The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) should also investigate those behind the production of the 'Memali clips' that were aired on national television not too long ago, said PAS spiritual advisor Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

"Has Jakim officials interviewed those who are out to smear PAS' image through the creation of those clips that were repeatedly shown? In those clips, PAS was depicted as the aggressor in Memali, and that we are like the Taliban,'' he said.

In the Nov 19, 1985 incident in Kedah, 18 people, including four policemen, were killed in the clashes between villagers led by PAS leader Ibrahim Libya and security forces.

Nik Aziz was responding to parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister's Department Noh Ismail who told Parliament on Thursday the PAS leader admitted to Jakim officials that he had used "insulting and vulgar words" like Tuhan mencarut (God swears), Tuhan samseng (thuggish God), barua (stooges), and ulama terompah kayu (wooden clog ulama).

Unrepentant one

In a Berita Harian report the next day, Noh said that Nik Aziz remained as the only "unrepentant" one among the six persons who had been invited to the "interview" by Jakim over allegations that they had "denigrated Islam".

Elaborating further on the Memali clip, Nik Aziz claimed they were "half-truths" because they did not show how the womenfolk were shot by the security forces during the incident.

"Those are not the true and they are something fabricated. Given that, why nobody has asked the minister concerned to air the full details surrounding Memali since what has been broadcasted so far is misleading?''

The late PAS president Fadzil Noor had also claimed there were numerous parts of the clashes, including the action by the police, which were not aired.

MOHD IRFAN ISA is a stringer for malaysiakini on the east coast.