Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has criticised Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat for his remark that Malays who opposed the Islamic state proposed by PAS are proxies of Jews. The Prime Minister said the callous remark had hurt the feelings of Malays.
| Oh, cripes. Now they're gonna seethe... |
âWe are all Muslims. No one will be able to accept his argument of linking and identifying us with Jews,â he told reporters after opening the national Multaqa Ahlul-Dhikri, or forum for public speakers, at Mint Hotel here yesterday. During a briefing about the Islamic state concept in Kuala Terengganu over the weekend, Nik Aziz had said that Muslims who opposed it were proxies of Jews, adding that a âtrue Muslimâ would not oppose the concept.
| Now we're differentiating between Muslims and True Muslims™... |
Abdullah said that Muslims should strive to not only improve the âsystemâ but also themselves. He said they should acquire knowledge and skills for the development of the Muslim community and humanity. He said that Islam exhorted its followers to seek knowledge for the benefit, not the destruction, of humanity. For example, he said, doctors should not use their knowledge to abort foetuses indiscriminately. Abdullah said that Muslims had to be careful and sensitive towards the feelings of other races. âWe cannot avoid the fact that we are a multi-racial country, and the races have their own religions. We are not a homogeneous society,â he said.
| "We're working on imposing homogeneity, but it'll take time..." |
He said that multi-racialism was a strength, and had contributed to the countryâs growth and development. Abdullah urged public speakers at the forum to update themselves with latest information on government policies. This would enable them to brief people more effectively, he said, adding that the Governmentâs efforts to develop the country was for all races. âDevelopment is carried out by consensus within the Barisan Nasional Government based on the concept of power sharing,â he said. |