Malaysian Islamic Party

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The Malaysian Islamic Party, also known as the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Malay: Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; abbrev: PAS), is a highly controversial political party in Malaysia.

Controversy[edit]

Refusal to pay debt[edit]

In 2023, PAS was alleged for not paying their debt to ex-printers of their news platform, Harakah. PAS owes NAJ Press Resources Sdn Bhd outstanding debt that spans up to 7 years, the last payment was made to the company on 31 October 2017 for RM23,518.34, while owes the company RM600,000 debt.

PAS was also alleged for oweing Angkatan Edaran Enterprise Sdn Bhd approximately RM3 million debt, which they have refused to pay since the company declared bankruptcy.

Controvesially, PAS leaders were investigated by MACC and found spending lavishly on luxury cars worth almost RM1.5 million and a bungalow in Bangi that costs RM3 million. At least two PAS leaders spent RM100,000 each to buy VIP license plates.^[1]

Militia Parade Incident[edit]

The Terengganu police have announced an investigation into a controversial parade organised by the local PAS Youth group, which took place on 19 February 2023. The police were initially informed about the march but were not aware that some supporters would be carrying replica weapons, raising concerns among certain groups. DCP Datuk Rohaimi Md Isa, the police chief, stated that preliminary investigations will be conducted to determine whether any offences were committed during the event, and appropriate action will be taken accordingly.

Images circulating on social media showed members of Terengganu PAS Youth dressed in medieval Islamic war attire and wielding fake swords, spears, and shields. The parade was reportedly part of a two-day gathering called "Himpunan Pemuda Islam Terengganu" (Himpit), held at a resort in Setiu, Terengganu. Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar criticised the parade, stating that it presented an inappropriate image of Islam and emphasising the importance of promoting peace and unity in society. He also called for authorities to investigate any potential legal violations.

Furthermore, social media photos depicted a pickup truck carrying a large fake sword, with youths dressed in militant costumes standing on its cargo bed while it was in motion.^[2][3]

Support for the Taliban[edit]

After the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021 and re-established an Islamic theocracy in Afghanistan, PAS international affairs and external relations committee chairman, Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi (also the son of the incumbent PAS president), congratulated the Islamist militant group for "successfully achieving victory for their country" on Twitter and Facebook, stating its liberation from Western powers.^[4]

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In August 2021, Khalil also added that the Taliban had also become more moderate, spuriously claiming that women's rights (including women's freedom of movement) and the opportunities for women in the workforce were preserved.^[5] The unsubstantiated comments were widely condemned by numerous Malaysian social media users, and Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi's pro-Taliban posts on Facebook and Twitter were taken down in response.^[6][7] In March 2022, numerous independent news reports indicated that women and girls in Afghanistan were deprived (by decrees from the Taliban) from their ability to work, study or move freely within the country.^{[8][9][10][11]}

In October 2021, the leader of PAS's youth wing, Khairil Nizam Khirudin, proposed closer ties between PAS and the Taliban. He claimed that if China was able build ties with the Taliban, Malaysia should also do so.^[12]

In August 2021, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang alleged that Western media made false accusations against the Taliban to advance an Islamophobic agenda, without studying and fully understanding the religion of Islam.^[13] He also repeated the Taliban claim, that the Taliban provided broad amnesty to government officials of the toppled Islamic Republic of Afghanistan;^[13] this claim was disputed as numerous independent reports with evidence indicated that the Taliban instead conducted enforced disappearances, summary executions and revenge killings against the former government officials.^{[14][15][16][17]} In the same article, Abdul Hadi Awang also alleged that the Taliban undertook a celebratory approach to the diversity of society within a multi-ethnic Afghanistan;^[18] this claim was also disputed as numerous evident news reports indicated that the Taliban engaged in the persecution of Hazaras (who numerous Taliban fighters deem as heretical), censorship against journalists and the news media, violence against journalists, arbitrary arrest and detention, political repression.^[19][20] Most notably, anyone from a religious minority who was an apostate of Islam is sentenced to death.^[21]

In February 2022, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang spuriously alleged that various media were anti-Islam and slandered the Taliban, as according to him, the media were making unsubstantiated claims that the Taliban were denying girls and women the right to education.^[22] However, in March 2022, numerous evident news reports indicated that the Taliban prevented girls from attending secondary schools throughout the educational system of Afghanistan, generating widespread condemnation amid a global outcry.^{[23][24][25][26][27]}

Unconstitutional Kelantan Syariah Law amendment[edit]

Sisters in Islam had criticized PAS for unconstitutional Shariah enactment on the recent update of the Shariah law of the Kelantan penal code including:

• attempting to convert out of Islam
• distortion of Islamic teachings
• disrespecting the month of Ramadan
• destroying houses of worship
• disobeying parents
• tattooing
• undergoing plastic surgery.

This has sparked another controversy where the punishments include a jail term of not more than three years and a fine of up to RM5,000 or six strokes of the cane, and that the punishment is categorized under ta'zir (crimes with discretionary punishments) and not under hudud (Islamic Penal Code).^[28][29]

Flight attendant uniform criticism[edit]

PAS had sparked another controversy where several of its lawmakers criticised flight stewardess uniform attire they claimed that it is "too revealing" and added that flight stewardesses must be allowed to wear a hijab. Following those two statements, Sisters in Islam (SIS) said the issue had taken priority over other concerns somehow and they claim that ministerial directives should not interfere with a company's policy which may subject to extra rebranding and production costs unless there were issues of safety, health and security. National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia vice secretary-general S Shashi Kumar also publicly stated that this complaint is "nonsensical" when he said the baju kebaya has become a fashion statement in southeast Asia. He said, "Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia have adopted the baju kebaya as the uniform for their female flight attendants." Transport minister Anthony Loke had said “We are aware that this is not a new policy and there is nothing new, but there are no plans to change the existing policies on the dressing of stewards and stewardesses. The image and outfit depend on the airline company.".He added that “The Ministry has no restriction if Muslim air stewardesses choose to wear attire that is Syariah compliant as long as it fulfils the criteria set by CAAM," It looks like PAS leaders lack knowledge of the Malay heritage and criticising their traditional attire, responded the Global Human Rights Federation.^{[30][31][32][33]}

Timah whiskey[edit]

Following the fame of Malaysia's local liquor company, Timah Whiskey after winning two silver medals in the Tasting Awards for the International Spirits Challenge 2020 (ISC) as well as the Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020 (SFWSC), PAS urged Ismail Sabri Yaakob's Cabinet for the company to be shut down stating that it "to prevent triggering the sensitivity of Muslims in the country" and "to avoid a precedent of new liquor companies emerging". PAS also states that they had to face numerous severe backlash. PAS Deputy President, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, said that "We have always been consistent in our stance against alcohol because it is clear that it is haram according to the Quran,".^[34][35][36]

The request was denied by Ismail Sabri Yaakob's Cabinet where they had decided to rule against the decision. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob state that the "cannot cause concern to the people in the context of race and religion". PAS Deputy President, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, states "For me, the ' people's anxiety ' can be considered as ' the confusion of the people, especially the Malay-Muslims ' ". Tuan Ibrahim was also reported by the media on October 19 as saying that the brand and logo of Timah whiskey "can be confusing" and asked for it to be reviewed.^[37][38]

English language criticism[edit]

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has claimed that people who advocate for the English language to be taught in Malaysia are "stuck in a colonial mindset". Expanding on this point, he said such Malaysians seemed to be embarrassed to use their national language (Malay) and had placed greater importance on English. In the PAS party newspaper, Harakah Hadi wrote an article titled "Ignore the delirious voices which are trying to reduce the importance of the Malay language" where in it he stated that such advocates "are behaving like slaves to the former colonial masters despite having been freed from their clutches". Additionally in the same article he further went on to say that "advertisements in shops and the market, as well as the names of cities and roads, are named in English even though a majority of its target audience does not know English, at the same time, they do not care about whether their audiences consist of Malaysians who do not know English".^[39][40][41]

Footnotes[edit]