Despite being accused of being a Shiite follower by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and told to prove that the alleged "10 evidences" against him are not true, deputy PAS president Mohamad Sabu does not consider Zahid's attacks as personal.

Affectionately known as Mat Sabu, he said he is friendly with Umno leaders despite their political differences.

NONE"I don't have personal fights. If I see them, I get along with them well, including the person I attacked the most the last time, Muhammad Muhammad Taib (left, a former Selangor menteri besar). Now he is a good friend," Mat Sabu said in an interview with Radio Bangsar Utama yesterday.

"Just like Zahid Hamidi, there is nothing personal. We fight based on certain things, not on a personal basis," Mat Sabu said.

However, he said, the position of Shiism as being a part of Islam should be discussed by religious scholars and not decided by those who have little knowledge of the issue.

"The Islamic council takes care of religious affairs, yes. But as for issues about these different branches, let the ulama scholars discuss," he said.

"Don't allow these matters to be discussed so easily, especially theological issues that need research, and so on," Mat Sabu said in responding to the allegations against him.

He was also asked, during the interview, whether he eats squid, a seafood item that Shiites stay away from, to which Mat Sabu said, in reference to the defamation suit he filed against Zahid, that such questions would be answered in court.