Demo outside Karpal’s office

A small number of youths protest against DAP's stand on the Allah issue.

GEORGE TOWN: Some Muslim youths held a 30-minute demonstration outside Karpal Singh’s office here this morning, criticising the DAP national chairman for acting like a political bully undermining PAS, Islam and Malays.

Claiming to be current and former PAS members, the demonstrators also picked on DAP secretary- general Lim Guan Eng, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for supporting the use of the term “Allah” in the Malay Bible.

At the end of demonstration, they stepped on a DAP flag to vent their anger and questioned whether the party wanted to create religious chaos in the country.

They called on Karpal and Lim to clarify whether DAP was anti-Islam and whether they wanted to create another May 13, 1969 racial riot or Penang’s Kampung Rawa religious riot (March 27, 1998).

They slammed Azmin, the Gombak MP, for allegedly being rude and anti-Islam for supporting the controversial “Allah in the Bible” issue.

The demonstrators rebuked Hadi for for supporting it without consulting the PAS Majlis Syura Ulama, the party’s highest religious decision-making body.

Earlier at 10am, the group walked for 50m from Dewan Sri Pinang at the Esplanade to Karpal’s office at Green Hall, chanting pro-Islam, anti-Karpal and anti-DAP slogans.

The demonstrators called on PAS to salvage its pride and pull out from Pakatan, given that DAP and PKR leaders were disrespectful against the party and Islam.

The protesters claimed that they were holding the demonstration on behalf of Penang PAS members because they knew that the party state leadership under its commissioner Mohd Salleh Man would not have the guts to take a stand on the issue.

Salleh told the media yesterday that PAS had nothing to do with this morning demonstration.

Stoking religious tension

Among the protesters were PAS Tanjung division’s permanent chairman Zaidi Abu Bakar and ex-Youth chief Ariff Ibrahim, and former state PAS Youth chief Mohd Hafiz Mohd Nordin, who now heads a NGO, Penang Human Rights Defender.

The main speaker, Mohd Hafiz (photo right), slammed Lim, also the Penang Chief Minister, for stoking religious tension with his uncalled-for Christmas message urging the government to allow use of the term “Allah” in the Malay Bible.

Although Pakatan took a stand to allow “Allah” in Bible’s Malay and Jawi editions, the Majlis Syura opposed it.

The demonstrators were apparently upset with Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP, for urging the Majlis Syura last Saturday to review its decision.

“Karpal should not interfere into PAS internal matters. The Majlis Syura’s decision is final. He should respect it,” said Hafiz.

He told the DAP to clean up its own party, which had recently been tainted by an electoral glitch during the central executive committee polls.

He said Malays knew that the DAP was trying to promote a non-Malay, Zairil Khir Johari, as a Malay leader.