JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday called on Palestinian factions to stand united against their common enemy and said that Palestinian unity was essential to stopping Israeli aggression and achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
“I support every effort that is aimed at strengthening the unity of the Muslim Ummah as well as the unity of Palestinians and their leadership,” he told a delegation from the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) led by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi.
“Muslims should unify their ranks and mobilize their resources for constructive activities,” the king said, commending IUMS’ efforts to strengthen Muslim unity. Al-Qaradawi praised King Abdullah for his tremendous support for Islamic causes and for endeavoring to unite Muslim ranks.
King Abdullah invited Palestinian leaders, including those of Fatah and Hamas, for reconciliation talks in Makkah in January 2007. That led to the formation of a national unity government in Palestine. In response to the current Israeli aggression in Gaza, the king has urged the international community to help stop it.
The IUMS delegation included prominent figures such as Abdul Rahman Swar Al-Dahab, former president of Sudan; Abdullah Omar Naseef, former vice chairman of the Saudi Shoura Council; Muhammad Hidaya Noor Waheed, speaker of Indonesian Parliament; and Nasr Farid Wasil, former mufti of Egypt.
Formed in 2004, the union comprises Muslim scholars from all over the world, representing different schools of Islamic thought. It bases its methodology and judgments on the primary sources of Islam, and works to unite Muslims.
“The IUMS is an independent body, but does not antagonize governments and seeks to enhance bilateral cooperation on all that is beneficial for both Islam and Muslims. It eschews extremism and bigotry and thinks moderately,” the organization says on its website.
In a related development, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his meeting with King Abdullah in Riyadh on Saturday was “significant and fruitful.” Speaking to reporters in the Saudi capital, he described the Israeli military aggression against Palestinians in Gaza as “a human tragedy.”
