“Muslims involved in corruption are not as many as non-Muslims, because they are guarded by faith and belief that there is sin before Allah.” 

– PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

COMMENT | Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent comments have understandably upset some folks. Hadi, of course, delights in all of this. This is a politician who has never attempted to hide the fact that he believes Islam is supreme and that everyone else must submit to its authority.

The one thing people often ask me is this: Why is PAS on the ascendancy? Are they really making gains or is all of this an electoral mirage? The answer to both questions is: those are the wrong questions. The reality is that PAS defines the Islamic discourse in this country.

While the PAS president may occasionally have his statements taken by the police for hate speech, the fact that the prime minister cannot even bring himself to utter Hadi’s name or directly call out PAS for its hate speech is further evidence of the mainstreaming of extremist ideologies in this country and how weak Putrajaya is.

PAS’ appeal runs deeper than mere religiosity. Sure, some folks gravitate to PAS because of the siren call of religion and decades of state religious indoctrination, but there is something more to it than that.

In his writings, Hadi...