Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al Tells Conference In Pakistan: 'We Have Been Continuing Jihad In A More Confident Manner Than Before'; 'We Will March Further And Enforce The Shari'a Of Muhammad... On This Earth' – Dr. Naji Zuhair: 'We Have Pledged That We Will Expel The Unpious Israel From Palestine'; 'Zionist Enemy Is Even Weaker Than The Spider's Web'

Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al and his special representative to Pakistan Dr. Naji Zuhair told the Mufti Mehmood Conference in Pakistan that Hamas will work for the implementation of shari'a rule not just in Palestine but all over the world, that Hamas is gaining successes both on the ground and at the international level, and that Israeli Jews will be expelled from Palestine.

The Mufti Mehmood Conference was held on October 14, 2023, in Peshawar by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), a religious organization and political party that was part of the coalition government headed by former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The JUI-F is led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, an Islamic religious scholar and politician. Mufti Mehmood, who died in 1980, was one of the founding members and emir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and served as the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from 1972 to 1973.

JUI-F emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman (in yellow turban) at the conference

The conference was also addressed by Pakistani politicians and Islamic religious scholars. Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al delivered his special address via video link, while his special representative Dr. Naji Zuhair also addressed the conference in Peshawar. Those who spoke on the occasion include the former Senate chairman and a leader of the Pakistan People's Party, Mian Raza Rabbani, retired Captain Safdar of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif's group), Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour of Awami National Party, JUI-F Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Emir Maulana Ataur Rahman, and others.[1]

Addressing the conference live from Gaza, Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al thanked "the people all over Pakistan for their expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians" and said: "Al-Aqsa is the First Qibla [the direction toward which a Muslim turns to pray in Islam] of Muslims. It is the heart of Muslims. The First Qibla is the center of our affection. Israelis have rained fire there, are bringing down mountains of atrocities and oppression, but we have been continuing jihad in a more confident manner than before."[2]

"We will not allow Americans and agents of Israel to occupy Palestine. We will watch over First Qibla. We will march further and enforce the shari'a of Muhammad, peace be upon him, on this earth," Khalid Mash'al told the conference, according to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Dunya.[3]

According to another report in the Urdu daily Roznama Express, Khalid Mash'al praised JUI-F, whose constitution includes a clause on the "love of Palestine" and said: "We are extremely opposed to the Zionist Israel and do not accept it under any conditions. Palestine is the land of Muslim Umma that Hazrat Umar [the second Islamic caliph] conquered. We have been given the duty to protect this land and will not take a step back. Israel's defeat and Palestine's victory is assured..."[4]

Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al addressed the conference via a video link

Dr. Najir Zuhair, a senior Hamas leader and special representative of Khaled Mash'al who is visiting Pakistan to hold meetings with Pakistani leaders, also addressed the Peshawar conference. Zuhair said: "There is trust in Allah that the victory will be ours. Palestine is the land of the Muslim Ummah, nobody elses. Allah has chosen us for its protection; the victory will be ours one day. We have pledged that we will expel the unpious Israel from Palestine. Israeli Jews have no right to this land."[5]

"Look at the history of Gaza. It is of those who stand up [against enemies]. We were standing up for Palestine yesterday also and today too. We will have to give blood for victory, and we are ready to give blood. We will not permit Israel to invade Palestine under any condition, will fight until the last breath. We are thankful to the Pakistan people for their having always stood by us," he added.[6]

Earlier, Dr. Naji Zuhair met with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the current emir of JUI-F; Raza Rabbani, the former chairman of Pakistan's Senate; Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the secretary general of JUI-F; Senator Talha Mehmood, mufti Abrar Ahmad, and poet Syed Salman Gilani.[7]

Zuhair also gave an interview to a Pakistani YouTuber that was recorded after the Gaza hospital bombing that was incorrectly blamed on Israel. In the interview, Zuhair, as translated from an Urdu voiceover, stated: "In this war, we have to go to every limit that will be the last limit, but we will stand firm, as Allah has said in the Quran... And these actions by the Zionists will be continuously answered until the last Zionist leaves Palestine."[8]  

"Thanks to Allah, Hamas today is advancing not only at the level of Palestine but also at international level and is establishing records of successes on the ground. Whatever happened in Gaza, and whatever has been happening for the past 12 years, all of this proves that the Zionist enemy is even weaker than a spider's web. We have been constantly in a state of war since 2021, but this time we began the attack..." Zuhair said.[9]

Dr. Naji Zuhair of Hamas in an interview with a Pakistani YouTuber

At the conference, the main speaker was Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the emir of JUI-F. Addressing the audience, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said: "If the Islamic world permits [us] to go to Palestine, then we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the mujahideen on the battlefront."[10]

The Islamic cleric, whose party is capable of mobilizing millions of Pakistanis, said: "I have not tied the turban to surrender the head, but to raise it. Israel is America's such babe in arms that has been unleashed to cut Muslims in Palestine to pieces. We are ready to land in the battlefield, destroy Israel, and throw its corpse into the Dead Sea."[11]