HAS NAJIB QUIETLY APPEASED DR M? After Najib attack, Dr M shifts focus to Paris attack

More than a month has passed since the terror attacks in Paris, which left 130 people dead. But Dr Mahathir Mohamad has decided to share his views on the matter, and unearths the root causes behind the violence.

The former prime minister's late arrival at the scene is understandable, given that he has been preoccupied with waging his own campaign to terrorise Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

A check on his blog reveals that his previous postings spanning for months were related to the prime minister or issues concerning the latter such as 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion donation.

It is unclear if Mahathir’s latest posting, which has shifted focus to international events, is an indication that he has run out of ammunition against Najib, who despite being riddled with bullet holes insists on having done nothing wrong and refuses to budge.

As for the Paris attacks, Mahathir declared he has no sympathy for Islamic State (IS) or the kind of terror it indulges in.

"What they do is completely against the teachings of Islam and the accepted norms of human behaviour," he said.

Pointing out that terrorism is a bane on the lives of ordinary people, he said the people never know when they would fall victims to such acts of violence.

However, he argued that military action would not defeat terrorists.

"Only the removal of the causes of terrorism will do that.

"The causes are known.... Israeli intransigence must be stopped and the settlements and seizure of Palestinian land be reversed.

"When these things are done then only will there be less frustrations and anger among Muslims and less resort to acts of terrorism."

After providing a historical account on the core issues which are fanning the flames of terror amongst Muslims, Mahathir emphasised the need to focus on these matters.

"Failure to admit the causes will only lead to the continuance and escalation of acts of terror.

"The acts of terror will continue and escalate until there are some real effort to redress the sufferings, humiliation and injustice that the Palestinians, the Arabs and Muslims have been subjected to by the Israelis backed by the European and the Americans," he said. - M'kini