PARLIAMENT |  Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has linked the earthquake and tsunami that has killed more 1,900 people in Palu, Indonesia, to LGBT activities.

"What we see in Malaysia is also worrying. We know, at Palu, where the earthquake and tsunami happened, it was reported that there were over 1,000 people who were involved in such (LGBT) activities.

“As a result, the whole area was destroyed. This was a punishment from Allah,” the parliamentary opposition leader told the Dewan Rakyat.

He said this in a follow-up to his oral question on what the government's stance on LGBT was.

Palu was hit by a 7.5 magnitude quake on Sept 28, which triggered a tsunami. More than 70,000 houses were destroyed in the city in Sulawesi as a result of the double disaster, displacing 75,000 people.

Zahid's remarks echoed that of various quarters that have linked the Palu disaster to LGBT activities, with some claiming that the place had become a hub for that community.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department had also delivered a sermon on Oct 5 where Muslims were reminded that some disasters were "divine reminders" in response to human vices, including LGBT activities.

De facto religious affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa (photo, above), who answered Zahid's question, did not respond to the Bagan Datuk MP's remarks on Palu.

As for the government's stance on LGBT, Mujahid reiterated past statements that the government was against LGBT activities.

He also said that since 2011, some 1,400 LGBTs have voluntarily joined rehabilitation programmes run by Islamic affairs departments in the country.