KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang claimed today that Muslims are obligated to vote as it is akin to “jihad” or a holy struggle when other ethnic groups are threatening the political dominance of the majority group in Malaysia.
Ahead of the six state elections next week, the president of the Islamist party PAS again exhorted Malay-Muslims to vote from their own group in order to keep Muslims in power in the country,
“When Muslims are in a position where they have to compete with other races that are clearly challenging the political force of Muslims, then voting is a fardhu ‘ain jihad that becomes mandatory for every Muslim to perform,” he wrote in an opinion piece.
“They are obliged to vote just by using a pencil, rather than fighting with weapons. Except when the enemy comes to conquer by force,” he added, saying that negligence in carrying out this duty of voting can cause the loss of political power of Muslims and therefore resulting in them being humiliated in this world and the hereafter.
“Fardhu ‘ain” refers to obligatory acts that must be performed by each individual Muslim, rather than observing it as a community. These usually include pillars of faith such as prayers and fasting, but can also include charity and for some ensuring compliance with the Islamic code.
While “jihad” is popularly associated with war or armed struggle, it can refer to any effort striving to conform to Islamic teachings.
In the piece, he cited various Quranic verses and hadith (quotes from Prophet Muhammad) to justify his argument that society must be led by a Muslim, and it is a religious obligation for Muslims to ensure this.
He also told his supporters that in the event that malpractices happen within a government, changes must be made in the selection of leaders.
Prior to this, Hadi had insisted that only Malay-Muslims should lead, rule and administer a pluralistic society that includes non-Muslims after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asserted that the stability of a government relies more on its policies rather than its ethnic composition.
He later told non-Muslims to just let the majority ethnic group continue to hold the reins of the country, and non-Muslims should be grateful that they have been given “a place” in this country through the jus soli citizenship policy that he claimed would not be afforded everywhere else.
Most recently, the PAS president said the unity government is not fit to lead because it is “dominated” by minorities, a claim that has been debunked several times.
Now part of an alliance with Perikatan Nasional and recently joining forces with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Hadi said his party is willing to cooperate with anyone so long as Malaysia is led by Malays and Muslims who perfectly follow the tenets of Islam.
Last month, the police said they are investigating Hadi for remarks that allegedly touch on race, religion, and royalty — commonly known as the 3R sensitivities. No update has been given so far on this investigation.
Earlier this year, the “Social Media Monitoring of Malaysia’s 15th General Elections” watchdog report found that PAS and Hadi were found to be the most strident in inciting ethnic-based narratives on social media in the lead-up to GE15.
