KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent diatribe against Christianity could propel his party’s supporters into the arms of the Islamic State (IS) terror network, MCA’s Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker claimed today.

The religious harmony bureau chairman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) component told Hadi to focus on pertinent national issues instead of “pitting” Muslims against Christians, referring to reported remarks citing the Islamist lawmaker as saying “educated” people in the West had rejected Christianity, causing the religion’s proponents to head East.

“It is statements like this that will cause more damage and attract wayward minds of the IS culture to support PAS,” Ti said.

“Singling out the Christians and the people of Sabah and Sarawak was uncalled for,” Ti said, describing Hadi’s comments as “inflammatory and simplistic”.

Hadi was reported by PAS-owned paper Harakah Daily yesterday as saying that Christian missionaries are targeting poorer regions such as Africa and Asia, including spreading their belief in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak because Christianity failed in developed nations in the West.

Ti questioned if Hadi was purposely making such a statement to divert from the “crisis” that PAS is facing.

A number of PAS progressives left to form Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) after the party’s contentious annual general meeting last year. Amanah has since replaced PAS in a new opposition alliance with PKR and DAP called Pakatan Harapan.

“Who is Hadi Awang to be so superior to degrade his fellow citizens as lesser mortals?” Ti asked.

Ti pointed out that PAS has remained silent on the recent controversial ruling by the Court of Appeal, which upheld the unilateral conversion of Hindu mother M Indira Gandhi’s three children by her ex-husband who converted to Islam.

“PAS has been conveniently silent on the social justice and implications of the judgement in Indira’s case despite advocating that justice is the primary and most fundamental principle advocated by Islam,” Ti said.