PAS has slammed a report carried by The Star today, describing it as yet another "mischievous" and "vile" attempt by the MCA-owned daily to discredit the Kelantan state government.
PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali in a strongly worded statement said the claim by the paper that "non-Muslims" had been arrested for the Shariah offence of 'khalwat' in Kelantan was "an outright lie".
"The use of the term 'khalwat' not only shows the absence of journalistic ethics which so sadly characterise The Star and its reporting, but also reaffirms its status as a mouthpiece of MCA to perpetuate the party's shallow political agenda," said the veteran PAS leader.
The paper, which has been spearheading MCA's current campaign to woo back Chinese support by accusing the Kelantan government of trying to impose Islamic capital punishment for serious crimes, or hudud, on non-Muslims in the state, quoted Kelantan MCA Youth chief Gan Han Chuan as saying that state officers “have gone crazy by trying to enforce hudud laws on non-Muslims"
Although the offence in question was indecent behaviour involving four persons including two males in a car parked in a public place,The Star claimed that it was for 'khalwat', the act of close proximity between two Muslims of opposite sex, an offence which requires Syariah prosecution.
Mustafa reminded that if indeed it was for khalwat as claimed, the case would have gone through the Syariah legal system.
"By claiming that non-Muslims had been fined for khalwat in Kelantan -- an offence which comes under the purview of Islamic enforcement officers and which must go through the Syariah court before any punishment can be imposed -- The Star's editors have only exposed their deep ignorance about prevalent laws in the country in the eagerness to please their political masters," he added.
He further added that the latest allegation could land the daily with legal action by the Kelantan state government.
"Without any proof or evidence, The Star has concocted a vile report, and I believe it provides strong ground for the Kelantan state government to consider legal action against the paper," said Mustafa.
-Harakahdaily
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