KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has again accused the DAP of spreading Islamophobia in another lengthy Facebook rant that featured the usual diatribe against the Pakatan Harapan component member as a party allegedly bent on “destroying” Islam.

The posting appeared to be a response to the criticism that PAS rode on a hate campaign by ramping up race rhetoric to win support at the 15th general election.

Hadi suggested the allegation was DAP propaganda aimed at portraying PAS as an Islamic extremist party.

PAS won an unprecedented number of seats on the back of a massive Malay vote swing in the northern poor rice belt states. It now has 42 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, a record high.

“PAS became its target after they witnessed PAS’ progress in the 15th general election to the point that it won the most number of seats as an individual party compared to others including the DAP and those used by the DAP in PH,” Hadi said.

“The most intense lies against Islam as carried by the views of the orientalists and Western media are imported by the DAP, to the point that falsities are reported against PAS. This subliminal act can confuse those who do not study Islam from its original sources and the faith’s track record for wide acceptance without force,” he added.

Hadi also took aim at the DAP’s Malay leaders and elected representatives, whom he chided as “dumb”.

The PAS president suggested the DAP’s predominantly ethnic minority leadership use the party’s Malay members as agents to spread anti-Islam messages in a bid to convince Malay voters against supporting PAS, a trope Hadi has repeated in so many instances in the past.

“Those who speak about Malays and Islam are labelled as racists. They also use dumb and liberal Malays who are rejected by Islam as their spokespersons. This is a theatrical strategy with the DAP behind it,” he said.

Hadi often dismisses criticisms against its party by Malays as a western liberal agenda even as many from the community have raised genuine concerns about the hardline brand of Islam it promotes.

As a result, the party enjoys marginal support among the more educated urban Malays.