Malaysia not a safe country to travel now, says Gilley after UM backlash

Bruce Gilley during the talk.

SHAH ALAM – A US professor who faces backlash after a talk at Universiti Malaya (UM) slams the government and declares Malaysia is unsafe for travel.

Portland State University Political Science professor Bruce Gilley said he left Malaysia due to safety concerns from what he described as an ‘Islamo-fascist mob whipped up by the government there’.

“I have safely departed from Malaysia, one step ahead of the Islamo-fascist mob whipped up by the government there.

“This is not a safe country to travel to now. Updates to follow,” he posted on X today.

Earlier, Gilley expressed regret for the harm caused by a post he made containing a quote from his talk titled ‘Will Malaysia Become an Active Middle Power’ at UM on Tuesday.

In the post, he wrote, “A country whose political leaders advocate a second Holocaust against the Jewish people will never be a serious player in world affairs and will certainly never be a friend or partner of the United States.”

Portland State University Political Science Bruce Gilley said he left Malaysia due to safety concerns from what he described as an ‘Islamo-fascist mob whipped up by the government there.

He had since taken down the post.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has ordered all programmes and activities scheduled to be attended by Gilly, believed to be pro-Zionists, to be cancelled immediately.

He said the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) viewed seriously the actions of the lecturer, whose statement has sparked controversy and disrespected the sentiments of the community.

The university had also been asked to investigate the matter and report further details as soon as possible.

Zambry said that although higher education institutions were given autonomy to decide on intellectual programmes, it did not mean they had the complete freedom to disregard the sensitivity of Malaysia’s majority.

The presence of Gilley at a programme in UM went viral on X yesterday after it was uploaded by the political science professor himself.

However, it received a backlash from Malaysians and the post has since been deleted.

“I have removed the post below for the safety and well-being of my colleagues at the University of Malaya, whose leadership has responded to a student outcry.

“The quote from my keynote address reflects my views alone. I regret the harm I have caused to my academic colleagues,” he said.