KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been named one of the world’s most dangerous extremists.
According to the Counter Extremism Project website, Dr Mahathir is ranked 14th among the world’s top 20 most dangerous extremists.
The New York-based international non-governmental organisation described Dr Mahathir as “a controversial figure, who often criticised the West, LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transvestites) people, and the Jews.
“In 2019, Dr Mahathir had said that extremism would spread across South East Asia as governments failed to stem the tide of militants flocking the region.
“In October 2020, he came under fire for comments he made regarding a terrorist attack in Nice, France, claiming: ‘Muslims have a right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past’,” said the website.
While describing Dr Mahathir as a respected leader in the Muslim world, the website also called out the nonagenarian as a strident critic of Israel and being anti-Semitic.
“Additionally, Dr Mahathir has supported ambitions to carve out a self-administered region for Muslims in Mindanao, the Philippines, an area plagued by extremist violence and a secessionist war.”
The website also said while Dr Mahathir is not directly responsible for specific acts of violence, his controversial opinions have led to international condemnation as he allegedly supported extremist violence against the West.
The top five dangerous extremists identified by the organisation include Lebanese-based political party Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah and current Islamic State caliph, Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla.
The others are Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, member of the National Socialist Underground, Beate Zchäpe; and Islamist theologian and unofficial chief ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood, Yusuf al-Qaradawi. – The Vibes, January 7, 2021
