Maha Dubya - let's talk war not peace

I wonder if someone has taken leave of his senses.

When world peace is something all of us should promote for the sake of humanity and for the sake of our children and the future generations to come, we have in our own backyard, a prominent ex-leader urging Muslims to amass their own cache of WMD citing "religious obligation" to strengthen defence capabilities.

From The Star, 1 June 2006 (N18):-

Build own arms, Muslims urged

ALOR STAR: It is high time Muslims built their own brand of weaponry for mass protection, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

They should not depend on weapons created by others, as the enemy could easily penetrate their defence system if it knew the weaknesses in the “imported” systems, he said.

“To enhance our own defence capabilities, we must build our own brand of sophisticated weapons,” he added. Weapons the Muslims could learn to make included pistols, rockets, fighter aircraft and cannons, Dr Mahathir said.

“Not that we (Muslims) want to attack others, but we need to protect our ummah (masses),” he said, adding that it was a religious obligation to strengthen defence capabilities.

Dr Mahathir said this when closing a learning camp for UPSR pupils, Kem Kedah Gemilang 2006, at the Mara Junior Science College in Pendang, near here, yesterday. A total of 404 pupils from 33 schools in the Pendang district, as well as their parents, teachers and villagers, attended the event.

Dr Mahathir said Muslims worldwide were being oppressed because they were unable to defend themselves. “Muslims are weak because we have not made the necessary preparation to defend and protect ourselves and the masses. We could not do it because we have not mastered the knowledge of science,” he said.

In this regard, he said, the Government was emphasising the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English. Recalling that he was “not so clever” in his young days, Dr Mahathir said he was among the lower-ranked students when he went to medical school. “But I pulled through because I studied repeatedly until I could visualise the pages in the textbooks,” he said, adding that he had to work harder than most others. “Students should apply this technique of studying repeatedly to excel in their studies.” He added that the boys should buck up because the girls now made up 60% of the university student population.

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To make such a call in a speech targetted at 12 year olds and their family members, teachers and villagers (most if not all of them Muslims) in a learning camp at a Junior Science College - can we call that highly inappropriate, even irresponsible and irrational and unwarranted?

Should we not preach peace to our young minds? That there are better & non-confrontational ways to solve our differences?

What is the purpose of this speech?

What good will it do to the Muslim society at large when right at this very moment, we are facing some of the most fearsome terrorist movements being waged by underground fanatics and deviants of this peaceful religion?

Is strength to be equated with the ability to destroy in a violent way?

Is superiority to be equated with the ability to make others cow in submission and fear at your ability to annihilate with just a push of a button?

I'm just too shocked and awed by this piece of news.