Social:Political positions of Mahathir Mohamad

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Short description: Views of Malaysian politician
Mahathirism

Mahathirisme
Ideology
ReligionIslam[1]

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Short description: Political ideology attributed to Mahathir Mohamad


Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th and 7th prime minister of Malaysia's political views have shifted during his lengthy career. Support for "Asian values," liberal Islam and Malay nationalism have long been part of Mahathir's political ideals. He has long been a critic of the foreign policy of the United States and other Western nations. Mahathirism has had an influence over subsequent Malaysian administrations.[12]

Overview

During the 1980s, he was a supporter of Third-Worldism, while during other periods he has been a proponent of "Asian values" and globalization.[4] Mahathir is a vocal critic of neoliberalism[4] and the Western world.[13][14] However, he is also considered an authoritarian-neoliberal.[15] In 2011, Mahathir suggested that the September 11 attacks might have been staged by the United States government.[16][17] Mahathir condemned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1997, suggesting it be revised to place greater importance on economic growth over civil liberties.[18]

A Muslim thinker, he holds Islamic political views.[4] In 2002, he characterised himself as an Islamic fundamentalist. Mahathir is generally respected in developing and Islamic countries,[14] particularly due to his oversight of Malaysia's economic growth and his support of liberal Muslim values.[11]

He has been described as anti-royalist by Libération, owing to his efforts to oppose immunity for members of Malaysia's monarchies.[3]

Malay nationalism

Mahathir has been described as a proponent of Malay nationalism.[4] In The Malay Dilemma, he argued that the Malay race had been marginalised, and voiced his support for affirmative action policies for them.[19] Upon his first resignation, he expressed his disappointment at the progress made towards his "principle task" of supporting the Malay race.[19] In 2021, Mahathir said he did not believe in "Ketuanan Melayu", calling it a "fantasy", and said instead that he believed in "Bangsa Malaysia".[20]

Environmentalism

Mahathir has advocated for a balance between environmental protection and natural resource use for economic growth.[21] He referred to the outcomes of the Earth Summit as "eco-imperialism", arguing that Global North countries put an undue burden on Global South countries for environmental degradation.[22] In response to international scrutiny, he said in 2019 that linking palm oil production to deforestation was "baseless, unfair and unjustified" and that the Malaysian palm oil sector had developed sustainably.[23]

Antisemitism

We (Muslims) are actually very strong. 1.3 billion people cannot be simply wiped out. The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them.

–Mahathir, 2003[24]

Mathathir has made many antisemitic statements throughout his political career. In The Malay Dilemma, he wrote that "Jews are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money instinctively".[25] In August 1983, Mahathir claimed in a speech that Jews control the international media.[26] In March 1994, he banned the screening of Schindler's List on the grounds that he viewed it as anti-German, pro-Jewish propaganda.[26] During the collapse of the ringgit and the economic crisis in 1997, he made a series of remarks blaming Jews, in particular George Soros, a Jewish "agenda", and "an international Jewish conspiracy" attempting to destroy the economies of Muslim countries.[26][27][28]

During an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit held in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, he accused Jews of "ruling the world by proxy" and getting "others to fight and die for them".[29][30] His speech was denounced by President George W. Bush.[31] In 2012, he claimed he was "glad to be labelled antisemitic".[32] In a 2018 BBC interview he repeated similar statements, as well as disputing the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.[33] In 2019, when asked why he had previously claimed that Jews are "inclined towards money", he responded that he had Jewish friends, and that "they are not like the other Jews, that's why they are my friends."[34] Mahathir has defended his comments about Jews as an exercise of free speech, and by claiming that "the Jews do a lot of wrong things which force us to pass comment."[35][36][37]

LGBT rights

Mahathir opposes an expansion of LGBT rights in Malaysia.[38][39] In 2001, Mahathir said that any homosexual ministers from the United Kingdom would be barred from entering Malaysia.[40] During an October 2018 lecture to university students in Bangkok, Mahathir contrasted Malaysian values with those of Western nations and cited "the institution of marriage [and] the family" in his opposition to LGBT rights.[38]

Foreign affairs

In 2020, Mahathir expressed support for Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election, saying that the re-election of Donald Trump would be a "disaster".[41]

In a July 2025 interview with Al Jazeera, Mahathir said that Israel's killing of the Palestinian people during the Gaza war would be remembered for "centuries", and described it as a genocide that paralleled the Holocaust and the killing of Muslims during the Bosnian War. He also expressed support for a two-state solution in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[42]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Paradoxes of Mahathirism". http://lib.perdana.org.my/PLF/Digitisation/OCR/OCR6/000014/1008676.pdf. 
  2. ↑ Amazon.de. ASIN 9676530948. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Defranoux, Laurence. "Abdication surprise du roi de Malaisie" (in fr). https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2019/01/06/abdication-surprise-du-roi-de-malaisie_1701288/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Schottmann, Sven (2018). Mahathir's Islam: Mahathir Mohamad on Religion and Modernity in Malaysia. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-4674-9. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvvn4z8. Retrieved 15 November 2022. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Paradoxes of Mahathirism: An Intellectual Biography of Mahathir Mohamad". https://ilhambooks.com/paradoxes-of-mahathirism-an-intellectual-biography-of-mahathir-mohamad/. 
  6. ↑ "Paradoxes of Mahathirism : an intellectual biography of Mahathir Mohamad / Khoo Boo Teik | Catalogue | National Library of Australia". https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2498771. 
  7. ↑ "What is Mahathirism?". 31 October 2008. https://m.malaysiakini.com/letters/92232. 
  8. ↑ Patricia Sloane-White (March 30, 2017). Corporate Islam: Sharia and the Modern Workplace. Cambridge University Press. p. 12. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Corporate_Islam/Vl5EDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Mahathir+Mohamad+%22Islamism%22&pg=PA12. "Malaysian Islamism originated during the premiership of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the party that has led the coalition government since Independence in 1957. It primarily took the form of institution building and Islamic policy-making driven by political contestation." 
  9. ↑ Hui Yew-Foong, ed (August 2003). Encountering Islam. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encountering_Islam/qh9qDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Mahathir+Mohamad+Islamic+modernism&pg=PT118. "The developments of Putrajaya and Shah Alam, in particular, have been focal, not only in creating a large urban (and suburban) Malay populace, a key goal of Malaysian developmentalism spearheaded by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, but also in crafting the semiotics of a new Malay identity. This new Malay identity, as many scholars have noted, is crafted through an emphasis on Islamic modernism fused with nostalgic imaginings for past Islamic civilizations." 
  10. ↑ Muhammad Sigit Andhi Rahman (April 2, 2020). At the Hands of Fate: the Political Economy of Islamic Insurance. Primedia eLaunch LLC. p. 155. https://www.google.com/books/edition/At_the_Hands_of_Fate_the_Political_Econo/BHjgDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Mahathir+Mohamad+Islamic+modernism&pg=PA155. "In Malaysia, the cooptation of ABIM by Mahathir Mohamad created a supportive condition for the Islamic modernist agenda including the development of private-based Islamic insurance." 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bowring, Philip (23 September 1998). "Twin Shocks Will Leave Their Mark on Malaysia". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/1998/09/23/edbow.t_0.php. 
  12. ↑ Dosch, Jörn (2014). "Mahathirism and Its Legacy in Malaysia's Foreign Policy". European Journal of East Asian Studies 13 (1): 5–32. doi:10.1163/15700615-01301003. ISSN 1568-0584. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44162324. 
  13. ↑ "Malaysia's Mahathir says US seeking to provoke war in Taiwan". 19 August 2022. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-2022-midterm-elections-biden-taiwan-nato-96f52741ce6e9e6a2cdcfce5fd459ad8. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Mahathir to launch war crimes tribunal". The Star (Associated Press). 31 January 2007. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/1/31/nation/20070131173214&sec=nation. 
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". https://aseas.univie.ac.at/index.php/aseas/article/download/2683/2295/2684. 
  16. ↑ Roslan Rahman (11 September 2011). "Malaysia's Mahathir: 9/11 not work of Muslims". AFP News. https://my.news.yahoo.com/malaysias-mahathir-9-11-not-muslims-045737526.html. 
  17. ↑ AR, Zurairi (9 March 2015). "In Dr M's 'New World Order' meet, academics claim war on terror 'big US lie'" (in en). https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2015/03/09/in-dr-ms-new-world-order-meet-academics-claim-war-on-terror-big-us-lie/855701. 
  18. ↑ "Madeleine Albright Sings Out". The New York Times. 2 August 1997. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/02/opinion/madeleine-albright-sings-out.html. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Mahathir Mohamad: The man who dominated Malaysian politics" (in en-GB). BBC News. 8 May 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44028023. 
  20. ↑ "I don't believe in 'Ketuanan Melayu' fantasy, says Dr M". 12 December 2021. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/12/12/i-dont-believe-in-ketuanan-melayu-fantasy-says-dr-m/. 
  21. ↑ Bernama (2019-09-27). "Mahathir highlights Malaysia's conservation efforts". https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/493474. 
  22. ↑ Mohamed, Mahathir bin (April 1999). "The Green Flag of Eco-Imperialism" (in en). New Perspectives Quarterly 16 (2): 8–9. doi:10.1111/0893-7850.00214. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/0893-7850.00214. 
  23. ↑ "Malaysia's Mahathir: Linking palm oil to deforestation 'baseless'" (in en). 23 Aug 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2019/8/23/malaysias-mahathir-linking-palm-oil-to-deforestation-baseless. 
  24. ↑ Ressa, Maria (17 October 2003). "Mahathir attack on Jews condemned". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/10/16/oic.mahathir/. 
  25. ↑ Sugarman, Daniel (17 January 2019). "Oxford Union criticised for inviting antisemitic Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to speak". The Jewish Chronicle. https://www.thejc.com/news/oxford-union-criticised-for-inviting-antisemitic-malaysian-prime-minister-mahathir-mohamad-to-speak-fw8zrzwg. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Yegar, Moshe (2006). "Malaysia: Anti-Semitism Without Jews". Jewish Political Studies Review 18 (3/4): 81–97. ISSN 0792-335X. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25834698. Retrieved 4 December 2021. 
  27. ↑ Mydans, Seth (16 October 1997). "Malaysian Premier Sees Jews Behind Nation's Money Crisis" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/16/world/malaysian-premier-sees-jews-behind-nation-s-money-crisis.html. 
  28. ↑ "Mahathir's dark side". The Daily Telegraph (London). 24 October 2003. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/3597972/Mahathirs-dark-side.html. 
  29. ↑ Ressa, Maria (17 October 2003). "Mahathir attack on Jews condemned". CNN International. http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/10/16/oic.mahathir/. 
  30. ↑ "Views on Jews By Malaysian: His Own Words". The New York Times. The Associated Press. 21 October 2003. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/21/world/views-on-jews-by-malaysian-his-own-words.html. 
  31. ↑ "Bush rebukes Malaysia leader over remarks about Jews". CNN. 21 October 2003. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/10/20/rice.mahathir/index.html. 
  32. ↑ "Dr M says glad to be called 'Antisemitic'". CFCA. http://antisemitism.org.il/article/74691/dr-m-says-glad-be-called-%E2%80%98antisemitic%E2%80%99. 
  33. ↑ "Cambridge Union audience laughs at anti-Semitic 'joke' by Malaysian prime minister" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. 18 June 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/17/cambridge-union-audience-laughs-anti-semitic-joke-malaysian/. 
  34. ↑ Rahim, Zamira (17 June 2019). "Malaysia PM tells Cambridge Union his Jewish friends are 'not like other Jews'" (in en). https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mahathir-mohamed-anti-semitic-cambridge-union-jewish-malaysia-a8962246.html. 
  35. ↑ Cortellessa, Eric (26 September 2017). "A defiant Malaysian PM defends his anti-Semitism in the name of free speech" (in en-US). The Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-defiant-malaysian-pm-defends-his-anti-semitism-in-the-name-of-free-speech/. 
  36. ↑ Lin, Koh Jun (25 September 2019). "In speech at Columbia, Mahathir cites free speech for anti-Semitic remarks" (in en). https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/493315. 
  37. ↑ Harpin, Lee (18 June 2019). "Malaysia PM questioned why Jews 'resent' being called 'hook-nosed'". The Jewish Chronicle. https://www.thejc.com/news/prime-minister-of-malaysia-questioned-why-jews-resent-being-called-hook-nosed-at-controversial-cambridge-union-ntj3rvk0. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Mahathir claims LGBT rights are 'Western values' not fit for Malaysia" (in en). 26 October 2018. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2170274/mahathir-mohamad-claims-lgbt-rights-are-western-values-will. 
  39. ↑ "Malaisie: le premier ministre rejette les revendications LGBT" (in fr). 25 October 2018. https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2018/10/25/97001-20181025FILWWW00195-malaisie-le-premier-ministre-contre-les-revendications-lgbt.php. 
  40. ↑ "Gay ministers barred, Malaysia tells UK" (in en-GB). BBC News. 1 November 2001. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/1632012.stm. 
  41. ↑ "Mahathir backs Biden, says US re-electing Trump would be disaster" (in en). 2020-06-13. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3088756/mahathir-backs-biden-says-us-re-electing-trump-would-be-disaster. 
  42. ↑ Chew, Amy (28 Sep 2025). "Malaysia's Mahathir: Israel's genocide in Gaza will echo for 'centuries'" (in en). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/28/malaysias-mahathir-at-100-israels-genocide-in-gaza-will-not-be-forgotten. 



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