‘Stop political bickering and unite in prayer’

KOTA BARU: The Kelantan mufti has called for a political ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan.

Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad said it was time for Muslims to unite in prayer instead of squabbling over their differences.

“Please put an end to political bickering, and stop exchanging harsh words, even on social media.

“Whether before, during or after elections, we must maintain cordial ties with our brothers,” he said at the start of Ramadan yesterday, adding that Muslims should co-exist in peace in line with Islamic teaching.

“Ramadan is a month where people are taught to be patient. Even when people hurl abusive words, we should exercise restraint and stop countering with hurtful words.

“This is the month where we observe positive changes towards better spiritual, physical and intellectual developments,” Mohamad Shukri said.

In his Ramadan message, Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said people should stop acting as if they were powerful.

For example, he said, humans could not invent anything as small and complex as the mosquito, yet it has compound eyes with hundreds of lenses, a proboscis with 47 cutting edges, and a multisegmented heart.

“We bear witness to the weakness of humans, with no capability of creating any- thing smaller in size than a mosquito.

“So, why are humans acting so arrogantly, as if they are powerful on this Earth?” he asked.

PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan took a swipe at PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for claiming on the eve of Ramadan that Pakatan Harapan would wrest control of Kelantan and Terengganu from the Islamist party.

“I was taken aback when he expressed commitment to wresting control of Kelantan and Terengganu, reflecting the coalition’s greed for power.

“This shows Pakatan Harapan has inherited Barisan Nasional’s greed,” he said.

Nasrudin said initially, PAS was “excitedly looking forward” to hearing Anwar’s maiden speech after his release from prison.

“But now we feel challenged. We understand why they fought to topple Barisan.

“But why are they after PAS-controlled states where we observe good governance and emphasise welfare, justice and transparency, in line with Islamic teaching?” he said.

This is the month where we observe positive changes towards better spiritual, physical and intellectual developments. Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad