Charles Santiago is appalled that Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin had referred to Adolf Hitler in highlighting the plight of the Palestinians.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, the former lawmaker said such statements do nothing for the Palestinian cause and serve to only heighten racism.
“Am I wrong to assume he was inferring that Hitler was right? Is he condoning the extermination of some six million Jews?
“In his zeal to highlight the suffering of Palestinians, he should not belittle the suffering endured by others. That is unbecoming of a religious leader,” he added.
Yesterday, Asri (above) courted brickbats when his posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: “Adolf Hitler knew them better than us.”
The mufti had posted a video of a child, in tears, searching for someone among a row of dead bodies wrapped in white cloth.
Meanwhile, Charles, who said Asri should have known better, cautioned against anti-Zionism morphing into anti-Semitism.
“Conflating the two leads people to think all Jews support the Zionist cause, which is untrue. We see thousands of Jews denouncing Israel, the massacre of Palestinians and calling for a free Palestine,” he added.
Charles, who is the National Water Services Commission (Span) chairperson, said support for Palestinians should not be framed on the basis of religion.
“Instead, it should be looked at as an issue concerning the resistance against the occupation of a people.
“When conflicts, genocide and war are scrutinised using humanitarian principles and human rights values, we will be able to come together to oppose the slaughter of the Myanmarese, Syrians, Afghans, Sudanese and others as well.
“Therefore, the mufti’s ‘Hitler’ comment does nothing for the Palestinians. It heightens racism and paints an inaccurate picture about the Middle East conflict, which is already complex,” he added.
Previously, Charles also raised concern about the Palestine Solidarity Week in schools, asking if teachers would be able to distinguish between the Jews and Zionists. - Mkini
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