THE HON DATO SERI DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
AT THE UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY
IN TOKYO, JAPAN
ON FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER 2002
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“Islam : Fostering Peace and Dialogue in an Interdependent
World”
A few years back, in Oxford I spoke about
Islam as the misunderstood religion. I pointed out that Islam is not only not
understood by non-Muslims but even among Muslims there is a great deal of
misunderstanding about its message and its teachings. And because both sides do not really understand this
religion of 1.3 billion people, we now have a serious confrontation between
non-Muslims and Muslims and also between Muslims and Muslims themselves.
2. Yet
Islam is a religion that civilised the world. During the Dark Ages of Europe Islam was the light, the
beacon which guided the world towards rationality, towards the aesthetics and
the beauty of the arts, towards poetry and literature, towards mathematics,
science and technology. There are
enough evidence of all these for us to see.
3. When
Muhammad the Prophet of Islam received his first message, the Arabs of the
Arabian Peninsular were the most primitive people, divided into fierce warring
tribes, who practised infanticide of female children and other frightening
pseudo religious beliefs. The
Prophet preached peace and brotherhood to these people, converted them to Islam
and a way of life that respected the sanctity of life, tolerance for each other
and relative respect for women.
4. When
he migrated to Madinah his message was the same. He reconciled the tribes of Madinah, the Aus and the
Khazraj, the Ansars, as they are known by Muslims, with the newcomers, the
Muhajirin, from a different tribe from Mecca, and brought peace among
them. He built a good community
which included Jewish tribes and provided the city with the first written
constitution.
5. The
Muslims greeted each other and even the non-Muslims with the phrase “Peace be
upon You.” This is because among
the desert people, there was seldom any peace. The yearning for peace has always been great among
them. The Jewish “Shalom”
expresses the same thing.
6. We
know that in China the greeting is an enquiry, “Have you eaten?” The reason is obvious enough in a country
which in the past was so frequently stricken with famine.
7. People
yearn for the thing that means most to them. And for the early Muslims and also the present ones the
yearning is for Peace.
8. Peace
is therefore not only the name of Islam but also the message of Islam. Peace requires tolerance and through
the ages the Muslims have been very tolerant. That is why historically the Jews would seek refuge from the
pogroms, the Inquisition, the persecutions by the Europeans in Europe by
migrating to Muslim countries.
When Spain was reconquered by the Christians, the Jews preferred to
migrate to North Africa with the Muslims rather than live under Christian
kings. In Eastern Europe the Jews
preferred Turkish-ruled regions than Christian countries.
9. We
know for a fact that European Christians were very anti-Jew, confining them to
ghettoes and every now and again massacring them. The last pogrom was by Nazi Germans and six million Jews
perished. It is in order to solve
their Jewish problem that the Europeans supported the establishment of a Jewish
state in Palestine. It is
unfortunate that Palestine, a land owned and peopled by Arabs for centuries
became the final choice. Initially
Argentina and Uganda were proposed.
The consequence today would probably be less violent.
10. What we are
seeing today in Palestine is not a religious war, for prior to the
establishment of Israel, the Arabs and the Jews lived at peace with each other
in Arab Palestine, a part of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestinians are fighting today because the creation of
Israel was by forcibly expropriating Arab land and property and expelling the
Palestinians from their country and their homes. The hundreds of thousands of the Palestinian Arabs expelled
from Palestine have now multiplied into millions and they still live in
miserable refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. They have lived under this oppressive conditions for more
than fifty years. It is this that
started the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. For fifty years now a territorial dispute has been
misrepresented as a religious dispute.
The Muslims are not anti-Jew.
The Jews, together with the Christians, are the People of the Book, followers
and worshippers of the same God that the Muslims worship. And in Muslim countries in the past and
presently there is nothing equal to pogroms and inquisitions. Christians and Jews remain Christian
and Jew in Muslim ruled countries.
But if the Christians or Jews expropriate Muslim land and expel Muslims,
then the Muslims, like everybody else will fight to regain their land.
11. Since
Christians and Jews will not sympathise and support the Muslims in their
struggle to regain their land, then they have to appeal to other Muslims. And Muslims will support Muslims who
have been deprived of their land because there is a common bond in their
religion. Besides nobody else,
certainly not the democratic humanitarians of Europe, will help them. The liberal democrats of Europe and
America want the Jews to keep out.
The Jews are too smart for the gentiles and can easily dominate them,
despite not being numerous.
12. But
Palestine is not the only cause celebre for the Muslims. Since the end of the First World War
Muslims have been oppressed everywhere.
The British and the French who promised independence for the Arabs if
they helped the Europeans to break up the Turkish Ottoman Empire, reneged on
their promises and made colonies of Arab lands liberated from the Turks. In Central Asia all the Muslim
countries had been conquered by the Russians and Islam was actually
outlawed. The Muslims were forced
to become atheists. Indeed at one
time only Saudi Arabia, where the two holiest Muslim places are located, was
independent. The rest of the
Muslim world was under harsh colonial rule. Only after World War Two were most of these countries
liberated. But antagonism towards
the Muslims and their countries continued. The Christian Crusade against Islam has never really ceased.
13. In many
cases, in Iraq, Iran, Chechnya, Sudan, Libya, South Asia, Muslims were at one
time or another oppressed.
Sanctions have been applied against more Muslim countries than other
countries. In Bosnia-Herzegovina
and in Kosovar, Muslims were allowed to be massacred by the tens of thousands
witnessed by millions on T.V., before the world put a stop to it. Yet in other countries intervention was
immediate. Thus while
Iraq, Iran and North Korea are labelled as the Axis of Evil, action is
concentrated only on Iraq and Iran, Muslim countries. It is any wonder that Iran labelled its chief detractor as
“the great Satan”.
14. The Muslims
fight back of course. Finding
themselves incapable of conventional war or even conventional war of liberation
they resort to any means including terror attacks. Muslims condemn these acts of terror as much as
non-Muslims and most of them have shown a willingness to cooperate in the fight
against terrorism. But their
contribution does not free them of suspicion and threats of attack by the
people with whom they collaborate.
15. The Muslim’s
claim that Islam is a religion of Peace may sound hollow in the light of the
senseless terror attacks they have mounted. But the professed humanitarians of the West are not averse
to starving men, women and children in order to force them to accept the
“freedom” of democracy. And
historically it is the great liberal humanitarian democrats who have killed
millions through carpet bombing and the atom bombs. And so the claims of the democrats that they believe in
peace, freedom and justice is just as hollow. Either the end justifies the means or desperation and
frustration justify the unjustifiable, for everyone.
16. We all
should acknowledge that both the Muslim and non-Muslim detractors are at
fault. That the Muslims have been
oppressed and abused since the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire cannot be
denied. That Muslim land have been
seized in order to make way for a Jewish state, to solve the European Jewish
problem, is equally true. That the
Muslims have been expelled from their homes and land, humiliated, bombed and
killed with impunity are equally true.
The net result is anger, bitterness and frustration among the
Muslims. The net result, simply stated,
is their terror attacks.
17. These
attacks were brushed off as minor irritants by many who are supposed to oversee
and police the world. When the
Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina for example were massacred, many of their
detractors felt that it was nothing more than what they deserve. But then came the destruction of the
World Trade Centre in New York and part of the Pentagon, the symbols of the
most powerful nation of the world.
The Muslims and their senseless terror attacks cannot be ignored any
more. Now the world is not safe
from Muslim terror, and the rest of the world have become as angry as the
Muslims, seeking to punish and avenge the deaths on September 11. Israel of course has seized the
opportunity to terrorise the Palestinians even more.
18. Islam is a
way of life. Islam prescribes the
way that everything is done by its follower. In personal, family, communal, and “national” life, Muslims
follow the guidance of Islam as prescribed in the Holy Quran and the traditions
of the Prophet.
19. Of course
not all Muslims do. Beside after
the death of the Prophet, there have been and there still are so many different
interpretations of the teachings of Islam that the single simple religion of
the Prophet has now become many different religions, with adherents who are
sometimes so fanatical about their particular interpretation and sects that
they freely condemn other Muslims as apostates and are willing to fight and
kill them. Indeed they are more
ready to fight those Muslims whom they consider as apostates than they are to
fight the non-Muslim enemies.
20. But
Christianity too has undergone many changes and divisions. Right from the beginning they were
divided between the Eastern Orthodox and the Christianity of the Holy Roman
Empire part of Western Europe.
Then the Western European Christians were divided and divided again by
the reforms of Martin Luther and later the Anglicans, the Calvinists, the
Puritans and others. The
Catholics produced the Jesuits, the Franciscans and many other orders. Now of course most European Christians
are atheistic, more interested in their European heritage than the religious
beliefs of Christianity.
21. The Jews on
the other hand have never been interested in spreading their faith to
non-Jews. They believe in being
the Chosen People of God. And so
no matter where they may be they are Jews, whether they practice Judaism or
not. They invented Zionism as a
Jewish creed, more national than religious. United they have been able to survive pogroms and inquisitions,
finally to emerge as a powerful force when democracy gained for them equal
status and their combined votes decide who governs the powerful countries where
they reside.
22. It is
impossible to discuss Islam without taking into consideration Christianity and
Judaism. Outwardly there seems to
be a religious confrontation between the three. But religion is secondary. What is important is territory.
23. The
Europeans have always been acquisitive and covetous of what belongs to
others. In their 2000 years of
history their borders have shifted very many times as they war with each other
to enlarge their territory. When
they learnt to sail the oceans, they fought to acquire more foreign territory
for themselves. In Europe
itself they denied the Jews any land to call their own. Periodically they were forever thinking
of a final solution to their Jewish problem. But they also needed the Jews to finance their wars and to
enrich their countries.
24. The
Holocaust failed to become the final solution. And so they supported the Zionist idea of a homeland for the
Jews. Unfortunately their final
choice was not anywhere in Europe but in Palestine, the land of the Arabs. It is so easy to take other people’s
land in order to pay your debt to others.
25. But it was
a mistake. The Arabs cannot see
any reason why they should be made to pay debts owed by Europeans. And since then the Palestinian
territorial issue has plagued the world, has caused misunderstanding and bitter
confrontation between Arabs, Europeans and Jews which most people attribute to
differences of religions.
26. Fear of the
Muslims has plagued the Europeans, ever since Islam began to spread in the 7th
and 8th centuries.
They had mounted Crusades against the Muslims through the
centuries. Today it is safe to say
that Europeans whether Christians of free thinkers still think of Islam as a
threat. It is this thinking, that
has poisoned the relations between Europeans and Arabs, whether they are
Muslims or not. Not only have Arab
territories been seized but whenever there is an excuse they are oppressed.
27. There is
obvious confusion between religious confrontations and territorial
expropriation. There is of
course some element of religion involved but the main issue is land
expropriation and oppression when met with resistance. Today it is nothing more than a wish
for retaliation and revenge.
28. The recent
terror attack in Mombasa, Kenya, illustrates this attitude very well. The Israelis have vowed that they will
hunt down the terrorists. No doubt
they will. But it is most unlikely
that Israelis are going to be safe after the killers are eliminated. The anger thus and those who support
their cause, will ensure new recruits will stage new attacks. There will be no progress in the fight
against the terrorists. Instead
there will be escalation.
29. So how do
we foster Peace and Dialogue in our Interdependent world in a world of anger
and rage by everyone? The simple answer is that we will not
be able to foster Peace and Dialogue for as long as both sides are set on
seeking revenge. We can only
foster Peace and Dialogue if we try to return to sanity and focus on the causes
of terrorism instead.
30. I believe
that at the root of Muslim terrorism is the fact that they are weak and
incapable of negotiating on equal terms with their detractors. Imposing the will of the powerful on
the Muslims is not dialogue for peace.
Their Governments may be forced to agree, but not their people, some of
whom will continue to fight in whatever way they can.
31. The second
need is for the recognition of the true causes—i.e. the expropriation of Muslim
land and the oppression of Muslims all over the world. Since September 11 this oppression has
become more widespread and more severe.
32. If these
two factors are acknowledged and the negotiation is fairly conducted with the
objective of removing the causes, God-willing peace will ensue. It will not be immediate as in the case
of the conventional defeat of a country.
Muslim Governments are not in complete control of the extremist elements
in their countries. But without a
cause, the anger would diminish and there would be less recruits for
terrorism. Eventually terrorism
would cease for lack of support.
33. The First
World War was a war to end wars.
But the peace treaties imposed on the defeated were so harsh that they
caused another war, World War II.
After World War II the victorious Allies, realising that harsh treaties
were counter productive, agreed to more reasonable treaties. The result is erstwhile enemies such as
the French and the German are able to collaborate in the creation of the
European Union. In the East Japan
readily became the ally of the United States. For more than half a century now, world war has been
avoided.
34. But the
powers that be have not learnt how to handle the war against terrorism. They treat it like a conventional
war. They are doing everything
possible to increase terrorism.
Countries which collaborate are being threatened. The only thing that can happen is a
loss of cooperation in the fight against terror. And terror attacks are going to be a part of our lives,
whoever we may be.
35. The world
is set for a very long and painful war which will keep everyone in a state of
fear, strangle world economy and render most of the advances in science and
technology useless.
36. Let me once
again say that Islam means peace.
But there can be no peace, no dialogue unless the true grievances of the
Muslims are acknowledged and attended to.
37. For two
thousand years the Jews were massacred periodically to get rid of them. The Jews were very few in number. But the attempt has obviously
failed. Today the Jews are more
powerful than ever. The attempt to
force the Muslim into submission will also fail. There are far too many of them and the human spirit in them
will overcome all adversities. In
the meantime while the attempt for a final solution of the Muslim problem is
being implemented the world will live in a state of terror.
38. It is far
better to go back to the table and to sincerely try to understand the problem,
to negotiate and to work determinedly for peace.
39. In an
Interdependent World we should all depend on each other. It is not an Interdependent World if
everyone has to depend on just one party, or one power.
*******
PUTRAJAYA
Prime Minister’s Website:
http :
//www.smpke.jpm.my