The Islamic world in support of Palestine / Thousands of Muslims protest against Israel

2023-10-14 12:09:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Islamic world in support of Palestine / Thousands of Muslims protest against

In many cities in the Middle East thousands of people have protested against Israel and the US. In Iran's capital, Tehran, demonstrators waved Palestinian and Hezbollah flags. Many others carried signs with slogans such as: "Down with America" ??and "Down with Israel".

In Jordan and Iraq, several thousand people also participated in the demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinians. During the demonstration, the participants shouted insults at Israel. In Baghdad's central Tahrir Square, demonstrators trampled an Israeli flag thrown to the ground. Many of them shouted slogans: "No to the occupation! No to America!" The radical Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr called for the protest. The influential religious leader belongs to the opposition, but the Iraqi government welcomed these protests.

In Pakistan, tens of thousands of Muslims gathered across the country after Friday prayers to express solidarity with the Palestinians. In Bangladesh thousands of people took to the streets. At demonstrations across the Muslim-majority country, people waved the Palestinian flag and chanted, "Stop the oppression of Palestinians!" and "We want an independent Palestine." Also Muslims around the world want to stand up for the Palestinians.

The bloodiest massacre since the establishment of the state of Israel

Islamic Hamas, which has been classified as a terrorist organization by the US. The EU, Israel and other countries last Saturday (7.10.2023) with a massive attack caused a massacre of civilians in the border area of ??Israel, which was the worst since the establishment of the state of Israel. More than 1,300 people have been killed by Hamas and about 150 people have been taken hostage. According to the Palestinian health authorities, more than 1,700 people, including civilians, have been killed by Israel's air strikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In parts of the Muslim world, but also in Western countries, many demonstrations have been held to celebrate the terrorist attacks against Israel. The Iranian leadership claimed a "success" but denied any direct involvement in them. The Islamic Republic has long supported Hamas militarily and financially. Also, Iran is considered the most important support for Shiite Hezbollah militias in Lebanon, which in recent days have had isolated confrontations with the Israeli armed forces.

Hezbollah: "When the time comes we will act"

Hezbollah is classified by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab states as a terrorist organization. The EU considers its armed wing a terrorist group. Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Ghassem, condemned the support for Hamas. "When the time comes we will act," he told hundreds of supporters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Observers in Israel fear that Hezbollah, which is militarily much more powerful than Hamas, could attack Israel en masse from the north.

Demonstration against Israel

In some European countries, security authorities note, meanwhile, a growing risk of anti-Semitic demonstrations and violent incidents. The Federal Criminal Investigation Agency (BKA), according to an internal report on the situation, predicts that there could be a wave of protests against "Jewish institutions and synagogues" in Germany, the newspaper "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" quotes this report. Meanwhile, BKA has no concrete data on plans for any attack. The Interior Ministry reckons with a "high risk", a spokesman said.

In Great Britain, some Jewish schools are temporarily closed for security reasons. The Metropolitan Police in London announced that incidents with a background of anti-Semitism have increased in the capital since the terrorist attack on Israel. "The tension is high," the Metropolitan Police said. "We will neither tolerate the spread of hatred (...) nor the glorification of terror."

France: The largest Jewish community in Europe

In France, despite the ban, thousands of people took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris, where police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Solidarity demonstrations also took place in Rennes, Toulouse and Lille. At least the two themselves have been detained in police stations

President Emmanuel Macron in a televised speech drew attention: "We must not tolerate any form of hatred (...)." Europe's largest Jewish community lives in France, with about half a million members. At the same time, over five million Muslims live in France with 70 million inhabitants, most of them from the Maghreb countries. /DW