Pahang mufti Abdul Rahman Osman did not mean that non-Muslims can be killed when he used the term kafir harbi, said an Umno Youth leader.

Umno Youth exco Fathul Bari Mat Jahya said the mufti had instead meant a war of minds.

"He told me he didn't mean it was permissible to kill (non-Muslims), he meant harbi in the sense of a jihad against a way of thinking, or ideology," Fathul Bari said at a forum in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan last night.

Abdul Rahman had previously clarified that fighting kafir harbi did not require weapons or bloodshed.

"As Muslims, we have the responsibility to declare jihad against kafir harbi. But in this context, jihad does not necessarily mean picking up weapons and going to war.

"In this case, jihad means we just declare war against their ideology through debate and argument," The Star also quoted the mufti saying on June 29.

The mufti also told the English daily that it is absurd to wage war against non-Muslims in a multicultural country like Malaysia.

Fathul Bari was speaking at a forum titled "Is the term kafir harbi still relevant" organised by Ikram at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

The term kafir harbi became a hot topic issue after Utusan Malaysia quoted Abdul Rahman saying DAP was kafir harbi for opposing PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's hudud bill.

Abdul Rahman later clarified he had meant all those who opposed Islam were kafir harbi, not only DAP.

His remarks have been condemned as irresponsible and dangerous, particularly at a time when the country faces a terrorist threat.

Following a national outcry, his remark is being probed for sedition, but the mufti has refused to retract his statement.