'UMNO ill-equipped to combat Islamophobia'

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7: PAS's non-Muslim wing, the PAS Supporters Congress (DHPP), said Najib Razak and UMNO were ill-equipped to counter Islamophobia as they subscribed to racialism and had the tendency to fan racist sentiments.
“UMNO or Najib Razak cannot solve the problem of Islamophobia because they like to fan racist sentiments," said DHPP's deputy head N. Bala Subramaniam (pic).
He was responding to Najib's statement during the Asean-US meeting in New York, in which Najib offered Malaysia's assistance to president Barrack Obama in combating a recent spate of Islamophobia across the United States, including the call to burn copies of the Qur'an by a pastor.
"The most important step is to provide the basic knowledge about Islam; that Islam carries universal values, a progressive religion which is very much in line with the concept of modernisation," Najib was reported as saying.
Bala said PAS had the advantage over UMNO due to the calibre of its leaders such as Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and the party's National Unity chairman Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who he said had opened the eyes of non-Muslims towards Islam and the basis of PAS' struggle.
"Nik Aziz, Dr Mujahid as well as other leaders are more qualified and capable (in tackling Islamophobia),” he told Harakahdaily today, adding that PAS's two-decades of administration in Kelantan proved its commitment to harmony between religions and races.
“Over 20 years of governing (Kelantan), we have not heard Tok Guru [Nik Aziz] speaking ill of any other religions.
"Tok Guru likes every community who has faith in God so that they can improve,” he added.
On Mujahid, who is PAS's Parit Buntar member of parliament and who has been instrumental in the establishment of DHPP earlier this year, Bala said he had helped a lot to bring about friendly relations between PAS and non-Muslims.
This, Bala added, was in stark contrast to the practice by UMNO to keep non-Muslims at bay and not approach Islam.
“In Najib’s era, non-Muslims not only cannot enter mosques, Allah’s name too cannot be uttered,” he said.
On the upcoming by-election in Galas, Kelantan, Bala said DHPP was currently helping to mobilise volunteers from the non-Muslim community to help PAS defend the seat.
“I am confident that Orang Asal in Galas will complete our machinery,” said Bala, referring to the constituency's seizable Orang Asli voters.