Attack on Iraq will lead to more terrorism: Mahathir
An attack on Iraq will hurt the fight against international terrorism, inflame Muslim anger and increase the number of recruits to terrorist ranks, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
Mahathir, whose country takes over the chairmanship of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference this year, gave the warning as he opened the 11th annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum in Kuala Lumpur.
"There was a time when Muslim countries were in agreement over the need to stop Iraqi aggressiveness. Today that unity of purpose has disappeared. Muslims see the stance taken against Iraq as another act of discrimination against Muslims," he said.
Addressing more than 170 delegates from 24 countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia and China, Mahathir said the world was failing in the war on terrorism because it was not addressing a major root cause the plight of the Palestinians.
"I would like to insist that the principle reason is territorial and not religious. The Palestinians have had their land taken away from them and they have been expelled from their land and made refugees.
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