The European Council of Imams has sharply criticized a recent visit to Israel by a group it described as “so-called imams,” denouncing the move as a betrayal of core Islamic values and solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The council said in a statement on Wednesday that the delegation met with "criminal figures" in the occupying Israeli state amid a global outcry over the ongoing military assault on Gaza.
"We were shocked by media outbursts of a visit by so-called imams to the occupying Israeli state and their meeting with its criminal figures," the council said, adding that the act "is in stark contradiction to any human or moral sensibility."
It emphasized that the individuals involved in the visit are "unknown among European Muslims" and have no affiliation with any "reputable religious institutions or trusted Islamic organizations."
According to the statement, the visit "clearly reveals its provocative and showy nature, aimed at serving suspicious agendas," and does not represent the position of Muslims in Europe, who have been staging protests and demonstrations in support of Palestinians across the continent.
