He has also filed a suit against former Machang MP and Kelantan Umno chief Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub over the same issue, Sinar Harian reported.

Nassuruddin said a copy of the suit was sent to Syahbuddin yesterday, “to be followed by the same to Hafidzah and Jazlan”.

He said he was filing the suit because “he never mentioned the word all of them had referred to”, adding that since he started teaching Islam, he had never called anyone an “infidel”.

“I know the consequences of accusing someone of disbelief if that person is not a disbeliever. The accusations return to the accuser.

“When they mention that I bring ‘fitrah takfiri’ (an accusatory character/nature), it means they accuse me of labelling people as disbelievers. so, I am suing them,” he was quoted as saying.

Nassuruddin had previously refuted claims that he labelled Barisan Nasional’s Syahbuddin and Hafidzah of Amanah-Pakatan Harapan as individuals who “opposed Islam”.

He explained that in the speech in question, he had only said that the two assemblymen were opposed to the “Islamic struggle”.

On Monday, Hafidzah filed a suit against Nassuruddin after he did not issue an apology within the prescribed period as demanded.

She had given Nassuruddin seven days to publicly apologise over his statement.