Riyaz ul Khaliq
29 July 2024•Update: 29 July 2024
ISTANBUL
The situation in Gaza is a “classic example” of “lost humanity,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim regretted on Monday.
Anwar called it an “unprincipled” attempt in the political, economic, and cultural spheres “where we have lost humanity.”
“(And) Gaza is classic example where in the name of democracy, you can allow and condone total chaos, oppression of the worst kind known to mankind in recent times,” the Malaysian prime minister told the 7th World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilization in the northwestern Ipoh city.
Anwar said: “There is challenge, … to offer a viable, meaningful, effective alternative and not to be in despair.”
His live-streamed comments came as the Israeli war on the Palestinian besieged coastal enclave runs through its 10th month.
The continuous bombing by Israeli warplanes has resulted in the death of more than 39,300 Palestinians since Oct. 7 last year.
Most of the slain are women and children, while over 90,800 have been injured, according to local health authorities in Gaza.
Urging “change in a meaningful and practical manner,” Anwar said today's societies “have lost … meaning of justice, (there is) deficit in the values, therefore poor governance and lack of compassion.”
“We decide what is right (and) what is wrong, what is just and what is not. … Whether we have empathy to the plight of the poor (is) based on interest, values or parties not on the principles of justice and humanity,” said the 76-year-old Malaysian statesman.
Anwar emphasized the importance of "organizing dialogues and conferences on Islamic matters to foster mutual understanding and appreciation of differences."
"The lack of engagement in such topics is one of the reasons for the spread of Islamophobia," said Anwar, who is also a renowned academic.
