A PAS central committee member says the new PAS splinter group dubbed Gerakan Harapan Baru deviates from the Islamic party's struggle and is a mirror of liberal 'American Islam'.
Dr Zuhdi Marzuki, who also heads the PAS Research Centre, said claims that former PAS deputy president and the new entity's chief Mohamad Sabu, had studied such teachings in the 1990s to discredit Umno's then Islamic agenda led by Anwar Ibrahim.
Zuhdi said the teachings were related to a a book compiled by Juliane Hammer and Omid Safi tenitled The Cambridge Companion to American Islam that portrays deviant Islamic teachings including homosexuality.
"The book portrays the urge for Islam to be reinterpreted and re-conceptualised so it can be accepted by American society.
“For sure, the Islam portrayed there is not the real Islam. For example, recently a gay imam, Daayie Abdullah, emerged in America where Islam has deviated from its true teachings," said Zuhdi ( photo ) in a statement today.
He was responding to the setting up of Harapan Baru announced yesterday. The movement comprises former progressive faction leaders from PAS who were purged during the recent party election.
Mohamad during the launch had said the new entity would facilitate the formation of a new Islamic-based political party in the future besides struggle towards the establishment of Pakatan Rakyat 2.0.
'Not true Islam'
"Harapan Baru will embrace an inclusive and progressive approach, and care for the people," said Mohamad Sabu, who is popularly known as Mat Sabu.
Zuhdi claimed that Harapan Baru and its new 'Islamic party' would toe the line of the international 'progressive Muslim movement' which was not in line with PAS' Islamic agenda and struggle.
"It is clear that the new party that will be formed is not built on true Islamic teachings but follows the Muslim progressive movement.
“With such ideas, the new party will now be welcomed by Sisters In Islam, Lawyers for Liberty, Comango, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual) movement and DAP itself," he said.
