SINGAPORE - Malaysia's incoming prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi vowed in remarks published today to take a tough line against the hardline Islamic opposition in his country.

Abdullah, an Islamic scholar expected to take over after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad retires in October, vowed to fight the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) down to the grassroot level, the Sunday Times quoted him as saying.

"We must battle PAS in the schools, in the streets, everywhere," Abdullah told the newspaper.

"Their approach to Islam is very obscure ..we have to make sure it does not spread," he said.

The PAS controls the state legislature in Kelantan and Terengganu, making huge inroads in the last general election in 1999 and declaring its ambition of turning the country into an Islamic state.

A challenge

Abdullah said the PAS' narrow interpretation of the Islamic faith was a challenge to the racial harmony in multi-ethnic Malaysia and the fight against the party was a "battle for the hearts and minds of the Malays."

"That is why we have to be clear about what needs to be done and carry it out with commitment," Abdullah said.

"The Malaysian way of life that we are enjoying today has created a feeling of comfort among the races. There is a sense of solidarity," the 63-year-old said.

"The racial and religious prejudices of people who have lived in this system are reduced significantly."

Abdullah will take over a country widely regarded as the world's most economically successful Islamic nation in October from Mahathir, who is credited with dragging Malaysia from the commodity-based economic backwaters into the manufacturing mainstream of Asian exporters during his 21 years in power. - AFP