Monday, October 5, 2015 Tishri 22, 5776 7:40 am IDT
Malaysian PM calls for ‘new dawn’ in Muslim-Jewish relations
In defending Muslim rights at Temple Mount, Najib Razak invokes Jewish sage Hillel’s ‘Golden Rule’
October 3, 2015, 2:37 am
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Malaysian Prime Minister Muhammad Najib Abdul Razak (photo credit: CC BY Wikipedia/Malaysian government)
The prime minister of Malaysia,
appealing to Israel to tamp down Temple Mount tensions, quoted Jewish
sage Hillel and called for a “new dawn” in Muslim-Jewish relations.
“Given
the Rosh Hashanah violations of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and
aggression against its worshipers three weeks ago, I call on the Israeli
government to live up to Judaism’s highest ethical principles, and the
essential message of the Torah as succinctly expressed by the first
century B.C. sage Hillel,” said Najib Razak, addressing the United
Nations General Assembly opening on Thursday.
“When asked to describe the Torah in a
soundbite, [Hillel] said: ‘That which is hateful to you, don’t do to
your fellow human being,’” Razak said. “This dictum, known universally
in all religions as the Golden Rule, could herald the dawn of a much
needed revised relationship between Muslims and Jews.”
Israel rejects charges that it is behind the
tensions on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and
holy to both faiths. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking not
long before Razak, blamed Palestinians for inciting the recent tensions
by misrepresenting Israeli actions.
On Friday protesters in Malaysian capital
Kuala Lumpur demonstrated against Israeli actions in the Temple Mount,
Iran’s Fars news agency reported. Rally-goers waved Palestinian flags
and placards calling to “Free Palestine.”
Since capturing the Temple Mount in the 1967
Six Day War Israel has observed a “status quo” that allows Jews to visit
the mount, adjacent to the Western Wall, but not worship there.
Palestinians claim Israel is allowing Jewish groups to enter the mount
to worship; Israel says Palestinians at the site have been increasingly
aggressive toward Jews who are merely visiting.
“Currently Israel has forced its authority
over Islam’s third holiest site – in defiance of the jurisdiction of
King Abdullah of Jordan, the lawful Custodian,” Razak said. “It is
therefore Israel’s duty to facilitate Muslims from around the world to
visit. For this is an aspiration that all devout Muslims harbor and pray
to be able to realize in their lifetime.”
Despite Razak’s criticisms, it was notable for
a Malaysian leader to speak positively about Judaism and to recognize
Israel as a legitimate interlocutor. Malaysia is a formally Muslim state
and some of Razak’s predecessors were hostile to Israel and to Jews.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
