In his weekly column in Sinar Harian, Tee expressed his deep respect for the fledgling airline, and said, “To Rayani Air, ‘gua caya sama lu’ (I have great belief in you). Fly as high as possible. I am sure that the passengers will feel safe.

“I will still choose you. ALLAH is with you even if (the owners) are uncircumcised.”

He said the airline’s owners were a respectable lot because they had made Islam a core value in the running of the airline.

“Although the owners of the company are not Muslims yet, they understand the cultural and social values of the people,” praised Tee.

He also defended the owners against those who said the airline’s business model of Syariah compliance was nothing more than a profit-making ploy. “To me, who cares if it is indeed a ploy, at least they are close to Islam. That is enough.”

“That’s better than having been friends with the ultra kiasu for a long time, and being influenced to go against Islam,” Tee added, in an obvious dig at Opposition parties aligned to the DAP.

Tee also said he was completely unaffected by the nasty comments the ‘ultra-kiasu’ had hurled at the airline. “They (critics) said that the passengers will be served black magic water … I don’t give a damn! As long as I am happy when flying with Rayani Air.”

So passionate was he of the idea of Syariah compliance that he said all non-Muslim-owned companies in Malaysia should be Syariah compliant. “Why do non-Muslim-owned companies need to be Syariah-compliant? The answer is because Malaysia is an Islamic nation. Islam is the religion of the Federation. It must be respected by all parties.”

Tee compared Malaysia’s situation to neighbouring Brunei and praised their leaders for being steadfast. “I’ve said for a long time that we must follow the Brunei airline. The population of the country is 30 per cent non-Muslims. Why are they so accepting? The answer is simple. The leaders have willpower.”