In a blog posting, the former law minister responded to criticism by PAS and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) over his comments regarding the arrest of individuals who had tweeted on the death of the late PAS spiritual leader Haron Din.

PAS had said religious leaders could not be mocked as they represented Islam.

“If the religious leader is holy and genuine, and uses religious knowledge to attain peace and do good for the people, then they should be respected,” Zaid said, adding no one would try to insult their dignity.

However, he said, those who exploited religion for political mileage or monetary gain, could not be equated to a religious leader.

“People like this earn a living by using religion and this is forbidden in Islam. As an example, hypocrites only look Islamic on the outside but their hearts are filled with fallacy.

“Isma President Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman had said I need to understand people. That religious leaders could not be simply mocked.”

Zaid said he had never said anyone could be mocked, but added that even if there was an element of mockery in the tweet, no one should be arrested over it.

In the context of Malaysian politics, religious leaders who were involved in Malaysian politics must know that they could become the target of mockery, he added.

“Has the Isma president never heard the statements of Abdul Hadi Awang, a religious leader, against DAP and Umno?

“So why can’t others use the same tactics against PAS’ religious leaders? Or is it only PAS which can do it?”

He added that politicians must be ready to deal with the country’s political culture and not hide behind the veil of religion or expect preferential treatment, just because they were considered ulamas.

Zaid said PAS and Isma could invite him to an open forum, and if required, he could explain the issue further and defend his stance.

He added that PAS and Isma could respond and debate the issue openly, saying this was the true Islamic way of resolving differences of opinion.