Anwar under pressure to swear

Anwar under pressure to swear

Singapore Straits Times

Permatang Pauh, Aug 24 - Swearing on the Quran has become a favourite theme of this by-election, especially after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak unexpectedly did so on Friday night.

The focus immediately shifted to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Will he follow suit?

There is certainly pressure on Anwar to do so, but he has consistently refused to, saying that it was making a mockery of Islam.

Instead, he is bringing in top religious leaders from his political ally Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) to counter this practice, and to convince conservative Muslim voters of his stand.

These leaders will be part of his rallies as the campaign goes into its final lap before polling on Tuesday.

Najib had spontaneously taken the oath at a mosque here, swearing that he did not know Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu and had nothing to do with her murder.

He has been accused of having had an affair with her, and his wife, of having a hand in her murder. A former ally of Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda, is now on trial for abetting the killing of Altantuya.

The trial is pending.

Najib's action has reignited interest in oath-taking, which had been a hot issue in the Permatang Pauh by-election after a former Anwar aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, swore on the Quran that Anwar had sodomised him.

Saiful's oath had been replayed repeatedly on big screens here and published on leaflets for this by-election. Its impact is unclear, with as many voters dismissing it as those who feel that it damages Anwar's integrity.

'Taking the oath is a very serious thing. It's between a person and God, and God knows his motives,' said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday.

He refused to be drawn into the debate on whether Anwar should do the same to deflect criticism, but said people should not make light of an oath.

He added that Najib may have felt compelled to do so because of the allegations hurled against him for months.

'That is for him to decide,' he said.

Anwar's strategy has been different. He has attempted to address the Muslim concerns by lodging a complaint in the Syariah Court against Saiful for slander.

This achieved the twin purposes of establishing his Islamic credentials, while making it difficult for Saiful to prove his case as Islamic law sets a high standard of proof.

But Anwar has still been unable to quash the calls for him to swear on the Quran.

He hopes to do so with his campaign this weekend. Top Islamic leaders from Pas are making a beeline for Permatang Pauh to speak at rallies as a last-gasp effort to convince Muslim voters that the oath is not Islamic.

Yesterday, Islamic scholar Harun Din spoke at a rally in a field in Guar Perahu.

Today, Pas spiritual leader Datuk. Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat will join Anwar at a rally.

There are also strong rumours that Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat has invited top foreign Islamic scholars to speak in Permatang Pauh on this
issue, but his aides could not confirm this. -

kzso - will Anwar swear in the name of ALLAH SWT?