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Opposition Malaysian Leader Criticizes U.S. President
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (IslamOnline) - U.S. President George Bush of the United States "must not act like a gangster" and must be patient to show he is a statesman, Islamic opposition leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat said Wednesday.
"He [President George W. Bush] must be patient, [he] has to show that he is a statesman because if he acts irrationally, people will not say he is a statesman, people will say he is a gangster," Nik Mat told reporters.
The Malaysian opposition leader is the chief minister of Kelantan and spiritual leader of the Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
The United States must have concrete proof before taking any action against those responsible for the attacks in New York and Washington last Tuesday, Nik Aziz Nik Mat added.
He said it had become the practice for the U.S. to accuse Muslims every time an act of violence occurred in that country, whereas non-Muslims, including Americans themselves, could have committed it.
"When such violence occurs, why blame others, it could be their own people [who are involved].
Commenting on the U.S. threat to attack Afghanistan, which has been accused of sheltering Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, suspected of being behind the attacks, Nik Aziz Nik Mat said: "Our responsibility as Muslims is to protect the person as long as he had not been proven guilty. However, anyone found guilty will not be protected," he said.
Members of the Muslim ulama (religious scholars) worldwide have expressed the same opinion that the U.S. must bring forward concrete proof in order to be able to prove bin Laden's guilt.
The U.S., they say, have been quick to accuse bin Laden without proof, saying it is an attempt by the U.S. to undermine the Muslim world.
Several other commentators in the ASEAN region said there is a clear attempt to cut off the growing influence of Islam around the globe, and condemned any possible attacks on any Muslim country, and warned of serious consequences to the U.S. in its aftermath.
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