The list of 10 things given by the Home Ministry allegedly "proving" that PAS number two Mohamad Sabu is a Shiite adherent is not enough to the accused.

In an immediate reaction, the politician better known as Mat Sabu stood firm on his earlier denial.

"About the allegation that I was impressed with Khomeini, I say thanks. I am an admirer of his leadership because he is a leader who brought Muslims to stand on their own," he said.

"I am also an admirer of Hassan Nasrullah (Lebanese Shiite leader)," he added.

NONEHe added he will make a further statement after meeting with his lawyer this Sunday.

Mat Sabu's unflappable response was matched by former education deputy minister Saifuddin Abdullah (right).

Apparently ridiculing the ministry's "evidence", the now chief executive officer of the government initiative Global Movement of Moderates, said that he, too, is a Khomeini admirer.

"I admire (South African leader Nelson) Mandela, (Cuban communist fighter) Che Guevera, (Indian independence activist) Ghandi and (Indian nun) Mother Theresa.

"Does that make me a Christian, Communist and Hindu? I too admire Khomeini. Am I a Shiite?" he asked on Twitter.
Wrong priorities?
Similarly, former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim said being a Khomeini admirer has no bearing on one's faith.

NONE"What has happened... what is wrong with admiring Khomeini? Or Martin Luther or Confucious? It does not mean I've change religions or faith. Absurd," he tweeted.

Former Perlis mufti and prominent scholar Asri Zainul Abidin, in response, told the ministry to also watch their own.

"The Home Ministry should also monitor in case there are 'Shiites in Sunni clothes' within the ministry," he tweeted.

The Home Ministry's press conference also "amused" Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh.

"Home Ministry never fails to amuse me. Surely their resources and time can be better spent on fighting crime than fighting Mat Sabu," she said on Twitter.

NONEGerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang, however, seemed unable to contain his excitement.

"We have to be fair to PAS's Mat Sabu. We haven't seen the evidence and video. Let's wait for the news tonight via TV3's (prime time news) Buletin Utama. 8 pm!!!" he tweeted.

The list of 10 evidences presented by the Home Ministry today are that Mat Sabu had:
  • Used Khomeini as an example of a good leader in a Harakah article in 2008;
  • Confessed to be an admirer Khomeini in his speech on Jun 13, 2011;
  • Frequently visits Shiite-majority Iran, as per the testimony of Home Ministry officer Zamihan Mat Zin;
  • Recites the selawat (praises for the prophet) the Shiite way at a PAS ceramah in Arau, Perlis in 2005, as claimed by Zamihan;
  • Uses a small stone when he performs the sujud (prostrate to Allah in prayer) as per Shiite practice, as claimed by one "Abdul Rahim", a grassroots religious teacher from Pendang, Kedah that Mat Sabu in Umno blog 'Duke of Umno';
  • Professed admiration for Shiite Lebanese leader Hassan Nasrullah and said he and his wife frequetly visits Hassan, as claimed by Jalur Tiga NGO;
  • Cited Shiite ulamas in his Christmas Day message to Christians published in Harakah Daily in 2008;
  • Attended a "Shiite class" conducted by two "Shiite ulamas" in Bukit Merah, Perak in 2011;
  • Visited a "Shiite mosque" in Satun, Thailand in 2011;
  • Is a "Shiite icon", as claimed by Jalur Tiga (Jati) deputy president Aidit Ghazali in an interview in news portal Antara Pos.