10-17-2003, 09:43 AM
It is fortuitous (from an Indian POV) that the remarks were made by Mahathir (one or two of his grandparents are from Kerala) who despite his anti Western views is considered a relative moderate. First it dispels the myth that Malaysia is a country where all religions are treated equally. Who is going to believe that now ?Clearly the sentiments that Mahathir expressed are reminiscent of Islamist radicals and if a moderate like Mahathir can have such views, what about the vast majority of the Islamic ummah.
In a way this exposes the facade of the moderates in the Islamic universe - that they are hardly moderate by any stretch of the imagination.
In a way this exposes the facade of the moderates in the Islamic universe - that they are hardly moderate by any stretch of the imagination.