Istanbul Conference: An Islamic and Humanitarian Outcry for Gaza

Gathered in Istanbul, more than 150 leading scholars from 50 countries, in cooperation with the Muslim Scholars Foundation, launched the international conference titled “Islamic and Humanitarian Responsibility: Gaza.”

According to Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Qaradaghi, President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), the world is witnessing “a genocide unprecedented in modern history, surpassing even the crimes of Hulagu and Hitler.”

Gaza, a symbol of patience and resistance

For 22 months, the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2.5 million people, has been subjected to a total blockade and deadly attacks. The text adopted by the scholars stresses that this is “a genocide before the eyes of the entire world,” carried out by a Zionist government described as “terrorist,” one that respects neither mosques nor churches, neither hospitals nor schools. Infrastructure has been destroyed, access to food and water blocked, while the population is left to famine and disease.

The organizers also condemned the expansionist ambitions of the so-called “Greater Israel” project, which threatens not only Palestine but also neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan. The repeated desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qibla of Muslims and the site of the Prophet’s (pbuh) Mi‘raj, was underlined as an unacceptable red line.

Complicit powers, resisting peoples

The organizers directly accused major powers, foremost the United States, of fueling these crimes through destructive weapons and diplomatic backing.

They also denounced the impotence and complicity of several Arab regimes that “openly collaborate with the enemy.”

In contrast, they praised the growing mobilization of free peoples around the world who reject this genocide.

The objectives of the Istanbul summit

The conference, opened on August 22, 2025, at the Eyüp Sultan Mosque—a symbolic site in Islamic history and of the jihad of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari—will run until August 29 with a comprehensive program:

• Mobilize the Ummah and humanity to halt the attacks and open humanitarian corridors.

• Build an Islamic alliance against genocide, Nazism, and all forms of racism.

• Establish a humanitarian pact inspired by Hilf al-Fudul (the Pact of the Virtuous) to prosecute criminals before justice.

• Publish an Istanbul Declaration with NGOs, humanitarian institutions, and parliamentarians.

• Create an official delegation to meet heads of state.

• Found a permanent institution to monitor and implement resolutions.

• Deliver a clear message:

o To Gaza: “O home of dignity, we are all with you.”

o To the resistance: “Your struggle is legitimate, your victory will be that of justice and freedom.”

A spiritual and political program

From August 24 to 28, 18 thematic workshops will address the situation in Gaza, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the wider question of Palestine, while also discussing ways to strengthen international solidarity, media mobilization, and political action. August 28 will be declared a day of fasting and prayer for the entire Muslim community.

The closing will take place on August 29, 2025, at the Hagia Sophia Mosque, where a final declaration will affirm that the Palestinian cause is not only that of the Palestinians but of the entire Ummah and humanity.

Messages of solidarity and calls to action

To the people of Gaza, the scholars conveyed this message:

“O Gaza, home of dignity, we are all with you.”

To the Palestinian resistance, their struggle was declared “legitimate according to all revealed religions, international law, and humanitarian principles.”

The declaration calls for:

• A global boycott and sanctions against the occupier.

• Increased pressure to open borders and deliver emergency aid.

• The reconstruction of Gaza as a city of patience, resistance, and dignity.

The text stresses: “Even if falsehood swells and rages, it is destined to vanish. Truth will prevail.”

A word of thanks to Türkiye and Istanbul

Prof. Dr. Ali Muhyiddin al-Qaradaghi expressed the organizers’ gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye, its president, its government, its religious institutions, and the Turkish people for supporting this historic conference. The scholars hope their decisions will send a powerful signal to leaders, free peoples, and humanitarian institutions worldwide.