Muslims will be "tortured" by Bush

Mahathir Mohamad, former prime minister of Malaysia, delivers his keynote address at the closing of the Businessweek CEO Forum, in Beijing yesterday. Mahathir spoke on a topic entitled "The Leadership Edge: Building the Future of Asia". PHOTO: AFP

"We are sad that this man who has caused the mass killings in Iraq has been re-elected to lead his country," Mahathir told some 300 people at a gathering to break fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

"So for the next four years, the world's Muslim community will be tortured by this heartless and merciless man," he said.

Mahathir had last month predicted that Bush would win the November 2 election because Americans were "very ignorant" people and would "accept a liar".

Mahathir, who retired in October 2003 after 22 years in power, told The Star in an interview last month that the US 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.