Former Malaysian prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been named under the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)’s list of Top 20 Most Dangerous Extremists On Earth.
The US-based international policy non-profit organisation took to their website to showcase their list.
Dr M placed at number 14 on the list, alongside an Al-Qaeda spokesperson, the founder of the Russian Imperial Movement and the current leader of ISIS, just to name a few.
“A controversial figure, Mahathir often criticised the West, LGBT people and Jewish people. In 2019, Mahathir said that extremism would spread across Southeast Asia as governments fail to stem the tide of militants flocking to the region,” CEP shared.
They also highlighted his statements in regard to the terrorist attack in France, back in October 2020, as a reason as to why he was included in the list.
“In October 2020, he came under fire for comments he made regarding a terrorist attack in Nice, France, claiming ‘Muslims have a right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.'”
Other reasons include his criticism of Israel, his alleged antisemitism, and his apparent support for a self-administered region for Muslims in Mindanao, Philippines.
“Mahathir is not directly responsible for specific acts of violence. However, his controversial opinions have led to international condemnation as it was alleged that Mahathir supported extremist violence against the West,” they added.
CEP’s list comes after they had considered extremists from across the spectrum of ideologies and beliefs, analysing their influence over their groups, their followers, and their extremist movement.
“From ISIS to the Muslim Brotherhood and the anti-Muslim Buddhist group in Myanmar to Generation Identity, all are considered a huge threat to international security,” they explained.
Number one on the list is the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon.
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