JOHOR BARU, Sept 4 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s political fatwa against the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate in the Pulai parliamentary by-election is unacceptable and must be stopped, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said last night.

He was responding to Muhyiddin’s reported remarks on the campaign trail in Kempas yesterday, that voting for the PH candidate Suhaizan Kaiat is "haram”.

"I see a problem that was brought up earlier. How can a vote be sinful? What is all this and who are you?

"This can’t go on and we must put an end to this nonsense,” Anwar said during the Ceramah Mega Perpaduan Madani event at Bandar Uda Utama here late last night.

Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi representing Barisan Nasional (BN), Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and Suhaizan.

They were accompanied by other state PH and BN leaders during the event.

At the same event, Mohamad had lashed out at Muhyiddin for issuing the religious edict and attributing it to the latter’s close association with PAS, a component party of PN.

Mohamad said he did not expect such remarks coming from Muhyiddin, a person he used to respect.

"I will rarely hit out at Muhyiddin. However, when he made the political fatwa that it is sinful to vote for the PH candidate, it immediately came to my mind that this is the result of him being friends with PAS.

"We have to be aware that he has started to enter the takfiri phase.

"To all Malaysians, whatever our differences of opinion, let us not label a fellow Muslim out of Islam, or saying this person will be bound for heaven or hell. That is what Allah decides,” Mohamad said in his speech.

Takfiri is an Islamic term referring to a Muslim accusing a fellow Muslim of being an apostate, usually if they are deemed insufficiently religious.

Suhaizan in his speech, said Muhyiddin’s fatwa was dangerous as the latter was abusing Islamic law for politics.

"I don't have a problem if you don't want to support me, but if you use Allah’s law to make it sinful, I feel that it is too much.

"If politicians can use Islamic law by declaring it sinful against their political opponents, I fear that others will follow suit,” he said, adding that it is a very dangerous precedent.

During last Saturday night’s Ceramah Perdana PN in Kempas here, Muhyiddin said the political fatwa against Suhaizan was necessary as a show of protest by Pulai’s voters following the Anwar-led unity government's failure to alleviate the people‘s hardship ever since coming to power nine months ago.

Following that, the former prime minister had received heavy criticism from both PH and BN leaders questioning his right to issue such a religious edict.

BN chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi demanded that the Pagoh MP name the Islamic law that forbade voters from backing a PH candidate.

BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan called on Muhyiddin to repent, adding that he should not toy with religion.

DAP central executive committee member Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali, described Muhyiddin’s political fatwa as being extreme and offensive.

The Johor DAP vice-chief said such an edict could breed extremism in the country.

The Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections are being held following the July 23 death of its incumbent Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was also the domestic trade and cost of living minister.

The Election Commission has set polling day for both by-elections for September 9, with early voting tomorrow.