Kerala: Hamas leader’s virtual address at pro-Palestine rally stirs controversy


A leader of Hamas group, that attacked Israel on October 7, allegedly participated virtually in a pro-Palestine rally organised in Kerala’s Malappuram on Friday.

The rally was organized by Solidarity Youth Movement, the  youth organization of Jamaat-e-Islami, under the slogan of ‘Unite against Zionist-Hindu Racism.’ A video of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal participating in the event was released online by the organizers of the rally.

“Al-Aqsa is our pride, our noble place, the place where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started his Mi’raj journey to the celestial world. Your beloved brothers in Gaza have been fighting for Aqsa since last October 7th. After three weeks of military defeat, today Israel is taking revenge on our people in Gaza. Houses are being destroyed,” said Khaled Mashal in his speech in Arabic (as per the translation released by the organizers).

BJP Kerala unit president K Surendran has  criticized the participation of the Hamas leader in the event and has questioned the Kerala Police’s inaction in this regard. He asked the police to take action against the organisers.

Taking to social media platform  X, Surendran said: “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!”

Surendran also said the Indian Union Muslim League( IUML ) rally held in Kozhikode on Thursday was “pro-Hamas,” and anti-national slogans had been raised throughout the programme.

The BJP leader at a press conference here alleged that Shashi Tharoor’s participation in the rally, given his previous role as a UN diplomat, goes against the country’s established stance on the issue.