YOURSAY ‘This is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard.’

Dr M defends Ibrahim's 'burn Bible' remark

Vijay47: Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad, please humour us by explaining certain aspects of your new-found affection for matters non-Muslim or non-Malay.

So your disciple (Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali) was actually doing Christians a favour when he urged Muslims to burn the Bible. Perhaps you could let us know when exactly divine light fell upon you to make you an expert on the treatment and destruction of Christian holy material.

And in keeping with the teachings of the parable of the Good Samaritan, to which I am sure you hold no aversion despite it being a Christian lesson, no doubt you will have no opposition if Christians returned the favour and burned a few copies of the Quran, including those they might find in hotel rooms.

"Burning" may be a common practice among Muslims like you state, though I do say that Islamic diversions are not limited to just burning, and we see daily worldwide evidence of that truth.

Are you suggesting that Christians also adopt this habit? I would rather we burn at the stake a few men, old perhaps, but evil.

Sirach: The master of spin and warped reasoning is at work again. Surely, it’s the intention behind the action which makes it seditious or not.

The question to ask is why Ibrahim Ali proposed to burn the Bible. It was because the holy book contained a word that he found unacceptable. Who is he to decide that desecrating the sacred text of another faith is appropriate in the circumstances?

Mahathir's condoning of such action is an open invitation to anarchy. Does the law of this country allow such a threat to be made without repercussion? Imagine the reaction if the tables were turned.

For Mahathir, to equate the action of burning old copies of the Quran (intention: to avoid the desecration of a holy book by inappropriate use) with the ill-intention that motivated Ibrahim Ali is, put simply, a joke.

But, then again, that's what he excelled at down the years - spin and distortion of the truth.

Odysseus: Mahathir, your tongue is twisting and turning without any sense of shame. You are using a principle in your religion and apply it on another.

Your twisted logic doesn't work here. The element of mutual respect is completely missing. Besides that, will you agree that non-Muslims apply this logic on your holy book?

The final analysis is that you are using this twisted logic to defend the racist organisation you are backing.

David: We are referring to the Bible. What you can do with the Quran does not necessary mean you can do the same with the Bible. You are defending the indefensible. Had it been the other way round, all hell would break loose.

Swipenter: This old man is known to have only contempt for lawyers, judges and rule of law. Now he is saying that just because Muslims burn their old Quran, they can also burn the Bible if the "intention is good" without qualifying what good intention is.

So can a Christian or non-Muslim burn the Quran if his/her "intention is good" or the Quran is old. There is plenty of rubbish and filth coming out from his gap these days.

Man on the Street: Mahathir, it is a known fact that in Malaysia anything said by Muslim NGO leaders is not intended to provoke clashes between Muslims and non-Muslims.

But when a non-Muslim leader makes such a statement, it is always done with bad faith. Where is the logic in your argument?

Idon'tlikekangkung: I see, if it is acceptable to Muslims then it is not wrong, not seditious.  In other words, the point of reference is that the Muslim is always right and everyone else is wrong.

Typical spew from the mouth of one who has become increasingly venomous. What happens then if it is acceptable to some Muslims but not to others?

Anon1: This is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Even if you want to burn the old copies of the Al-Quran, why in God's name would you want to burn holy books of other religions like the Bible, Gita, Torah, etc?

I want to throw away and burn some furniture in my house; can I trespass into your house and cart away your furniture as well?

Maharaja: Mahathir is a certified medical practitioner and he is not a trained lawyer. When something is deemed bad, he just cut it off whereas a lawyer will argue whether it is of good conscience or whether you have a legal right to perform certain acts.

If the Quran or the Bible is purchased by you and you are the rightful owner of it, then you can do whatever you want in the privacy of your own home and nobody can stop you.

However, if the Quran/Bible does not belong to you, you have no legal right to burn someone else's books.

Not Confused: Yeah, yeah, yeah - another load of bunkum trying hard to defend the indefensible.  Everyone knows that when Ibrahim Ali incited Muslims to burn the Bible, it had zero to do with the burning of old copies of the Bible.

This deluded old coot thinks we are all suffering from dementia like him.

Mushiro: As a Muslim, I will not accept if a Christian burns an old Quran. It is my responsibility to do it.

Similarly, no Muslim should burn a Bible, be it old or new, or any other scriptures of other religions. It is the right of these people to do it anyway they want.

Abasir: Indeed, why were Muslims frothing in the mouth when some preacher in Florida wanted to burn the Quran which clearly was no use to him?

Yet another red herring argument from Dr M

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