Don’t be used by Putrajaya, Anwar tells Jakim

PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) lashed out at the religious authorities today for allowing Putrajaya to use the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to embarrass political opponents.

Speaking for the first time on the Shia allegation against PAS deputy President Mohamad Sabu, Anwar said the relevant authority should charge Mohamad Sabu if it has compelling evidence against him.

He said Mohamad Sabu should be allowed to explain his admiration for the late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, but not on the Shia accusation against him.

"This is a political remark when he said he is a bit pro-Khomeini, so let him explain. This is not a charge like Jakim insisting he explain his Islamic principles. You have to have clear and compelling evidence before asking him to explain himself," said Anwar after a book launch at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

He advised the Jakim officer who had demanded that Mohamad Sabu defend himself over the Shia allegations, not to be manipulated into embarrassing the opposition leader.

"I would like to ask the Jakim officer, does he follow the instructions of the Umno vice president or Islamic regulations? Because there were cases that I brought to Syariah court, but Jakim did not help. Jakim should first be clear on its stand," said Anwar, referring to Home Minister and Umno vice-president  Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who last week ordered religious authorities to take action against Mohamad Sabu over his alleged links to the Shia sect, which Putrajaya deems as deviant.

Anwar said the evidence released to the media in support of the accusation against Mohamad Sabu was not clear.

He pointed out that the accusation could not be based on admiration for Khomeini, as in the 1980s most of his generation, including him, supported the Iran revolution.

"I was among them. I was among the first group of people who met Khomeini to show our support for his struggle and fight against the cruel system used by America to oppress the people in Iran, as how we admire Nelson Mandela. Does it mean I'm Shia? I am not," said Anwar.

He said at the time of his visit to Iran, he was still with ABIM (the Islamic youth movement).

"When I returned, the special branch monitored us, but they did not see any harm in it," he added.

Anwar said his admiration for Khomeini at the time was due to his power to unite the Iranians in fighting oppression.

"However, I did not agree with other things that he introduced, including the Iranian constitution," he said.

The Home Ministry on Thursday revealed what it called evidence to back Zahid’s claims that Mohamad Sabu was involved in Shia activities. Most of the evidence revolved around his admiration of Khomeini's struggle.

Earlier today, Zahid said the ministry will present evidence on the allegations to Jakim for further action.

"All evidence, including the Grade A evidence, will be presented to Jakim because we (ministry) are involved in security issues. As for matters concerning faith, we will leave it to the religious authorities," he added.