KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — The National Patriots Association (Patriot) has lashed out at critics of DAP Paloh assemblyman Sheikh Omar Ali’s appointment to the Islamic Propagation Foundation of Malaysia’s (Yadim) board, asserting that it “borders on sheer ignorance and smack of racism.”

Its president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji, singled out Umno youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, claiming that as an Islamic scholar and a former member of Yadim, Asyraf now casts himself as one whose political expediency overrides that of an Islamic scholar.

“Patriot acknowledges the appointment of Sheikh Omar with his religious academic credentials to be a fully qualified and able team member of YADIM. It is not just another political appointee without any suitable academic credential that was the practice of the past administration,” he said in a statement today.

In pointing out that Sheikh Omar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies (Usuluddin) majoring in Propagation (Dakwah) from the Universiti Malaya, Arshad asked: “What other academic qualification does Asyraf Wajdi wants of Sheikh Omar to qualify the latter to sit on the board of YADIM?

“Does Asyraf Wajdi think that Sheikh Omar being a member of DAP is a lesser Malay and even a much lesser Muslim?”

Rashid said Patriot stands by the decision of the government on the appointment of Sheikh Omar to the Board of Yadim last month, and regards all criticisms against Sheikh Omar as nothing more than “ignorance and a shade of jealousy”.

Asyraf Wajdi had questioned the decision of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa to appoint Sheikh Omar as a Yadim board member.

He had reportedly said that Omar belonged to a party that had never recognised Islam as the official religion of the country and that the country’s Islamic institutions were now under threat from the “DAP-dominated” Pakatan Harapan administration.

Formed in 1974, Yadim is headed by Nik Omar Nik Aziz, the son of the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, the late PAS spiritual leader.