Malaysian Prime Minister Slams Facebook for Removing Post Praising Haniyeh

Latest Developments

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim strongly criticized Meta Platforms — the parent company of Instagram and Facebook — after his Facebook post mourning the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was removed. According to Reuters, Anwar posted a recording of his phone call with a Hamas official in which he expressed his condolences over Haniyeh’s death in Tehran. “Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: Cease this display of cowardice and stop acting as instruments of the oppressive Zionist Israeli regime!” Anwar declared on his Facebook page. Malaysian Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that his office has sought an explanation from Meta. Another post by Anwar praising Haniyeh remains on his page.

Anwar met with Haniyeh in Qatar in May, and Malaysia maintains close relations with the Iran-backed terrorist group. According to Reuters, Meta considers Hamas a “dangerous organization” and bans content praising the group using a mix of automated detection and human review.

Expert Analysis

“While Meta should still reverse its recent ‘Shahid’ decision that allows for increased glorification of terrorism on its platforms, its decision to delete posts praising Hamas terror leaders is obviously the right one.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“Malaysia is a key hub in Hamas’s international network. Rather than complaining about a social media site taking down his post praising a terrorist leader, Malaysia’s prime minister should stop allowing Hamas to operate in his country.” — David May, FDD Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

Malaysian Support for Hamas

Shortly after Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel, Anwar stated that his government’s relationship with Hamas would continue and that it would not act against the terrorist organization despite threats of Western sanctions. On December 19, Malaysia banned Israeli-flagged vessels and ships destined for Israel from anchoring in Malaysian waters.

Hamas Training in Malaysia

In 2014, a Hamas terrorist captured by Israeli forces revealed that the group had planned its attacks and trained in Malaysia for over a decade. In 2010, Hamas reportedly sent operatives to Malaysia for paragliding training — a tactic Hamas used during its October 7 massacre in southern Israel. In 2012, Hamas terrorists trained in Malaysia for an attack they planned to carry out in Israel involving snipers, abductions, and anti-tank ambushes. In 2018, alleged Mossad agents gunned down a Hamas weapons developer in Kuala Lumpur.

Hamas also uses Malaysia to move funds through the Hamas-controlled Al-Quds International Foundation, which operates a branch in the Southeast Asian country. The branch is chaired by Malaysian lawmaker Datuk Mukhriz bin Tun Dr. Mahathir — the son of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamed, an outspoken opponent of Israel and a Holocaust denier. In 2020, an Israeli court indicted a Gazan imam for smuggling money on behalf of two Malaysian charities to Hamas in Gaza.

“Malaysian PM Reaffirms Friendship With Hamas,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Uses Malaysia to Fund Terror Proxies,” FDD Flash Brief

“Malaysia Bans Israeli Shipping Services,” FDD Flash Brief

“How Malaysia Became a Training Ground for Hamas,” by Jonathan Schanzer