Worse still, Mahathir Mohamed is what passes for a reformist in Malaysia. The other side, who ruled Malaysia for most of its independent history until they got toppled by a corruption scandal and just retook power this March, are even more brazenly Islamist (and Malay supremacist).

So not only is his opinion horrible, there's a good chance it's not shared by the majority of Malays - because they'd prefer even worse being done to the French and any others who blaspheme against Islam with each free breath they take.