KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — Told by Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to pursue PAS’s Mohamad Sabu over alleged links to the banned Shiah movement, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said he must first meet with the ministry before action can be taken.

The minister in charge of Islamic affairs explained that he could not pursue the matter without evidence, which has so far come only in the form of innuendos from the home minister.

“We will discuss with KDN later. We will get information. Because prosecution requires evidence,” Jamil Khir told reporters after launching the National Zakat Month 2013 here, referring to the Home Ministry by its initials.

He also declined to be drawn into questions over what action may be taken against the PAS deputy president, stating only that Shiah was a matter that cut across all political parties.

“In Shiah, it’s [across] all parties, it’s not tied to parties,” the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said of the school of Islam that is considered deviant in Malaysia.

Last Saturday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi issued an order for local religious authorities to take action against Mohamad Sabu, popularly called Mat Sabu, for his alleged links to the Shiites.

Addressing a packed auditorium on the last day of Umno’s 67th General Assembly, Ahmad Zahid — who is also an Umno vice-president — said his ministry will no longer tolerate any elements that are seen as a threat to national security.

“PAS, set aside political interest. This is about akidah (faith) and national security... I am surprised how their party elections installed a Shiah as the number two leader in PAS,” he said in his winding up speech, in a clear reference to Mohamad Sabu.

“We are done lying low. Jamil Khir, KDN gives you the power to take action against (that) PAS leader,” he said to thunderous applause from the over 2,000 delegates.

Mat Sabu has since denied the accusation, insisting that he follows the accepted Sunni school of jurisprudence.

“I am a member of the Sunnah Wal Jamaah, a Muslim that follows the teachings of Sunnah Wal Jamaah members,” he told Astro Awani briefly in his journey to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday.

National laureate Datuk A. Samad Said had recently suggested that the government’s focus on Shiah could be politically-motivated, pointing to the call for action on Mohamad Sabu.