PH Melaka chairman Adly Zahari urges PAS to stop using religious labels in politics, after Abdul Hadi Awang’s ‘dajjal’ remark on the CSA
PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) Melaka has criticised PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang over his comparison of the Confidence and Supply Agreement (CSA) to the “Dajjal”, urging the party to stop using religious labels in political discourse.
PH Melaka chairman Adly Zahari said while the coalition agreed that national revenue belonged to all Malaysians and public welfare should not be conditional on political support, any alleged breach of these principles under the CSA should be established through specific clauses and supporting evidence.
“Intimidating terminology does not make an accusation more credible,” he said in a statement today.
Adly also urged PAS to learn from the controversy surrounding Hadi’s Amanat Haji Hadi, delivered in Banggol Peradong on April 7, 1981, which the Melaka Mufti Department had documented as contributing to divisions within the community, including family disputes, social boycotts and disagreements over ritual slaughter.
He said the fatwa concerning the Amanat was gazetted in Melaka on July 25, 2002, declaring it contrary to Islamic teachings, the interests of the Muslim community, the sanctity of Islam and the principles of Islamic propagation.
“Its dissemination, teaching and practice were also prohibited,” he said.
Adly said Melaka subsequently gazetted a fatwa on Sept 26, 2013, prohibiting the practice of declaring fellow Muslims to be infidels.
“While describing someone as ‘Dajjal’ is not equivalent to declaring them an infidel, both developments should serve as a reminder of the limits of political disagreements and the importance of preserving Muslim solidarity,” he added.
Adly also called on PAS’ political allies to state their positions on the matter, questioning whether the party intended to continue using religious labels in political discourse.
“PH Melaka rejects the use of religious sentiments to intimidate the people and maintains that brotherhood among Muslims, mutual respect among people and justice for all are the foundations of Malaysia’s harmony,” he said.
He urged Melakans to judge PAS based on its statements and actions, warning that the use of extreme religious labels could deepen divisions in the country’s multiracial and multireligious society.
“Let us not reach a point where people become enemies with their neighbours and family members, while the leaders who sparked the divisions have already shaken hands to seek new political alliances,” he said.
Earlier, Abdul Hadi had described the CSA as a “Dajjal” approach in the end times, claiming that it had transformed political power from a trust to be exercised for the benefit of all citizens into a tool for compelling certain parties to remain in power.
He added that although those adopting such an approach did not portray themselves as God, their actions nevertheless reflected characteristics associated with the Dajjal.
According to him, one of the major signs of the approaching end times was the loss of trust and the emergence of the Dajjal, who would bring deception and compel people to obey him.
