaders Mufti Azam and Bilal Alsallat, participated in the event, according to an Indian media report.[13] The event was also attended by Talha Saif, brother of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) emir Maulana Masood Azhar, JeM commander Asghar Khan Kashmiri, senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Masood Ilyas, and other top LeT commanders.
Jihadi leaders address a rally in Rawalakot, Pakistani Kashmir, on February 5, 2025.
"The entire event was an effort to build a narrative to equate the Gaza Strip with Jammu and Kashmir," Indian media outlet News 18 reported.[14] "The conference had been organised to spin a common tale of Pakistan and Palestine as well-knit united fronts against Israel and India," the report said.[15]
In a video of the Rawalakot event available on the internet, several militant leaders can be seen delivering speeches.[16] One militant leader, speaking Urdu, warns India: "I want to tell [Indian Home Minister] Amit Shah that the mujahideen of Kashmir and Palestine have become united…"[17]
Not far from Rawalakot, on the same day in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended another conference to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day.
Speaking on the occasion, General Asim Munir warned India, saying: "Today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or in the near future, you may commit atrocities in occupied Kashmir, but this will not go on forever. The decision of Kashmir must be made by the people of Kashmir, not by any occupying force in Kashmir. Three wars have been fought for Kashmir, and if ten more need to be fought, we will fight, Allah willing."[18] He made these remarks at the at the martyrs' memorial in Muzaffarabad.
In his speech to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed support for Kashmiris, saying: "Pakistan will continue to offer its unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people till the realization of their right to self-determination."[19]
Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir (third from left) attends an event in Muzaffarabad on February 5, 2025, held as part of the Kashmir Solidarity Day commemorations
On April 13, just three days later, another public rally on the theme of "Solidarity with Gaza" was organized by JeIP on Shahrah-e-Faisal Road in Karachi.
Addressing the protestors, Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said: "Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, while Pakistan's political leadership and the international community remain silent. PML-N, PPP, and PTI must also raise their voices for Gaza and condemn the U.S. and Israel."[20] PML-N refers to Pakistan Muslim League (N) Party of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while PPP stands for Pakistan's People Party led by Bilawal Bhutto, son of President Asif Zardari, and PTI for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman further said: "[Israel] has shredded the United Nations charter. Even today, Israel cannot face Hamas. The brutality in Gaza has exposed the true face of Western leaders. Even in the U.S., 50 percent of people support Palestine. Every child around the world is expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza. All political parties should condemn Israel."[21]
The JeI leader reminded the protestors that Pakistan's first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan was asked to recognize Israel, but he replied: "Our foundation is not for sale" – referring to the religious foundation of the newly created Islamic state of Pakistan.[22]
JeI, which is the largest religious organization in Pakistan, also held a nationwide shutter-down strike, in which shops and other businesses close to halt commercial activity as a form of protest, on April 27 to signal popular consensus and pressure the government into adopting a firmer anti-Israel stance.[23] Business centers remained closed in most cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Quetta. Lawyers in various cities also observed a complete strike and boycotted court proceedings.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, addressed a press conference at the Jamaat headquarters Mansoorah in Lahore, where he declared the nationwide shutter-down strike as successful, stating that the success of the strike was a proof that the entire Pakistani nation stands against Israel and India.[24] The strike was held just five days after the April 22 jihadi terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which more than two dozen Hindu males were shot dead.[25]
JeI emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman raises slogans during the Gaza Million March on April 20, held to express solidarity with Palestinians
As part of the April 27 nationwide strike, local JeI leaders in the city of Hyderabad, Pakistan's Sindh province, held a Press Conference in front of the Hyderabad Press Club. On this occasion, Hafiz Tahir Majeed, the Emir of JeI for Hyderabad district, and other JeI leader Aqeel Ahmad Khan, Abdu Quayyum Sheikh, Muhammad Hanif Sheikh, Abdul Basit Khan, and Hafiz Sufiyan Nasir were present.
According to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Jasarat, Hafiz Tahir Majeed said: "Today's strike was a referendum that has told the entire world that we are standing shoulder to shoulder with Palestine. I salute the citizens of Hyderabad, whose hearts beat with the Muslims of Gaza."[26]
"America, Israel, and India play the role of security guards – they have destroyed the peace and order of the entire world," he said, adding: "With America's support, Israel is planning to destroy Gaza. The fate of America, Israel, and India is bringing them toward Pakistan."[27]
Hafiz Tahir Majeed slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for terminating the Indus Water Treaty. "If India shows an eye to Pakistan, we have the capability to gouge out both its eyes. We will wipe India from the map. Tomorrow we have to take back Delhi, which belonged to Muslims. Insha'Allah, very soon Pakistan's flag will unfurl over Delhi."[28]
The JeI leader said: "The world will see that India, Israel, and America will not find two metres of land on earth. After Pharaoh, they are the people who will be most ashamed in the world."[29]
Hafiz Tahir Majeed also accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, adding: "On the issue of Gaza, the entire Pakistani nation stands in unison… If Islamic countries do not make joint efforts regarding a ceasefire, the situation will not be in anybody's control."[30]
JeI leaders in Hyderabad city talk to the media on April 27
In Lahore, on April 13, Pakistan's leading religious scholar Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, addressed a Press Conference where he called for the boycott of Israeli products. "We must boycott Israeli products. We want a free Palestinian state. The elders of the entire Muslim world should be gathered in Mecca [to formulate a joint response on Israel]," he said and also expressed support for an independent Kashmir.[31]
Calling for "practical steps" for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said: "The army, government, and people of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Palestine. Palestine and Gaza are ours – they were and will remain so… Our hearts are with the people of Palestine. May Allah grant freedom to the people of Palestine and Kashmir."[32]
He added: "Palestine belongs to the people of Palestine, and no conspiracy to expel the people of Gaza from their land can be accepted. The government and various organizations are sending aid for the people of Palestine. We have remained peaceful in our protest demonstrations. At this time, there is a need to unite the Muslim Ummah, and we appeal to all Muslims to pray."[33]
One of the largest anti-Israel protests was organized by JUI-F on May 15 in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan. Addressing the protestors, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said: "The alliance between India and Israel is part of history. The Modi government, acting as an Israeli representative, carried out attacks in Pakistan but we took revenge for Gaza by giving a befitting reply."[34]
It should be noted that in response to the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir, India launched strikes at nine terror centres in Pakistan on May 7, leading to a four-day war with Pakistan.[35]
"Israel has been Pakistan's enemy from Day One," Maulana Fazlur Rehman said, adding: "The rulers of Israel were busy in a rabbit's dream but we opposed Israel from Day One and will continue to do so in future, while Jews and Hindus are one…"[36] He added: "Pakistan should be cautious of the India-Israel axis. If Muslim rulers gather courage, then Israel's power can be eliminated."[37]
* Mantasha Ansari is a Research Assistant at MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraqi News
2 hours ago
- Iraqi News
Pro-Palestinian protest leader defiant despite US deportation threat
Newark – Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent leaders of US pro-Palestinian campus protests, pledged Saturday to keep campaigning after he was released from a federal detention center. 'Even if they would kill me, I would still speak for Palestine,' Khalil said as he was greeted by cheering supporters at Newark airport, just outside New York City. Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, had been in custody since March facing potential deportation. He was freed from a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana on Friday, hours after a judge ordered his release on bail. The Columbia University graduate was a figurehead of student protests against US ally Israel's war in Gaza, and the Trump administration labeled him a national security threat. 'Just the fact I am here sends a message — the fact that all these attempts to suppress pro-Palestine voices have failed now,' said Khalil, who is still fighting his potential expulsion from the United States. He spoke alongside his wife Noor Abdalla, who gave birth to the couple's first child while Khalil was in detention, as well as Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 'Mahmoud Khalil was imprisoned for 104 days by this administration, by the Trump administration, with no grounds and for political reasons, because Mahmoud Khalil is an advocate for Palestinian human rights,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'This is not over, and we will have to continue to support this case,' she added. Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian parents, is not allowed to leave the United States except for 'self-deportation' under the terms of his release. He also faces restrictions on where he can travel within the country. President Donald Trump's government has justified pushing for Khalil's deportation by saying his continued presence in the United States could carry 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.' Beyond his legal case, Khalil's team fears he could face threats out of detention. 'We are very mindful about his security, and the irony is that he is the one being persecuted,' Baher Azmy, one of his lawyers, told AFP. 'But he is committed to peace and because he is rejecting US government policy he is under threat,' Azmy added, without elaborating on any security measures in place for Khalil and his family.
Iraqi News
2 hours ago
- Iraqi News
Bombing Iran, Trump gambles on force over diplomacy
Washington – For nearly a half-century the United States has squabbled with Iran's Islamic Republic but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable. With President Donald Trump's order of strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, the United States — like Israel, which encouraged him — has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come. 'We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want,' said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran's sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes. Trita Parsi, an outspoken critic of military action, said Trump 'has now made it more likely that Iran will be a nuclear weapons state in the next five to 10 years.' 'We should be careful not to confuse tactical success with strategic success,' said Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. 'The Iraq war was also successful in the first few weeks but President Bush's declaration of 'Mission Accomplished' did not age well,' he said. – Weak point for Iran – Yet Trump's attack — a week after Israel began a major military campaign — came as the cleric-run state is at one of its weakest points since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah. Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which enjoys Iran's support, Israel — besides obliterating much of Gaza — has decimated Lebanon's Hezbollah, a militant group that would once reliably strike Israel as Tehran's proxy. Iran's main ally among Arab leaders, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, was also toppled in December. Supporters of Trump's strike argued that diplomacy was not working, with Iran standing firm on its right to enrich uranium. 'Contrary to what some will say in the days to come, the US administration did not rush to war. In fact, it gave diplomacy a real chance,' said Ted Deutch, a former Democratic congressman who now heads the American Jewish Committee. 'The murderous Iranian regime refused to make a deal,' he said. Top Senate Republican John Thune pointed to Tehran's threats to Israel and language against the United States and said that the state had 'rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace.' – Abrupt halt to diplomacy – Trump's attack comes almost exactly a decade after former president Barack Obama sealed a deal in which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear work — which Trump pulled out of in 2018 after coming into office for his first term. Most of Trump's Republican Party and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long seen Iran as an existential threat, attacked Obama's deal because it allowed Tehran to enrich uranium at levels well beneath weapons grade and the key clauses had an end date. But Trump, billing himself a peacemaker, just a month ago said on a visit to Gulf Arab monarchies that he was hopeful for a new deal with Iran, and his administration was preparing new talks when Netanyahu attacked Iran. This prompted an abrupt U-turn from Trump. 'Trump's decision to cut short his own efforts for diplomacy will also make it much harder to get a deal in the medium and long runs,' said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, which advocates restraint. 'Iran now has no incentive to trust Trump's word or to believe that striking a compromise will advance Iran's interests.' Iran's religious rulers also face opposition internally. Major protests erupted in 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for defying the regime's rules on covering hair. Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social media that Trump's strikes could either entrench the Islamic Republic or hasten its downfall. 'The US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities is an unprecedented event that may prove to be transformational for Iran, the Middle East, US foreign policy, global non-proliferation and potentially even the global order,' he said. 'Its impact will be measured for decades to come.'
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraqi, Syrian FMs warn of regional chaos
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, in Istanbul to discuss regional tensions and bilateral relations, on the sidelines of the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers. During the meeting, Hussein cautioned that continued escalation threatens to plunge the Middle East into widespread chaos with heavy costs for all. He also referred to Iraq's initiative, presented during the recent emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which calls for the formation of an Arab-Islamic committee tasked with engaging all parties to broker a ceasefire and resume negotiations. Both parties also reviewed political and economic developments in Syria and explored ways to strengthen cooperation.
