There has been a lot of talk, quite a brouhaha expressed from many Malaysians regardless of religion and race, about Malaysia's decision to not grant visas or ban two Israeli athletes from participating in the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) world youth sailing championship in Langkawi, Kedah.

We have heard people criticising that move, and also supporting that move.

Before I continue this article, I would like to state my stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict: I am a staunch supporter of a two-state solution.

I believe that Palestine has the right to exist as an independent nation, and so does Israel. I believe that Palestinians have the right to live, and whatever atrocities that the Israeli government and military does on the command of its government has to stop immediately.

The question now becomes, whether we should mix sports and politics together?

I believe that sports and politics are separate entities and it shouldn't be mixed together. Malaysia's action to bar the Israeli athletes from coming to our soil, is their prerogative. But is it right? I understand all who are in support of that move's reasons. We want to protect the sensitivities of the believers of Islam in this country.

But if we look into the logical context, I believe that the people of Malaysia are firm and devoted to their respective religious groups. With due respect, I do not see how two Israeli sportsmen - who are presumably Jewish and believe in Judaism - can shake the position of Islam in this country, and also all the followers of Islam in this land.

Secondly, what sort of insult can these two sportsmen do in Malaysia? They are to be here to represent their country at a sporting event. They are to be here because of their love for sport, not to preach their believes and religion in our country.

I don't think they would have the opportunity to do so even if they were here, as our authorities would be able to watch their moves, too, and they would probably be busy for their event anyway. If the government fears that they can stir up some trouble, why not show the efficiency of our law enforcement? Watch these sportsmen, without disrupting the purpose that they are here for.

More Muslims in Israel than Christians

There are many who have ridiculously claimed that if we allow those Israeli sportsmen to enter our country, we are giving them a window of opportunity to preach and woo the Christians of this country illicitly. How foolish! The people of Israel are Jewish and they practice Judaism, not Christianity.

I don't think the Christians in our country would listen to them preach as Christianity and Judaism themselves have a lot of clashes. Actually, in case we fail to realise, the percentage of Muslims in Israel is actually more than the percentage of Christians there. Judaism at 75 percent, 18 percent for Islam and two percent for Christianity.

Nevertheless, it is not logical that the two Israeli sportsmen - whether they are Christians or Jews - would be able to shake or influence the 'religious harmony' that Malaysia claims to have.

On a similar note, it was reported by The Rakyat Post that PAS Youth leader Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz has said it is right to ban the Israeli athletes from coming to Malaysia, as every Israeli citizen is responsible for the actions of their government, and that every citizen of Israel should feel the anger of the world.

I do not know the veracity of that report, whether it is true, and if there is anybody who agrees with that sort of reasoning, I would like to kindly rebut them.

No citizen is responsible for the flaws of their government. If Nik Abduh really feels that way, he is not fit to be a politician - he is certainly not fit to even be a human being with his logic.

By that logic, it means we the people are responsible for our government's flaws. So, if Nik Abduh has failed to carry out his duties as the MP for Pasir Mas, it is the people of Pasir Mas who are responsible - not Nik Abduh, not PAS. How ridiculous.

By that logic, the people of Zimbabwe should be the ones who are responsible for Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's corrupt activities. It means that the thousands of American mothers who grieved at the sight of watching their sons go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan during the so-called “War on Terror” are responsible for George W Bush's shortsighted war.

Professional tennis player Maria Sharapova carries the Russian flag whenever she takes part in a tournament, does that mean she supports Russia's action of annexing Crimea from Ukraine? How ridiculous! How can Nik Abduh say such a thing (if he did)? He is nothing like his father, the late Nik Aziz. The latter had been loved by all and made logical statements, unlike his son.

It is alright for Nik Abduh to be in support of the athletes’ ban, but he should have come up with some better and logical reasonings.

Not all Israelis support the atrocities done towards the Palestinian people, in fact more people supported the party that wanted a peace plan in Israel's last election. Alas, they were outnumbered by those who were against. They shouldn't bear the responsibilities of their brothers and sisters who supported Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu's no-mercy plan.

Sports should unite, not divide

On the other hand, our action has clearly diminished the values of sport. Sport is supposed to unite people from all across the globe, despite the respective country's hostility towards one another. Banning the athletes because of their citizenship does no good for sport, as it divides the spirit of sport and spoils the purpose of these competitions which are to unite people.

Malaysia has to look forward and think further. If it so happens that there suddenly is an Israeli Formula One driver, is Malaysia going to then ban him from coming here to represent his F1 team?

If our authorities act wrongly and illogically - especially in such a big sporting event which has given Malaysia some prominence in the sporting and international arena - in the event that such a case scenario occurs, the image of our country will certainly be tarnished then.

We can oppose the atrocities that the Israeli government does towards the Palestinian people without completely distancing ourselves from that nation. For instance, Muslim countries such as Jordan and Egypt have diplomatic ties with Israel, but at the same time, it does not deter them from slamming Israel for their crimes.

I am not proposing that Malaysia establish diplomacy with Israel, but I hope that our government and our people know how to differentiate sports and politics as they are both very different and distinct from one another.

Let us not bring hate in sports; sports is supposed to be a uniting force. Let politics divide, let sports continue unite. Banning athletes from entering the country because of their nationality is, in my opinion, politicising sports, and that should not be encouraged.

We shouldn't allow this issue to divide us Malaysians, too.