Zahid says ready to face Mat Sabu in court

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is reportedly unfazed about facing legal action from PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is widely referred to as Mat Sabu.

Instead, he appears eager to embrace it as an opportunity to reveal more ‘proof' against the PAS leader's involvement with the Shiite movement in Malaysia, says a report in Utusan Malaysia today.

"I know the truth behind this exposé. Mat Sabu also knows the truth, and so do other PAS leaders.

"We have evidence and I do not fear Mat Sabu's threat to sue me and the Home Ministry. I am prepared to face him in court.

Expressing hope that "Mat Sabu does not hide it out of fear (bertaqiyyah)", Zahid added in his statement to the Umno-owned daily that in Islam there is only the Sunni school and "those lost outside should come back to the correct path".

In his speech to the Umno general assembly last week, Zahid accused Mat Sabu of being a Shiite follower. Shiism is considered deviant in Malaysia.

Following this, the Home Ministry at a press conference on Thursday listed 10 claims as proof that Mat Sabu is a Shiite follower, such as making a Shiite invocation during a ceramah.

Mat Sabu maintains he is a Sunni, the predominant school of Islamic thought in Malaysia, and is reportedly considering legal action against Zahid.