Terengganu PAS Wanita chief slams women’s groups over bai’ah issue

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KUALA TERENGGANU: Tereng­ganu PAS’ women chief has slammed women’s groups and Wanita Umno for blowing the issue of bai’ah or oath of loyalty out of proportion and has told them to mind their own business.

State PAS Wanita chief Safinah Jusoh said the oath was never a written policy and she did not understand why there was a hue and cry over the issue.

“In PAS, women are respected and as such these women’s groups should not jump to the conclusion that the purported oath is insulting to the weaker sex. Let me remind these groups that people look at us as pure and motherly,” she said.

She also stressed that in PAS, it had always been emphasised that the ties between husbands and wives should last until the end of their lives.

“Our leaders never directed party loyalists to divorce their wives if they wanted to leave the party. It could be an individual choice made by some people who happen to be in the party.”

http://www.buletinonline.net/http://buletinonline.net/v7/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Sapinah.JPGSafinah (picture right) said in Islam, the role of a woman was well-defined and party members always respected and were committed to their wives.

“So, I hope these groups will stop deliberating on the issue to gain political mileage,” she added.

The oath was made public by Shah Alam MP and PAS member Khaled Samad last week.

He said that elected representatives from the party were made to take an oath that they would divorce their wives with talak tiga should they join another party.

His statement was later denied by party leaders including president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali.

Mustafa said no such directive was issued by either its Syura Council, central committee or its Ulama Council.

On Monday, Khaled said his statement was true but admitted that he should not have made it public.

He also refused to apologise to party leaders for divulging the matter to the public, saying that PAS practised freedom of speech.-The Star Online