By Dr. Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer
With the passing of the 81-year-old veteran Muslim politician), Syed Vicaruddin Palestine, its cause, and its people have lost a dear friend and main supporter for it in the Indian arena, who worked to support it for more than half a century.
Syed Fakhruddin, President of the Arab-Indian Association in Hyderabad, southern India, passed away on Friday, December 10, 2021, accompanied by a rich and fragrant history in supporting and strengthening Indo-Arab relations since the founding of the Association in 1967.
Throughout his political and media career for more than fifty years, during which he met with most Arab leaders and kings, the Palestinian cause remained his unwavering compass, with political and material support.
Many aspects that are difficult to enumerate were drawn by the original positions of (Syed Vicaruddin ) from the marches of support, the revival of days of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the organization of various events in support of Palestine, and his tireless quest to work with the various heads of Indian governments to continue providing support to Palestine.Where he provided financial support to the people of Gaza during the Israeli aggression in 2014 and was serious about supporting Palestinian students in India and providing their basic needs with the spread of the Coronavirus.
Syed Vicaruddin allocated a plot of land free of charge for the establishment of a Palestinian consulate in Hyderabad. He also built an entire complex that he named after the martyr Yasser Arafat, with whom he had strong relations.
In 2015, President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) awarded him the Jerusalem Star in appreciation of his support for the Palestinian cause.
Vicaruddin was dear to the Arabs, to Palestine, to the free, and humanity, for what he believed in and worked to achieve from the foundations of justice and respect among humanity with its different religions, which he sought to achieve.
His diwaniya in Hyderabad was a shrine for dignitaries, clerics, Arab diplomats, and friends in the consolidation of Arab bilateral relations with India or in support of Palestine and its causes.
On his last visit, accompanied by my wife, Naela Abu Jazer, in 2020. we received Mr. Vicaruddin, in a manner that befits his love for Palestine. While the years of his life decreased from his time balance in life and he was overcome by illness, his memory and the solidity of his positions towards Palestine and its people remained unchallenged.
In the city of Hyderabad in southern India, thousands attended the funeral of the deceased Fakhar al-Din, including senior scholars in India and representatives of the diplomatic corps in India.
While his body was decorated with the Palestinian flag in appreciation of his role in supporting the Palestinian national struggle during his life and for the bonds of love and communication, he linked with the Palestinian people with all its components.
Mr. Vicaruddin passed away in body, but he left a legacy and a great history of support for Palestine and Arab causes, and he will remain a light that lights the way for future generations on the path of friendship between India and the Arabs, India, and Palestine.