I refer to the current debate in the 32-member Terengganu state assembly on the tabling of the Hudud (Islamic penal code) and Qisas (retribution/retaliation) Bill.

I am shocked that the argument put forward by Rosol Wahid (BN-Ajil) in opposing PAS' bill was that it discriminated against Muslims because "they would be punished under hudud laws while non-Malays [sic] could choose whether they wanted to be tried in the syariah court; that this proved that PAS' bill was unjust because in Islam all citizens should be tried under same hudud and qisas laws".

The other objection was that the bill did not include bughah (armed rebellion). To round it up, the four Umno representatives were not against hudud but were opposed to man-made hudud laws (The Star, July 8, page 4).

I thought the Barisan Nasional was trying to exhort voters to reject extremism of PAS when it actually turned out that they think PAS was not extreme enough in their man-made hudud law!

How can Umno ever wage battle with PAS in religious discourse with any success when Umno has already conceded that hudud/qisas take precedence over secular constitution and that their opposition was confined only to PAS' version being not true or Islamic enough?

On religious discourse, even I, as non-Muslim will question who is Umno to say that PAS' version is not Islamic?

The is the kind of blind that Umno gets into when it concedes the very critical front line (the precedence of Islamic laws over secular constitution) and fights in a territory of religion that the 'enemy' has all the weaponry and advantages.

Compare the relative strengths of the contestants.

Leader of invading forces is Terengganu Menteri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang, a master's degree holder in Islamic jurisprudence from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.

Arrayed against him are these four Umno representatives who appeared to not know what they were talking about and oblivious to the fact that every argument of theirs was shooting Umno in its own leg and making a mockery of Umno's stand for moderation as against PAS.

With opponents like these four, would Hadi need friends?

If this is going to represent the nature of contestation between PAS and Umno, Malaysians all know what will be the natural and probable outcome.

Now we also understand why Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who postulates the modern Islamic nation concept would want to resign. With foot soldiers like these four Umno representatives in Terengganu state assembly to conduct the defence, he would vomit blood, and Umno's battle with PAS is as good as long lost.

Non-Muslims and moderate Muslims should re-evaluate and re-position their support in this Umno versus PAS religious contest. They should consider the option of throwing their weight behind PAS being lesser evils of the two because, one, Umno's representatives are talking a language that is beginning to be more extreme than PAS and, two, Umno's is a language that is infinitely less intelligent, cogent or coherent.