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A coalition of 40 Malaysian non-governmental organisations has called on think tank ISIS Malaysia to issue a public apology after it hosted a talk by a prominent Emirati statesman, scholar, and diplomat, who they say, is a strong supporter of Israel.
The open letter, dated 13 July, was addressed to the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS Malaysia) regarding a talk given by United Arab Emirates (UAE) parliamentarian Ali Rashid Al Nuaim on 9 July.
The NGOs pointed out that Ali Rashid was a driving force behind the Abraham Accords — the 2020 agreement that normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE.
They also note he led the first UAE parliamentary delegation to visit the Israeli Knesset in 2022.
In the letter, the groups cited a public statement attributed to him: “We want everyone to acknowledge and accept that Israel is there to exist and that the roots of Jews and Christians are not in New York or Paris, but here in our region.”
Following the Hamas-led 7 October operations against Israel in 2023, Ali Rashid publicly condemned Hamas, describing the operation as “barbaric” and labelling Hamas a terrorist organisation, according to the letter.
PM’s Own Words Used Against the Think Tank
The coalition argues his views directly contradict Malaysia’s official foreign policy stance.
They pointed to public statements by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has condemned Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian lands and questioned whether the world could “in good conscience” stand by while Palestinians face what he described as a form of colonisation.
By hosting Ali Rashid, the NGOs say ISIS Malaysia gave a platform to views that run counter to both the government’s position and the sentiments of Malaysians broadly.
The groups are calling for a public apology from ISIS Malaysia to both the Malaysian government and the public.
ISIS Malaysia has not publicly responded to the letter as of the time of publication.
The 40 signatories include a broad cross-section of Malaysian civil society — among them BDS Malaysia, ABIM, IKRAM, MyCARE, Muslim Volunteer Malaysia, Humanitarian Care Malaysia, women’s advocacy group i-Aware, academic body GERAK, and civil liberties group ALIRAN.
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