PAS leader praises Palestinian bombers

PAS leader praises Palestinian bombers

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

The leader of Malaysia's main Islamist opposition on Friday lauded Palestinian suicide bombers as martyrs, while condemning Southeast Asian militants behind last month's suicide bomb attack in Jakarta.

Abdul Hadi Awang, the president of Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), voiced support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas in comments to journalists after opening the PAS annual assembly.

"We support Hamas because they are Palestinians who are being oppressed. Their houses are being destroyed, their women raped and their children murdered. They fight to defend their territory and the Holy Sites," said Hadi, who also laid into the United States.

"The U.S. and its allies must stand trial to the conscience of the world for unilaterally destroying other nations under all the rubric and pretext of a war against terrorism," Hadi said in his earlier speech to the assembly.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and his government on Friday sounded a warning that Israel's declaration of intent to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat would spark more violence.

Mahathir accuses Israel of state terrorism, but last year he declared suicide bombing, including by Palestinians, of civilian targets was also a terrorist act.

Hadi, who took over the PAS leadership in 2002 with a reputation as a fiery preacher, went a step further.

"If there is no other way to defend the public from Israeli attacks, if there is one person willing to be sacrificed to save a thousand others, then that is allowed in Islam.

"Those who die are considered martyrs."

Asked whether the same could be said of the suicide bomber belonging to Jamaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian offshoot of al- Qaeda, who killed 11 other people in an attack on Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel last month, Hadi described the act as unislamic.

"That's a different story, that is not allowed in Islam," he said. "In Palestine, Chechnya, it's a different story."

Hadi called the United States and its allies "imperialist powers who are finding ways to be confrontational with Islam."

"The United States and its allies must stand trial before the conscience of the world for unilaterally destroying other nations, all under the rubric and pretext of war against terrorism," Abdul Hadi told about 2,000 supporters at the party's annual meeting.

But he rejected claims by Malaysia's government that his party encourages extremism leading to terrorism, calling the claims "communist tactics" to inspire fear in voters.

Known for his fiery rhetoric, Abdul Hadi will lead the Islamic party - Malaysia's largest opposition group - into general elections expected to be called early next year.

The election will be the first time in 22 years that the government's campaign will not be led by Mahathir, who is due to retire in coming weeks.