KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today condemned the practice of Islamophobia, calling it a form of oppression and discrimination against Muslims.
The prime minister cited a recent incident in the United States involving a 14-year-old boy named Ahmed who was arrested by police after bringing a homemade clock to school.
“The clock was assumed to be a bomb only because (Ahmed) was a Muslim. This is what we call Islamophobia,” Najib said in an audio recording posted on his official website, NajibRazak.com.
He said any attempts to link Islam with terrorism should not be tolerated, as more terrorist activities were carried out by non-Muslim groups.
“The wars which saw thousands of people killed in Iraq is a form of terrorism.”
“Israel’s attacks on Palestine is a form of terrorism. In fact, this form of oppression is larger in scale and has lasted for many decades.”
“The use of nuclear and chemical bombs, which kill millions, is also a form of terrorism.”
“The people who use such methods are not Muslim, and yet have not been regarded as terrorists,” Najib said.
Terrorism, he said, was a crisis of humanity that involved everyone, regardless of religion.
“We, as part of humanity, should unite to protect each other regardless of religion, from those who carry out religious discrimination and oppression. These groups are the problem, not Muslims,” he said.
-NST
