Anti-Semite tells American Muslims-Vote for Kerry
KUALA LUMPUR (AP) - Malaysia's former prime minister has urged Muslims in America to vote for US Senator John Kerry in the Nov 2 presidential election, saying President George W. Bush has been 'the cause of the tragedies' across the Muslim world.
'Vote Bush out of office,' Dr Mahathir Mohamad said in an open letter dated Oct 15 to America's Muslim community. 'It is truly an ibadah (act of devotional worship) that you perform.'
'In the past four years, during the Presidency of George W. Bush, the Muslims and their countries have suffered oppression and humiliation as never before in the history of Islam,' he said in the letter published on IslamiCity.com, a California-based website.
'There is an obvious connection between the sufferings of the Muslims and the policies and thinking of Bush,' the letter said.
It was the most strongly worded statement opposing Mr Bush so far by a prominent official in Malaysia, which currently chairs the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the world's largest Muslim political grouping.
Dr Mahathir, who retired last October but remains a respected figure in the Islamic world, said Muslims have 'a duty to ensure Bush will not be able to determine our fate for four more years'.
'Bush has shown that despite his protests, he is the cause of the tragedies in Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq,' he said.
'I would like to appeal to you, the Muslim citizens and voters of America, to be united and to cast your votes against Bush, in the name of justice, in the name of Islam.'
In March, Dr Mahathir had said he believed Mr Kerry might be a better president because he would keep the world safer and listen to other opinions.
However, Mr Kerry's aides insisted the Democratic candidate 'rejects any association' with the Malaysian ex-premier, whom they called 'an avowed anti-Semite whose views are totally deplorable'.
Dr Mahathir retired last year mired in a controversy after telling a summit of Muslim leaders that 'Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them'.
The remarks drew condemnation from Western leaders. -- AP
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