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From: ladingu
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 3:31 PM
Subject: Israelis get rare invitation to KL peace meet (Straits
Times Singapore) Israelis get rare invitation to KL peace meet PAS agrees to Umno decision to include four Israeli intellectuals By Carolyn Hong MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT KUALA LUMPUR - EIGHT years ago when the Israeli cricket team visited Malaysia, they were greeted by a wave of demonstrations around Kuala Lumpur led by Parti Islam SeMalaysia. SLAMMED OVER MEETING: Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was criticised in 1999 for meeting Israeli counterpart Bernard Levy. The anger was directed at the implied recognition of the state of Israel, an emotional topic among Muslims who see the Palestinian cause as a symbol of the oppression of Islam. Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. But the ruling Umno party has gone ahead - with the blessings of PAS - to invite Israeli intellectuals for a Middle East peace conference here from March 28 to 30. The two political rivals' youth wings have joined hands for the Peace in Palestine conference organised under the auspices of Peace Malaysia, a coalition of more than 1,000 non-governmental organisations. The four Israeli delegates will be given immigration waivers. Peace Malaysia coordinator Mukhriz Mahathir, a rising star in Umno Youth, told The Straits Times the Foreign Ministry is assisting in the process. 'It has been going well,' said Datuk Mukhriz, the youngest son of former premier Tun Mahathir Mohamad. This is one of the rare occasions that Umno and PAS have stood together for a common cause. It did not take long for PAS to be convinced of the advantage of participation. Palestine is a topic with a strong appeal in Malaysia's domestic politics. 'We did have our concerns about the Israeli participants but we have been assured that they are sympa- thetic to the Palestinian struggle,' said Mr Ahmad Sabki Yusof, the secretary of PAS central youth council. 'There is no objection from our party as long as it is to achieve the aim of the conference.' He said PAS protested against the Israeli cricket team competing in a tournament in Malaysia in 1997, only because it suggested some sort of relations with Israel. The fiery PAS leader Mahfuz Omar led the demonstrations, and was later charged in court. He served some time in jail. Malaysia, which is keen to play a bigger role in the search for peace in the Middle East since it became chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in 2003, is treading carefully. It has only been two years since the then prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir, sparked controversy over his views on Jewish world dominance. Government involvement in the conference is limited to immigration and security, and an opening address by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Datuk Mukhriz said there will be no other government speakers because the conference is pitched at the grassroots level. 'We want to see if we can find a fresh perspective.' Speakers will include award-winning Israeli journalist Amira Haas and Mr Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. The Israeli delegates are from the Israel Palestinian Centre for Research and Information, The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Dialogue and Democracy, Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, and Peace Now. Sensitive issue WHEN it comes to contact with Israel, Malaysia walks on eggshells because any incident can become fodder for political condemnation. This was amply demonstrated in the 1997 protests against the visiting Israeli cricket team. And it happened again in 1999 when Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar met his Israeli counterpart David Levy at the United Nations in New York. Parti Islam SeMalaysia immediately attacked the session as a disgrace to Muslims and Malaysians, forcing Datuk Seri Syed Hamid to explain that it was an informal meeting. Internationally, Malaysia has also been lambasted for former premier Mahathir Mohamad's controversial views on Jews. The criticisms were made in 1997 when he called US Jewish billionaire George Soros a rogue speculator, and again in 2003 when he said 'Jews rule the world by proxy'. CAROLYN HONG *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest".
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