The Memali incident, which claimed 18 lives, was a wrongdoing against Islam perpetrated by the then country's leader, claimed PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, without naming anyone.

In a blog posting today, Hadi said the police were forced to act on the religious group in the northern state who had an obligation to defend Islam's sanctity.

Citing the concept of Maqasid Syariah, he said the wrongdoing against the religious group is a bigger crime than financial wrongdoings, as Islam places a high priority in upholding religion.

"When there is a dispute on religious matters, it is not the duty of the police to sort it out. It must be the religious authorities who should have been sent to Memali to disseminate the truth, not the police," he added.