Dr Mahathir says many people translate and teach Islam in a way which is not very Islamic

by BERNAMA / pic by BERNAMA

MANY Muslim countries have become weak as a result of the wrong interpretation of the teachings of Islam, said Prime Minister (PM) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“As a result, Muslims have become the weakest people in the world today. There was a time when, to defend ourselves, we needed to get help from others, the Europeans particularly. This is the result of the wrong interpretation of the teachings of Islam,” he said in his speech at the Turkish Higher Education Council in Ankara yesterday.

Dr Mahathir arrived in Ankara on Wednesday on a four-day official visit to Turkey.

He said many people translate and teach Islam in a way which is not very Islamic.

“Today, we see the ignorance…not taking the teachings in the Quran as our principle guide. We are more inclined to follow our leaders, scholars, even when the interpretation of Islam is actually against the Quran,” he said.

Dr Mahathir began his official programme in Turkey yesterday by laying a wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, the founder and first president of modern-day Turkey, at Anitkabir in Ankara.

He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Political Sciences and Public Administration by Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University.

Dr Mahathir was conferred the honorary doctorate by the university’s rector Prof Dr Ibrahim Aydinli and Turkish Higher Education Council president Dr Yekta Sarac.

The event was held at the Turkish Higher Education Council.

The PM is scheduled to visit Turkish Aerospace Industries, which is Turkey’s centre of technology in design, development, modernisation, manufacturing, integration and life cycle support of integrated aerospace systems, from fixed and rotary wing air platforms to unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites.

Dr Mahathir will have a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex, followed by a Malaysia-Turkey delegation meeting.

After Ankara, Dr Mahathir will fly to Istanbul this morning and the aircraft is scheduled to land at the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, which is managed and administered by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. The PM will also tour the airport.

On the same day, Dr Mahathir will attend a Captains of Industry Roundtable discussion, where some 35 major Turkish companies will be involved. Following that, he will attend a high-tea with the Malaysian diaspora in Turkey.

During the visit, the PM will be accompanied by three ministers namely the Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Darell Leiking.

Dr Mahathir’s official visit to Turkey, which is at the invitation of the Turkish president, is to further enhance existing bilateral ties between Malaysia and Turkey. Diplomatic relations between both countries were established in 1964.

Turkey is an important economic partner for Malaysia. In 2018, total trade between the two countries stood at RM9.79 billion. Exports from Malaysia to Turkey totalled RM7.97 billion, while imports from Turkey to Malaysia amounted to RM1.82 billion. — Bernama