PUTRAJAYA, May 25 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today he is thankful that the transition of power from the previous administration went smoothly.

He said that he was grateful the transfer of power had not been marked by any form of violence.

"This is not something that can be found in every country, where the ruling party may sometimes resort to violence against its opponents, leading to many lives being lost,” he said during the buka puasa dinner organised by the Muslim Welfare Organisation of Malaysia at Everly Hotel.

Dr Mahathir said that Islam in Malaysia is safeguarded, but the divisions among Muslims was due to political differences.

"As long as there are different political affiliations, the Muslim ummah will remain divided. The Constitution states Malays are Muslims.

"We are not just Muslims but also adhere to the Sunni Shafi’e school of thought. There should be no disputes among us since our practices are the same,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said he prayed that political divisions among Malay Muslims would not deteriorate to the point of enmity.

"When we look at certain countries in the Middle East, we can see the transition from monarchy to authoritarianism to democracy which resulted in elections that failed to form governments,” he continued.

"I feel if we return to the teachings of Islam in the Quran and hadiths, it can help us to overcome our differences and bring peace to the country, establishing a stable rule that can bring prosperity to everyone.”

Dr Mahathir reminded the audience of its importance, since Muslims constitute 60 per cent of Malaysia’s population.