Reprimand Hadi Over Remarks Against Non Muslims Bersatu Man Told

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Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (left) must convince PAS president Hadi Awang to respect the honour and dignity of those of other faiths, says UCSI University’s Tajuddin Rasdi.PETALING JAYA: An academic has challenged Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal to reprimand PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for his statements against non-Muslims.
Tajuddin Rasdi of UCSI University said Wan Fayhsal must reject Hadi’s remarks against non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras if he was sincere in stating that Perikatan Nasional (PN) would defend the houses of worship of other faiths should they come under threat.
“Wan Fayhsal can convince his coalition partner, PAS, to also do the same in terms of respecting the houses of worship of others.
“He can also convince Hadi to respect the honour and dignity of people of other religions,” Tajuddin told FMT.
Last August, Hadi stirred controversy after seeming to place blame on non-Muslim Malaysians and non-Bumiputeras for being at the root of corruption.
He blamed non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras for ruining the country’s politics and economy.
On Monday, Wan Fayhsal, the Machang MP, said PN would defend houses of worship of other faiths as this was seen as a “cardinal principle in Islamic politics”.
He said it was non-negotiable to safeguard the rights of non-Muslims who lived under the rule of Muslim leaders and an Islamic government.
PN Youth, he said, would be the first to defend all houses of worship against “zealots, secularists and race and religious bigots”.
Wan Fayhsal’s statement came in response to news reports that DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng had reportedly warned Penang voters that PN would destroy Buddhist or Chinese temples if the coalition were to win power, a statement Lim denied making.
Tajuddin said Wan Fayhsal should have no issue convincing Hadi or PAS to respect non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras as PAS had shown that it could respect houses of worship of other faiths without issue in Kelantan, a state the party has governed for over 50 years.
He also called on Wan Fayhsal to hold dialogues in houses of worship of other faiths to further prove his sincerity about safeguarding the rights of non-Muslims.
Johan Ariffin Samad, a member of the G25 group of former senior civil servants, said the biggest problem in Malaysian politics was that religion was being used to “threaten one another for each other’s gain”.
“It’s dangerous and small sparks can create big fires, leading to chaos and racial conflicts. Politicians should stay away from fanning religious hatred and focus on community building,” he said. - FMT

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