The ongoing war in Gaza has prompted debates in Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia over what is seen as the West’s moral decline.
Bruce Gilley, a Portland State University professor, sparked a scandal in Malaysia late last month. Gilley claimed during a lecture in Kuala Lumpur that the Southeast Asian country could never be a trusted friend of the West because its leaders are supporting a “second Holocaust against the Jewish people.”
His comments referred to the Malaysian government’s public support of Hamas since the Gaza War began.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has twice spoken with the leader of the militant group, Ismail Haniyeh, since the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas.
Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the German government, the EU and the United States, among others.
