Chua told to apologise over latest anti-Islam jibe

(Harakah Daily) – Muslim youth group ABIM today joined PAS leaders in condemning MCA president Chua Soi Lek’s latest ‘Islamophobic’ statement that Islamic laws would drive away investors from the country.

ABIM secretary-general Mohamad Raimi Ab Rahim also expressed the movement’s disappointment over “failure by certain quarters to give him (Chua) the necessary information” on the subject of hudud and Islamic laws.

Yesterday, Chua (right), whose statements deriding Islamic customs went unpunished by the authorities, told his party’s forum called “Hudud and its Implications on non-Muslims” that Islamic laws were not fair to women and contravened human rights because it prescribed ‘cruel’ punishments for serious crimes.

To prove his theory, Chua said Genting, which hosts Malaysia’s only casino in Genting Highlands, Pahang, would be shut down by PAS resulting the loss of 15,000 jobs, 20 million tourists and RM1 billion in taxes.

“Then we will have difficulty in attracting investment and even existing investors may pull out,” said the former Health minister, who resigned after a video clip of him engaging in sex with a Chinese prostitute became public.

According to Raimi, Chua’s statement not only exposed his ignorance and malicious intentions which could spark tensions among adherents of different religions, but also his disrespect towards Muslim sensitivities.

Urging the authorities to take action against Chua, ABIM said he should publicly apologise to Muslims in the country.

PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man meanwhile said Chua’s criticisms of Islamic laws were nothing new, and said it was more disappointing to note UMNO’s approval of his remarks by remaining silent.

“Having failed to convince the Chinese community to support BN, he now resorts to lambasting the hudud laws. But what is really sad is that UMNO chooses to remain silent amid the ongoing insults,” said Tuan Ibrahim.

Referring to the now familiar claim by UMNO leaders that PAS was being exploited by DAP to undermine Islam, Tuan Ibrahim (left) pointed out that Chua’s latest derogatory remarks about Islamic laws only proved who was being exploited.

He said Chua had been over the years been emboldened by UMNO’s criticisms of hudud enactments in Kelantan and Terengganu which it dismissed as deviation from Islamic laws.

“PAS has repeatedly urged them to show us where we had committed the error (in the enactments). If what we enacted is not the true hudud as alleged, then UMNO should enact the true hudud  enactments and we at PAS will definitely support them,” said Tuan Ibrahim.

‘UMNO Ustads sell their souls’

PAS Central Committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad (left) said UMNO leaders should instead try to allay fears about Islam among the non-Muslims, but were doing the opposite.

“Islam is lambasted on MCA’s stage for the sake of popularity in the next general election,” said Dzulkefly, referring to UMNO’s representatives Kamal Saidi and Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya, who participated in the anti-hudud forum.

“Clearly, UMNO would do anything including selling off Islam to gain a few votes while the men of religion in UMNO sell their souls for MCA’s sake,” said the Kuala Selangor member of parliament.

Earlier, the anti-hudud forum by MCA saw the withdrawal of Muslim non-governmental organisation Islamic Renaissance Front, saying the BN party attempted to use it for its narrow political agenda.

“At no certain terms would we have agreed to participate in this forum if the intention of MCA was made clear to us beforehand.  We agreed on good faith that there would be an intellectual discussion on this issue. However it seems that Dr Chua Soi Lek has twisted the facts and turned it to become a front supporting the Prime Minister and anti-opposition,” said IRF director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa.

This was followed by another NGO slamming Chua for trying to make political mileage.

“I accepted the invitation in good faith, based on the understanding that it will be an open discussion on the topic. I did not expect the MCA president to suddenly turn the forum into a propaganda briefing,” said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs’s Wan Saiful Wan Jan.