‘Muslims caused fear of Islam’: Mahathir Mohamad opens Kuala Lumpur Summit, amid Saudi disgruntlement
- ‘We may claim to be performing jihad but the result is more oppression of Muslims everywhere,’ Malaysian leader tells meeting of Islamic countries
- Event has raised Saudi hackles over fears it will undermine the influence of Riyadh-dominated Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
In a keynote address to the three-day Kuala Lumpur Summit, Mahathir lamented the plight of Muslims worldwide saying they were embattled not only by Islamophobia and violence, but poor governance too.
“Today we have lost the respect of the world. We are no longer the source of human knowledge nor the model of human civilisation. For a long time in the 18th to mid-20th centuries Muslim countries were all dominated and occupied by European powers. We have now largely freed ourselves. But we have not done much better as independent nations. Indeed, some of us have regressed to the point of once again being dependent on our former colonial masters,” said Mahathir, who is serving a second stint as prime minister after his previous term from 1981 to 2003.
Even small Muslim states were not being well governed, said Mahathir, adding that “whether authoritarian or not, good governance is not impossible. We do not have to be oppressive”.
