A lot has been said about Dr Mahathir's opening speech during the recently concluded OIC Summit. And i suspect, a lot more about will be said before the issue is laid to rest - even towards the end of his reign, the Old Man never ceases to entertain.
He's been called a rascist, his words have been labeled an incitement for violence, and, in the eyes of the global media, Dr M is an anti-Semite. Let's look beyond the fact that most reporters wouldn't be able to tell you what or who a Semite really is - does it really matter whether or not Dr M is anti-Jew?
Each one of us, without exception, is anti-something. Some are anti-smoking and try to impose their will on those who wish to smoke, some are anti-white/black/pink/purple, having a distinct and irrational distrust for a person with a different skin colour than theirs, some are anti-muslim/jews/buddhism/protestant/catholic, others are anti-WTO/WWF - whatever. The point is that we all have our prejudices and biases. Why shouldn't Dr M, being a Muslim, be any different with regards to Jews is Israel?
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that he is anti-Jew nor has he ever condoned violence based on the prejudices he may or may not have. I'm just saying, so what if he is anti-Jew?
Israel, for decades, has been systematically pushing the Palestines out of their homes and killing any who chooses to resist. The atrocities commited in the Middle East by the Israeli government are well documented, and are, by most accounts, undeniable.
With such a track record, you wonder why more people are NOT anti-Jewish. The Jews of Israel vote the Knesset into government through a system of elections. So, yes, you can blame the Jewish people for what's happening in the Middle East; a people who knowingly elects a government that commits crimes against other human beings are equally guilty. And, yes, for what they've done, are doing, and will do, its not necessarily wrong to be anti-them. The world has been anti-us for much, much less.
