Keadilan today urged the government to investigate alleged links between a former Malaysian cabinet minister and radical Islamic groups in the United States.

If the investigations are not done and the identity of the leader is not exposed, I am afraid the government might take advantage of this and use it for its political means, said party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in a press statement.

She cautioned the government not to make such statements as it may further project Malaysia as a terrorist launchpad.

If the Barisan Nasional leadership wishes to gain political mileage with this issue, then they are responsible for the view among the international community that Malaysia is a terrorist nest.

Many government leaders have denied this but the denials mean nothing if these wild allegations are left unverified, she said.

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he regretted Malaysia being labelled as supporting or having links with radical Islamic groups because of their relations with a former cabinet minister said to have contributed US$10 million (RM38 million) to them.

Abdullah however, did not name the leader and said the information was only revealed to him after meeting with Islamic Supreme Council of America chairperson Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani who was on a visit to Malaysia.

It is widely believed the unnamed minister is jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim and one of the organisations referred to is the influential Islamic Society of North America (Isna).

However, Shaykh Muhammad clarified in a news report today that he had never mentioned Isna. Isna was spotlighted by the media last year when it retracted an invitation to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to open its annual conference.

DAPs challenge

DAP has also joined the fray and challenged Abdullah to name the former cabinet minister.

If the government is brave enough to publicly disclose the activities of this personality, it should equally be brave enough to reveal his identity, DAP deputy chairperson Karpal Singh said in a statement yesterday.

Karpal said if the allegation is true, it will not reflect well on Mahathir as the premiers judgment of personalities for high office would be suspect.

This is because the ex-cabinet minister would once have had the trust and confidence of the Prime Minister himself, he said.