Labelling political opponents as ‘kafir’ sparks worry

KUALA LUMPUR – Do not conveniently label other parties as “kafir” (infidel) just because they harbour political ideologies different from yours.

This is the call by religious affairs minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, who warned that such a gesture is not only dangerous, but also against religious principles.

“I call on all parties to be more responsible and not arbitrarily accuse a Muslim of being an infidel just because of differences in political beliefs and the like.

“Any matter in religious affairs, especially in the field of faith and shariah, should be referred to the state Islamic religious authorities and experts who have certified knowledge in the field,” he said late last night.

His comments were reported by Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes.

He said this in commenting on the spread of a viral video which showed the reception towards an Umno election campaigner representing Barisan Nasional for the six-state elections on August 12.

The incident is believed to have happened in Kelantan based on the dialect used.

In the video, the BN campaigner involved was not only not welcomed by an elderly woman, but she was also told that her party was confirmed as a kafir by the PAS leadership.

The clip was also shared by Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid, an executive councillor in Umno’s women’s wing, who later faced criticism from netizens for allegedly not looking up about the true scenario first.

Some netizens claimed that the elderly woman’s mental condition was no longer perfect because she was in a state of senility, causing her to fail to think sanely.

It was claimed that the neighbouring villagers had clarified about the condition of the elderly woman involved. 

PAS told to change members’ perceptions

Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki took the PAS leadership to task over the matter and  urged the party to rectify such views of its grassroots supporters who are led to believe Umno members to be infidels.

He said that it is important to correct that impression so that there is no conflict between Muslims in the country. 

“I call and hope that the PAS leadership can issue a statement to clarify to the members that one does not descend into becoming an infidel or break one’s faith when voting for any party in this election. 

He said it is crucial to avoid disputes and arguments that lead to a heretic blame-game and breaking the kinship among Muslims. 

He stressed in a statement that the difference between political parties is only in terms of political approach, and should not reflect on differences in their creed and religious beliefs

Asyraf Wajdi added that the incident shown in the video gives a deep sense of sadness. 

“This is because there are still grassroots members of PAS who are so fanatical about the leadership that had previously planted the ideology that anyone voting for Umno becomes an infidel and goes to hell,” he said.

According to him, every Muslim needs to distinguish between religion and party. 

“Islam is a religion, PAS is a political party. It’s a different thing. Not joining PAS, not voting for PAS does not make us heretical. Nor does voting for Umno demote our faith.” – The Vibes, August 6, 2023