Penang Mufti Wan Salim Mohd Noor was unperturbed by PAS Youth's intentions to take legal action against the state government for allegedly interfering with the state's fatwa committee.

"It is up to Penang PAS Youth to take legal action against the Penang government if they felt it interfered in the fatwas.

"To me, this is merely a perception or interpretation," he said, while denying that the state government had interfered with the committee's work.

On allegations that several fatwa was being delayed by the state government, Wan Salim said that this allegation was untrue and that the fatwa was in the process of being gazetted.

"All of them are in the process of being gazetted when we find the right time," Wan Salim told Malaysiakini.

He urged the aggrieved parties to be patient and use the correct channels to discuss the matter.

Wan Salim was referring to a Utusan Malaysia report which quoted Penang PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden claiming that his party was initiating legal action against the state government to "protect Islamic interests".

Afnan Hamimi also claimed that the state government is intervening in four fatwa, in which two prohibits Muslims from participating in beauty pageants and using shisha water pipes.

Penang executive councillor on Islamic Affairs Abdul Malik Kassim has repeatedly denied claims that the state hand interfered with the fatwa committee.