Malaysia condemns Israeli offensive
Malaysia, which chairs the world's biggest Muslim grouping, has condemned Israel's military operations in Gaza, saying the offensive there could threaten the region's peace process.
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the attacks were in violation of international law and called the offensive "excessive".
What Israel has done could disrupt the peace process and threaten the safety of the Palestinians," Syed Hamid told Bernama late yesterday during a visit to Amman, Jordan.
Mainly Muslim Malaysia, which currently chairs the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference, has long been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The Israeli army launched a major air and ground offensive earlier this week, largely in the Gaza Strip, following the kidnapping of an Israeli army corporal by Palestinian militants.
The air strikes caused the first Palestinian casualties since Israel launched the offensive for the missing soldier early on Wednesday, its biggest military operation since pulling out of Gaza in September 2005.
Unity and harmony
In another development, Syed Hamid will relate Malaysia's experience in fostering national unity and harmony among its multicultural and multifaith societies at the second Asia-Europe (ASEM) Inter-faith Dialogue (IFD) to be held in Larnaca, Cyprus on Monday.
He is scheduled to present a paper entitled "Religion and Multiethnic Societies" as well to moderate the third working group at the three-day dialogue.
During the session, Syed Hamid would exchange views on issues relating to the role of religion in multicultural, multiethnic societies and to reflect on Malaysia's experience in fostering national unity and harmony.
The second ASEM IFD is expected to deliberate on issues concerning inter-faith dialogue under the theme of "Interfaith understanding and cooperation for a peaceful world".
Three parallel working groups would be held to discuss three other sub-themes namely interfaith understanding, role of media in promoting interfaith dialogue as well as religion and multiethnic societies.
The Larnaca dialogue would review the progress of the implementation of recommendations of the first ASEM IFD held in Bali on July 21 and 22 last year.
For more news and views that matter, subscribe and support independent media for only RM0.36 sen a day:
Subscribe now