Are you Islamophobes, Hadi asks unity meet critics

Abdul Hadi Awang.

PETALING JAYA: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has questioned if those who criticsised his party for taking part in two unity gatherings were Islamophobes.

Hadi said that he had taken note of brickbats after PAS formalised its alliance with Umno last month and the decision to attend the Malay Dignity Congress tomorrow.

Among the criticism was that nationalism clashed with Islamic principles. However, Hadi quoted the Quran to show that even though Prophet Muhammad preached to all communities, he himself was backed, politically, by his own community.

Hadi said that people should understand that Malay-Muslims were the majority in the country and that Islam could unite the community, without sidelining others.

It is compulsory for Muslims to defend their political power, Hadi said. “Is it wrong for Malays to unite under Islam to resolve issues affecting them? “Ask those who oppose such initiatives if they are Islamophobic or if they do not understand Islam,” he said in a Facebook post.

The Malay Dignity Congress is organised by University of Malaya’s Malay Excellence Studies Centre in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, and the Sultan Idris Education University.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is scheduled to speak at the event, which Hadi and Umno leaders will attend.

The congress will discuss issues involving education, religion, culture, politics and the economy from a Malay perspective. -FMT