SHAH ALAM, July 27 — A PAS Youth leader told a forum here that his party would not ban entertainment should they take federal power, so as long as it remains among minorities and held "away from Muslims”.

PAS vice Youth chief Fadhli Shaari said the party would also use Kelantan as a reference in administering laws governing minorities and entertainment if they claim Putrajaya, declaring the state has done well to balance Shariah laws and the cultural needs of non-Muslims.

"PAS has never prohibited entertainment or infringed on minority rights,” Fadhli, also a Member of Parliament for Pasir Mas, told the forum discussing Islam’s position under Pakatan Harapan (PH) rule.

"If you look at Kelantan, non-Muslims are free to do what they want, so as long as they are kept away from Muslims and done only among them. We understand that ruling as a federal government will be different from running a state, but we will use Kelantan as a reference, and take it step by step,” he added later on.

Kelantan, under PAS rule for more than two decades, enforces strict Islamic rule.

Minorities, which make up less than 5 per cent of the state’s population, are allowed to open restaurants and sell alcohol, but can only do so at designated locations, often in back alleys or areas limited to Chinese- or Indian-majority areas.

Muslims, on the other hand, must observe Shariah laws in their daily lives. Men are not allowed to wear shorts that fall above the knee even when playing sports, while women, even at a young age, are required to don the hijab at all times.

Those failing to adhere to the strict dress code can be fined.

Hasanuddin Mohd Yunos speaks during a forum in Shah Alam July 27, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

Detractors, many Muslims included, have labelled Kelantan’s Islamic dress code as extreme and there have been pockets of reports that zealous local enforcement officers have also enforced it on minorities.

But Fadhli said the laws were necessary to "safeguard” morality, and that Kelantan’s Shariah laws have succeeded in curbing social ills within the state. He then claimed states that were more open like Selangor and Penang were rife with vice.

"That is why in Kelantan there is no lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activities but you hear about them in states like Selangor and others,” the Pasir Mas MP said.

Despite its strict Islamic rule and pious image, the east coast state has its own share of social problems. Kelantan has one of the worst drug addiction problems in the country, while Google data released just months ago showed the PAS state also has the highest number of porn site visitors to date.

The PH federal administration’s policy on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community also became the centre of debate between panellists from different parties at a forum to discuss the position of Islam here, a reflection of how thorny the issue is for a government that took power mostly on the support of liberal Muslims.

Questions from the floor on the issue predicated mostly on the statement made by Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa, whose disagreement against discriminating LGBT members were deemed "apologetic” and supportive of the community.

Datuk Asri Zainul Abidin speaks during a forum in Shah Alam July 27, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

Two of the panellists, Amanah MP for Hulu Langat, Hasanuddin Mohd Yunos, and Perlis Mufti, Datuk Asri Zainul Abidin, were pressed to explain their position on the topic.

Kelantan also has one of the highest cases of incest and recently topped the list in HIV infections, mostly extracted from unprotected homosexual intercourse, according to news reports.

Both said they do not condone their activities, but opposed suggestions to outlaw, punish or discriminate against LGBT members. Persecution, they added, will only portray Islam poorly and work against efforts at "dakwah”, a form of evangelising done through good deeds or living an exemplary life of fairness and compassion.

Islam encourages all its followers to perform the "dakwah” in their everyday lives.

"When you are in power, you have to be just as you address issues affecting an entire society, which is highly diverse. You have to approach it wisely... and with this community, there is a way to approach them,” Hasanah said.

"What we are trying to do is to govern with fairness and compassion, and this will help paint Islam in a good light.”

Asri said: "Islam never teaches us to seek out those who commit sin.”

"If a LGBT (sic) does whatever quietly and among them then that is between them and god. But if they are openly promoting it then we must deal with it openly... but we shouldn’t be doing things like shun them from hiring and all that,” he added.