SUCH was the gist of views proffered to a Muslim who “genuinely wanted to understand why most non-Muslims in Malaysia still support Israel” which has turned its back on humanity by having inflicted massive destruction in Gaza while even “mocking the suffering of Palestinians”.
For starters, the enquirer who posted her question in the Meanwhile in Malaysia Facebook page did clarify later that she has no intention to pinpoint “all (non-Muslims)” when she referred to “most non-Muslims” in her enquiry.
This is after the site’s administrator alerted her against jumping into conclusion by basing her judgment on “3-5 accounts with Chinese names in NST, Malay Mail, etc” for the even those names could be deceiving for they are “just bots”.
Of the sensible feedback to the post which has since attracted 1.7K likes, 1.8K comments and 114 shares at the time of writing, one non-Muslim rationalised that while he does not take side in the issue, his main concern is that “Malaysians, too, are already struggling”.
“The aid being sent abroad could be better used to help our own people here. We’re far from perfect ourselves so why not focus on fixing things at home first?” he observed.
“I’m not against helping others but I believe we should prioritise strengthening our own nation first. Once we’ve built a stronger foundation here, then we’ll be in a better position to help others and contribute to making the world a better place.”
Another stated that non-Muslims “dislike wars” nor chaos that has erupted in Indonesia and Thailand (similar protests have since extended to the Philippines).
“But we would like the government of the day to prioritise our own country first,” he insisted while a fellow non-Muslim claimed that “I support businesses in Malaysia by eating at the mamak, warung (Malay stalls), pasar malam (night market) or by the roadside with no regard of the vendors’ origin”.
Another commenter revealed that she and her non-Muslim friends, too, dislike Israel while “lots of valuable information about Palestine’s history with Israel can be found on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok)”.
“Non-Muslims can also learn from it … In my WhatsApp group with five friends, three tend to share stories of Israel’s injustice everyday … My family, too, doesn’t support Israel at all.”
One commenter pointed to the stark reality that “there’s no truly innocent side in wars”.
“Behind every war in existence, there is always something going on that creates the viscous cycle,” he philosophised.
“But this doesn’t mean I support genocide. Supporting one side means the war will never stop whether you are on offensive or defensive. I would much prefer if both sides can reach a mutual agreement and live together in harmony, just like multi-racial communities in other parts of the world.”
To sum up, non-Muslims are certainly taken aback with the enquirer’s “sweeping statement” on grounds that “we don’t speak much about it on social media doesn’t mean we support Israel”.
Likewise, one commenter aptly wondered why “we’ve to choose which side to support” when one simply wants to enjoy “a simple life”.
As one Muslim commenter suggested, it all boils down to “lack of awareness”. “Not just non-Muslims, there are also Muslims who lack awareness. They don’t know and still don’t understand. We should try to raise their awareness level for the sake of humanity.” – Sept 22, 2025
Main image credit: Al Jazeera
