"Of course I’m upset — I’m not a thief, I’m not a terrorist," Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in response to a question about the US having placed Malaysia on a list of 15 states regarded as "terrorist-risk" countries.
"There is already general anti-Muslim hysteria. Because of the acts of a few people the whole Muslim world seems to have been labeled as they have to be checked to ensure that they are not terrorists," said 76-year-old Mahathir, who has led Malaysia for 21 years.
His comments came a day after an outraged parliamentarian revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had to remove his shoes and belt during a security check in Los Angeles despite holding a diplomatic passport and a special visa for government representatives.
Abdullah was subjected to the treatment on Sept. 16 as he headed for New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, ruling party lawmaker Zulhasnan Rafique told parliament.
He called for similar treatment of US leaders and VIPs when they arrive in this mainly Muslim Southeast Asian nation.
But this apparent prejudice was not limited to Muslim officials. Sometime last month, Senate President Franklin Drilon was also told to remove his shoes as security precaution before boarding a Manila-bound plane in San Francisco.
Abdullah, however, downplayed the incident, which he said took place at his port of entry to the US in Los Angeles before he flew on to New York.
"I was going through a metal detector and suddenly the alarm went off and I had to take off my shoes. But in other places there was no noise and I did not have to take off my shoes," he told reporters yesterday.
He said he had seen pilots and "so many people" also having to take off their shoes, adding that Malaysian ministers would continue to visit the US on official business and for UN meetings.
The deputy prime minister, who is due to take over from Mahathir in October next year, met US Vice President Dick Cheney and other senior administration officials during his visit.
He revealed after his trip that Washington had placed Malaysia on a list of states considered to be high risk, and that he had raised the issue with Cheney.
"I stressed in my meeting with Cheney that we don’t like this profiling. We don’t like to be branded as a terrorist state or as people with links with terroristsm," Abdullah said,
Asked what course of action Malaysia might adopt, Mahathir said: "It is unfortunate that this stand is taken but it’s their country. I don’t know what we can do about it."
Malaysia, which has detained dozens of alleged Islamic militants over the past year, has, ironically, won praise from the US for its support in the war on terrorism and previously chilly relations have thawed.
But news of the incident involving Abdullah shared front page coverage Tuesday with an announcement by the US embassy here of tighter requirements for entry to the US which could cause delays for Malaysian citizens.
The new National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NEERS) starting Oct. 1 will include registration, fingerprinting and photographing of some travelers, the embassy said in a statement.
The system will affect "some individuals from every country" and may result in delays.
"The decision of which individuals will be asked to register will be based on information about the current threat of terrorism," the statement said.
"Along with citizens of many other countries, some Malaysian citizens are likely to encounter these new procedures upon their arrival in the US."
The militants detained in Malaysia are said to be linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, which seeks to establish a regional Islamic state and allegedly has ties with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terror network.