12 January 2009
Mr. Ehud Olmert
Prime Minister of Israel
Please Stop the Bombing and Massacre of Palestinians
We, the undersigned, representing more than 50,000 academics in various institutions of higher education in Malaysia, would like to record our sadness and dissatisfaction in the way the War of Gaza is being conducted. We deplore any loss of human lives whoever it may be, but also find it deplorable that 100 Palestinians have to die for every dead Israeli in this very one-sided ‘war’. No amount of explanations can justify the fact that the Israelis, with their protector, the USA, are killing innocent civilians, including women and children.
We are specifically saddened with the news of the bombing of the Islamic University of Gaza. With the bombing, the already minimal facilities for education of thousands of students in Gaza, has now come to an end. So too the continued strangling of Gaza will end the education of many young Palestinians. This in turn will effect the future development of Palestine and Gaza in particular.
To argue who is right and who is wrong in the war would be a never ending affair. However, we demand that this war be fought with full compliance of the Geneva Conventions. We demand that all civilian and civilian buildings (houses, mosques, hospitals) be protected and not to be targets of your military aggressions. In particular, we demand that you and your government show respect for the sanctity of academic institutions such as universities and schools. History has shown many times that a civilization would start to decline when schools/places of learning are destroyed and books burned.
Thank you for listening.
Prof. Wan Manan Wan Muda,
Chairman, Malaysian Academics Movement (MOVE/GERAK)
[email protected]
Faisal Mustaffa,
General Secretary, Private Higher Education Institutes Academic Staff Union (KAPTS) <[email protected]>
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Aslam Haneef,
President, International Islamic University Malaysia Academic Staff Association (IIUMASA) [email protected]
Abdul Halim B. Abdul Majid
Secretary General, Academic Staf Association of Universiti Utara Malaysia (PERSATU) mailto:[email protected]
Assoc. Prof. Dr Yahaya Ibrahim
President, Academic Staff Association of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PKAUKM) [email protected]
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Junedah Sanusi
President, University of Malaya Academic Staff Association (PKAUM)
[email protected]
Prof Dr. Omar bin Shawkataly
Vice President, Academic and Administrative Staff Association, Universiti Sains Malaysia (PKAP) <[email protected]>
Dr. Mohd Hasnain Bin Md Hussain,
Acting President, Academic Staff Association, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (PPAU) <[email protected] >
Ab Latiff Ishak
President, Academic Staff Union Universiti Teknologi MARA (MITASA)
<[email protected]>
cc
Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister of Malaysia
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