by Looi Sue-Chern
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 06, 2014
A PAS leader yesterday sought to heal the tension between DAP and the Islamist party over the hudud issue when he said that the late Karpal Singh, although strongly opposed to hudud, was never anti-Islam.
Speaking at a memorial service for the late Karpal at the Han Chiang High School in Penang last night, PAS lawmaker Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusuf Rawa said the former DAP chairman always stood by his principles in objecting to the implementation of hudud and the setting up of an Islamic state.
“But he (Karpal) was never a man who was anti-Islam,” Mujahid said.
He said Karpal had declared that he had always respected the position of Islam as the official religion of the federation in front of all PAS and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, despite his controversial “over my dead body” statement against the setting up of an Islamic state.
“In an interview, Karpal had said he was never against Islam, and was a God-fearing man,” he said, adding that as a man of the legal fraternity, Karpal’s position and interest were more towards preserving and defending the Constitution when he objected to an Islamic state.
“Understanding Karpal is to understand him as a legal man, not as someone who was anti-religion.”
Mujahid said a person who was anti-religion would be driven by hatred towards everything religious, including the position of Islam as the official religion of the federation.
He said Karpal also respected PAS, relating a meeting between Karpal and PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat in January last year.
The meeting was at Karpal’s Jalan Utama home in Penang where Karpal presented Nik Aziz with a cake to mark his 82nd birthday.
Mujahid said there was “cordial warmth” between the two leaders, despite their completely opposing views on hudud and an Islamic state.
He said PAS respected the right to disagree while Karpal always had a positive stand on PAS.
“His own words proved his sentiments. When once asked about PAS, Karpal said: ‘We may have our differences but PAS is a solid-principled party and it remains an important ally to DAP.”
Mujahid said Karpal lived up to the Malay idiom “harimau mati tinggalkan belang, manusia mati tinggalkan nama” (a tiger dies leaving its stripes, a man dies leaving his name). – May 6, 2014.
#1 by winstony on Wednesday, 7 May 2014 - 7:50 am
So, let common sense prevail.
Don’t keep pushing Hudud.
We have already beaten UMNO/BN in the last election.
If total votes won are taken into account.
In the next election, we should be able to beat them flat.
No matter what machinations they employ.
So, why spoil everything now.
On the eve of the opposition’s finest hour?
And gladden the hearts of the knaves?
#2 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 7 May 2014 - 8:08 am
TROJAN horse mah
#3 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 7 May 2014 - 8:10 am
The word “anti-Islam” does not apply to Chinese period. EVER. Islam has been in peaceful co-existence in China for 1,400 years. Some Muslims achieving the highest govt and in private sector – ON MERIT – since the beginning.
Are there biases and pre-conceptions? Who and what does not suffer from those? Its no excuse for the hate and malice that is being spewed. More importantly it completely waste the opportunity, our collective social capital that other countries FANTASIZE ABOUT. Its being washed down the drain just because some people just want the easy, the simple especially mentally and lack of character. No hate or malice would fix those things..
#4 by worldpress on Wednesday, 7 May 2014 - 8:32 am
From experience near impossible to trust their saying to fancy
Endanger when extreme to pursue their agenda, twist what say
#5 by Justice Ipsofacto on Wednesday, 7 May 2014 - 9:02 am
Anti-hudud, not anti-islam.
That is a correct observation and statement.
#6 by narasimam on Wednesday, 7 May 2014 - 11:35 pm
karpal, nik aziz, kit siang, fadzil noor, anwar: the last of the defenders of the nation. 2 down another 3 to go but not yet my brothers. the mission for a just malaysia is going to be accomplished before their time’s up. pray hard and fight hard for our rights. hudud or not. by the way, the great karpal was a religious god-fearing man; respects all religion without question. guru gobind singh would agree.