KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who is known for his contemporary views on Islam, will start a second stint as Perlis Mufti on Monday, the first time an individual will have held the position more than once.

According to The Star on its website today, Asri will be officially appointed to the position tomorrow and resume his duties next week.

He will replace Dr Juanda Jaya, who concluded his term as the state Mufti last year.

Asri rose to prominence through his unconventional views of Islam and related matters, which often set him apart from conservative religious leaders and made him a popular news commenter.

He was among Muslim leaders who supported non-Muslims’ right to use of the Arabic word “Allah”, and had been critical of clergymen who attacked a dog-petting event held last year.

Asri’s apparent popularity saw rivals Umno and PAS both courting him, before he later said that he was not interested in entering politics.

He first encountered controversy in 2009, when he was accused of and later charged by Selangor religious authorities with preaching without necessary credentials despite having served as Perlis Mufti from 2006 to 2008.

He was finally acquitted last year.

Despite his progressive views, Asri occasionally issues statements that are controversial in their own right.  

In 2009, Asri wrote that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler “might have been right” in trying to exterminate the Jews.