'PAS must tell voters choosing other parties does not make Muslims kafir'

 

STATE POLLS | Umno wants PAS to explain to its members and supporters that Muslims will not become apostates if they vote for other parties.

Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said this after a viral video emerged showing an elderly voter telling off a BN campaign worker, saying that whoever supports Umno is "kafir" (infidel) and will go to hell.

In a statement on Facebook, Asyraf (above) expressed his regret over the incident and urged voters to understand the differences between Islam as a religion and PAS, which is a political party.

"We must differentiate between Islam and a party. These are two different things.

"Not supporting PAS does not make us an apostate. Not voting Umno also does not make a person become an apostate.

"Although politics is a part of religion, Islam is above political parties," he said.

Muslims should not simply judge others and call them kafir just because of political differences, he added.

Politics also should not cause Muslims to break their ties and relationships.

"Thus, I hope that the PAS leadership can issue a directive and statement to clear the air about this phenomenon - that voting for any political party does not determine one's faith or whether they will go to heaven or hell," he said.

The clip which has been making the rounds on social media since yesterday showed a lady believed to be an Umno member approaching an elderly woman to woo her vote for a BN candidate.

To this, the “makcik” (aunty) said she would never vote for BN because she believed that everyone who supports Umno is an infidel and will die as non-believers.

Based on their accent, the incident is believed to have happened on the east coast. - Mkini