Syed Aminul Hussaini,
Grand Mufti of Palestine as its first President. The Headquarters of
this organisation remained in Jerusalem for 22 years till 1948 when
the area was illegally occupied by the Zionist forces and was shifted
to Karachi, Pakistan.
There could not be a
more opportune time for calling this international conference in Amman
when a defining period is already facing us. The failure of the peace
process due to the adamant attitude of the Israeli Government demands
pooling of all our resources- intellectual and political – to thwart
planned attempts at permanent annexation and subjugation of al-Quds
al-Sharif by Israel.
It is evident that through
a systematic programme the issue of Al Quds Al Sharif was relegated
from the Muslim Ummah level, to Arab level and later on further to the
Palestinian level, thereby the real strength of the entire Muslim world
was kept away at crucial times to facilitate and force a settlement
purely on the terms of Israel. Future generations of Muslims, throughout
the world, would never forgive us if we failed to protect the eternal
Islamic character of this holy city.
We should clearly state
that we fully support the legitimate demands for the restoration of
all Arab and Palestinian lands, illegally occupied through sheer force
since 1948. We also support the right of all Palestinian refugees forced
out of their homes and hearths and living in almost all regions of the
world to return to their ancestral land in accordance with the General
Assembly and Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution Nos.
22 and 338. We should fully support the right of Palestinian people
to establish their independent State. All these issues are basic but
we must keep the centrality of the core issue of al-Quds Al Sharif above
all other issues. There is no question of any compromise or weakening
of our resolve on this issue.
I propose that :
We fully realise that
this region has suffered immensely because of the conflict generated
by Israel. No one can deny the necessity and urgency of peace for the
future generations, but the peace has to be based on justice. If the
scales of justice are not held even, the wounds would continue to lead;
tensions will continue to grip communities, loss of precious lives would
continue. To bring a change in the attitude and mind set of the powerful
players is the sine qua non of a judicious resolution of this long-standing
dispute.
We pray to Allah Almighty
to guide the deliberations of this conference in adopting the right
course and also to grant us strength and perseverance, unity in the
cause of truth, fairness and justice which would ultimately lead to
peace.”