The government should put on hold its invitation to religious scholars from Egypt's Al-Azhar University to assess whether Malaysia is an Islamic state, said DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang, claiming that it would be in the interest of the nation to do so.

Lim said the invitation was the latest example of "a disturbing and increasing trend of insensitivity" to Malaysians who consist of diverse ethnics, religions, languages and cultures.

"This trend could be inimical to the nation-building process to forge a Bangsa Malaysia with a distinctive consciousness and identity which transcends ethnic, religious and cultural differences," Lim said in a statement.

He said public reactions would have been most "negative and vehement" if non-Muslim religious experts were invited to assess if Malaysia has been consistent with the fundamental constitutional principle as a secular state.

Likewise, the tolerance among multi-religious Malaysians should not be compromised just because of the political competition between Umno and PAS for the Malay heartland, he added.

Reject findings

"It is clear that the scholars were invited to counter PAS' disapproval of Umno's declaration that Malaysia is already an Islamic state, while PAS is already prepared to reject any findings which are supportive of Umno, " he said.

"Has Malaysian politics, which is based on constitutional and nation-building principles, been substituted by what type of an Islamic state Umno's or PAS' the country should be?" questioned Lim.

Last month, Umno president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that Malaysia was an Islamic state recognised by the Muslim world.

On Wednesday, religious adviser to Mahathir, Abdul Hamid Othman, said scholars from Al-Azhar University, the foremost authority on Islam in the world, will be in the country early next year to assess Malaysia's administrative system and policies.

This move, Abdul Hamid said, was aimed at countering PAS' insistence that Malaysia is a secular state.

In response to this, PAS leaders said they should be given an opportunity to present their case so as to avoid "lopsided" information from being fed to the Al-Azhar scholars.

PAS Youth chief Mahfuz Omar said the party will not simply accept any findings by the scholars without scrutinising their arguments.

PAS, which claims some 800,000 Muslim members, is known to be committed to promoting an Islamic governance and has previously been labelled by the Umno-led ruling coalition as "fanatical and extreme".

Repeatedly criticised

Mahathir has repeatedly criticised PAS for using the Islamic state issue as a pitch for votes while PAS countered that Umno is trying to regain its support among the Muslim Malays who had swung for the Muslim opposition party in the last general election.

Lim said the visit of the Al-Azhar scholars will affect the citizenship rights of Malaysians, Muslim or non-Muslim.

"They are not here to make recommendations to improve the Muslims but how the administration and government could meet the criteria of an Islamic state," he said.

Last month, DAP, which strongly opposes the setting up of a theocratic nation, withdrew from the Barisan Alternatif, citing irreconcilable differences with its former ally PAS over the Islamic state issue.

PAS president Fadzil Noor last week said the party will draft a memorandum to outline the concept of an Islamic state and submit it soon to Mahathir who challenged them to do so.