PAS to keep Islamic name

PAS to keep Islamic name

KUALA TERENGGANU, Malaysia (Reuters): Malaysia's conservative Islamic party on Saturday vowed to resist any government effort to strip the word Islam from its name as it grappled with widening its appeal to non-Moslems.

Delegates attending the opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) convention in Kuala Terengganu, 450 km (270 miles) east of Kuala Lumpur, said the word was synonymous with the party's Islamic ideology.

"Islam is the reason for our existence," declared PAS central committee member Mohamed Sabu. "UMNO and PAS can perish but Islam is forever," he said, referring to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's United Malays National Organization party.

UMNO members have asked Mahathir's National Front government to strip the word Islam from PAS's name, saying political parties should not use religion to win votes.