Church proselytizing Muslims: Hasan Ali acted on his own, say PAS leaders

UPDATED PAS maverick Hasan Ali is at it again. Long-accused of being more comfortable with his UMNO friends, the former Selangor PAS chief acted on his own, without the knowledge of his party, the Mentri Besar or the Selangor state government, over the Damansara Utama church raid.

"This is why we have asked for a full explanation from him because what has happened is very serious. We hope he understand this. He should have consulted the party, the other Muslim leaders in Selangor Pakatan but it looks like for some reason or other, he took it upon himself to handle the matter," Khalid Samad, the Shah Alam MP, told Malaysia Chronicle.

Khalid Samad is due to hold a press conference at 11am in his office on Friday, where he may unveil more information.

The truth according to Hasan and JAIS

Hasan, who holds the post of executive councilor in charge of religious affairs, had defended the JAIS move. He denied that a 'raid' had been carried out, alleging that it was an “examination” that was based on a report that Muslims had attended the church's “break fast” event.

However, his statement was inconsistent, especially when he also alleged that several Muslims had attempted to flee the premises through the church’s back door but were successfully stopped by Jais.

He insisted the function was not a charitable event as painted by DU pastor Danial Ho, but a deliberate attempt to proselytise Muslims.

"Towards the end of the event, the enforcement team and the police had made checks and found attempts to prevent their examination and to get rid of the evidence material,” said Hasan, who gain infamy for his beer raids at 24-hour retail outlets in Selangor in 2009.

“Based on our preliminary investigations, we find that those involved in the event can be charged under Section 10 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1995. We also found evidence of proselytisation towards Muslims,” he said in a statement.

Angry Christians

But Christians were not having any of it. Many did not mince words and some even slammed him for being a humbug and making accusations without proof.

"These are very serious allegations. You cannot simply say such things without having proof. We challenge him now to show his evidence," Ramon Navaratnam, past president of Transparency International, told Malaysia Chronicle.

On Wednesday night, some 20 to 30 officers from the police and Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor, some in uniform and many in plainclothes, entered the Dream Centre building, where the Damansara Utama Church is housed without a warrant.

The enforcement officers interrupted a dinner held by an NGO, Harapan Kommuniti, taking photos and video. They took down the details of the Muslim guests, and when asked by the organiser, said they were acting based on a complaint. However they could not produce a copy of the complaint.

Senior pastor of DU church Daniel Ho has expressed disappointment with the JAIS and police "trespass", calling on Malaysians not to "condone this breach of Freedom of Assembly and Association as provided by Article 10 of Federal Constitution".

Did UMNO's Khusrin "activate" himself

It looks like there is more than meets the eye in this episode. BN leaders, including UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin, Wee Ka Sidong, Gan Ping Sieu and even MCA president Chua Soi Lek have rushed out to condemn the raid. The speed and co-ordination with which they turned the blame onto MB Khalid and DAP assemblywoman for Kinrara Teresa Kok took pundits by surprise.

While Pakatan leaders agreed that an apology to Christians was due, they said it should also come from the federal government and MCA's boss, UMNO in particular. MB Khalid, who has already has expressed his regrets at the incident, has demanded an explanation from JAIS. In most states, the religious authorities do not fall directly under state government's purview but answer directly to the Sultan. Most of the authority's appointee are UMNO stalwarts.

In Selangor's case, it is the same. While Hasan works with JAIS due to his portfolio, JAIS reports to the Sultan and most of its appointees are still UMNO stawarts, the most famous of whom is Khusrin Munawi. Khusrin, the former director general of JAIS, was at the centre of a huge storm earlier this year when he was recommended by the JPA, which is controlled by the federal government, to be the State Secretary. Despite strong objections from MB Khalid's administration, the Sultan approved Khusrin's appointment.

It is not clear if Khusrin has a hand in the last scam but even at the start of the year, many had expected him to "activate" and help UMNO to chop down the Selangor Pakatan admiinistration from within.

More than meets the eye - BN conspiracy

When Hasan Ali issued his statement this evening, it was clear he may be fanning the fire for his friends at UMNO again. He was previously warned for this and has maintained a low profile since then. However, his recent failure to retain the Selangor Commissioner's post was shocker to him as PAS delegates overwhelming voted for moderate leaders and closed the door on UMNO's proposal for a merger.

Yet just days, Ahmad Maslan, the UMNO information chief, began his taunts again. "Although the offer was turned down before, UMNO has not closed the door to talks with PAS, more so now with the advent of Ramadan," Bernama reported Ahmad as saying last week.

It is hard to say what will happen to Hasan Ali, especially if he cannot offer proof to back his allegations. Prior to this incident, PAS leaders had brushed aside rumblings from the grassroots for him to quit the state executive council since he was no longer the Selangor PAS chief. However, the top party leadership wanted stability in the state administration and hence, there was no move to remove him at all.

Now that he has stirred up such a storm amid growing suspicion that he was helping UMNO again, chances are high he will be punished in one way or another. Hasan had in the aftermath of the 2008 general election promoted a merger between PAS and UMNO in Selangor. The 64-year old Gombak Setia assemblyman was accused of being ambitious and wanting to be the Selangor Mentri Besar.

- Malaysia Chronicle