The leaders of Muslim-based PAS opposition party are headed for hell because they have betrayed the religion by calling God a "thug" and a "hoodlum", Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Mahathir was speaking in the northern Terengganu state, heartland of the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), whose spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat said recently that even thugs should fear God because he was the biggest thug of all, the official Bernama news agency reported.

"It's a sin to insult God and apply human characteristics to Him. It's true that God is greater than humans but more in terms of good than bad," Mahathir told a convention of his ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in Marang.

Mahathir said PAS leaders, who defended the remarks as simply indicating that God is more powerful than even the most feared thugs and gangsters, would end up in hell.

"Their place is in hell, the worst hell in fact, because they have betrayed Islam which is pure and free from all uncleanliness and evil," he said.

Islam hijacked

"We Muslims don't worship a God who is a hoodlum, our God is a loving and forgiving one."

Mahathir said the opposition party had hijacked Islam for political mileage as they described his own United Malays National Organisation (Umno) as 'kafir' (infidel) and promised supporters they would go to heaven if they voted for PAS.

PAS made strong gains in 1999 elections at the expense of Umno, but recent by-elections show that it has lost support in the face of a strong onslaught by Mahathir against Islamic extremism in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks in the United States.

The next elections are not due until 2004, but Mahathir has announced that he will step down as prime minister in October 2003 and there is speculation that the vote could be held before then.