11/8/2004 7:00:00 AM GMT
Source: NEWS.com.au
Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamed raised concerns that Muslims would be "tortured" for another four years after the U.S. President George W. Bush won another presidential period.
Addressing 300 people at a gathering to break fast during the Muslims holy month of Ramadan, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed said: "We are sad that this man who has caused the mass killings in Iraq has been re-elected to lead his country".
"So for the next four years, the world's Muslim community will be tortured by this heartless and merciless man."
Last month, Dr. Mahathir predicted that George W. Bush is going to win the November election, due to the fact that the Americans were "very ignorant" about his reality and would "accept a liar".
Speaking to The Star newspaper, Dr. Mahathir, who retired in October last year after 22 years in power, said that the U.S. electorate "appears to be willing to accept a person who told a blatant lie and to elect a liar as their president".
"The American people are, by and large, very ignorant and know nothing about the rest of the world. They think that America is the world," he said.
Dr. Mahathir, who was sharply critical of the invasion of Iraq and attacked Bush's foreign policies all over the world while in office, had previously urged the U.S. Muslims to vote for Senator John Kerry as Bush was the "cause of the tragedies" all over the Muslim world.