Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today that PAS' struggle to establish an Islamic state is irrelevant as Malaysians and the Islamic world have accepted Malaysia as an Islamic country.

He said PAS had also failed to prove the model of an Islamic state as espoused by the party when it failed to provide the masterplan of an Islamic state it was struggling for when asked by the government.

Speaking to reporters at a "Special Session with Acting Prime Minister" in Penang, he explained that the government's aim to declare Malaysia as an Islamic country was not to form a new government but as a recognition to the efforts initiated to turn the country into an Islamic state.

Recognition

He said ulamas from abroad also recognised Malaysia as an Islamic state because the laws enforced in the country were in accordance with Islamic tenets.

"Islam is a way of life, we practise what is exhorted by Islam and shun what is forbidden by Islam", he stressed.

The Acting Premier also pointed out that "in the context of a multi-racial and multi-religious society, we should not deny any o­ne of their rights."

For instance, although there were activities and foodstuffs in Malaysia that were prohibited by Islam, it was the right of non-Muslims, he added.