Opposition party PAS came under fire at the Umno annual general assembly (AGM) today as delegates called for a jihad (holy war) against the former for behaving like Jews in destroying the Islamic race.

Yan Umno division head Badaruddin Amirudin said PAS was acting in accordance with Jewish principles by telling lies, dishing baseless accusations to destroy Islam and causing a split among the Malays.

He added that PAS was also manipulating the Malays with deviated religious teachings while spreading envy and hatred amongst the community. He called on Umno to declare a jihad against the party.

"All the things they are doing are exactly what the Jewish principles are. We should really see this as jihad and defend Umno even if it meant shedding blood and sacrificing ourselves in the battle," he added.

'Evil ulamaks'

Another delegate Abd Rashid Ngah, state assemblyman of Seberang Takir, took PAS to task for splitting the Malay community with their "lies and tactics".

"They will use whatever means necessary to achieve the purpose, including manipulating the religion," he claimed.

Abd Rashid said Umno members would support the government if the Internal Security Act (ISA) is used against these "evil ulamaks ", as how the law was recently invoked against six reformasi activists who had 'planned' to create unrest in the country with the help of foreigners.

He also urged the party's top leaders to approach the grassroots in Terengganu in order to counter PAS' growing influence in the state.

"Come start the battle in Terengganu and proceed to Kelantan in order to save Pahang and Kedah from falling into the hands of PAS," he said.

In the previous 1999 general elections, PAS maintained its control in Kelantan and wrestled Terengganu from Umno. The party also had a good showing in the other two states.

Hang banners

Abd Rashid, being one of the four Umno state assembly representatives in Terengganu, said he was sidelined and treated with scepticism by PAS members, adding that he would not want other state Barisan Nasional assembly representatives to go through the same experience.

The state assembly consists of 28 PAS representatives.

Meanwhile, Pasir Mas Umno division chief Ibrahim Ali urged the party's top leaders to stop the power struggle among themselves and focus on fighting PAS.

He also called upon all Umno members to hang banners which read " PAS anak orang asing " (PAS, children of foreigners) and "Anwar pembohong terbesar" (Anwar, the greatest liar) at their homes.