PAS Youth vows to keep championing Islam

Kota Bharu, Malaysia – A member of the Islamic party PAS has declared that the group will continue to advocate for Islam as part of its political campaign to safeguard the religion in Malaysia. Speaking at the party's 67th gathering, Kedah PAS Youth chief Ilyas Ahmad rebuked critics who accused the party of exploiting religion for political gain.

Ahmad alleged that opposition parties like DAP and Amanah are increasingly aggressive in disparaging PAS, accusing them of being Taliban-like, overzealous in their religious beliefs, and of exploiting faith for political advantage.

Ahmad questioned opposition parties: "If we Muslims do not champion our religion, what should we champion?" He argued that PAS will uphold Islam in Malaysia's fight to protect the faith. The Kedah PAS Youth leader emphasized the importance of unity between PAS and Umno, which he supports, as the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition has allegedly neglected both Islam and the Malay community since assuming federal power.

Ahmad cited a recent Federal Court ruling rejecting Kedah's attempt to overturn a ban on pool betting and lottery operators as evidence of Islam's weakening under the current coalition.

Additionally, Ahmad criticized the weakening of Islamic law in Kelantan, where the Federal Court struck down 16 provisions of a syariah criminal enactment in 2024. He also condemned what he labeled as the degradation of Muslim values on university campuses, highlighting a music festival at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and other events at Universiti Malaya as detrimental to young Malaysians' faith and morality.

Ahmad concluded by asserting that unity between PAS and Umno is crucial to ousting the PH government in the next general election, citing the coalition's failure on Islam and Malay rights as unacceptable.