MALAYSIANS AND HUMAN TRAGEDY

MALAYSIANS AND HUMAN TRAGEDY  

1. It is sad to see that in Malaysia, there are people who think that the Israeli attack against Gaza is a matter of concern only to the Muslims. It should not be so regarded. It is not even a war between the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is a case of criminal oppression of a powerful people against a weak people. It is in fact an international crime.  

2. We abhor bullying in school. But in this case the bullying is done by a strong country against a weak people. It involves killing men, women, children and babies. Our condemnation of this bullying should be stronger. But obviously some of us don’t. We think it is the problem of Muslims. Non-Muslims should not care.  

3. But in civilised human societies laws do not differentiate between race or religion. Laws apply to everyone equally. Thus if you murder someone, you have committed a crime whether you are of any race or religion.  

4. What we are seeing in Palestine is not a war between two countries. What we are seeing is an attempt by the Israelis to commit genocide on the Palestinian. Genocide is a crime. If it had been genocide by the Palestinians against the Israelis, it would still be a crime.  

5. So we should all object to this. Whether we are Muslims or Christians or even if we are of the same religion as the Jews we should protest against the barbaric acts that are being perpetrated now in Gaza and the West Bank.  

6. So I hope that Malaysians of whatever origin, whether they be Muslims or non Muslims, Christians or Buddhists or Hindus should not consider this as something that is happening only to Muslims. It this happening to fellow human beings. Remember millions of Muslims died to defeat Germany and to end the oppression of the Jews.  

7. We claim that we are all Malaysians. Yet we are showing the division between us over this human tragedy.

DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD

Dec 5, 2023