BANGKOK (Reuters) - An unrepentant Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has repeated his belief that Jews rule the world, denying U.S. President George W. Bush had rebuked him for it and hitting out at Australian leader John Howard.
“The reaction of the world shows that they control the world,” he told the newspaper.
"Israel is a small country. There are not so many Jews in the world. But they are so arrogant, they defy the whole world. Even if the United Nations says no, they go ahead. Why? Because they have the backing of all these people," Mahathir said.
“It stands squarely against what I believe,” he quoted Bush as telling Mahathir during the annual summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok.
But Mahathir said reports Bush had rebuked him were wrong.
“Certainly, he did not rebuke me,” Mahathir told a news conference after the two-day summit ended. “All he said was that ‘I regret today to have to use strong words against you’,” Mahathir said.
“After that we were walking practically hand-in-hand.”
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, speaking after the interview was published, promised frosty politeness when he met Mahathir on the final day of the summit.
“I will maintain cordiality and no more with Dr Mahathir,” he said.
Mahathir, who has always had a prickly relationship with his counterparts from Canberra whom he accuses of trying to be the U.S. ‘deputy sheriff’ in Asia, said Howard was merely performing to type.
“There’s a fondness among leaders in Australia, prime ministers of Australia, to make nasty comments like calling me recalcitrant, et cetera,” he said.
“John Howard did the same thing, repeatedly, even casting aspersions on our judicial system, as if we do not understand law, we don’t understand fair deal and justice.”
“In fact, we do. We had a very good history of treating our aborigines, for example. We didn’t shoot them dead. We didn’t commit genocide. So when making criticism of other people, please look at your own background and temper it with some humility.”
Dr Mahathir also said the row only showed that it was somehow proper to criticise Arabs and Muslims, but not Europeans or Jews.
“The Muslims, we are pictured as terrorists, unreasonable people, unable to administer our countries, unable to develop our countries,” the Malaysian leader said.
Hmmm intresting so its ok to attack and complain about muslims but not ok to attack Westerners and jews sounds like the standard usual line thats comes from the western media and governments!
