I refer to the Malaysiakini report Dr M : If they can make Avatar, they can make anything in which Dr Mahathir Mohamad theorises that Sept 11 was an inside job.

Conspiracy theories are nothing new. The most famous one perhaps is the lunar moon landing which happened in 1969. Believe it or not, a recent poll conducted in the US came to the conclusion that as many as 20 percent of Americans think the moon landing was a hoax. The percentage of scepticism among non-Americans is even higher.

Another conspiracy theory is the death of Princess Diana. Was it murder or accidental death?

Some believe there was a conspiracy based on a letter reportedly written by Diana in which she alleges that certain people were out to kill her. However, French investigators have found no evidence of foul play.

Conspiracy theories are plentiful when it comes to the international spy agencies. Did Russian agents have a hand behind the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya and Alexander Litvinenko?

Other conspiracies include the belief that Libyan agents were behind the downing of the flight over Lockerbie and that Israeli agents were behind the assassination and kidnaping of several nuclear scientists in Iran.

Whatever the truth, we cannot chastise or criticise Mahathir. As a private citizen who has retired from politics and is no longer a representative of the government, he can say whatever he likes. He can tread on as many toes as he wants as he is no longer a public official who has to take into account sensitivities and the need to maintain diplomatic decorum.

Thus Mahathir is in a unique position to have access to the media and able to speak out without fear or favour. I salute Mahathir for supporting the Gaza Aid convoy.

He has shown considerable maturity by not calling for the ban of the book ‘Malaysian maverick : Mahathir Mohamad in turbulent times’.

 

Perhaps Mahathir can shed light on Sept 11 which has badly damaged the image of Islam. His first step would be to conduct a poll on the opinions of Muslims worldwide to assess the percentage of Muslims who believe that Sept 11 was a conspiracy.

Secondly, Mahathir needs to compile witness testimony which lends credence to the theory of a conspiracy. There is a lot of evidence out there.

For example, the witnesses who saw the purported Sept 11 hijackers drinking beer and whisky at bars which does not fit the profile of Taliban-inspired Islamic radical fundamentalists.