S'gor PAS wants explanation from Hasan Ali

Selangor PAS will demand an explanation from state exco member Hasan Ali over the latter's defence of the controversial Jais raid on Damansara Utara Methodist Church (DUMC) this week.

Selangor PAS deputy commissioner Khalid Samad (left) however said that they will only comment on the matter after all the relevant information is in hand.

"We hope for all to exercise wisdom over this issue. We reserve comment until we get hold of the Jais report and top state leaders will meet with Hasan Ali to get his explanation,” said the Shah Alam MP.

"We will see what is the evidence that he claims there is (to justify Jais' raid),” he added.

He said with the exception of “one leader”, no one amongst them (PAS leaders) has raised the question of the alleged conversion of Muslims in relation to the DUMC event.

Hasan yesterday claimed that Jais had "proof" to back their disruption of the multiracial dinner at the church on Wednesday.

This came shortly after after Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had expressed his regret over the incident and given assurances to the community.

Speaking at a press conference at his office in Shah Alam, Khalid stressed that violation of places of worship of any faith is condemned in Islam.

He added that the presence of Muslims in a church does not mean that there was any proselytising as even the prime minister had recently visited a church.

“Najib (Abdul Razak) met the Pope at the Vatican, the biggest church in the world,” he said.

He added that such acts of trespassing into places of worship only cause strains between communities.

“I just came back from Gaza where Israeli (troops) trespass into mosques. We object to this and feel bad about it. I believe that those of other faiths feel the same (about their places of worship),” he said.

He added that the fact that some participants were said to have tried to escape by the back door does not necessarily mean that any wrong was committed.

“That's a normal reaction. When someone storms into a place, people will run because they become scared,” he said.

In a statement yesterday, Hasan, who is Selangor exco member in charge of Islamic affairs said that Jais, which falls under his purview, had “proof” to back their disruption of the multiracial dinner held at the church on Wednesday.

He claimed that preliminary investigations found evidence of “proselytisation”.

This came shortly after Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had expressed his regret over the incident and given assurances to the community.