Keadilan Youth today challenged Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to reveal the name of the "former minister" who allegedly supported radical Islamic organisations in the United States.

"We challenge Abdullah to name the person and organisation which received the US$10 million in aid. We also challenge Abdullah to charge the leader in court if the allegations are true," said the party's deputy Youth chief Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in a statement today.

He also called for the disclosure of the names of organisations that have received aid from BN in the past and the amount involved.

He questioned Abdullah if a thorough investigation has been conducted on the allegations and whether no minister has ever channelled funds for whatever reasons to foreign organisations.

Abdullah on Wednesday told reporters during a Chinese New Year function that he regretted Malaysia being labelled as supporting or having links with these organisations because of their relations with the former leader.

He however did not name the leader involved and said that the information was only revealed to him after meeting with Islamic Supreme Council of America chairperson Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani.

'Unwise' statement

Abdullah's statement, which came after a Newsweek expos stating that Malaysia was a launchpad for the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the US, was "unwise", according to Saifuddin.

"Abdullah must realise that he has inadvertently admitted that Malaysia is a terrorism base and that a BN leader has been involved in giving aid to foreign terrorist organisations," said the opposition leader.

Saifuddin also doubted Shaykh Muhammad's motives in revealing the links between the unnamed leader and the organisations when he came to Malaysia and not while he was in the States.

"The answer is easy: In the United States he would need to show evidence for his claim, but he knows that he can take advantage of the situation in Malaysia, where the BN government and leaders like Abdullah are desperate [for good publicity]," he said, adding that Shaykh Muhammad's views have been rejected by Islamic organisations in the US.

It is widely believed that the unnamed minister is former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim and one of the organisations referred to is the influential Islamic Society of North America (Isna).

Last year, Isna retracted an invitation to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to open its annual conference.