PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat has blamed television wrestling shows for growing violence among the country's youths, a report said today.

Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who is also chief minister Kelantan, was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying that youths were becoming more violent as they were emulating what they saw on television.

"Our pupils are exposed to pornographic movies while television airs wrestling programs. Wrestling is an insult to man. It has an impact on our children, who will start baying for blood," he said.

School bullies

He was commenting on a recent incident where a 16-year-old boy had to have his kidney removed after being beaten up by a group of senior school mates.

PAS, which also rules Terengganu, has been at the forefront of pushing for strict syariah criminal law that prescribes amputation and death by stoning for lawbreaking Muslims.

Muslims account for 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million population but syariah law has been opposed by members of the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Syariah law covers civil matters such as divorce for Malaysian Muslims but is not part of the criminal code under the federal government. - AFP