Zaliha said Sharif Azhari, the Machang PAS Youth member who made the remark, should stop manipulating religion to serve his own interests.

“I would also like to remind everyone to base arguments on truth. One must be diligent in reading and researching facts.

“A shallow argument only reflects shallow thinking,” she said in a statement.

Yesterday, Sharif reportedly claimed, while debating a motion criticising DAP’s purported interference in Islamic matters, that the sinkhole might have been linked to “what the federal territories minister” had done with land in the city centre.

Malaysiakini also quoted him as saying that one of the divine retributions, according to the Quran, was “sinking people into the earth”.

Zaliha said it was well known that the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity, filled with lessons to be drawn from past stories.

“However, interpretations should not be twisted to suit one’s own interests,” she added.

She said the main challenge for any leader or government lay in the manner they confronted problems, adding that it required faith and a calm and wise approach to resolving them.

“Considering expert opinion and fostering cooperation between all parties are also crucial. Pointing fingers and blaming others will not solve any problem and is certainly not the way forward,” she said.

Earlier, DAP’s Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan had slammed Sharif for exploiting the sinkhole tragedy to attack the Islamic party’s opponents.

He said Sharif, as a young politician, should instead embrace a new kind of politics – one that fostered healthy competition and played an important role in providing checks and balances on the government.

Last night, FMT reported that social media users had also slammed Sharif, asking whether the frequent floods in the PAS-led state of Kelantan and its frequent water woes were also a form of divine retribution.