Let's rally behind Mahathir
Mostafa Abdullah, Old DOHS, Dhaka
"...To believe that one can ingratiate oneself with a mortal enemy by denying that his lashes sting; to deny one's own degradation in return for a moment's respite; to support one's enemy who will only use his strength to destroy are all parts of the ghetto philosophy." (Bruno Bettelheim, a Holocaust survivor, in Recollections and Reflections (Thames and Hudson, 1990). Bettelheim was referring to the reluctance of German Jews to respond to a call for boycotting German products during Hitler's reign. Apparently, the Jews in Germany were under the impression that playing nice with Hitler, even at their own cost, would somehow make life easier for them. Most of the rulers of the Muslim world today are behaving like Bettelheim's German Jews, hoping that appeasing the Jews will lead to an easier life for them. Appeasing Hitler did not bring respite for the Jews, nor it will for the Muslims. Muslims need to unite today. We need to raise our head high and put our feet firmly on the ground like the Jews have done -- after almost complete annihilation by the Europeans. We need a leader like Mahathir Mohamad to guide us to replicate the success the Jews had achieved. I am convinced that ninety per cent of world's Muslim population will unite under Mahathir if he takes up the OIC leadership. Let's rally behind him.
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