KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said he was not surprised with the inclusion of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) — of which he is vice-president—into a terrorist list by Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Instead, Hadi rebuked the Anti-Terror Quartet, which also included Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as failing to act independently amid its pursuit of relations with Israel and the so-called “Mason-International Zionist” network.

“These are the same countries that are pursuing neutralisation of relations with Israel and countries within the Mason-international Zionist network. Such political association is akin to a ship sailing astray in the vast ocean.

“They no longer have the will to act independently and righteously amidst their failure to learn from their own long history of tyranny and dark ages,” Hadi said.

It is unclear what he meant by the “Mason-international Zionist network” but it may refer to the conspiracy theory involving an alleged secret coalition between the Jews and the Freemasons.

In December last year, PAS’ Datuk Khairuddin Aman Razali said the party believed that Muslim terrorists are funded by foreign powers, while the conflicts in the Middle East are allegedly perpetrated for the benefits of foreign powers and the Zionist regime.

In his statement today, Hadi accused the quartet of being driven by their belief and admiration for the “Zionist Jewish powers-at-be”, more than they trust God, Islam and their fellow Muslims.

“Their stance changes to the fit of their desires, becoming timid in front of the infidel but behaving harshly on the believers all the while glorifying their Zionist guests above their fellow brethren,” he said.

The Qatar-based IUMS is a group of Muslim scholars headed by Egyptian theologian Yusuf Al-Qardawi, whom Saudi has also accused of having links to terrorism.

The quartet has cut diplomatic ties with Qatar last June, and accused the latter of backing terrorist groups.

English daily The Star quoted the police today saying they are monitoring developments, but found no threat from Hadi’s involvement in IUMS.

Hadi was appointed as one of the group’s vice-president in 2014, but has been chided by its president Yusuf last year after his visit to Iran, a key backer of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s regime amid violence in the strife-torn country.