KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — The Umno Veterans Association is a "wretched” group for openly attacking its own party’s leaders using unsubstantiated religious claims, minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said.

Shahidan also challenged association secretary Datuk Mustapha Yaakub to name the federal minister whom he claimed to using government facilities to spread the Wahhabi ideology, allegedly promoted by Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin whose Islamic religious views allegedly run counter to national dogma.

"Mention the name of the minister and the facilities used to promote spread Wahhabism. Is Wahhabism outlawed?” Shahidan told ProjekMMO, Malay Mail Online’s sister publication in Bahasa Malaysia, when contacted yesterday.

"You must meet with the minister, not say it out in the open. But not in this case, the Veterans Association is shooting Umno.

"Shoot the Opposition, or shoot PAS, since the formation of Umno Veterans is to strengthen Umno,” he added.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was commenting on Mustapha’s recent attack against Mohd Asri for allegedly spouting anti-government remarks, most notably in a Facebook post said to be in support of last Saturday’s student organised #TangkapMO1 demonstration in the national capital.

Malaysia endorses the Sunni school of Islam and Wahhabism is an ultraconservative branch of that denomination seeking to restore what it sees as "pure” Islamic worship.

Its followers are named after 18th century preacher and scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Shahidan urged Mustapha, who is also Ahli Sunnah Wal Jammah deputy president, to focus his efforts on uniting Umno members.

"Form an association, and then take shots at Umno. This is a wretched act,” the former Perlis mentri besar said.

Shahidan added that Umno veterans should act like "men” and not take potshots as they like.

"What kind of person would be considered an [Umno] veteran? How many years in service [to Umno] would it consider someone a veteran?” he questioned.

"Veterans should be communicating like men, but this act by the Umno Veterans secretary is not very manly.

"Secondly, is it the role of Umno veterans to reproach to this level? It is not the role of Umno veterans to reproach [openly], they should meet the minister,” he said.

Shahidan had first appointed Mohd Asri as Perlis mufti in 2006 when he was the northern state’s mentri besar.

In the 2008 elections, Shahidan kept his Tambun Tulang state seat but was not retained as mentri besar.