WHENEVER you hear the “Great Satan” mentioned, that’s the code-name for the US. And soon the “Great Satan” will be setting foot on Malaysian soil.
This “devil” in the person of US President Donald Trump will be in Kuala Lumpur to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit from Oct 26 to 28.
PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang promptly raised the red flag and denounced the invitation because you do not associate with this “great devil” for working hand in glove with “little devil Israel” in committing atrocities in Gaza.
To buttress his contention, Hadi invariably cited religious teaching that warns one against choosing the wrong companion who supports injustice.
To step up the pressure, the Islamist party is even demanding a face-to-face meeting with Trump should the latter dare to brave the wrath of the Muslim world and show up in Kuala Lumpur.
Perhaps, Hadi is echoing the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who first coined the epithet in 1979 in the aftermath of the Iranian Islamic revolution.
‘Malaysia needs Trump’
Calling the US the “Great Satan”, the “wounded snake that gathers around other devils blatantly”, Khomeini denounced America as an “imperialist power” that sponsored corruption throughout the world.
So, Trump can expect to be running into a hailstorm of controversy as soon as he arrives here.
Protesters have already staged a massive rally outside the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur against his visit and there will probably be more street demonstrations where his effigies might be hanged upside down and the American flag burned.
View this post on Instagram
But will cancelling the invitation change the course of American policy towards Israel? Will Trump do an abrupt about-turn and, in bowing to international criticism, withdraws support for Israel? Unlikely. Foreign policies are not forged in response to public anger and outrage.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has a point when he defended his decision to welcome Trump.
While Malaysia has been consistently defending the Palestinian cause, we “must also be wise in making friends”.
Like it or not, Malaysia cannot afford to antagonise America because the world’s largest economy is our strong trade partner and – more importantly – it is a superpower whose help Malaysia might one day need given that we are living in dangerous times.
Dalam perbualan telefon bersama Presiden Donald Trump sebentar tadi, saya tegaskan komitmen Malaysia selaku Pengerusi ASEAN untuk terus memainkan peranan proaktif dalam memastikan keamanan serantau, khususnya terkait isu Kemboja–Thailand.
Presiden Trump mengiktiraf kejayaan… pic.twitter.com/Nbh2QJOdJH
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) September 25, 2025
There are other greater satans or devils or madmen around the world who pose a bigger threat to world peace.
In fact, the danger of a Third World War is looming large as there are many “wildfires” around the world that threaten to burn out of control and spread across international borders.
There are even local devils who are constantly turning every issue – regardless how petty – into political weapons to score more brownie points with voters.
‘Trump may get an earful from PMX’
The Trump visit will give them another ammunition to try and create an irresistible force that can eventually rock Putrajaya to its foundation and see a sudden change of the guard.
It appears that everyone wants a piece of the action to show that they had confronted the world’s most powerful leader and believed that they had seen Trump trembling in his pants.
Just imagine! Hadi’s picture splashed all over the front pages of the printed and online media – his glare, his stern bearing, his finger wagging at the “Satan” as he lectured him on the evils of American support for Israel.
Or the ready-made hero Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh leading the charge of his band of brave UMNO Youth fighters right up to the doorstep of the hotel housing the American president.
Wow! Look at him berating the American uncle! This surely must be the biggest feather in his cap.
But Trump is coming here to meet Anwar and other ASEAN leaders and to sign trade deals that will benefit Malaysia. It is unlikely that the US president would have time for others who are merely hoping to get a shot at cheap fame.
Nevertheless, Trump may get an earful from Anwar about America’s role in the Gaza tragedy and that’s about it. It would just be a mild version of the White House treatment.
Let Trump come and experience Malaysian hospitality at its best – a makan besar – and at its worst – the street protests below his hotel window accompanied by chants of “Death to America!”
At the end of the day, the “great devil” will fly home – leaving all the pesky troublemakers to fume, throw tantrums and stage yet another massive protest against Anwar for, perhaps, selling out Malaysia to the US. – Oct 8, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
