Malaysian PM to Jews: "You are not the Chosen People" (Takes swipes at America too)

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 30 October 2003

[anotherview]

Oct. 30, 2003
Malaysian PM to Jews: "You are not the Chosen People"
KUALA LUMPUR

Retiring Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad took some parting swipes at the United States – this time about slavery and Christianity – and compared Europe's past ill-treatment of Jews to the way Israel treats Palestinians.

Mahathir, who steps down Friday after 22 years in power, used a visit to a mosque to stoke the controversy he triggered two weeks ago by comments alleging Jewish world dominance.

The remark was widely condemned and prompted a US Senate vote this week to tie $1.2 million in military aid for Malaysia to a guarantee of religious freedom and tolerance for Jews.

"Some people say that we here have no freedom of religion," Mahathir said Wednesday, in a clear reference to the US, without mentioning it by name.

"In reality, the people in that country are the ones who were forced to embrace a religion," he said.

People "who were abducted from Africa were brought to that country and made slaves, tortured, and forced to change their religion, including Muslim slaves, [they] were forced to convert," Mahathir said.

On Thursday, at a news conference after he tendered his resignation as leader of Malaysia's ruling party – a key step toward his retirement – Mahathir was asked if he had a parting message for Jews.

"They must never claim they are the Chosen People, who cannot be criticized at all," Mahathir replied. "We sympathize with them, we were very sad to see how the Jews were so ill treated by the Europeans. The Muslims have never ill-treated the Jews, but now they are behaving exactly in the way the Europeans behaved toward them against the Muslims."

Mahathir, who has urged Muslims to reject violence, including Palestinian suicide bombings against Israelis, said the Middle East conflict is in essence a land dispute, not a religious one. "They have taken land belonging to the Muslims," Mahathir said. "Suppose a part of Britain or a part of America was taken away and given to the Jews as Israel. Do you think the Americans are going to sit quietly and say 'Welcome,' and all that? They won't....

"Why do you expect the Palestinians to accept being expelled from their own country... [it being] given to the Jews. It is not religion at all, it is territorial."

Mahathir, 77, has been Muslim-majority Malaysia's leader since 1981 and is credited with spearheading its transformation from a rubber- and tin- producing backwater to one of Southeast Asia's most prosperous and modern countries.

He has also earned a reputation as an outspoken critic of the West and champion of poorer and Islamic nations.

[anotherview]

"They have taken land belonging to the Muslims," Mahathir said. "Suppose a part of Britain or a part of America was taken away and given to the Jews as Israel. Do you think the Americans are going to sit quietly and say 'Welcome,' and all that?

"Why do you expect the Palestinians to accept being expelled from their own country... [it being] given to the Jews.

Thank you, Mahathir, for denying all of Jewish history and ignoring that it was Jewish land before any Arabs ever arrived. Thank you for denying what both Jews and Christians regard as scripture. That makes it all better.

[anotherview]

Another Mahathir diatribe ping.

It was great to see how CNN praised this guy and wrote so glowingly of his accomplishments.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Wasn't this Paul Krugman's favorite Anti-Semite? Way to go Kruggie! And the NY Times! They must be so proud!

[Simmy2.5]

The new Hitler(s) is not Bush as the left likes to scream at their anti-war "hate" America (or Jews) protest.

[facedown]

Sounds like the tertiary syphilis is finally kicking in.

[Ex-Dem]

The Muslims have never ill-treated the Jews... - so says the PM

Choke on your words.

[montag813]

and compared Europe's past ill-treatment of Jews to the way Israel treats Palestinians.

What's a "Palestinian"? Never heard of it. Is that some kind of Roman term? Does he mean Muslims? What not just say so?

[Zeroisanumber]

People "who were abducted from Africa were brought to that country and made slaves, tortured, and forced to change their religion, including Muslim slaves, [they] were forced to convert," Mahathir said.

Big cajones condemning the US for slavery considering what Arab slavers did to East Africa back in the day.

[anotherview]

How can you say such nasty things about Mahathir. CNN tells us he is a great man whose legacy is intact. How can CNN possibly be wrong?

[veronica]

The Pope´s Emotional Return

"This weekend Pope John Paul II is visiting southern Poland, the land of his birth. The trip of the frail leader of the Catholic Church is expected to be fraught with emotion: nobody is saying it aloud, but everybody in Poland is aware of the fact that at 82, this must be the Pope's last trip to his native country.

The trip to southern Poland is a sentimental journey for the aging, ailing pontiff: saying goodbye to his birthplace. Some four million pilgrims from all over Poland are expected to flock to Krakow to greet the Pope on what many feel must be his last visit to his native land. There will be an open-air Mass, he will pray at his parents' grave, and he will revisit the Kalwaria Zedrzydowska shrine outside Krakow.

Conservatism Relative

Father Adam Boniecki, chief editor of the Krakow Catholic weekly Tygodnik Powszechy, knows the Pope quite well. He explains that in Western eyes John Paul may seem to hold conservative views on issues like the use of condoms and other contraceptives, but in the Polish Catholic church many of his ideas are still seen to be bordering on the revolutionary.

Take for instance John Paul's views on relations with the Jews, the Chosen People: "The Pope is very clear about the relationship with the Jews, the Church has never been this clear about it, when he went to pray with the Jews in Israel. It demonstrated his absolute conviction that there is still this special relationship between God and his Chosen People. And he feels the greatest respect for them, the ‘elder brothers' . . .

Etc.

[facedown]

"He bought Malaysia unprecedented industrialization and development, but in the process of achieving those goals he destroyed the independence of institutions such as the judiciary, the media and the professional police force."

Yeah, he's a peach.

[God luvs America]

nevermind that....consider what muslims do to their own people. but in a pathetic sort of way I guess that is alright in their eyes!!

[Unam Sanctam]

I don't know what is more disgusting, this lunatic's ravings or the enthusiastic pro or restrained condemnation of them by the Arab world, Chirac, Krugman, etc.

[Finalapproach29er]

Malaysian PM to Jews: "You are not the Chosen People"


If you dig 10 or 15 feet deep,in Israel, the artifacts are Hebrew,not Arab. It's the Jews' land, and considering how they have made it prosper I would would say they are chosen.

[Sir Gawain]

The new Hitler(s) is not Bush as the left likes to scream at their anti-war "hate" America (or Jews) protest.

That's true, but Bush is doing the equivalent of saying "Nazism is peace" every time he panders to Muslims.

[B Knotts]

"In reality, the people in that country are the ones who were forced to embrace a religion," he said.

Well, Mr. Islamic Bozo...let's look at what's going on TODAY in the "moderate" Islamic country of Egypt:

Christians Arrested in Egyptian Crackdown on Converts

[Brian Allen]

<< Mahathir .... is "credited" with spearheading its transformation from a rubber- and tin- producing backwater to one of Southeast Asia's most prosperous and modern countries. >>

Is "credited" by himself and his every-bit-as-corrupt cronies, maybe.

In reality he and the several prime ministers before him, starting with the every-bit-as-abjectly-corrupt Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak -- and Singapore's Harry Lee -- took an extremely prosperous Rule-of-Law-based nation and enriched themselves, their families and a handful of their cronies while dictatorially turning the formerly FRee British Malaya into a couple of totally materialistic rule-by-law lootocracies, Malaysia and Singapore.

[B Knotts]

"Some people say that we here have no freedom of religion," Mahathir said Wednesday, in a clear reference to the US, without mentioning it by name.

Here's the kind of religious "freedom" they have in Malaysia:

http://www.persecution.org/Countries/malaysia.html

• Islam is the official religion.
• Article 11 of the Constitution gives citizens the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate their religion. However, this right is restricted in practice.
• The construction of non-Muslim places of worship must be approved by the government while Muslim places of worship face no such restriction.
• The sale and distribution of Malay language Bibles and other Christian materials are strongly discouraged.
• Visas for foreign clergy of non-Muslim religions are severely restricted.
• Apostates (those who convert from Islam to another religion) may be fined or imprisoned for a year of "rehabilitation."

[anotherview]

Oh, no, You have this all wrong. Mahathir Mohamed is a great man and also a "nice guy" whose legacy is intact. I know this is absolutely true because those oh so honest and unbiased reporters at CNN told me so!

[SJackson]

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