Hamas leader Khaled Mashal participated at a pro-Palestine rally in Kerala's Malappuram on Friday, which turned towards a political slugfest. The BJP has accused the Opposition alliance INDIA of involvement in 'anti-national' and 'anti-Sanatan' activities and has raised questions about the role of the Kerala Police. Multiple pro-Palestine rallies are being held in Kerala, and the one featuring Khaled Mashal occurred on Friday. The event was organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-Islami in Kerala.
Who is Hamas leader Khaled Mashal?
Khaled Mashal is a founding member of the Hamas politburo and served as its chairman until 2017. He was a prominent leader within Hamas for many years. Born in the West Bank and raised in Kuwait and Jordan, Mashal assumed the role of Hamas's political leader in exile in 2004, according to the BBC profile.
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Throughout his career, he never resided in Gaza and operated from various countries, including Jordan, Syria, Qatar, and Egypt. According to Israel's foreign ministry, Khaled Mashal is currently based in Qatar and is reported to have a net worth of $4 billion.
Khaled Mashal's virtual speech at Kerala rally left politicians in slugfest
Videos of Khaled Mashal addressing have surfaced on social media. A poster with the message "Uproot bulldozer Hindutva and apartheid Zionism" was visible in the event footage.
Suhaib CT, the state president of the Solidarity Youth Movement, defended Mashal's participation, stating that it is not a crime under Indian law because Hamas is not an organisation operating in India. "He took part in our programme organised to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn the onslaught by Israel. No need to see anything unusual in that," he said
“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 elections there,” Suhaib said.
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Kerala BJP president K. Surendran expressed concern that a terrorist organisation was being glorified under the banner of "Save Palestine." He called Khaled Mashal's virtual address at the Solidarity event alarming and criticised the glorification of Hamas as "warriors" under the guise of supporting Palestine.
"Hamas leader Khaled Mashel's virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where's Pinarayi Vijayan's Kerala Police? Under the guise of 'Save Palestine,' they're glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organization, and its leaders as 'warriors.' This is unacceptable! HMO India," K Surendran wrote.
VT Rema, the vice president of the Kerala BJP, also expressed shock and criticised the promotion of Islamic terrorists in a secular country like India.
"It was shocking news to hear...It is tragic and deployable to see that in a secular country like India and in the southernmost state called Kerala a group of Islamic terrorists has shown their real mindset...Everybody knows Hamas attacked Israel in an unprecedented way without notice...," Kerala BJP vice president VT Rema said.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asked whether the INDIA bloc would condemn this. "Will the Congress party which is part of INDIA alliance, condemn this? Why is INDIA alliance supporting Hamas who killed more than 700 people? Terrorists are being given platforms. In the name of vote bank politics, terrorists are being given platforms. Using Palestine as an excuse, attempts are made to protect Hamas," Shehzad Poonawalla said.
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla questioned whether the INDIA bloc, including the Congress party, would condemn the support for Hamas, who had caused the deaths of more than 700 people. Poonawalla accused some political groups of giving terrorists a platform in the name of vote bank politics.