Say sorry or we’ll sue, DAP Muslims tell Pahang religious council over Aidiladha sermon

Pahang DAP chairman ‎Tengku Zul Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji‎ says the Pahang Islamic Religious Department has slandered the party when it claimed it was anti-Islam. – Roketkini.com pic, September 26, 2015.

Muslim members in DAP are giving the Pahang Islamic Religious Department (JAIP) five days to apologise over a Hari Raya Haji sermon which said the party was against Islam.

Pahang DAP chairman ‎Tengku Zul Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji‎ said they also want JAIP to retract the statement, and threatened legal action if it failed to respond.

“Pahang DAP will send a letter to JAIP to demand that it retracts the slander against DAP and apologise through electronic media in five days‎,” he said at a press conference in the DAP headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, today.

“If there is no response, we the Muslims in DAP will individually sue JAIP.

“This baseless allegation shows that the ruling party is using religious bodies to strengthen its position.” 

The sermon by the Pahang Mufti Department said that Muslims in the country, especially the Malays, were currently divided because of political ideology.

"The divide is because Muslims prioritised political parties such as Umno, PAS, PKR and also the new Gerakan Harapan Baru, more than Islam.

"Unfortunately, there are some Muslims who have joined DAP, which is clearly against Islam," the sermon said.

Muslims should be united, it said, regardless of which political party they were in or supported, adding that separation was frowned upon by Allah as it would lead to the fall of Muslim rule in the country.

Responding to JAIP, Tengku Zulpuri said instead of spewing political rhetoric, the religious authorities should be advising Muslims on how to stay united.

"What they said was clearly political. They should instead prioritise brotherhood among Muslims.

"Besides, history has shown that Muslims in the country were divided even before DAP existed."

The Mentakab assemblyman said the Muslims in DAP had never been against Islam but believed in the five pillars in the religion.

"We believe in the five pillars of Islam. We have never said anything otherwise. If you say we have, then prove it," he said, adding that the sermon was just an excuse to criticise DAP and divert the attention of Muslims in Pahang from serious issues in the country.

National laureate Datuk A. Samad Said, who is also a DAP member, said the religious authorities had gone too far in trying to make out that the party was against Islam.

"It is not right for JAIP to use sermon, made on such a day, to demonise DAP," he said.

Professor Dr Aziz Bari, a renowned constitutional expert, said that JAIP's allegations against DAP, singling out the party as anti-Islam, could be seen as seditious.

"It is utterly wrong and libellous. It may even be criminal under the Sedition Act to single out DAP as anti-Islam."

Aziz, who joined DAP about two months ago, said the platform of sermons had been used for partisan politics.

"The sermon should be a platform for the voice of truth, moderation and not of partisan politics. This is very sad.

"I urge religious authorities concerned to take appropriate action to make amends."

- TMI