Former PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa (right) has admitted that he arranged a meeting in Makkah between prime minister Najib Razak and several Saudi scholars who had heaped praise on the Malaysian government, adding that he was also accorded a special visa to the kingdom.
"I was invited to Makkah on a special visa after the prime minister agreed to meet the scholars. Discussions were held at a friend's residence next to the Sacred Mosque," Nasharuddin said in a statement, following the criticism generated from among party colleagues after he appeared on UMNO-owned media to echo UMNO leaders' call that PAS stop cooperating with DAP.
While he did not elaborate why his presence was needed in the meeting, Nasharuddin said they discussed issues affecting the Muslims including the Syria and Rohingya conflicts. The Saudi scholars, he said, also urged Najib to defend the Sunni school of thought "to preserve the sanctity of Islam".
"Is it a crime to discuss issues about the Muslim community?" he asked.
According to a Bernama report, Najib had met several Saudi scholars who praised his administration, on the sideline of his trip to the holy city where he attended the extraordinary summit convened by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
One of the scholars was Sulaiman Al Saloomi who frequently gets coverage in UMNO mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia after he declared it 'haram' to topple a Muslim government, even if its leaders deviated from Shariah. (An online check by Harakahdaily had earlier revealed that Salumi's name failed to appear prominently on search engines, not even when an Arabic Google search was carried out, fuelling suspicions about his credentials.
Nasharuddin also defended his opposition to PAS's alliance with DAP, and singled out DAP chairman Karpal Singh for his recent outburst against hudud laws.
"I stick to my view that Karpal Singh is not only anti-hudud but also anti-Islam. As a veteran lawyer, he should be aware of substantive law and procedural law. Hudud is subject to very high standard of proof in order to be implemented, some offences must be proven beyond any shadow of doubt...
"But he [Karpal] rejects all that only because it is Islamic law," said Nasharuddin, who added that PAS owed an explanation to the Muslim public beyond party folds.
Nasharuddin, who once served as PAS secretary-general, also lashed out at those who questioned his loyalty to the Islamic party.
"To those who have been speculating, accusing and making bad assumptions, my advice is fear God, fear God, fear God."
-Harakahdaily
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