Malaysia’s former PM Mahathir Mohamad claimed that Muslims ‘have a right to kill millions of French people’.
- His outburst came after today’s ‘terrorist attack’ in Nice, France.
- He explained that freedom of expression and speech should not include ‘insulting other people’.
- The tweet in which he says “Muslims have the right to kill millions of French people” has been removed from Twitter for violating its policies.
Mahathir Mohamad’s comments come after the ‘terrorist attack’ in Nice, France.
Although Malaysia’s former PM did not make a direct reference to the attack, his outburst came after today’s tragic events. In a Twitter thread published shortly after the attacks, he criticized the French President Emmanuel Macron and addressed France’s ‘history of massacres’. More importantly, Metro reported that Mahathir has caused worldwide shock and outrage as people all over the Internet began accusing ‘the ex-world leader of ‘inciting mass killing’ to his 1.3 million followers’. These accusations come after he published the following tweet:
The above tweet has since been deleted from Twitter for violating the website’s rules.
This tweet is part of a large Twitter thread in which Mahathir explains what has happened in France and what his views are. In the tweets, he wrote that he does not approve of the beheading of the French teacher and that he does believe in freedom of expression. Nevertheless, the former PM also wrote: “But while I believe in the freedom of expression, I do not think it includes insulting other people. You cannot go up to a man and curse him simply because you believe in freedom of speech.”
Mahathir went on to criticize and insult President Macron’s leadership:
11. Macron is not showing that he is civilised. He is very primitive in blaming the religion of Islam and Muslims for the killing of the insulting school teacher. It is not in keeping with the teachings of Islam.
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) October 29, 2020
But irrespective of the religion professed, angry people kill. The French in the course of their history has killed millions of people. Many were Muslims.
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) October 29, 2020
But by and large the Muslims have not applied the “eye for an eye” law. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) October 29, 2020
He concluded the thread with a tweet that echoed the one removed by Twitter as he wrote “Muslims have a right to punish the French”.
13. Since you have blamed all Muslims and the Muslims’ religion for what was done by one angry person, the Muslims have a right to punish the French. The boycott cannot compensate the wrongs committed by the French all these years.https://t.co/ysZeXDrQ09
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) October 29, 2020
