Madam, - Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently gave one of the most disgraceful speeches by a head of state since the second World War.
In his inaugural address at the 10th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, Dr Mohamad claimed that the Jews "have now gained control of the most powerful countries and they, this tiny community, have become a world power".
He also stated that the Jews "invented and successfully promoted socialism, communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so they may enjoy equal rights with others".
Dr Mohamad received a standing ovation from the delegates to the conference.
The Irish Times uncritically reported his speech (October 18th) and has not mentioned it since.
Why has there been such a resounding silence? The writer Oriana Fallaci has stated: "I find it shameful and see in all this the rise of a new fascism, a new Nazism ... that is much more grim and revolting because it is conducted and nourished by those who hypocritically pose as do-gooders \ progressives."
Has the anti-Israeli bias of Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, John Pilger etc. become so pervasive in Ireland that Dr Mohamad's vile anti-Semitism is now the conventional wisdom? - Yours, etc.,
DECLAN MANSFIELD,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14
Madam, - We are still reeling from the Omagh and Enniskillen atrocities in this country. With reference to your editorial of Friday 24th last, would you care to define for us what "proportionate response" might mean in the context of the unspeakable horror of dozens of suicide bombings against Israelis?
As you ponder your response please imagine your own children and loved ones as the targets. Do not dwell on the unfortunate young perpetrators of these atrocities but on the older leaders behind the scenes who, over decades, have poisoned young Arab minds with hellish ideas of "martyrdom" and hatred.
The phenomenon of anti-Semitism is an old, complex and subtle disease of human nature. It is naive and misleading to dismiss the possibility of its influence as something "below the intellect".
As one (a gentile) who regularly gasps in astonishment at the distorted media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the peculiar vehemence reserved for condemning Jews, I am frequently forced to wonder whether normally intelligent and analytical journalists and politicians are indeed unwittingly infected with this age-old disease. Your editorial neglected to mention the fact that the Israeli Air Force issued a video of the missile attack you refer to clearly showing that the missiles were not fired into a crowd of civilians. - Yours, etc.,
PAT O'SULLIVAN,
Knocknacurra,
Bandon,
Co Cork.