ANTI-ISLAMISATION CONGRESS IS ORGANISED XENOPHOBIA AT ITS WORST

By Mukhriz Mahathir

Wisma Putra’s statement condemning the intended Anti-Islamisation Congress by Pro-Koeln next month in Cologne is timely and appropriate as this conference is nothing short of a disgusting act of xenophobia by an extremist group that is both malicious and ignorant.

At a time where religious tolerance around the world is of paramount importance, it is deplorable to see this movement organise a conference which serves only to antagonise, defame and insult not only Muslims but people of all faiths who believe in constructive dialogue and proper engagement.

By disguising its racism with its right to free speech, this right wing movement intends to create a subjective platform that spitefully criticises Islam with no dissenting views. This conference which purportedly aims to discuss radical Islam is in itself a radical exercise and certainly nothing productive will emerge from it; except of course more reasons for these extremists to hate Muslims and Islam in general.

The speakers scheduled to appear at the conference include the Flemish politician Filip Dewinter, who once said that ‘she who wears a hijab signs her return to sender contract’ when dealing with Muslim immigration in Europe and Mario Borghezio, an Italian politician who was convicted of assaulting a Moroccan child in 1993. Surely, these men cannot be expected to have sensible views when it comes to inter-faith relations.

It is hoped that the German government will refrain from supporting this blatant attempt at inciting abhorrence and in turn condemn it as this will ensure proper diplomacy and continuous trade relations with Muslim-majority nations.

We also trust the reasonable people of Germany and Europe in general will reject this repulsive conference. Let it be realised that offending a religion and its followers is an affront to the practice of democracy and human rights, ideologies that have long been lauded by the West to ensure peace and harmony.