‘Haram’ to welcome Obama, Hizbut Tahrir tells Putrajaya, Malaysian Muslims
Nov 6 — The local chapter of a hardline Islamist group claimed today that it would be “haram” for the Putrajaya and Muslims here to welcome United States President Barack Obama when the latter arrives in Kuala Lumpur later this month for his second visit to Malaysia.
The group, Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia (HTM), labelled Obama an “enemy” of Islam, citing the deaths of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, as well as in the ongoing Syrian conflict, which they blamed on the US president’s administration.
“We hope that Muslims, specifically in Malaysia, realise that Obama is Islam’s enemy. Many of our brothers and sisters have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And now, as a result of the cooperation, the permission and the instruction of the US, we see Russia has invaded Syria and have dropped their bombs in Syria, killing many Muslims there,” HTM spokesman Abdul Hakim Othman told reporters outside the prime minister’s office here this afternoon.
“And we hope Muslims in Malaysia realise that they are our enemy and that it is haram to welcome them.”
The group handed over a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Department today to state its objection to Obama’s scheduled visit this month.
In the memorandum, HTM pointed out that two visits by a US president in two years was out of the ordinary. The pro-caliphate movement also warned of Obama allegedly bringing with him agenda that could endanger Muslims here, and Malaysians in general.
It listed four official reasons for its rejection of the US president’s visit, including a claim that Obama is the leader of an imperialist country that shows hostility towards Muslims in the name of countering terrorism; and another claim accusing the world leader of backing Zionist Jews.
HTM said it has doubts over the true intention of Obama’s visit here, and that it feared the leader was looking to influence Malaysia with Western ideologies like democracy, human rights, liberalism, secularism, as well as strengthening Malaysia’s stand on moderation.
Abdul Hakim said HTM will continue to show its rejection of Obama’s visit and will hand another memorandum to the US embassy next Friday.
“What we are doing is for the good of the country, and the good of Muslims in Malaysia because we know the agenda of the US, that is filled with craftiness and tricks against Muslim countries,” he said.
Over 100 people turned up today as part of the delegation to hand over the memorandum to the prime minister’s department. The supporters held up banners and placards saying “TPPA haram di sisi Islam” (TPPA is haram in Islam), “Undang musuh Allah, undang murka Allah” (inviting Allah’s enemy is inviting Allah’s wrath) and “Kick Obama! World’s no.1 terrorist” among others.
Obama is expected to be in Malaysia from November 20 to 22 to attend the third Asean-US Summit and the 10th East Asia Summit.
He last visited Malaysia in April last year.
Source: The Malaymail Online