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Mahathir Says Hunt for Terrorists Becoming "War Against Muslims"
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 16 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The U.S.-led hunt for alleged terrorists is turning into a "war against Muslims", Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, news agencies reported Friday.
"Despite protests that the war against terrorists is not war against Islam, what cannot be denied is that only Muslim terrorists are being targeted," he told a two-day conference on terrorism, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Mahathir said there was talk that the war would be extended to other countries such as Iraq, although there has been no proof that it has aided prime suspect Osama bin Laden and his followers.
He referred to American Timothy McVeigh, responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and addressed suspicions that the current bio-terrorism in the U.S. was the work of "violently rightist Christians."
"While there is talk about attacking Iraq, there is no violent rage against the spreaders of anthrax or McVeigh's supporters," Mahathir said. "We hate to say it but it is beginning to look more and more like a war against Muslims."
"This impression can only be got rid of if actions are taken also against those people who terrorize the Muslims, such as against the Israelis in Palestine," AFP quoted him as saying.
Mahathir, who has cited the Middle East conflict as a root cause of terrorism, also urged the United Nations to "forcibly" separate the Israelis and Palestinians.
The Malaysian prime minister said the Muslim world, weak and unable to help the Palestinians, saw the West's unwillingness to prevent Israeli attacks as a sign that the West was "anti-Palestine, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim."
He argued that the alleged bombers in the deadly September 11 attacks on the United States were not "fanatical illiterates who only see heaven in after-life", but resorted to terror tactics in anger at the Palestinian issue.
Mahathir reiterated his stand that attacking Afghanistan would not wipe out terrorism, but would only fuel more anger and spawn more terrorists.
Mahathir told a press conference later that he hoped for an "early end" to the strikes in Afghanistan. He cautioned that it was too early to cheer the Northern Alliance's victory Tuesday in capturing Kabul.
"If a city is being bombed continuously, it would be stupid of the Taliban to stay and get bombed out. I think they have moved somewhere where they would not be so easily bombed," he said.
"The first round has gone to the Northern Alliance but we will see... I pray that they will be successful without too much sacrifice in the lives of innocents."
Mahathir said he had written a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush seeking a halt to the bombings in Afghanistan and to urge him to use ground forces instead, in order to limit damage.
The Malaysian leader also called for the United Nations to send troops to resolve the Middle East conflict.
"To expect Israel and Palestine to settle their problem is expecting a little too much," said Mahathir. "The U.N. forces must be allowed in and they must be forcibly separated. Israel should not fly their helicopter... and rocket the Palestinian area. That is an act of terror. Nobody should shoot at anybody."
Mahathir, whose government has recently detained a number of alleged Islamic militants suspected of having trained in Afghanistan, said at a dialogue later that in Malaysia there was "no cause at all for acts of terrorism" because the country had a democratic voting process.
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