KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 ― A PAS man insisted today that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) "acts” can be prosecuted using both civil and Shariah laws even when committed in private.

Responding to religious affairs minister Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa’s olive branch towards the community, Datuk Khairuddin Aman Razali said the former is "mistaken”, claiming instead that the LGBT community is "infringing on society’s rights and norms of humanity”.

"This country’s laws, whether civil or Shariah, admit that LGBT acts are criminal and action can be taken against those who commit it regardless if they were done in hiding or openly,” the Kuala Nerus MP said in a statement.

The PAS cleric had quoted Sections 377B and 377C of the Penal Code which criminalise "carnal intercourse against the order of nature”, and Sections 25 and 26 of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997 that criminalises sodomy and lesbian sexual acts.

Anal and oral sex are illegal in Malaysia, even for heterosexual couples.

Khairuddin said he is concerned with Mujahid’s "loose” stance, claiming it would give comfort and confidence towards the LGBT community to ask for recognition.

In an interview with Malay Mail, Mujahid has pledged to hear out the grouses of the country’s sexual and Muslim minorities, amid longstanding claims of persecution by religious authorities.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department argued that while the Federal Constitution protects the rights of these communities, there are aspects of their beliefs and practices that may not be acceptable to Muslims and, by extension, Malaysians.

The LGBT community in Malaysia, especially transgender Muslims, often alleges persecution by religious authorities over Shariah offences such as cross-dressing.

PAS’ Kelantan deputy mentri besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah was also quoted recently saying that the LGBT is "a bigger issue” than child marriage, as the latter was allowed under Islam.