Why This Man's Photo With The Petronas Twin Towers Caused An Uproar On FB
He was only in Malaysia for less than a day.
By Tang Ruxyn — 15 Jun 2016, 07:02 PM
A photo of a man holding an Israeli passport in front of the Petronas Twin Towers has created a massive uproar among Malaysians since it was first uploaded on 11 June
The photo was first uploaded on the Facebook page of Israeli activist, Rudy Rochman on 11 June. The image was accompanied by a message on ending the baseless discrimination against Israeli nationals.
"This photo was taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Israelis are forbidden to enter because of their nationality," Rochman wrote.
"Thousands of Israelis travel to Asia every year after their mandatory army service to experience and learn from different cultures. However, Malaysia has decided to completely ban all entry permits for Israeli citizens."
He added that there are Malaysians who support Israel in secret despite the fact that its government and a majority of Malaysians continue to support the travel ban on Israeli citizens.
"If you did not know this please SHARE it so others may be aware of such intolerance."
"As an Israeli, "no" means try harder and I made it to Malaysia for a day through the other booklet of processed tree I have, a French passport," Rochman said.
Rochman is a student activist who champions Israeli rights and is currently based in New York. The young activist was born in France and raised in America.
In an article he wrote on The Bulletin, a publication of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), Rochman spoke about how he has never felt like he belonged in either France or America.
"When I first moved to the United States I was automatically labelled as the 'French kid', but when visiting family in France I was often considered the American cousin."
"I realised that it doesn’t matter where I was born, grew up, or live—I would always be a Jew," he added.
Just hours later, Rochman's Facebook post received international attention after it was shared by StandWithUS
StandWithUs is an international educational organisation that aims to debunk the misinformation surrounding Israel and the Jewish people.
It is a non-profit organisation based in Los Angeles, U.S. and has more than 950,000 likes on Facebook, and 55,000 followers on Twitter.
The page shared Rochman's Facebook post and attracted more than 2,000 comments and 4,500 shares.
StandWithUs shared Rochman's post with a comment that read, "We hope the government of Malaysia enjoys this photo". The statement incited the anger of netizens, especially Malaysians.
Quite a number of Malaysians were infuriated by the content of post, calling Rochman a "terrorist" and some even made claims that Israel is not a country
Some of the top comments on the post were by Malaysians, who clearly expressed that Rochman, a Jew, was not welcomed in Malaysia. They also condemned him for "sneaking" into Malaysia using his French passport.
They associated him with Israel and made suggestions that he could be in Malaysia to conduct acts of terrorism.
There were also comments that stated how "Israel is not even a real country".
The Malaysian government's existing foreign policy does not recognise the state of Israel as a country
As of March 2010, Malaysia, along with other 35 United Nations (UN) countries, were named as nations that do not recognise Israel as a country.
Additionally, the Malaysian passport, which is listed as one of the top 10 most powerful passports in the world, provides access to 163 countries without a visa.
However, all Malaysian passports come with a notice that reads, "This passport is valid for all countries except Israel". It is noted that Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world with passports that come with this exclusion.
Israelis are also not allowed in Malaysia without an approval from the Home Ministry.
A survey in 2014 revealed that nearly two out of three Malaysians admit to being biased against the Jews, who make up the largest ethnic group in Israel
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) survey in 2014 revealed that more than 61% of Malaysians exhibited anti-Semitic beliefs. This result puts Malaysia as the most anti-Semitic country surveyed in Asia outside of the Middle East.
The reservations that a large group of Malaysians have against Israelis was made obvious recently, when a photo of PM Najib Razak shaking hands with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became a subject of controversy.
There was also an incident in 2011, when Malaysians taunted Israeli footballer Yossi Benayoun when he was playing for the English Premier League team Chelsea, in a friendly against a Malaysian selection.
Rochman explained that the prevailing intolerance towards Israelis and Jews is the reason why he felt the need to write a post that highlights the strained relationship between Malaysia and Israel
He said that he did not wish to shame Malaysia.
"I wish to show the world the intolerant policy your government holds against my people," he wrote.
"It is people like you that I condemn for being intolerant. You do not (know) me, yet you choose to discriminate against me because of my ethnicity and nationality. That is what racism is," Rochman said in reply to a Facebook comment.