Umno not Pas' enemy, not party's stance to call others infidels
PETALING JAYA: Pas has never considered Umno an enemy or an infidel, said party spiritual leader Hashim Jasin.
He was responding to a video in which a supposed member of the Islamist party referred to Umno as "disbelievers".
Hashim said the clip was being used by some parties to gain votes in the upcoming state polls.
Hashim added that Pas had already taken a firm stance on the matter and decided against calling others non-believers. Therefore, there was no reason to bring it up again.
"It's not Pas' view, and our stance on the matter is clear. We do not consider Umno an enemy. We wanted to make friends with them, but Umno declined.
"Since it's near the state elections, people can pose (as Pas members). It could be that a person from Umno is posing as a Pas member to garner votes. I feel we should ignore this matter," he said, as quoted by news portal Free Malaysia Today.
Previously, a video circulating on social media showed a woman campaigning for a Barisan Nasional candidate and meeting with voters.
However, her presence was not accepted by the locals.
In the video, an elderly woman said she did not want to vote for Umno because she did not want to "be an infidel until the end of time".
In his response to the clip, Umno Secretary-General Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki urged the Pas leadership to issue a directive to clarify that people who vote for any party will not turn into disbelievers or go to eternal damnation.
Commenting further, Hashim said the video should not be taken seriously as the Islamist party's top leadership did not make the statement.
"If a Pas leader said it, especially at the central level, we should pay attention to that. If it's a normal person, it is best if we ignore it, as people can claim that they're with Pas, but they're not. So it's best if we ignore it," he said.
He said Pas does not need to address the allegation as "it is not the party's stance".
"We call for unity among the ummah; that is our main agenda," he said.
