KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today questioned the intention behind a gathering of Muslims in the city on Saturday, asking if it was to defend the sanctity of Islam and the constitution or to draw support for certain political parties.
“I welcome gatherings by Muslims aimed at defending the sanctity of Islam and the constitution. I fully support these noble aims.
“But I am wondering whether these were the real objectives or if they were aimed at getting support for certain political parties,” he said in his latest blog post.
Last Saturday, about 1,000 people including Umno and PAS leaders attended a rally organised by Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah).
Mahathir said it was reported that the gathering was aimed at reminding the government of the status of Islam, but the leaders who spoke there were from Umno and PAS.
“If it was to defend Islam, by right it should not have been limited to certain political parties only. The alliance of these parties does not reflect Islamic solidarity. In fact, it divides Muslims in Malaysia,” he said.
Mahathir also responded to accusations that the government does not uphold Islam, saying delegations from Muslim countries claim that Malaysia is a role model for an Islamic state and look up to Malaysia as an Islamic country.
“They have expressed their desire to see their countries become like Malaysia, even saying that even though their population is 100% Muslim, they cannot govern and stabilise their countries or develop them.”
Mahathir said countries with 100% Muslim populations were often hostile towards each other, killing, going to war and causing chaos, forcing their citizens to migrate to non-Muslim countries.
He said Muslims in these countries were often impressed with Islam in Malaysia and do not say that Islam is not revered in Malaysia. Those making such claims are only the Muslims in Malaysia, he added.
“Indeed, the accusations against the government are merely due to political reasons and this tarnishes Islam.” - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.