Gaza Strip offensive condemned

QARI Abdul Shakoor. . . ceasefire call

OLDHAM Mosque Council has condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza and is appealing to “all civilised people to help end the living genocide”.

The Israeli air strikes and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip have claimed more than 900 lives since they were launched last month in an effort to halt rocket attacks on southern Israel by Hamas militants.

The mosque council (OMC) is calling for the government and the international community to call for a ceasefire and deliver a robust and unambiguous message to Israel that its actions won’t be tolerated.

Qari Abdul Shakoor, OMC chairman, said: “The war on Gaza is only fuelling an increase in radicalisation and endangering the region and the world in general.

“In addition corridors of sanctuary need to be provided for the weak and frail.

“Most inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have had no food or access to medicine for many weeks, if not months.

“It is time for us to show why we are part of the civilised world — simply allowing this genocide to take place clearly undervalues and taints this reality.”

He added: “The OMC further calls upon the organisers of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day Service (HMS) to take particular mention of the victims of this tragic and terrible episode that has affected people of all faiths — Palestinian Christians, Muslims and Jews.

“We must continue to show that people of different faith can come together and value and respect each other.

“Human life is a God given gift, the sanctity of which is the core of all the religions, we need to do everything possible to protect, preserve and celebrate it.”

Lib-Dem Euro-MP Chris Davies, who became one of the first people to gain access to the Gaza Strip as an observer since the start of the latest conflict, said: “This is not a war. It is slaughter. More than 900 Palestinians have now been killed. I have seen bloodshed myself with casualties being transferred from one ambulance to the other.”