Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has challenged the prime minister to state his stand on MCA’s claim that PAS’ hudud law will encourage Muslims to rape non-Muslim women.

NONE According to Anwar ( right ), Najib Abdul Razak was eager to attend the opening of the MCA General Assembly meeting (AGM) last weekend, but remained silent when party president Dr Chua Soi Lek supported the statement made by the women's wing vice-chairperson Heng Seai Kie.

“The MCA president can so insolently attack Islam in his speech and he (Najib) can sit there smiling.

“Then when he made his speech, he did not comment (on it) at all.

“Where is his (Najib) pride as a Muslim?” Anwar asked in his speech during a ceramah in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, last night.

On Saturday, Chua had defended MCA publicity chief Heng Seai Kie's claim that PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was instigating Muslims to rape non-Muslims.

DAP: We don't insult Islam

Heng's claim was based a video recording of Nik Aziz's speech, believed to be recorded in 2008, on the need for women to dress conservatively.

Several PAS leaders have condemned Heng for extrapolating Nik Aziz's message, but Chua has been receiving most of the brickbats because he is MCA's most vocal opponent of PAS' ambitions to establish an Islamic state.

NONE Chua had claimed that if hudud law is established in Malaysia, 1.2 million Malaysians will lose their jobs as many industries disallowed by Islam will be affected.

Another speaker at the ceramah, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, also spoke on the same issue, taking Umno to task for keeping silent on Chua's recent antics.

Contrastingly, said Pua, DAP had not only derided Chua over his remarks but also defended Nik Aziz's speech.

“(The Rasah MP) Anthony Loke had event hit the table (in anger) to demand that MCA apologise to Nik Aziz and requested for action to be taken against MCA for insulting Islam,” he said.

He also reiterated DAP's position that the party respects Islam as the country's official religion, but were against the implementation of hudud law.

“We may not agree on hudud, but we will respect Muslims... Unlike MCA,” he said.

Dr Mahathir absolves MCA of insulting Muslims