ALOR STAR: Former Kedah Pas Ulama wing deputy chief Syeikh Zainul Asri Mohd Romli has denied that his speech at the 'Kedah Berselawat' gathering on Saturday was directed at any political party.
He claimed that his speech, which contained the phrase 'may Allah protect Kedah from falling to the enemies of Allah' was a reference to those who were mentioned in al-Quran.
"Truthfully I did not refer the speech to any particular group and I did not mention any political party as well as any individual.
"What I meant in the speech was Allah's reminder in al-Baqarah surah which translated into 'The Jews and Christians will not be pleased until you (Muslims) follow their way of living'," he said in a social media posting today.
As such, Zainul apologised to any Malaysian who was offended or disturbed by his speech.
He added that his speech was meant to point out that Islam is a religion that is consistent in in the struggle to uphold 'akidah' and rejecting any form of propagation by the enemies of Islam.
"I hope with this clarification will help towards the building harmony among Muslims in Malaysia. Let us unite to preserve our religion the best we can," he said in the posting.
Yesterday, Pakatan Harapan (PH) lodged a police report against Zainul following his speech during the 'Kedah Berselawat' gathering on Saturday.
The report was lodged by PH Media Mobilisation bureau chief, Captain (Rtd) Muhammad Yahaya at the Dang Wangi District police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Muhammad said the report was lodged after Zainul said "May God protect Kedah from falling into the hands of God's enemies in his speech.
He was reported as saying the phrase contained words of propaganda as if to say that only Pas and Perikatan Nasional (PN) are with Allah while the other parties were the enemies.
He claimed that the phrase was uttered at a time when the state was preparing for the state elections and this was seen to be unhealthy and could instil hatred and encourage extremism among the people.
