Dr M remarks
-
DR MAHATHIR also told the Bangkok Post that the US must learn conflicts will not be won through brute force.
'They must learn... it is sad to see that American embassies all around the world have to be protected. That's a measure of the bad feelings against the Americans now. That's because they changed in attitude. They have become so powerful. They are the only power in the world and they don't care any more whether we like them or not.
'They can force us to submit to them and that is the basis of their foreign policy: using force... Using force to make people democratic, I think is wrong.'
He urged Washington to find the root cause behind terrorist attacks.
'The way we deal with it is to find what is bugging them... We then tackle the problem.
'Yes, you can apply military pressure but find the root cause, the political cause, and we have conveyed this to everyone.
'But there are some who believe massive retaliation is the answer. You kill one of my people, I will kill 100 of your people. This is not going to work.' -
'The Europeans and the Americans and others want to condemn me when, in fact, one chap said all Muslims are terrorists. (Italian Prime Minister Sylvio) Berlusconi himself made a statement that Muslims are terrorists.
'Did the European Union pass a resolution to say that this is against Muslims?' he asked.
'Why is it that when people condemn Muslims the European Union does not try to say anything?' he said.
'Israel is a small country. There are not many Jews in the world. But they are so arrogant that they defy the whole world. Even if the United Nations say 'no', they go ahead. Why? Because they have the backing of all these people.'
'They only see that angle and they have a powerful influence over people,' he said.
'Only their side of the picture is given now. The Muslims, we are pictured as terrorists, unreasonable people, unable to administer our countries, unable to develop our countries.'
What do you guys think ? -
you can't talk sense to someone who sees the world as us vs them.
-
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/200310220035526.php
The truth can be told without resorting to hate speech
Matthew Mendelsohn
3:15pm Wed Oct 22nd, 2003
I am presently living in the US after having lived in Malaysia for several years. Having worked and lived among Malaysians and hearing Dr Mahathir Mohamad's rhetoric throughout that time, I have nothing but respect for the country and its people.
Contrary to most people in the West, I do view Dr Mahathir as one of the most insightful and competent leaders in the world today. His policies internally have made Malaysia grow in leaps and bounds compared to its neighbours, and I think the country is very lucky to have him as its leader for the last 22 years.
That being said, the comments that the PM's speech at the OIC were merely misconstrued do not hide the fact that the speech was anti-Semitic. Let me not say that the Christian world (or the Jewish one) is really any better. Comments like the ones by Lt Gen William Boykin last week are completely out of step with the views of any enlightened person and give all of us a black eye. -
Is he the only one thinking tat way or is he the only one tat get powerful enough to be heard and blatant enough not to fear the backlash from the west.
-
Originally posted by socrates:DR MAHATHIR urged Washington to find the root cause behind terrorist attacksip
'The way we deal with it is to find what is bugging them... We then tackle the problem.'
What a hyprocrite.
In the same speech he painted Jews as the culprit of today's ill while the next he asked US to find "root cause" of terrorism ?
Didn't he just admit the fact the Islam itself has being thoroughly
used and abused by some "Believers" themselves and had turned once "repected" religion in a political tool for flying civilian planes into buildings full of innocent pple ?
Seems this Dr M final days can blame everyone else except himself and his self-righteous policy of racism in Malaysia.
And in a 22 Oct'03, he was quoted by Bernama on water issue with S'pore:
[color=blue]"We are asking Singapore to revise the price upward but Singapore says that the agreement says unless they agree, we cannot revise, and they don't agree.
"They think that the price of three sen is there though at one time they agreed to increase the price," he said.
He further adds that Singapore was making tremendous profit and Malaysia was conscious of its obligation to give the Island State enough water for its people to consume and not enough water to make a profit from. "So until now Singapore refuses to negotiate, so we go for arbitration (at the International Court of Justice)"
HUH???
Since when did M'sia made a formal announcement abt going to ICJ to settle the water case ??
He latest retorich contradicts with what was reported by M'sia's NST on 1 Oct'03 abt a parliament reply by M'sia's deputy FM Datuk Dr Leo Michael in which he said decision was made on 30 Jul to refer the dispute to a tribunal in accordance with Malaysian laws, and NOT to the International Court of Justice on 30 Jun ?
NST full report on 01Oct'03
Something is not going right here...as usual from KL's confusion of speechs and slipups.
-
seems like he got a lot of talking before he steps down......
-
1 more week nia, can prepare champagne liaoz
-
*Clap clap*!
He's getting senile. -
bravo... bravo... Dr M... everyone also kena... not only the jews... muslims also...
-
'We see states launching vicious, massive retaliation, not just to kill the suspected terrorist but also his family, his home, his village and his town,' said Dr Mahathir, who is under fire for comments last week in which he maintained that 'Jews rule the world'.
'It would be ridiculous to think that such attacks do not terrorise the innocent. In fact the terror is even greater, it is systematic and executed with heavy weapons in the hands of trained soldiers.'
All these actions are not very constructive to the Malaysia economy. I guess he do not care since he is gonna step down soon. I pity the next PM as he will have a lot of cleaning up to do. -
he won't be the only one... we all grow old, senile and die... eventually... its knowing when to make a graceful exit... i wouldn't wanna hang around long enough for pple to call me an "old fogey" when i get that old... guess thats what he had in mind too...Originally posted by Eiizumi:*Clap clap*!
He's getting senile.
sayonara mahathir... enjoy your retirement.
will sure miss his noisy tirades against everything... -
In his 30 year tenancy as the PM of Malaysia, Dr M could not change the mindset of his Malay Community - to take on the challenges of modern science and technologies, and to adapt themselves to the challenges of a New World.
Now with more time during his upcoming retirement, and as the new managing leader of the OIC, it will be interesting to see how Dr M intend to change the minds of 1.3 Billion Muslims across political boundaries, to get them to THINK and face a New World of Science and Technology, and win the competition over their Jewish brethens.
Be prepared for more tears when Dr M finishes his 3 year term at the helm of the OIC. -
essentially, Dr Mahathir ensured one thing -
separating the world into two groups: Muslims and the Rest. -
WASHINGTON - Aboard Air Force One, en route from Bangkok to Singapore on Oct 21, a senior administration official travelling with President George W. Bush gave a background briefing to the White House press corps.
'Help moderate Muslims to refute extremists'
WASHINGTON - Mainstream Muslims must do more to undermine extremists and boost the influence of moderates in the global war on terrorism, US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has said.
He also said Washington had to help strengthen the hand of Muslim moderates by promoting an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was 'a huge factor' in US-Muslim relations.
The war on terror 'is a fight that cannot be won by the West alone', he said on Thursday, adding: 'In fact, the fight against the killers who pervert and exploit a great world religion is most effectively fought by Muslims themselves. It is more appropriate for Muslims to refute the extremists' false arguments.'
The United States 'should do everything we can to support those moderate voices... and that is just one of many reasons why it is so important for us not only to succeed in Iraq, but also to achieve a peace between Israelis and Palestinians', he said in a speech at Georgetown University. -- Reuters
He was asked about how risky it would be for the President to visit Indonesia after Singapore.
He replied, and this is from the official transcript: 'Well, I don't think the President has any worries about his personal safety if that's what you're trying to imply.
'Don't forget, Bali is a peaceful island, 95 per cent Hindu.'
It is a shocking statement. But there is no need to overreact.
Yes, it was a senior White House official saying that Bali would be safe because it has a majority Hindu population. By implication, he meant that were it Muslim, it would be dangerous.
But caution should be exercised in concluding, as some in Washington have done, that it betrays a mindset in which Muslims are viewed as the enemy and that we are at war with Islam.
Yet, it cannot be denied that it is an increasingly common mindset in the United States. If that is not acknowledged and serious remedial action not taken, what the American novelist James Baldwin called 'the fire next time' would be in grave peril of happening.
Consider what appears regularly in the American press and, what is worse, goes unchallenged.
Last Monday, the New York Daily News, which has a circulation of three-quarters of a million in the largest US city, carried an article by its senior editorial writer Stanley Crouch.
Mr Crouch, who publicly advocates the US shutting its doors on Muslims, said: 'I have been writing for a while in this space that I believe we should have a moratorium on immigration from anywhere in the Islamic world.
'War always shuts down borders, and we are, ladies and gentlemen, in a war,' he says.
Again, there is need to be cautious about overreacting.
It is true that if the New York Daily News had carried an article urging a halt to Jewish immigration, there would have been an outcry that would almost certainly have led to Mr Crouch losing his job. But his opinion is not isolated. It is, increasingly, the consensus in the US.
That is why no voices were raised against his anti-Islamic generalisation. The reaction to Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remarks about Jews ruling the world, made at the recent meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, was very different.
It is worth-noting that in his article about Dr Mahathir's speech, The Washington Post's columnist Richard Cohen wrote: 'Sadly, throughout the Islamic world, anti-Zionism has been corrupted into anti-Semitism.'
It is a valid, and profoundly disturbing, observation.
Even more disturbing, yet rarely addressed, is that throughout the Western world, anti-terrorism has been corrupted into anti-Islamism.
The remarks of the White House official and of Mr Crouch attest to this. So, too, does the large advertisement that the American Jewish Committee placed in The New York Times last Sunday chastising Dr Mahathir.
Under the bold headline 'Shame', it said: 'The Muslim leaders assembled for the conference, to their everlasting shame, gave Mahathir a standing ovation.'
It went on to say: 'Bigotry is bigotry. When an entire people or religion is assailed, all people and all religions are threatened.'
Yet when Islam is assailed, as it increasingly is in the US, few voices are raised and no 'Shame' advertisements appear.
If only the advertisement had included a sentence or two rebuking General William Boykin, one of President Bush's senior intelligence officers, for his recent anti-Islam remarks. He likened the US war against Muslim extremists to a battle against Satan.
Instead, while the US Senate voted to stop US$1.2 million (S$2 million) in military aid to Malaysia because of Dr Mahathir's comments, Gen Boykin remains unpunished. Said Ms Bridget Welsh, a South-east Asian expert at Johns Hopkins University: 'The Senate's action is a mistake. It reflects a view that Malaysia is a radical country, which is completely inaccurate.'
Unfortunately, many congressmen regard Malaysia, and the rest of the Islamic world, as radical and in need of censure.
Yet, it is no good censoring those who make radical anti-Jewish and anti-Christian remarks, while tolerating those who make virulent anti-Islamic statements. It merely reinforces the corruption of anti-terrorism into anti-Islamism.
On Wednesday, one of Mr Crouch's fellow columnists at the New York Daily News, Mr Zev Chafets, wrote: 'Bush can insist all day long that America isn't at war with Islam. But that misses the point. In varying degrees, the Islamic world is at war with the US.'
He went on to write that whenever Mr Bush says the US is not at war with the Islamic world, he always wins a round of polite applause.
'But not a single one of his guests believes it. They all know better.'
Mr Chafets is right.
And while there is no need to overreact, it is important to face up to this. And start doing something about it.
Or next time will be the fire. -
WASHINGTON - Aboard Air Force One, en route from Bangkok to Singapore on Oct 21, a senior administration official travelling with President George W. Bush gave a background briefing to the White House press corps.
'Help moderate Muslims to refute extremists'
WASHINGTON - Mainstream Muslims must do more to undermine extremists and boost the influence of moderates in the global war on terrorism, US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has said.
He also said Washington had to help strengthen the hand of Muslim moderates by promoting an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was 'a huge factor' in US-Muslim relations.
The war on terror 'is a fight that cannot be won by the West alone', he said on Thursday, adding: 'In fact, the fight against the killers who pervert and exploit a great world religion is most effectively fought by Muslims themselves. It is more appropriate for Muslims to refute the extremists' false arguments.'
The United States 'should do everything we can to support those moderate voices... and that is just one of many reasons why it is so important for us not only to succeed in Iraq, but also to achieve a peace between Israelis and Palestinians', he said in a speech at Georgetown University. -- Reuters
He was asked about how risky it would be for the President to visit Indonesia after Singapore.
He replied, and this is from the official transcript: 'Well, I don't think the President has any worries about his personal safety if that's what you're trying to imply.
'Don't forget, Bali is a peaceful island, 95 per cent Hindu.'
It is a shocking statement. But there is no need to overreact.
Yes, it was a senior White House official saying that Bali would be safe because it has a majority Hindu population. By implication, he meant that were it Muslim, it would be dangerous.
But caution should be exercised in concluding, as some in Washington have done, that it betrays a mindset in which Muslims are viewed as the enemy and that we are at war with Islam.
Yet, it cannot be denied that it is an increasingly common mindset in the United States. If that is not acknowledged and serious remedial action not taken, what the American novelist James Baldwin called 'the fire next time' would be in grave peril of happening.
Consider what appears regularly in the American press and, what is worse, goes unchallenged.
Last Monday, the New York Daily News, which has a circulation of three-quarters of a million in the largest US city, carried an article by its senior editorial writer Stanley Crouch.
Mr Crouch, who publicly advocates the US shutting its doors on Muslims, said: 'I have been writing for a while in this space that I believe we should have a moratorium on immigration from anywhere in the Islamic world.
'War always shuts down borders, and we are, ladies and gentlemen, in a war,' he says.
Again, there is need to be cautious about overreacting.
It is true that if the New York Daily News had carried an article urging a halt to Jewish immigration, there would have been an outcry that would almost certainly have led to Mr Crouch losing his job. But his opinion is not isolated. It is, increasingly, the consensus in the US.
That is why no voices were raised against his anti-Islamic generalisation. The reaction to Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remarks about Jews ruling the world, made at the recent meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, was very different.
It is worth-noting that in his article about Dr Mahathir's speech, The Washington Post's columnist Richard Cohen wrote: 'Sadly, throughout the Islamic world, anti-Zionism has been corrupted into anti-Semitism.'
It is a valid, and profoundly disturbing, observation.
Even more disturbing, yet rarely addressed, is that throughout the Western world, anti-terrorism has been corrupted into anti-Islamism.
The remarks of the White House official and of Mr Crouch attest to this. So, too, does the large advertisement that the American Jewish Committee placed in The New York Times last Sunday chastising Dr Mahathir.
Under the bold headline 'Shame', it said: 'The Muslim leaders assembled for the conference, to their everlasting shame, gave Mahathir a standing ovation.'
It went on to say: 'Bigotry is bigotry. When an entire people or religion is assailed, all people and all religions are threatened.'
Yet when Islam is assailed, as it increasingly is in the US, few voices are raised and no 'Shame' advertisements appear.
If only the advertisement had included a sentence or two rebuking General William Boykin, one of President Bush's senior intelligence officers, for his recent anti-Islam remarks. He likened the US war against Muslim extremists to a battle against Satan.
Instead, while the US Senate voted to stop US$1.2 million (S$2 million) in military aid to Malaysia because of Dr Mahathir's comments, Gen Boykin remains unpunished. Said Ms Bridget Welsh, a South-east Asian expert at Johns Hopkins University: 'The Senate's action is a mistake. It reflects a view that Malaysia is a radical country, which is completely inaccurate.'
Unfortunately, many congressmen regard Malaysia, and the rest of the Islamic world, as radical and in need of censure.
Yet, it is no good censoring those who make radical anti-Jewish and anti-Christian remarks, while tolerating those who make virulent anti-Islamic statements. It merely reinforces the corruption of anti-terrorism into anti-Islamism.
On Wednesday, one of Mr Crouch's fellow columnists at the New York Daily News, Mr Zev Chafets, wrote: 'Bush can insist all day long that America isn't at war with Islam. But that misses the point. In varying degrees, the Islamic world is at war with the US.'
He went on to write that whenever Mr Bush says the US is not at war with the Islamic world, he always wins a round of polite applause.
'But not a single one of his guests believes it. They all know better.'
Mr Chafets is right.
And while there is no need to overreact, it is important to face up to this. And start doing something about it.
Or next time will be the fire.