Indiscriminate acts of terror won’t diminish Islamophobia — Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has underscored the need for Muslims, despite their anger and frustration, to steer away from committing indiscriminate acts of terror as this will do no favours in efforts to fight Islamophobia.

He said Muslims can declare that Islam does not advocate such violence, but this will be negated if their actions are prompted by anger.

“For as long as we act in anger, as long as we do things that frighten people, and worse still if we proclaim that we are performing Islamic jihad, the fear of Muslims and Islam will not be diminished,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said this in his keynote address at the opening of the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019 here yesterday.

The conference was opened by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan

Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in the presence of other Muslim leaders such as the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Hassan Rouhani of Iran.

Dr Mahathir said Muslims have done more damage to their religion by committing disreputable acts of terror.

“We may claim to be performing jihad but the result is more oppression of Muslims everywhere,” he said, citing instances where Muslims are being expelled from their own countries, rejected by asylum countries, oppressed and condemned.

“We are angry and frustrated. We cannot wage a conventional war. No country would help us. But even so, what do we gain by such indiscriminate violent acts?

Nothing,” the prime minister said.

He said some claim that the acts of terror are done by other Muslim sects labelled as not the true followers of Islam.

“But our detractors and victims don’t care about our different sects.

For them we are all Muslims. The differences between sects are irrelevant,” Dr Mahathir said.

Besides the rise of Islamophobia, Dr Mahathir’s speech also focused on matters such as perceptions towards Islam, Islamic civilisation, as well as governance, reforms and transformations.

In an assessment of the Muslim world, the prime minister said there is not a single Muslim country which is classified as developed and all, despite their immense wealth, are categorised as developing countries. — Bernama