SEPANG – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has criticised the move to bring American professor Bruce Gilley into Malaysia, labelling him a “mediocre scholar” in light of his controversial comments regarding Malaysia’s stance on Israel.
“(Gilley is a) mediocre scholar, (he) should not (have) been brought as a visiting professor in the first place,” Anwar told reporters during an event at Malaysia Airlines Berhad Academy, here today.
Gilley’s comments, posted on X, included criticism of Malaysia’s political leaders, suggesting that their so-called advocacy for a second Holocaust against the Jewish people undermines Malaysia’s credibility on the world stage.
He also made disparaging remarks about Malaysian politicians’ attitudes towards Israel, sparking outrage.
Gilley said Malaysia was “a country whose political leaders advocate a second Holocaust against the Jewish people, will never be a serious player in world affairs and will certainly never be a friend or partner of the United States.”
The post also included an image of Gilley giving a speech while standing at a podium bearing Universiti Malaya’s (UM) name and crest.
In another tweet in the same thread, Gilley said: “This is a long-standing vice of Malaysian politicians going back to Mahathir’s advice to learn from the Germans on how to kill Jews. Today, TV news hosts end daily broadcasts with ‘From the River to the Sea’ and ‘Israel cuak’ (Israel is frightened).”
Yesterday, he tweeted that he had “safely departed” and was away from the “Islamo-fascist mob whipped up by the government”, claiming Malaysia was no longer a safe country for travel.
In response, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir ordered UM to cancel all scheduled programmes with Gilley.
UM also issued an apology over the incident, reiterating its support for Malaysia’s stance on the Palestine-Israel conflict.
Earlier today, Zambry stressed that the government’s action was not to curb academic freedom, but that the professor had made “crude and dangerous” comments about Malaysia.
Zambry also urged universities to conduct thorough background checks before inviting speakers, adding that Malaysia has its own set of capable academicians as well. – April 26, 2024