Opinion | Support in Southeast Asia for Hamas at odds with rejection of terrorism

Name: Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally
Uploaded: 2024-01-09T11:30:08.000Z
Duration: 3 min 1 s
Description: Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally

Government endorsement of the militant organisation’s narrative without condemning its terrorist violence against Israeli citizens risks fuelling radicalisation

Jews in Southeast Asia are living in fear, and countries must stop supporting militant groups and eliminate inter-religious hatred in their societies

Reading Time:3 minutes

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A man yells during a pro-Palestine rally near the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on December 22, 2023. Religious authorities in Malaysia and Indonesia have called on Muslims to boycott Israel and companies that support Israel. Photo: EPA-EFE

Riaz Khokhar

Published: 7:30pm, 9 Jan 2024

In December, Malaysia moved to bar Israeli-flagged or Israel-bound commercial ships from Malaysian ports. Many Malaysians have also boycotted businesses and products associated with or supporting Israel.

Malaysia stands out as a rare example – apart from Iran and its Middle Eastern proxies – of a country showing unqualified support for Hamas and its narrative. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has resisted calls from the West to withdraw support for Hamas in the wake of its October 7 attack on Israel.

Anwar’s strong support for the Palestinian cause can be traced to his university days. While the support might be genuine, it has become embroiled in the politics of a coalition government and opposition parties vying for the votes of the Muslim majority.

Continued government endorsement of the militant organisation’s narrative without condemning its terrorist violence against Israeli citizens risks fuelling radicalisation among Malaysian youth and children. In October, during Malaysia’s Palestinian Solidarity Week, some teachers and students wore Palestinian keffiyehs and held toy guns, apparently emulating Hamas’ armed resistance against Israel. Following condemnation by activists, Anwar announced increased controls on such activities during state-led programmes.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has also refrained from condemning Hamas. The Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s top religious body, issued a fatwa in November supporting the Palestinian struggle for independence and condemning Israeli aggression. The decree calls for an Indonesian boycott of Israeli-associated products.

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Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally

Such religious decrees are likely to inflame sentiments not only against Israel but also Indonesia’s Jewish population. Indonesians struggle to differentiate between the Israeli government and Jews, even those outside Israel.