PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang regarded Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's act of swearing on the Quran as an act of kebodohan (stupidity) which went against the teachings of Islam.

"We don't have this practice in Islam. It is the Christians who swear on the bible," said Abdul Hadi during a press conference at the sidelines of the 54th PAS muktamar in Ipoh today.

saiful bukhari azlan and anwar ibrahim sodomy 2 pc 150808 05 Instead, Abdul Hadi said that Saiful should rightfully refer his case to the Syariah Courts in accordance with Article 121 1(A) of the Federal Constitution.

Abdul Hadi was refering to Saiful's act yesterday where he swore with a Quran in hand at the Federal Territory Mosque that he was sodomised by his former boss Anwar Ibrahim.

Abdul Hadi, a firebrand cleric, said that Saiful did not understand the contents of the Quran when he performed the act yesterday.

"He does not have a PhD in the Quran. Why is dragging the mosque authorities involved?" he added.

He reiterated that Anwar was innocent until proven guilty.

Non-Muslims will not be affected

Abdul Hadi also said that Saiful's act had no bearing on PAS' pledge to support Anwar's campaign in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

He said that he had visited party leaders in Penang and secured their commitment to assist Anwar to victory.

Abdul Hadi also brushed off suggestions that calls made yesterday to ban alcohol and gambling in Pakatan Rakyat held states would diminish support for Pakatan partners PKR in Permatang Pauh.

pas muktamar 54th ipoh stadium opening day 150808 11 "PAS has a model in Kelantan and Terengganu where Syariah law does not apply to non-Muslims - we held discussions with non-Muslim groups and it was concluded that gambling was a sin to all religions.

"Subsequently, we asked business owners to change their business in stages. We didn't take action immediately. But sale of pork and alcohol was still allowed," he said.

Abdul Hadi said that the non-Muslim community understood that PAS was emphasizing on strengthening the faith in Muslims and promised to instil moral values such as eradicating corruption.

"I'm confident that the Chinese (voters in Permatang Pauh) understands our struggle and would support us," he concluded.

Meet the press session

In another development, PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar said that the Chinese news agencies would be called for a special meeting after the muktamar.

Kamaruddin said that the meeting was to explain certain issues raised at the muktamar which may have been wrongly interpreted by the press.

The Dewan Ulama PAS and PAS Youth assemblies drew wide coverage among Chinese dailies following delegate's criticism of Pakatan Rakyat and calls for banning gambling and alcohol.

On the ongoing controversy involving PAS delegate's apparent rejection of Anwar as a possible prime minister, Kamaruddin said that it was too early to talk about a possible Pakatan candidate for the post.

"Any PAS supporter worth his salt would of course say that they want their president to become the prime minister," he said.

Dewan Ulama PAS, in a statement on Thursday, had described Abdul Hadi as a "more suitable" candidate as the prime minister.

The move was seen as a setback for Anwar's plan to wrest power from Barisan Nasional and form the next federal government.