PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim today described the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak that Malaysia was not a secular state but one that conformed to the fundamentals of Islam as "exposing his dismal ignorance" of what an Islamic state was all about.

"His statement is a blatant attempt to pander to communal and religious passions," Anwar told malaysiakini.

"It is a statement that aims to continue the battle of labels while ignoring the fundamental freedoms enshrined not only in our Federal Constitution but also in the higher objectives of the syariah," he added.

He said that religion is a sensitive issue in Malaysia but if treaded with the mutual respect, wisdom and sobriety that the Federal Constitution, the nation's founders and already established jurisprudence have espoused, the consensus that has served us well in the past will continue to remain relevant.

Anwar said Najib's statement was calculated for political mileage.

'It is shocking'

"It is aimed at exploiting the tensions that recent controversies over cases of apostasy have spawned," he said.

"It is shocking that as the nation approaches its 50th anniversary of Merdeka we have leaders who have no compunctions about fanning tensions rather than assuaging them," he asserted.

"When these irresponsible statements are viewed against the backdrop of a rising crime rate, rampant corruption, arbitrary misuse of police power and continued deterioration in the judiciary, one is staggered by the spectacle of leaders fiddling and pandering while the country writhes in pain," he added.

Speaking at an international conference on the challenges of globalisation facing Muslim countries on Tuesday, Najib said Malaysia has never been a secular nation as the government has always been driven by the fundamentals of Islam.

"Islam is the official religion and we are an Islamic state," he told reporters after officiating the conference.

"But as an Islamic state, it does not mean that we don't respect the non-Muslims. The Muslims and the non-Muslims have their own rights," he added.