KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Isma’s “anti-infidel” rhetoric under the guise of political Islam must be tackled by Putrajaya or else the federal administration’s moderate stance will amount to nothing, DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng said today.

Lim also described Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) as an “extremist” group, and called provocative remarks by the movement’s leaders a dangerous development.

“Will the home minister or Inspector-General of Police act against Isma? Their failure will leave Najib silently alone with his sweet words of wasatiyyah that are just empty chatter,” Lim said in a statement here, using the Arabic word used to describe “moderation” or “balance”.

“DAP believes that the majority of Malaysians want to live in peace and harmony, and are not interested in any effort to butt Muslims and non-Muslims through anti-infidel sentiments and struggle.”

He also took issue with Isma for accusing DAP of describing Malays as “pendatang” too, or immigrants, when it was a Gerakan delegate who uttered it in the Barisan Nasional (BN) party’s recent national conference.

“What kind of men or organisation is Isma, when they are ready to use evil slander when in Islam slander is a major sin heavier than murder?” asked Lim.

“Most likely, Isma which is an expert in changing black to white and white to black, will escape any strict action although it has uttered extremist remarks that wish to threaten public peace and sow the seeds of hatred towards non-Muslims, who must be combated since they are infidels.”

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak attributed Malaysia’s rise as a modern and progressive Islamic nation to the use of the “wasatiyyah” approach as the basis of the national administration.

State news agency Bernama reported Najib saying the approach rejected the elements of obsession, fanaticism and extremism that caused the people to be rigid and fail to appreciate anything done for the good of all.

DAP and Isma have often been at loggerheads in recent months, with the latter accusing the former of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam with its opposition to Isma’s Islamist goals.