Malaysia defends Jewish remarks

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/10/17/oic.mahathir/index.html

'PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia -- Malaysia's foreign minister has apologized for what he described as any misunderstandings over Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's assertion that Jews "rule the world", saying no offence from the remarks was intended.

Fighting to rein in a surge of international outrage that followed the Malaysian leader's comments Thursday, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Friday that Mahathir had been misunderstood.

...

In his wide-ranging speech to the Organization of Islamic Conference, the often-controversial Mahathir launched a blistering attack on Jews and Israel saying, "Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them."'

'Misunderstood'? Riiiiiight.

It is, of course, utter nonsense to claim he "launched a blistering attack on Jews", as becomes clear to everyone who has actually read the complete speech:

http://www.bernama.com/oicsummit/speechr.php?id=35&cat=BI

"Many Jews fast for a day during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement," explains Ralph, who has offered her basement apartment for Hassan Almrei should he be granted bail. "In Canada right now, we have a lot to atone for, especially with respect to the ill-treatment of Muslims. Right now, there are five Muslim men who have been collectively held 104 months in Canadian prisons, without charge or bail, on secret evidence neither they nor their lawyers are allowed to see. It's great to see Syrian detainee Maher Arar coming come to his family after Canada decried his upcoming secret trial, but we need to look in our own backyard and see the same denial of human rights taking place here."

Ralph, whose father was a lawyer at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal following the Nazi atrocities of WWII, sees disturbing parallels between the targetting of Jews in Germany and the secret trial detention of Muslims in Canada, the U.S. Britain, and in Guantanamo Bay. "My father taught me that we all have an obligation to protect justice and human rights. This is a racist war on Muslims, which threatens the security of all Canadians. CSIS now defines anyone who supports animal rights, the environment, and global social justice as 'terrorists.' I won't allow my country to betray its democratic character."

"A fast is a lot easier for me than it is for Hassan," she says. "I can go outside and get fresh air. I can wear warm clothes and control the heat in my living space. If my landlord fails to provide me with adequate heat, I can take him to the Rental Tribunal. Hassan gets none of that, and has had none of that, for almost two full years. That's torture, and it violates Canada's international commitments and our basic sense of decency as Canadians."
http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/yomfast.htm