I am writing in response to the letter "PAS' obsession with hudud bad for all" (Nov 16). I am amused by the author's audacity to publicly lambast PAS which is slowly but surely gaining trust and popularity among Malaysians because of its clean track record.

PAS has been very consistent and clear about its missions and objectives, and its effort to bring the hudud laws into public discourse is hardly a sinful obsession. The party wishes to educate the public about hudud so that there would no longer be misconceptions and baseless fear and stigma from those who are unfamiliar with the subject, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims - but as we all know freedom of speech is taken away from any entity that is not the ruling government.

Unfortunately Malaysia is one of those 'democratic' countries where subscribing to the ideas of the opposition is considered a blasphemy - you can get fired from your lecturer job and be put under detention without trial for simply disagreeing with the policies of the ruling party's coalition.

There are also several groundless accusations made towards PAS in the letter. I would suggest the author comes up with his testimony of the instances where the party under fire had showcased these unfounded allegations in their actions and publications. One has to be fair-minded, so I sincerely hope the author and other readers directly approach a PAS member or any accessible PAS leaders and spokespersons for a fair and intelligent discussion to dispel any prejudice.

Finally, I would like to share a verse from the Quran that is taken as a guide by Muslims when extending their dakwah: "Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Quran) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better..." (Chapter 16, Verse 125). In this situation it may be that PAS, being a fallible entity just like every other, has failed to strike the right chord with Malaysians.

Its approach to promote hudud laws under the suppressed and restricted condition that the party is in, still have to be fine-tuned. Moreover, the Malaysian society at large is still shrouded with myths about the implementation of hudud laws.

But in Muslim terms, isn't it more imperative to correct a leader who had openly allow gambling, fornication, usury and apostasy - all of which are major sins in Islam - to be left unchecked and rampant (in a country which he claimed to be Islamic), rather than attacking the noble yet misunderstood effort of a certain small and powerless party?