With the current debate about Islamic state, I would like to present some views as to why some Muslims, including I, will not support PAS' Islamic state.

PAS' brand of Islam discourages followers from challenging what their tok guru say. This is bad because it will not encourage the development of new ideas. If you dare challenge Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang or Nik Aziz Nik Mat, you will be branded as a heresy or whatever. Even the Umno-led government does not let other Islamic thoughts such as Shia and Wahhabi to proliferate in Malaysia, what more PAS?

But ideological differences among Muslims are not unknown, for example, in Pakistan, Bangladesh and some Middle East countries, eg. Sunni vs Syia, Iraq vs Iran etc.

While PAS may not be as corrupt as the present leaders in the government, they are inefficient administrators. After having ruled Kelantan for 10 years, they do not seem to have accomplished much.

Their stand on women's issues is questionable. Although one can argue that women in Kelantan dominates the market place but that just that (and it even nothing to do with PAS policy). Nothing much can be boosted of in other areas such as culture, politics etc.

If the non-Muslims and Malays think PAS is less racial than Umno then they are wrong. Just ask a few young PAS members to have dinner with you or join you in your conversation, especially the women. Read Harakah and Tamadun (the magazine) once a while for topics such as 'Kristianisasi di Indonesia', etc. Ask them to allow you to build more churches and see their response.

They know they can't rule Malaysia without non-Muslim support, so they will do whatever they can to get the latter's backing. However, as others have said, PAS cannot abandon its Islamic state concept because to do so would mean it will be just like Umno. So, it is true then that PAS is using the religion to gain power.

They will curb entertainment outlets deemed as unIslamic. You already have narrow-minded Umno people who have banned video arcades, concerts (in cities such as Shah Alam), black metal music... what more if PAS comes to power? They have already banned Mak Yong , wayang kulit and other traditional performances.

Establishing an Islamic state does not necessarily solve Malaysia's problems if it remains only rhetoric. Lots of Muslim countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, that claim to be Islamic, also have social problems such as prostitution, theft, murder, etc. Crime will increase if people are poor and not much social and economic development taken place.

I think that as long as the mindsets of Muslims around the world (Arabs, Pakistanis, Malays, etc.) do not change, Malaysia should not become an Islamic state. Once Malaysia becomes an Islamic state, it will be difficult to change the status quo without undergoing some revolutions and fights.

I do not have any problems with an Islamic state nor a secular state. However, history has shown that Muslims tend to misinterpret the Islamic concept with regard to the treatment of non-Muslims. So you have cases such as Jews being asked to wear labels by Muslim-Arabs (although they are treated fairly then). If Malaysia were to become an Islamic state, the discrimination would be based on religion (Muslims and non-Muslims) and gender.

I am not against Islam, I am just against narrow-minded interpretations of Islam. Religion, to me, is personal.

Most of the Umno people I know have no confidence that PAS alone can fix the nation's problems. They see PAS as a ' ceramah party', lacking economic and financial plans, and comprising close-minded people. They may have professionals in the party but these professionals cannot really run the party without the support of the council of clerics who hold the ultimate reins, just like in Iran.

On a positive note, PAS' existence is good as it helps to insert Islamic dimensions into everyday Malaysians life. Then again, if PAS hadn't existed, another party would use Islam to propagate policies.

So we all have just to get used to it until the day when traditional Islamic thought undergoes another reformation as did Christianity for the betterment of the mankind.