KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has claimed that Muslims are less involved in corruption compared to non-Muslims, arguing that Islamic institutions such as Tabung Haji are singled out for scrutiny specifically because of their religious branding.

In a statement issued Thursday, Hadi argued that faith and belief in accountability in the hereafter act as a restraint on Muslims, making them less likely to engage in graft than non-Muslims, whom he said dominate the country’s major economic activities.

“Muslims involved in corruption are not as many as non-Muslims, because they are guarded by faith and belief that there is sin before Allah,” he said.

He claimed that if an honest statistical assessment were done, corruption involving non-Muslims would prove far greater in scale, though he acknowledged that some Muslims with weak religious grounding — particularly those lacking proper religious education — do become involved in bribery.

Hadi also contended that enforcement against corruption in Malaysia has been selective and unjust.

“Some are taken action against, some face half-hearted action because of their rank, and some are left alone because their rank is higher,” he said.

He said action is frequently taken against bribe-recipients while bribe-givers and middlemen, whom he described as largely coming from cartels, black-market traders and smugglers outside the Muslim community, are allowed to walk free.

He further alleged that senior figures escape punishment because of their rank, while lower-ranking individuals face full consequences, and that some are unfairly accused of opposing the government to justify action against them, while others have their investigations deliberately dragged out.

His claims about the relative scale of corruption among Muslims and non-Muslims were not accompanied by independent data or verifiable statistics.

On Tabung Haji specifically, Hadi said that while he does not deny wrongdoing has occurred within Islamic financial institutions, similar or greater misconduct within government-linked companies (GLCs) and other bodies is “swept under the carpet.”

“Tabung Haji’s wrongdoing is made the headline because its Islamic brand becomes the target,” he said, arguing that the far larger number of people who have contributed to the fund’s success are overlooked in favour of highlighting the misdeeds of a few.

He also referenced the Penang tunnel project, claiming its case was heard only halfway before going quiet, with little further public discussion.

Hadi further alleged that Malay and Muslim-linked entities — from the largest to the smallest — are disproportionately targeted in graft cases to tarnish Islam’s image, even though he claimed non-Muslim and non-Malay economic actors, including “mega-sized” players, contribute more to corruption, including in the leakage of subsidies meant for poor farmers and fishermen.

He then praised PAS-led state governments, particularly Kelantan under PAS rule for more than 30 years, as being “clean” of corruption despite what he described as federal pressure and denial of state rights.

By contrast, he criticised the Pakatan Harapan federal government, saying allegations of misconduct emerged within its own term, and dismissed its anti-corruption rhetoric — including references to a mysterious “sakau” figure — as hollow sloganeering. “Its declaration of war on corruption is just an empty drum, loud in sound only,” he said.

Citing religious scriptures, Hadi warned that political parties which choose leaders through corrupt means will ultimately be defeated by corruption, drawing a comparison to the United States, which he said now elects leaders based on wealth rather than knowledge or integrity.

He cautioned against using corruption allegations as a political weapon to bring down rivals rather than as a genuine effort to curb wrongdoing, saying this occurs when authorities selectively pursue opponents while shielding themselves.