04-26-2023, 06:54 PM
![[Image: Hadi-Awang-Moo.jpg]](https://focusmalaysia.my/wp-content/uploads/Hadi-Awang-Moo.jpg)
IN ALL the socio-political issues framed in religion brought up by PAS – the Bon Odori festival, the Oktoberfest celebration, the alcohol-mall issue, the stewardess tudung issue and now the Sarawak casino issue – my reading is that PAS has won the “moral ground” in each and every one of them.
Even though Malaysians may heave a sigh of relief when good Muslims like the Sarawak tourism minister or the Sultan of Selangor put the matters at rest with their wise statements of nation-building and multi-racial and multi-faith inclusiveness that defines Malaysia, I know the PAS leadership is smiling broadly.
The main reason why I say PAS has won the “moral ground” with its Malay ground base supporters is that their issues were laced with Quranic verses and religious justification presented eloquently by ustaz (religious teacher) or clerics of Islam who are also politicians.
On the contrary, those who are countering them are non-Muslim politicians, Muslim politicians who are not ustaz, NGO (non-governmental organisation) like Sisters in Islam (SIS) who do not wear the tudung and are not ustazah and even Sultans who are themselves not ustaz.
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