PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim’s speech at a mosque in Bayan Baru last week appears to have angered  some quarters as after his departure a party member received a threatening letter from an unknown source.

 

NONE The party’s Bayan Baru division information chief Mohd Rashid Hasnon ( left ) lodged a report at the local police station today, claiming that the threat and warning sounded ‘very serious’.

He urged the police to investigate the origin of the letter as he feared for the safety of his family and home.

The letter said: “Congratulations Tuan Haji Rashid, the new Bayan Baru MP and new head of the mosque committee ( khariah ). Yesterday, you brought Anwar Ibrahim to our mosque. Are you satisfied? If shit enters your home, don't be mad. Take care of your behind. You have no manners. You need to be taught a lesson. Wait!! For the time…”.

“The letter mentioned ‘our mosque’ which meant the writer of this letter could be someone from the mosque committee, a patron of the mosque or it could be someone from an opposing party,” he told reporters at a press conference in front of the Bayan Baru police station.

Threat probably ‘tip of iceberg’

He said this was probably the ‘tip of the iceberg' which may lead to real threats but did not want to speculate on the identity of  the author.

NONE Mohd Rashid said he found the letter in his postbox on June 6, a day after opposition leader Anwar had visited the mosque and addressed the congregation for some 30 minutes.

The same evening, PKR Penang organised a fund-raising dinner at Batu Lanchang, attended by Anwar and several other Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

Anwar’s mosque-speech, according to Mohd Rashid, touched on Islamic justice and governance.

He had also called on the mosque committee to be confident in carrying  out its Islamic duties.

Mohd Rashid said that the mosque should be administered properly to also include non-Muslims as they were also present to hear Anwar’s speech that night. Instead the ‘warning letter'  showed that some members of the mosque were quarrelsome.

“This is not a good attitude, the mosque had organised an official programme where Anwar was invited and I had coordinated his attendance there,” said Mohd Rashid.

“But the threat is to show that the management of the mosque was not professional,” added the mosque committee member of five years.

This was the second time Mohd Rashid had received threats from unidentified person(s). The last  was after the March 2008 general elections when Pakatan Rakyat had seized power in Penang.