Malaysian Lawmakers Condemn PAS Secretary General's Claim That Party Membership Guarantees Heaven

Among them, Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar, said in a social media post on Tuesday: “PAS’ office is not an immigration counter for the afterlife, where you get a ‘heaven’ stamp upon showing your membership certificate and ballot vote.”

During the PAS assembly over the weekend, secretary general Takiyuddin Hassan said party supporters were guaranteed entry into paradise, according to news portal Free Malaysia Today.

People who died defending Islam became martyrs and were rewarded with divine blessings in the afterlife, he said. “Joining PAS in that way, God willing, we can enter heaven when we die. That is certain, ladies and gentlemen.”

Takiyuddin’s remarks drew immediate condemnation from Muslim lawmakers in the country.

“Entry into heaven is not from political party votes but because of Allah’s mercy,” former religious affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa wrote on social media on Sunday. “Will a political party that declares fellow Muslims to be disbelievers and labels those who do not align with it as hypocrites and the like invite Allah’s mercy or His calamity?”

Mahfuz, who is Mujahid’s party mate, likewise countered Takiyuddin’s words.