President Lazarus Chakwera has courted the ire of the Muslim community in Malawi over his government’s plans to establish a diplomatic mission in Israel, APA learnt here on Tuesday.
According to reports monitored here, the Muslim Association of Malawi has written to Chakwera expressing its disapproval of the decision by the Malawian leader to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
“We are aware of the importance of strengthening our relationship with other countries and the role it can play in bringing some positive change to the lives of Malawians. However, we believe that the disadvantages that would ensue as a result of the timing of the move could outweigh by far its advantages,” MAM chairperson Sheikh Idruss Muhammed is quoted by online news agency Nyasa Times as saying in the letter to Chakwera.
The MAM leader warned that it would be dangerous for Malawi to open an embassy in Jerusalem “as it may open a Pandora’s Box and attract some unprecedented deplorable consequences.”
One such consequence is that “extremists would target Malawi that has been safe and peaceful since time immemorial.”
Israel considers Jerusalem as its capital while the Palestinians also claim that is it their capital, which was seized during the 1967 Middle East war.
The move by MAM comes a week after a special envoy of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Malawi where he presented a protest letter to Chakwera.
JN/APA